At this moment, outside Konoha, deep within the Forest of Death, the "Konoha Expansion Construction Site" was in full swing.
Everyone was working furiously.
Then suddenly—
A terrifying wave of pressure swept across the area.
Like an autumn wind blowing away fallen leaves, it carried dust across the ground.
Boom!
The Fourth Raikage, A, who was carrying a massive slab of granite on his shoulder, suddenly slipped.
The enormous rock fell straight from his hands and smashed into the freshly laid ground, creating a deep crater.
Dust rose into the air.
A stood frozen.
His huge eyes widened like bronze bells as he stared toward Konoha Village.
Every muscle on his body bulged with power, their lines firm and defined.
But if one looked closely, those same muscles were trembling slightly.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! I just finished laying that foundation!"
The one who felt the most pain was Onoki.
Clutching his aching back, he hurried over while still holding a half-made brick.
But just as he raised his hand to scold the Raikage—
He suddenly froze.
Then he abruptly turned his head toward Konoha.
"Th-this… this chakra…?!"
"That's impossible! Konoha shouldn't have chakra this powerful!"
"That Uchiha brat alone is already absurd enough. How can there suddenly be another one?!"
After days of working under the blazing sun, the Raikage's voice had grown hoarse.
He could clearly feel that distant chakra.
Thick.
Vast.
Overwhelming.
It was the kind of power that could crush the Two-Tails Matatabi with a single finger.
But how could Konoha possibly have someone else like that?
He couldn't understand it.
Not at all.
Crack!
"Wait—I get it!"
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
Under Onoki's stunned gaze, the Raikage excitedly declared:
"Orochimaru must've teamed up with Konoha to set a trap for us!"
"Konoha must've already had another powerful ninja hiding inside the village!"
"If we actually invaded Konoha, we wouldn't have gotten anything good out of it!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became.
He even rubbed his head, whose hair had been curled by the heat, looking extremely pleased with himself.
"People always say my brain is all muscle."
"But actually, I—the Fourth Raikage, A—am incredibly smart!"
"I just didn't bother using my brain before!"
At this moment, he felt reborn.
This time around, he would absolutely prove his intelligence!
The Third Tsuchikage: …
Onoki sighed.
Then he muttered calmly,
"Then why aren't you using your muscles now? Is it because you're naturally lazy about using them?"
After saying that, he ignored the Raikage's stunned expression and looked toward Konoha again.
Although it was still far away, that overwhelming chakra gave him a familiar feeling.
Subconsciously, he floated into the air to gain a better view.
His sensory perception expanded to its limit.
Pop.
Another wave of unstoppable pressure swept outward.
This time—
Onoki felt it clearly.
He even recognized it.
"Hiss—!"
He sucked in a huge breath of cold air, almost draining all the oxygen from the Forest of Death.
His tiny body, which had been floating in the air, trembled violently—
Then he fell straight down.
Whoosh!
His body traced a perfect arc through the air.
The Raikage caught him in one arm like a princess and asked in a low voice,
"What are you doing?"
"My back! My back—my back!"
"Rocking? You're already this old and still have that kind of hobby?"
The Raikage shook his head but still held Onoki gently and rocked him slightly.
"Still want to rock?"
Onoki froze.
Like an 876-month-old baby, he stayed completely still.
A few seconds later, he suddenly snapped back to reality.
His old face turned red as he clutched his waist.
"My back! I said my back went out!"
He cursed.
But the shock in his heart was far greater.
The color had completely drained from his face.
Only the fear buried deep in his memories remained.
Seeing the Raikage's confused expression, Onoki took a deep breath and explained:
"That power… belongs to Hashirama Senju."
"The legendary… God of Shinobi."
When he said those final words, his voice trembled.
His face flushed red.
As someone who had lived since the final years of the Warring States Era—
Someone who had personally witnessed the God of Shinobi—
Onoki would never forget that chakra.
Of course, the reason was simple.
The man who once stood against that power had terrified him enough to give him nightmares for more than sixty years.
That was a force capable of suppressing an entire era of war by itself.
A force capable of subduing all nine Tailed Beasts.
Even treating them like gifts to casually distribute to the villages.
Absolute power.
But…
Wasn't that man supposed to be dead?
How could he suddenly appear now?
Suddenly, Onoki thought of Orochimaru.
His heart slowly sank.
Only then did the Raikage fully understand what he had said.
His dark, muscular face twitched violently.
"Hashirama Senju? The God of Shinobi? You're joking, right?!"
"How could I joke about something like that?"
Still lying in the Raikage's arms, Onoki's eyes were filled with both absurdity and gravity.
"If even someone like him has appeared…"
"The entire ninja world may truly be reshuffled."
After saying that, he suddenly realized how ridiculous their earlier plan to secretly attack Konoha had been.
Or rather—
How laughable.
The waters of Konoha were simply too deep.
And he and the Raikage were far too weak to measure them.
"…Should we go take a look?" the Raikage asked while scratching his head.
Looking down at the Onoki in his arms, he added,
"I'm curious too. I want to see what the legendary God of Shinobi is really like."
"Meow~"
The moment he finished speaking, a blue cat suddenly jumped out beside them.
Yugito Nibi transformed back into her human form and nodded.
"I want to go see it too."
But in her heart she added silently:
If he finds out I left my post… will he beat me again?
If that happens… should I accept it immediately… or hesitate for a second first?
The three of them quickly reached an agreement and began heading toward Konoha.
Meanwhile, back at the construction site—
The other workers, whether from Iwagakure or Kumogakure, had all stopped working.
They stared blankly toward the village.
Completely lost.
…
On the rooftop of the Hokage Tower, the dust had mostly settled.
Only the faint smell of blood lingered in the air.
Hashirama Senju's gaze remained gentle, though there was still a trace of confusion in his awakening eyes.
He slowly scanned the chaotic streets below.
He looked at the frightened ninja.
A deep sigh escaped him.
Just as he was about to turn around—
The corner of his eye suddenly caught sight of a young boy speaking with Kimimaro.
The boy was young.
Yet the look in his eyes was completely different from others.
At the same moment, Tobirama followed his elder brother's gaze.
His eyes landed on the crest on the boy's clothes—
The red-and-white Uchiha fan emblem.
"An Uchiha?"
"An evil Uchiha brat? Interesting."
In the next instant—
Tobirama's figure blurred.
Then vanished from where he stood.
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