Immediately after, Kakashi, wearing his mask, appeared on screen. He lowered his gaze, his voice filled with deep self-reproach: "Fifth Generation, I apologize for this... I failed to guide him onto the right path."
Tsunade shook her head, her expression grim, her words carrying a hint of disrespect: "What does this have to do with you? If anyone is to blame, it's that old bastard, the Third Hokage! If it weren't for them..."
Tsunade's words stopped abruptly, but the sense of indignation and accusation had already been conveyed.
"If it weren't for them... how could a person capable of destroying—and intending to destroy—the Ninja World have appeared?"
Tsunade's voice was filled with fear and fury.
Kakashi stood silently to the side.
Tsunade took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, displaying the Hokage's resolve: "Inform the Anbu, recall Hebi."
Tsunade paused, her eyes sharp as blades, and issued a shocking command:
"Furthermore... initiate the Five Kage Summit! To deal with the crisis of the Ninja World's destruction!"
"Yes!" Kakashi accepted the order, his figure instantly vanishing to make the arrangements.
Only Tsunade remained in the office. She walked to the window, gazed at the prosperous Konoha, and whispered softly—a sound barely audible, yet clearly transmitted to every corner beneath the heavenly screen:
"I hope... the Ninja World can still be saved. It all depends on you... Hebi."
As if to allow the people of the Ninja World to digest this explosive information, the heavenly screen's image began to switch, showing scenes of Konoha's Anbu being urgently mobilized, figures darting across rooftops in a tense and deadly atmosphere.
This brief intermission did not calm the audience; instead, the oppressive feeling of an impending storm grew heavier.
"The Ninja World... destruction crisis?"
"Hebi? What is that?"
"Are they talking about the Third Hokage and the others? What exactly did they do? Create a monster capable of destroying the Ninja World?!"
"A Five Kage Summit... My heavens, how terrifying must the enemy be to require the Five Kage to unite against it?"
Speculation, fear, shock, anger... countless emotions sprouted and spread in every corner of the Ninja World.
The news of the Uchiha Clan Massacre seemed insignificant at this moment. A massive shadow from the future, looming over the entire world, caused everyone to feel suffocating fear.
Konoha Village, Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Tsunade's undisguised accusations on the heavenly screen, feeling as if he had been struck by lightning, frozen in place, completely unaware that his pipe had gone out.
"I... I created a world-destroying monster?" he muttered to himself, his face etched with bewilderment, grievance, and a sense of incredible absurdity.
"How could I... How could I possibly have that kind of ability?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that although his time in office involved compromises and dark deeds, his original intention was always for Konoha's stability and prosperity.
Marginalizing the Uchiha?
That was to prevent a possible coup d'état.
Indulging Danzo?
That was to handle the dirty work that couldn't see the light of day.
But how did any of this become related to "destroying the Ninja World"?
He couldn't figure it out, feeling like he had been saddled with an enormous blame.
But he knew even better that he couldn't explain it away.
This heavenly screen was broadcasting in front of the entire Ninja World. Whether he believed it or not, everyone in the Ninja World, especially the other Kage, would absolutely believe it.
They would all blame Konoha!
Hiruzen Sarutobi instantly became the target of public criticism.
Sure enough, while shocked by the "Five Kage Summit" and the "World Destruction Crisis," the other major Hidden Villages immediately seized this excellent opportunity to attack Konoha and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"That bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi! The mess he created is going to drag down the entire Ninja World!" The Fourth Raikage's furious roar nearly blew the roof off. "Start propagating this immediately! Let the entire Ninja World know what kind of scourge Konoha's Third Hokage is!"
"Hmph, Konoha is hypocritical indeed, utterly rotten inside." The Fourth Kazekage Rasa sneered, ordering his intelligence department to widely publicize the news that "Hiruzen Sarutobi cultivated the world destroyer," doing everything possible to tarnish Konoha's image.
Even the shrewd Ōnoki immediately seized this opportunity: "Emphasize to the public that the future crisis originated from the wrong decisions of the Konoha Leadership, and that Iwagakure is the innocent and righteous party being dragged into this. Direct all blame towards Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha!"
Instantly, the propaganda machine of the entire Ninja World roared to life.
Regardless of the actual truth, the accusation that Hiruzen Sarutobi was the "world destroyer creator" would soon be cemented, thanks to the "irrefutable evidence" on the heavenly screen and the intentional fueling of the flames by the various villages.
An alley outside a certain casino.
Tsunade angrily punched the wall, and the solid structure instantly covered in cracks.
"I knew it! I knew something big was going to happen!" She gritted her teeth, her chest heaving violently. "Otherwise, why would I ever go back to being that damn Hokage!"
Shizune, holding Tonton, looked at her worriedly: "Lady Tsunade..."
Tsunade looked sharply toward the sky; the exhaustion and despair on her future self's face were so real.
"To make my future self look like that, and even require calling the Five Kage... You damned Old Man, just how much trouble did you cause!"
"Damn it, isn't this just screwing me over?"
A small town in the Land of Fire.
The playful grin and nosebleed on Jiraiya's face were long gone, replaced by an unprecedented seriousness.
He looked up at the heavenly screen, his mind racing.
"The crisis of the Ninja World's destruction... the Child of Prophecy..." He recalled the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.
His disciple would bring immense change to the Ninja World, either as the dawn that saves the world or the calamity that destroys everything.
"Could it be... because of my disciple?" Jiraiya's heart sank.
Immediately, Jiraiya shook his head vigorously.
"No, there's too little information. I must find out the truth—who exactly is this 'world destroyer,' and what is their connection to the Child of Prophecy!"
He realized that simply traveling and writing was no longer enough; he had to proactively seek answers and intervene.
Meanwhile, in the mysterious space, Yin An watched with satisfaction as the "shock," "fear," and "doubt" emotional energy from across the Ninja World pulsed frantically on the system panel.
"The groundwork is almost complete," he smiled. "Next, it's time to let 'Hebi' and that 'world destroyer' make their appearances to warm things up."
The image on the heavenly screen shifted, and the scene switched to a magnificent cluster of buildings covered in ice and snow—the Land of Iron.
Inside the solemn meeting room, five high-backed chairs were arranged in an arc, representing the pinnacle of power in the Ninja World.
When the future Five Kage appeared one by one, clearly displaying their faces to the entire Ninja World via the heavenly screen, an unprecedented uproar and shock once again swept across the land!