"Cough—cough, cough."
Nagato, Pain's real body, was coughing again.
Konan was deeply worried about his condition.
As for the Eye of the Moon Plan that "Madara" talked about, she honestly didn't care that much.
What she truly wanted was simple—she didn't want to lose the last person who mattered to her.
"I'm fine, just—"
"What is it? Nagato?!"
"There's another projection. It's still in the base's meeting room."
Konan nodded and shifted her consciousness to her paper clone.
"Madara" had already left. The previous projection had exposed that he was the one truly pulling the strings behind Akatsuki, which meant the plan to collect the tailed beasts would have to be pushed forward.
Akatsuki's cave.In front of the Konoha Ninja Academy.On the sand dunes of Hidden Sand.Before the waterfalls of Hidden Mist. Among the rocks of Hidden Stone. High above the clouds of Hidden Cloud.Civilian villages. Merchant estates. Daimyō castles.
Once again, the same projection screens that had appeared days ago manifested everywhere.
…
Land of Fire - Konoha
A familiar projection screen appeared in front of the Konoha Ninja Academy!
The Third Hokage and the advisory council were already waiting respectfully at the school gate. As for Danzo, he once again claimed his old injuries had flared up and that Root affairs were too busy, choosing to remain in seclusion.
When Senju Tobirama arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi removed his Hokage hat and respectfully stepped aside.
"Second Hokage-sama."
Land of Earth · Hidden Rock Village
Ōnoki of the Two Weights snorted.
"So soon again… Is this another message about the future?"
"Tsuchikage-sama, could this be a Konoha conspiracy?"
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes.
"I find that unlikely. But whether it is or not…"His hand tightened behind his back around a scroll marked with Konoha's insignia."We'll know after the Five Kage Summit!"
Land of Water · Hidden Mist Vilage
"Mizukage-sama still isn't showing himself, is he?"
The woman in the blue bodysuit with long wavy hair partially covering her face—an alluring, mature kunoichi—was none other than Mei Terumī.
She shook her head. In her heart, she feared that the true Mizukage was already likely dead.
Ao spoke up, "Let's watch this projection first. Maybe it'll give us new clues."
"Yeah…" Mei replied, but the unease in her heart refused to fade.
Land of Lightning · Hidden Cloud Village
The hot-blooded Atsui slammed open the Raikage's office door.
"Raikage-sama! That projection is back again!!"
A cool, sharp-eyed woman stepped in behind him."Calm down, Atsui. The Raikage isn't here."
"The Raikage went to the uninhabited island to check on Killer B-sama," Mabui said as she neatly organized the documents on her desk. "I'll contact him immediately. For now, have the intelligence division record everything."
Land of Wind · Hidden Sand Village
When Hidden Sand received Konoha's invitation to the Five Kage Summit, they had still been suspicious, believing the earlier projections might be a Konoha plot.
But the power shown—casually crushing a Hidden Sand jōnin into a bloody pulp—demonstrated an understanding of Sand far deeper than their own "Horror quiz." That alone had already reduced the likelihood of Konoha's involvement.
And what truly shocked every ninja in Hidden Sand, completely erasing all doubt, was this projection that appeared after the sacrifice of two ninjas and the correct answer was finally given.
[Within the projection—]
[Endless sand dunes stretched to the horizon. Floating in the air were Gaara, identified in the previous projection as the Kazekage, and the leader of the Land of Earth—Hidden Stone's Ōnoki.]
[Behind them, in a vast sunken valley, stood tens of thousands of ninjas from every village!]
[Though they still wore their respective village uniforms, the only marking on their forehead protectors was a single unified character: "Shinobi."]
[Without a doubt, this was the Allied Shinobi Forces! Led and protected by the Kazekage and the Tsuchikage!!]
"Where's the enemy?! Who are they fighting?!!"
[As if responding to the question echoing in every ninja's heart, the projection shifted. Heat waves distorted the air, and four silhouettes slowly approached from the distance.]
"Huh? That's it?" Some ninjas, in villages everywhere, relaxed. "All that buildup scared us half to death, and there are only four enemies?"
But unlike those ordinary ninjas, the seasoned, high-ranking ones frowned deeply.
They understood.
Four people who could make two Kage and tens of thousands of ninjas stand ready like this…
How could they possibly be ordinary?!
[Heavy, thundering music rose, and the atmosphere became suffocating. War seemed about to erupt at any moment.]
Everyone watching swallowed unconsciously, their hearts pounding as they wondered—
Just who were those four enemies?
…
Meanwhile, all the examinees participating in the Chūnin Exams noticed that a massive projection screen had suddenly appeared near the Central Tower.
"H-how is that…" Hinata whispered. "It looks like Gaara from Hidden Sand." Even from that distance, her Byakugan could still see clearly.
With the shared goal of gathering intelligence for their villages, the Chūnin candidates all rushed toward the Central Tower.
Sasuke was still unconscious, so Naruto carried him on his back.
But Naruto had just finished a brutal fight himself, and his stamina and chakra were far from recovered.
As he ran, his foot slipped. He pitched forward, nearly sending both himself and Sasuke crashing to the ground.
"Naruto, let me do it." Sakura, who hadn't exerted herself much, felt a little useless and offered to carry Sasuke instead.
Naruto forced a grin. "What are you saying, Sakura? How can I let a girl carry someone? Besides, this jerk Sasuke—"
Before he could finish, Naruto suddenly felt the weight on his back vanish.
He froze.
Fine grains of sand floated beside him.
Turning his head, he saw Gaara.
Gaara still wore that distant, indifferent expression—but the one lifting Sasuke was clearly the sand flowing from the gourd on his back.
Compared to Gaara, Temari and Kankurō behind him looked like they'd just witnessed a miracle.
"Hehe, thanks a lot, Gaara!" Naruto gave him a thumbs-up.
Nice guy, Naruto thought. He was so cold when we first met. Guess he's just awkward—same as Sasuke.
Hearing Naruto's thanks, Gaara's pale green pupils shrank slightly.
"…Mm," he replied softly.
…
The projection didn't wait for them.
While Naruto and the others sprinted toward the Central Tower, the image continued to play.
[The scorching heat shimmered. The four figures walking forward at an unhurried pace finally reached a distance where their faces could be seen clearly…]
Before projection screens in every village—among elders, jōnin, chūnin, and genin alike—people gasped in disbelief.
"…N-no way."
"How could it be… that person…"
"My god…"
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