The morning after the fight felt strangely normal.
Sunlight spilled through the windows of the Hokage Tower. Outside, I could hear the usual sounds of the village waking up. Shop doors were opening. Training weapons clacking in distant fields. Someone was yelling at Kiba again.
War did not stop mornings from happening.
I walked down the hallway toward Kakashi's office with my staff resting against my shoulder. The wood felt warm in my hand. Familiar. Grounding.
A shinobi stood outside the door. "They're waiting for you."
I nodded and stepped inside. The room was already full.
Kakashi stood near the window instead of sitting behind the desk. His Hokage cloak hung loosely from his shoulders. He looked tired. Older. Like the weight of the village had settled across his back overnight.
Jiraiya leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, his expression unusually serious. Guy sat stiffly in a chair, his body still recovering from the poison. Shisui stood near the window, the faint blue shimmer of Isobu's chakra flickering around him like a second shadow. Itachi was beside him, calm as always. Shikamaru sat closest to the desk, looking like he had not slept at all, slumped in his seat, eyes half closed.
I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.
"Morning," I said.
Shisui smiled faintly. "Good morning."
Shikamaru didn't even open his eyes. "It's too early for this."
Guy pointed dramatically at him. "A true shinobi rises with the sun!"
Shikamaru groaned. "Please don't start."
Jiraiya chuckled.
Kakashi turned away from the window. His visible eye moved across the room once.
"Good. Everyone's here."
I took the last open chair.
Kakashi rested his hands on the desk. "We have a problem."
Jiraiya snorted softly. "Only one."
Jiraiya pushed himself upright in his chair.
"That's my part."
His voice lost most of its usual humor.
"I've been moving between the other nations for the past few weeks," he said. "Listening. Watching."
Shikamaru opened one eye.
"That sounds like trouble."
"It is," Jiraiya replied.
He dropped a folded map onto the table.
"Stone and Cloud have started coordinating patrol routes along their borders. Mist is watching the coast."
Shisui frowned slightly. "That sounds like more than routine security."
He tapped the map with one finger.
"They think Konoha is gathering tailed beasts."
No one spoke for a moment.
I already knew where this was going.
Jiraiya continued. "From their perspective, the Leaf now holds the Nine Tails, the Three Tails, and the Five Tails."
Shikamaru finally sat up. "They think we're building a jinchuriki army."
Kakashi nodded. "All except the Sand."
Guy crossed his arms. "Ridiculous. The Leaf protects its people. We do not pursue domination."
Jiraiya gave a small shrug. "The other villages don't see it that way."
Kakashi spoke quietly. "From their perspective, they might not be wrong."
I frowned. "Why?"
"They see Naruto. They see Isobu. They see Han. They see you using Flying Raijin. They see clans recovering. They see a village growing stronger faster than anyone else."
For the first time, I understood why Kakashi looked older.
Jiraiya pushed off the wall. "And fear makes people stupid."
Shikamaru rubbed his forehead. "This is bad."
Kakashi nodded. "It gets worse."
There was a knock at the door. Kakashi looked up.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Inoichi Yamanaka stepped inside, pale and tense. He carried a small sealing scroll in his hands.
He bowed his head slightly. "I have finished extracting Kakuzu's memories."
Kakashi gestured. "Show us."
Inoichi hesitated for a moment.
Then he formed a seal.
The scroll opened, and chakra flickered above the table. A thin mist rose from it, swirling into the air before forming images. Faint, ghostlike. Memories.
The first image was a stone chamber lit by torches.
Pain. Konan. Kisame. Zetsu. Deidara. Sasori. Kakuzu. Hidan's body. And at the center, the masked man.
Obito.
His voice echoed through the room.
"We accelerate the plan."
Pain's voice followed. "The Leaf is gathering power."
Obito nodded. "Then we take it from them."
The memory shifted.
Obito stood over the Gedo Statue. His hand glowed with purple chakra.
Zetsu spoke. "The snake is gone."
Obito's voice was cold. "He served his purpose."
He lifted his hand. A coffin rose from the ground. Edo Tensei. Another coffin rose. Then another.
The silhouettes inside were unmistakable.
Madara. The Third Raikage. The Second Mizukage. More. Too many.
The memory dissolved. The room was silent.
Shisui exhaled slowly. "So Orochimaru was not the threat."
"He was the source," Itachi said quietly.
Kakashi folded his arms. "They took the technique."
Inoichi nodded. "Kakuzu understood what it meant."
Shikamaru leaned back in his chair.
"If they have Edo Tensei…" He looked around the room. "…they don't need an army."
Jiraiya muttered under his breath. "That explains a lot."
Kakashi's gaze hardened. "What else did the memory show?"
Inoichi's expression darkened slightly. "One more thing."
He hesitated. "Akatsuki isn't preparing for another hunt."
The room felt colder.
Shikamaru frowned. "What do you mean?"
"They're preparing for an assault."
Guy swallowed. "They are coming here."
He nodded. "Yes."
Shisui's voice was quiet. "When."
Inoichi answered. "Soon."
Then the door burst open.
A barrier team shinobi rushed inside.
"Hokage."
Kakashi turned. "What is it?"
The man was breathing hard.
"Multiple chakra signatures outside the village."
Everyone stood at the same time.
"How many?" Kakashi asked.
The shinobi swallowed. "…Dozens."
The floor trembled slightly.
Kakashi's head snapped toward the window.
"They are here."
Jiraiya moved first. "Everyone outside."
Shikamaru stood, wincing as his bandages pulled. "Already."
Guy clenched his fist. "Then we answer with the power of youth!"
Itachi's eyes sharpened. "We split up."
Shisui's chakra flared. "I will take the east side."
We rushed to the balcony. Outside the walls, the ground split open. Coffins rose slowly from the earth. One after another.
A masked figure stood beside them in the distance. Obito.
Even from across the field, I could feel his gaze.
Shikamaru exhaled quietly.
"…What a drag."
The first coffin opened.
A massive explosion shook the tower. Dust rained from the ceiling. A shockwave rippled through the floor.
Naruto's voice thundered from the courtyard below.
"Menma. Move."
I jumped from the balcony.
Naruto already stood in the courtyard, his cloak of red chakra flickering behind him, Sage Mode sharpening his eyes. Sasuke stood beside him with lightning crackling quietly around his hand.
Jiraiya dropped from the balcony a second later, sandals hitting the stone with a heavy thud.
The ground shook again.
The first coffin opened with a sound like stone grinding against bone.
A massive figure stepped out, lightning crackling faintly around his body. His hair was wild. His muscles looked carved from iron.
Han appeared beside me in a burst of steam.
His armor had been replaced with a lighter combat harness, but the vents along his shoulders already hissed with heat.
He looked toward the wall and went still.
"…That chakra."
Guy landed beside us with Lee already at his side.
Lee's fists were clenched. "Who is it?"
Han answered quietly. "The Third Raikage."
The name landed like a stone.
Guy grinned. "Well then."
He rolled his shoulders.
"Lee. Han. With me."
Lee straightened immediately.
"Yes, Guy Sensei."
He leapt from the balcony, landing on the village wall in a burst of dust. Lee followed, green jumpsuit flashing. Han appeared beside them in a blur of steam.
The Raikage roared, and the entire wall shook.
I did not have time to watch. More coffins opened.
The second coffin exploded open.
Mist poured out across the forest edge.
Shikamaru cursed quietly behind me.
"The Second Mizukage."
Shino and Neji appeared beside him.
Shikamaru looked at them once.
"We'll take the forest edge."
Neji nodded. Shino adjusted his glasses. Without another word, they moved.
Another coffin exploded open near the market district.
A woman stepped out, her hair bright red against the smoke.
Pakura of the Scorch Release, her eyes glowing with heat. Flames curled around her hands.
Hinata saw her first.
Her Byakugan flared. "Ino. Sakura. With me."
The three of them leapt across the rooftops toward the city center.
Behind them, hundreds of white figures began crawling over the walls.
White Zetsu.
The village alarms screamed. Anbu dropped from the rooftops to meet them. Clan shinobi flooded the streets.
Sasuke landed beside Itachi and Shisui, his Sharingan spinning. "Madara is mine."
Itachi placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not alone."
Shisui smiled faintly. "Let us see how strong a legend really is."
Madara stepped out of his coffin like a man waking from a nap.
He stretched his neck slowly.
His eyes scanned the battlefield.
Then he smiled.
He looked at Itachi, Shisui, and Sasuke.
"So the Uchiha still live."
Sasuke activated his Sharingan. "We live because we choose to."
Madara smiled. "Then show me your resolve."
Their Susanoo clashed, shaking the entire tower.
Kakashi flickered to the top of the Hokage Tower. Obito appeared across from him, mask gleaming.
Kakashi's voice carried across the rooftops. "I know who you are."
Obito tilted his head. "Then you know why you cannot stop me."
They clashed in a burst of sparks.
Obito's voice carried through the smoke.
"You always hesitate."
Kakashi's reply was quiet. "And you always run."
Their lightning clashed in the sky.
The war spread through the village like fire.
I turned back toward the plaza.
Six figures landed at once. Orange hair. Rinnegan eyes. Pain.
Konan descended behind them like falling paper.
Naruto exhaled slowly. "So that's them."
Jiraiya cracked his knuckles. "Guess the reunion starts early."
The Deva Path stepped forward. "You will surrender the jinchuriki."
Naruto laughed. "Yeah. That's not happening."
The Animal Path slammed her hand into the ground. A massive summon burst into existence. The fight began instantly.
Naruto shot forward with a Rasengan.
The Deva Path lifted one hand.
"Shinra Tensei."
The shockwave ripped across the plaza.
I planted my staff and slid back across the stone. Naruto flipped through the air and landed beside me. Jiraiya was already weaving signs.
"Summoning Jutsu."
Gamabunta crashed into the plaza in a cloud of smoke.
"Kid," the toad rumbled.
"War," Jiraiya replied.
Gamabunta grinned."About time."
The Animal Path summoned again. Massive creatures erupted across the plaza.
Naruto leapt between them.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."
Dozens of clones filled the battlefield. I moved through them, staff cracking against the Human Path's guard.
The Rinnegan followed every motion. They shared vision.
Konan's wings spread. Paper blades filled the air. Naruto burned them away with Kurama's chakra.
I felt the shockwave before I saw it.
The Third Raikage stood like a mountain. Guy slammed into him with a flying kick. The impact shattered stone.
The Raikage did not move.
Lee opened the First Gate. Green chakra burst from his body as he launched forward. His kick cracked against the Raikage's armor of lightning.
Nothing.
Han roared. Steam exploded around him as he slammed both fists into the Raikage's chest. The ground cratered.
The Raikage swung one arm.
The air cracked.
The shockwave alone blew Lee off the wall.
Lee vanished just before the strike shattered the village gate.
Guy's voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Second Gate. Open."
Green energy surged.
Han's steam armor ignited, white and burning hot.
The Raikage met all three at once.
The impact cracked the wall.
Guy shouted, "Lee. Do not let him touch you."
Han slammed a steam‑powered punch into the Raikage's ribs. The Raikage barely flinched.
He grabbed Han by the throat and hurled him through a watchtower. I felt Han's chakra flicker.
I forced myself to look away. I had my own battlefield.
At the forest edge, mist swallowed the trees.
The Second Mizukage laughed softly. "Well now."
Shikamaru frowned. "Great."
The Mizukage's body split apart into watery reflections.
Neji spun into Gentle Fist. Shino's insects swarmed into the fog. The illusion began.
Neji activated his Byakugan. "I will find the real one."
Shino's insects swarmed the mist. "I will disrupt the illusion."
The Mizukage fired a water bullet the size of a house. Shikamaru barely dodged.
"Troublesome," he muttered.
Back in the city, Pakura moved like a flame given human shape.
Hinata struck first, her Lion Fist glowing bright blue. Pakura twisted, her heat release melting the air around her.
Ino and Sakura flanked her.
Sakura punched the ground, sending debris flying. Ino used her mind transfer to disrupt Pakura's aim.
Pakura countered with a wave of scorching heat that melted stone.
Then Tsunade landed between them.
Her eyes burned. "Stay behind me."
Pakura smiled. "The legendary sucker."
Tsunade cracked her knuckles. "Come find out."
Blood covered her gloves. For a moment, the old fear flickered. She stepped forward anyway. And punched the ground. The street exploded.
White Zetsu erupted from the ground around them, dozens at a time. Clan Jonin and Anbu rushed in to intercept.
The district became a storm of fire, fists, and white bodies falling apart.
At the forest edge, Kisame's massive blade crashed against Suigetsu's sword.
Water exploded across the clearing.
Zabuza appeared behind Karin in the mist.
Ten Ten's weapons screamed through the air.
Haku's ice mirrors flashed between the trees.
Jugo stepped forward. His body surged with natural energy. The halberd in his hands hummed. He swung.
The blade crashed against Kisame's shoulder and sent the shark man skidding across the ground.
Kisame grinned. "That one hits hard."
Zabuza laughed from the mist. "Good."
Then the temperature dropped.
Ice formed along the trees.
Haku's mirrors surrounded them.
Jugo roared. His transformation spread further across his arms.
Natural energy flooded his body.
He smashed mirror after mirror. Ice needles filled the clearing.
Suigetsu dissolved into water to avoid them. Karin blocked with her chains. Jugo stood in the center of it all.
He swung again. The halberd shattered another mirror.
A scream tore through the forest.
I felt it before I saw it.
Jugo's chakra spiked wildly, then flickered.
I vanished.
Flying Raijin pulled me across the battlefield.
I appeared at the forest clearing.
Kisame stood there grinning. Samehada was buried in Jugo's chest.
Suigetsu screamed and swung his blade, but Kisame kicked him away.
Jugo looked at me.
He smiled. "Tell everyone… I liked training with them."
His sage chakra exploded outward, wild and unstable.
I reached for him. "Jugo. Stay with me."
He shook his head. "No. This is enough."
His body cracked with natural energy.
Suigetsu crawled toward him. "Don't you dare die."
Jugo placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Live for me."
His body dissolved into pure sage energy.
The forest went silent. Suigetsu screamed. I closed my eyes. Another friend gone. Another life taken by this war.
I stood slowly.
Kisame grinned. "One down."
I raised my staff.
"You will not leave this forest."
Before I could strike, the ground shook violently.
A massive chakra spike erupted from the center of the village.
I turned toward the plaza.
The Deva Path was floating above the village.
His eyes glowed. He lifted both hands.
"Planetary Devastation."
The sky cracked open.