A sudden notification tone caused Danzo's expression to instantly change drastically. He searched around the office, trying to locate the source of the sound, but found nothing. Frowning, he was filled with confusion—aside from members of Root, there was no one else in the Hokage's office. Who could have made that sound?
Just as Danzo was pondering, that abrupt notification echoed in his mind once more:
[Ding! Group Leader Aoki of the Hokage Chat Group has initiated the Hokage Conference! Please attend immediately!]
At this moment, Danzo could no longer remain seated. He had worked so hard to ascend to the position of Hokage and did not want to be assassinated so soon.
"Come here!"
He shouted sharply, and Fu Yamanaka and Torune Aburame, who had been hiding in the shadows, immediately rushed into the office, flanking him on either side and surrounding him protectively.
"Lord Danzo! What happened? Has a new mission been issued, or is there an enemy?" Fu Yamanaka asked while scanning the office in confusion. There was no movement around them, and both of them were utterly bewildered.
Seeing that nothing was amiss in the office, Danzo also grew suspicious. Could the sound have come from somewhere else? Was what he had just heard even true? With this thought, he immediately sent Fu Yamanaka and the others out to investigate while he focused on studying the notification in his mind.
After carefully reviewing the content of the notification, Danzo suddenly burst into wild laughter.
"Hahaha! Hiruzen! Do you see this? Teacher! You truly chose the wrong person! You've been Hokage for so many years—have you ever witnessed such a miracle? Have you ever been invited to the Hokage Chat Group? Choosing you as Hokage was a mistake from the start! Only I, Shimura Danzo, am the Hokage chosen by destiny!"
After studying the information about the Hokage Chat Group, Danzo grew even more smug. In his view, Sarutobi Hiruzen had certainly never been invited to this chat group.
Yet, as soon as he ascended to the position of Hokage, he had been successfully invited to the group chat. Next, he would be able to meet the other Hokages from various eras in person.
"Hmph! If I can meet Teacher Tobirama! I will prove to him that choosing Hiruzen was a mistake! Chat Group! I will attend the conference!"
Unable to contain his excitement any longer, Danzo declared loudly. He was filled with anticipation at the thought of meeting his mentor, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
As soon as he finished speaking, a multicolored light instantly enveloped Danzo, and the next moment, he was transported to the exclusive space of the chat group.
In the world of the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi.
Konoha was entering a phase of rapid development, as were the other four great nations. Recently, however, the moon had been experiencing frequent disturbances, with meteors constantly falling from the sky.
This situation had led the five great nations to convene the Five Kage Summit repeatedly. They had even calculated the possible time of the moon's collapse and were closely monitoring its condition every day.
"The situation grows more concerning by the day! Something feels off, though I'm not sure if it's just my imagination."
Kakashi stood by the window, gazing at the moon drawing ever closer to Earth, his face clouded with worry. The moon's disturbances had become a shared concern for all five great nations.
[Ding! You have joined the Konoha Hokage Chat Group.]
[Group Leader Aoki is convening the Hokage Conference. Please join immediately!]
"Huh?!"
"What was that sound?!"
The sudden voice in his mind instantly put Kakashi on high alert. After all, less than two years had passed since the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, and the memory of Pain unexpectedly leveling Konoha several years ago was still vivid.
After losing Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi's Chakra reserves were no longer at Jonin level. Now, as the Sixth Hokage, he possessed genuine Kage-level strength, though he no longer matched the formidable power he once wielded with both Kamui and Susanoo.
Just as Kakashi was on guard, his secretary beside him asked with a puzzled expression, "Lord Hokage, what's wrong? Is there an emergency?"
The secretary's question made Kakashi pause. He looked bewildered and asked in return, "You can't hear that voice?"
"What voice?" The secretary appeared completely clueless.
Hearing this, Kakashi gave the secretary a deep look, his mind filled with confusion. It seemed this voice was only audible to him.
[Ding! Group Leader Aoki has initiated the Hokage Conference! Please join immediately!]
The voice in his mind rang out again. Kakashi glanced at his still-unaware secretary and became certain that this voice was meant for him alone.
Looking at the message from the Hokage Chat Group, Kakashi suddenly realized that this group chat could allow him to communicate with Hokage from other worlds. If he could discuss with them, perhaps he could find a way to resolve the moon crisis.
"Then I'll join!"
Kakashi said solemnly.
Instantly, countless rays of multicolored light exploded before his eyes, completely enveloping him. Now that the Hokage Chat Group had been upgraded, whenever a Hokage Conference was held, the participant's world would enter a state of stasis until they returned.
There was no longer any need to worry about changes occurring in their world during the conference.
The moment Kakashi stepped into the chat group space, he saw a figure suspended in mid-air. The figure looked very familiar, covered in wounds and appearing utterly miserable.
Hashirama Senju and a group of other Hokage held Thorn Wine Whips, completely ignoring Danzo's pleas and excuses as they lashed him again and again.
Even so, the anger in their hearts had not subsided. Seeing this, Aoki also walked over to the crowd. The newly joined Kakashi was pulled aside by Obito and the Kakashi from the Third Hokage's world, who explained the whole situation to him, finally making him understand.
"Alright, everyone, before the Fifth Hokage Conference officially begins, let me introduce the chat group's new features. I assume you all have some prior understanding?"
Aoki spoke up. Hearing this, Hashirama and the others who were still whipping Danzo temporarily stopped their actions and nodded in agreement.
Aoki stepped aside, revealing a suddenly appearing light gate behind him: "Then let's experience the chat group's new features first! Next up is the Training Ground function! Wouldn't it be a delight to spar with the dark figure of the Ninja World, Lord Danzo? Everyone, head to the Dueling Arena and have a good fight!"
Aoki said with enthusiastic fervor.
Hearing Aoki's words, Hashirama and the others' eyes lit up, each eagerly vying to be the first to enter and "spar" with Danzo.
After some discussion, the opportunity for the first match fell to the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. Danzo, who had been suspended in the air, was lowered, and his injuries were instantly healed by the chat group.
"Danzo, don't say we're not giving you a chance! As long as you can defeat any one of us Hokage in the Dueling Arena, you can stay in the Chat Group! Otherwise, you can imagine the consequences!"
Aoki looked at Danzo and spoke gravely.
Danzo knew he had no other choice and quickly agreed. Ever since joining the Chat Group, he had been determined to prove to his mentor, the Second Hokage Tobirama, that he was the most suitable among all Tobirama's disciples to become Hokage.
But things didn't go as planned. As soon as he entered the Chat Group, Tobirama gave him a severe beating. After the beating, Danzo was already filled with resentment, only to be further tormented by Hashirama's Thorn Wine Whip formed from Wood Release. Now, he was determined never to be hung up for punishment again.
Hashirama, the First Hokage, who was once the most gentle-natured, had long since become a different person in this Chat Group. With a smile on his face, he was the first to step through the light gate into the Dueling Arena. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Danzo had no way to retreat and could only brace himself to follow Hashirama into the arena.
As soon as the two entered the Dueling Arena, the entire Chat Group space instantly transformed. Everyone was seated in the stands on either side of the arena, leaving only the First Hokage Hashirama and Shimura Danzo in the center.
"It's about to begin. Want to make a bet? How many seconds do you think it'll take for Danzo to be knocked down?"
Madara Uchiha raised an eyebrow and asked, his tone full of mockery.