Senju Tobirama: "The key issue isn't just where a disaster will strike five years from now, but whether that catastrophe is of the same nature as the one that hit Konoha—specifically, whether it is triggered by a single individual. After all, the things that brat said are impossible to ignore."
Orochimaru: "Indeed. The Second Honkai Impact, Honkai Energy, Honkai Beasts, Hosts... though we've never heard these concepts before, they aren't hard to grasp given the current situation."
Senju Hashirama: "So, the 'Second Honkai Impact' refers to the disaster about to happen. 'Honkai Energy' is the power that girl, the Herrscher of Reason, uses—something similar to Natural Energy. 'Honkai Beasts' are the monsters she controls. As for 'Hosts,' it likely refers to people chosen by the 'God' behind her, just like she was."
Hidan: "What God? I'm going to Konoha right now to kill that damn heretic! I'll show you all who the real God is!"
Kakuzu: "Hidan, don't be impulsive."
Hidan's words sent a jolt through the audience, especially those in the Akatsuki, who feared his recklessness. While his immortal body was impressive, Uchiha Hoshi was far too sinister; Hidan wouldn't necessarily be her match.
Herrscher of Reason: "Sometimes, ignorance is bliss."
Hidan: "She's provoking me! She's actually provoking me!"
[The scene shifts to the open sea, where several familiar figures are on a boat drifting across the waves.
It is Kakashi and Naruto, whom we saw earlier on the Sky Screen, along with Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura, seen for the first time. Surprisingly, Sarutobi Asuma and his Ino-Shika-Cho team are also present.
From their attire, it is clear that Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio have all been promoted to Genin.
"Alright, everyone in position... Action!"
A loud voice calls out from the side. On the other half of the deck, a film crew is busy shooting a scene. The lead actress is the superstar Koyuki Kazahana, a goddess in the hearts of many.]
Unknown Ninja: "It's Miss Koyuki Kazahana!"
Unknown Ninja 2: "Who is she? Is she famous?"
Unknown Ninja 3: "She's a relatively well-known actress in the Land of Fire."
Kazahana Doto: "I see. Koyuki Kazahana... what a lovely stage name."
Asama Sandayu: "Damn you! You traitorous usurper!"
Unknown Ninja 4: "Oho, there's a story here."
["Why did we have to come all the way out to sea~"
Naruto leans over the railing, looking like he's about to die from seasickness. His listless state is the polar opposite of his usual high energy.
"Because our clients are here, and we have to protect them," Sakura explains helplessly from the side.
Sasuke says nothing, looking dark and brooding. His aura is even colder and more sullen than in the original timeline—it wouldn't be surprising if he "blackened" at any moment.
Choji, the little fatty, hasn't let the rocking ship affect his appetite at all; his bag of potato chips seems bottomless. Ino isn't exactly glaring at Sakura, but her attitude isn't friendly either; clearly, the two haven't made up yet.
Shikamaru wears an expression of pure annoyance, looking like he just wants to finish the mission and go home.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma look deeply troubled, clearly burdened by heavy thoughts.
"Sigh... honestly, I didn't want to come, but the Old Man insisted," Asuma sighs, his grimace making him look several years older than his actual age.
"It can't be helped. Manpower is tight right now. Besides, we don't actually have to do much. We're just the bait to draw attention on the surface, providing the necessary conditions for the other two teams."
Kakashi's lazy voice drifts from behind his mask, looking as though he's only half-awake.
"That's exactly what's bothering me. I have a feeling those two teams are going to let things develop in the most troublesome direction possible, and we'll be the ones stuck cleaning up their mess."
"Well... it's natural you'd feel that way. It is Root, after all."
Evidently, for the Konoha shinobi who knew of the organization, Root's reputation was dismal—loathed even by their own allies.
The scene shifts to the Land of Snow.
Since his usurpation, Kazahana Doto has gained total control over the country, ruling as the absolute authority. However, events over the last two months have left him extremely irritable.
His subordinates have reported a strange illness appearing across the Land of Snow. Patients develop scars resembling circuit board patterns, which seem to tear the body apart from the inside out.
If it were just a physical wound, it would be a minor issue. The true terror lies in the fact that it isn't an injury, but rather an Erosion caused by some form of energy—and so far, there is no known cure.
No matter the methods used, the patients cannot be healed. The only effective measure is using Chakra to suppress it, but that only slows the Erosion down. Once the Chakra is exhausted, the Erosion returns with a vengeance. More importantly, Chakra is only effective in the early stages; once the Erosion reaches a certain point, Chakra becomes useless.
Currently, hundreds of people across the Land of Snow have shown these symptoms. Hundreds might not sound like much, but the Land of Snow is a small nation. Though its territory is vast, much of it consists of frozen plains unsuitable for habitation. For such a sparsely populated country, hundreds of cases is a significant number.
Fortunately, his men recently brought him some good news.
Kazahana Koyuki, his dear niece, is returning! He owes a debt of gratitude to that foolishly loyal old ghost, Asama Sandayu; otherwise, bringing Koyuki back would have been difficult, as she had been staying in the Land of Fire where he couldn't easily kidnap her.
But now, she's delivering herself right to his doorstep!
Koyuki sits on the ship, sailing toward the homeland she never wished to see again. Doto waits for her arrival.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Hoshi has already arrived in the Land of Snow, riding her Companion Honkai Beast, Star Eater.
"Such a high concentration of Honkai Energy, yet it hasn't triggered a Second Impact yet. As expected... there is no suitable Host."
"Strange, though. What exactly did this tiny Land of Snow do to accumulate such a concentration of Honkai Energy?"
Stepping onto the soil of the snow-covered kingdom, Hoshi looks at the white landscape before her, appearing quite intrigued by what has transpired on this land.
"Master, shall we look for a suitable Host first?"
"No rush. I'll take a look around the Land of Snow first."]