When Naruto regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was the Fourth Hokage.
Naruto was no stranger to the Fourth Hokage's appearance. Aside from seeing his face carved into the Hokage Rock every day, he knew the Fourth was his father, the one who died sealing the Nine Tails.
But wasn't the Fourth Hokage already dead?
If he was seeing the Fourth Hokage now, did that mean he was also dead, his soul having entered the Pure Land? If so, his mother Kushina would be heartbroken.
But there was nothing he could do about it. Who would've thought the Allied Forces commander Byakuya had secretly joined forces with Madara Uchiha? It was ultimately because he wasn't strong enough, he hadn't seen through Byakuya's plot, nor escaped from it alive.
Yet in the next moment, Naruto realized something felt off.
Besides the Fourth Hokage, weren't there way too many shinobi around? Not only were all four Hokage from the Hokage Rock present, but also Jiraiya, the Great Tree, Orochimaru, and Yakushi Kabuto, what were they all doing here?
What the hell was going on?
Sensing Naruto's confusion, the Fourth Hokage quickly explained, "Naruto, it was this man, Kabuto Yakushi, who saved you. He's a Sage from Ryūchi Cave."
Naruto frowned at that. He got up from the ground and asked, "Kabuto saved me? Wasn't he working for Orochimaru and Danzō? And aren't you all supposed to be dead? This should be the Pure Land…"
Jiraiya walked over and said, "Naruto, if anyone's gonna die, it should be an old guy like me. As for why the Four Hokage are here, that all started when I was banished by Byakuya…"
After hearing Jiraiya's explanation, Naruto roughly understood the situation.
Apparently, after defeating Jiraiya, Byakuya didn't kill him, but instead exiled him into a chaotic space-time rift. By sheer chance, Jiraiya ended up in one of Orochimaru's labs.
After that, Jiraiya and Orochimaru decided to work together and used the Edo Tensei to summon three Hokage.
Once he processed all this information, Naruto looked around again and confirmed this was indeed the underground cave where he fought Byakuya. But the massive and mysterious Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had vanished.
What about Kurama? What was his condition?
Thinking of this, Naruto tried to enter his mental space, only to be shocked to find that Kurama, who had been sealed within him, was completely gone. Only the Eight Trigrams Seal on his stomach remained, marking him as a Jinchūriki.
It looked like Kurama really had been taken by Byakuya and sealed into the Demonic Statue…
Jiraiya noticed Naruto's gloom and walked over to give his shoulder a reassuring pat. "Worried about the Nine Tails? Don't worry. With all of us adults here, we'll definitely help you take him back."
"..." Naruto felt a warmth in his heart. Jiraiya was always so good to him.
After comforting Naruto for a bit, Jiraiya dragged him around and introduced the other shinobi present: the First Hokage, Second Hokage, and Shisui. But when it came to the Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya hesitated.
"I know. He's the Fourth Hokage, my father whom I've never met…"
Before Jiraiya could speak, Naruto revealed the Fourth's identity. Then, he turned toward the Third Hokage and said with heavy implication, "Even though Grandpa Third always kept my background a secret, I already knew who I was back when I was in the academy. I was just waiting for the day he'd finally tell me the truth. But unfortunately, the Third had no intention of ever doing so. Even in death, he kept the secret. Maybe, to him, a demon fox's child didn't deserve to be associated with the great Fourth Hokage."
Naruto's tone was sharp, causing the First, Second, and Fourth Hokage to all frown.
Their eyes turned to the Third Hokage, waiting for an explanation. How could a Hokage have such a distant relationship with a Jinchūriki?
Especially when the Jinchūriki was the son of the Fourth Hokage.
The Third Hokage fell silent, then slowly said, "This was my mistake. I admit I was selfish. I didn't want my reputation to be tainted. If the shinobi of the village lost faith in the Third Hokage, Konoha would have been in grave danger given the circumstances at the time. So I couldn't, shouldn't, make a mistake, even though I already had."
Everyone fell into silence at the Third's explanation.
After learning about Konoha's condition in recent years, they could more or less understand the Third's reasoning. In his position, they might not have done better either.
But to Naruto, it was undeniably unfair.
After a moment of silence, the Fourth Hokage came to Naruto's side and tried to console him. "Naruto, I know the Third and I both failed you, but we have to keep looking forward,"
Naruto raised his hand, stopping him from continuing. He spoke with a cold expression, "Fourth Hokage, I can't forgive the Third. But I won't harm someone who's already dead. Once this is all over, the three of us can just go live in seclusion somewhere in the shinobi world."
"Naruto…"
The Fourth Hokage was about to urge him not to be so pessimistic when he suddenly paused. Staring at Naruto, he asked, "Three of us? Naruto, are you saying Kushina is still alive?"
Naruto gave a wary glance at the Third Hokage, then nodded.
"Mother met me half a year ago. If she hadn't shown up then, I would've been captured by Madara Uchiha. But right now, she's in a difficult situation and can't meet with us."
"Why? Why can't Kushina meet with us?"
The Fourth's mind raced. Then he guessed, "Is Kushina connected to the Eye of the Moon Plan? Or has she been controlled by Byakuya and Madara Uchiha?"
Naruto shook his head and said, "I don't know yet. She hasn't told me. By the way, what's the situation with Gaara and Uncle Killer Bee?"
"They're weaker physically, so they're still unconscious, but they're no longer in life-threatening danger…"
The Fourth Hokage explained, a wave of lingering fear sweeping through him.
This day had truly been a series of dramatic twists. First, he was brought back to life by Edo Tensei. Then, his son Naruto nearly died. And now, he learned that Kushina was still alive.
Fate really loved to play games with him.
At that moment, the Second Hokage stepped forward and looked at Naruto. "Naruto, let's end the reunion here. Tell me everything you know."
Naruto didn't question it and relayed all the intel he had.
After listening, the Second Hokage's expression turned increasingly grave. The state of the Allied Shinobi Forces was even worse than he had imagined.
Not only was Byakuya a traitor, but all nine tailed beasts had fallen into his hands.
Byakuya, Madara Uchiha, and the Ten Tails, together, they possessed nearly all of the shinobi world's peak combat power. Even with the First Hokage, there was no way to win against them alone.
Unless…
The Second Hokage seemed to have thought of something. He turned to Jiraiya and Naruto and said, "Jiraiya, Naruto, tell me your story again. I think I missed a few details."
"Details?" Jiraiya and Naruto were confused, but they complied.
After listening again, the Second Hokage finally realized what was off, and a faint smile slowly crept onto his lips.
The First Hokage was the first to notice Tobirama's faint smile and asked, "Tobirama, do you have a good plan?"
The others quickly gathered around when they heard this.
If the First Hokage was the symbol of absolute strength who ended the Warring States period, then the Second Hokage was the architect of the hidden village system, a symbol of unmatched intellect.
With a cryptic look, the Second Hokage said, "I've come up with a possible way to deal with Byakuya and Madara Uchiha… but I can't guarantee it'll work."
Everyone's curiosity was piqued, and they looked to Senju Tobirama with hopeful eyes.
The Second Hokage cleared his throat and said seriously, "From Jiraiya and Naruto's account, I can basically conclude that Byakuya and Madara Uchiha are not truly allies. Once they obtain the Ten Tails, they're bound to turn on each other."
"Interesting…"
Orochimaru rubbed his chin and added, "Second Hokage, I happen to share a similar view. Based on my experience with Byakuya, he has no interest in the illusion world. He certainly wouldn't support the so-called Infinite Tsukuyomi plan. His partnership with Madara is likely just a means to acquire the Ten Tails' power."
Tobirama glanced at Orochimaru and nodded.
"You're right. Byakuya is after the Ten Tails' power, not the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Like Madara, he's not the type to hide from reality like a coward."
The Third and Fourth Hokage spoke up, "Even if we know this, Second, how do we fight them? Their strength is simply overwhelming."
Hearing that, Tobirama froze for a moment and couldn't find the words to respond.
Gathering intel and analyzing strategy was his strength, but even knowing the enemy's goals and inner conflict, he had no concrete solution.
If they appeared now, they'd be immediately targeted by both Madara and Byakuya.
If they waited for Madara and Byakuya to turn on each other, the two might have already absorbed the Ten Tails and reached a level even Hashirama couldn't handle.
It felt like a perfect stalemate, a deadlock.
After a long silence, Shisui finally spoke up, "Hokage-sama, there's no need to worry too much. As long as we act with a clear conscience, whether we win or lose should be left to fate. If worst comes to worst, we can even support Byakuya, let him defeat Madara. Whatever Byakuya wants with the Ten Tails, it's probably better than the Infinite Tsukuyomi."
Though Shisui's words were somewhat pessimistic, they struck a chord with everyone.
No matter how difficult things became, as Hokage, they had to take action. Otherwise, they would be unworthy of their title and their ninja way.
As time passed, Killer Bee and Gaara finally woke from their comas.
When they saw the First and Second Hokage, both were shocked as they knew these legendary figures and wondered if they had somehow ended up in the Pure Land.
But after feeling the life energy within them, they realized they were still alive. And with that came the painful awareness that both the Eight-Tails and One-Tail had been stripped from them.
For Killer Bee, Gyūki was his friend.
Back when the villagers shunned him, it was A and a small handful of people who defended him, but the one who truly taught him positivity and strength was Gyūki, the Eight-Tails inside him.
Gyūki wasn't just a friend, he was a mentor.
That bond is what made Bee a perfect jinchūriki, capable of harmonizing with his tailed beast and defending Kumogakure.
As for Gaara, his relationship with Shukaku was more complicated.
When he was younger, Shukaku would often take control of his body while he slept, wreaking havoc and forcing Gaara to never let himself fully sleep again.
But after surviving his uncle Yashamaru's betrayal, Gaara realized something:
He and Shukaku were both prisoners. Shukaku was trapped in him, and he was trapped in Sunagakure. Two lonely beings who, in their isolation, could find companionship in each other.
After years of struggle, they had finally begun to understand each other.
And just as they were on the verge of becoming real friends, Shukaku was ripped from him. Gaara was no longer a jinchūriki. He had lost that part of himself forever.
"Can you still fight?" the First Hokage's voice rang in their ears.
Killer Bee and Gaara looked at the legendary Hokage and nodded in response. "Even without the Eight-Tails or One-Tail, we can still fight."
Bee, of course, remained a Kage-level ninja even without Gyūki.
Gaara too, with his sand techniques, still had the strength of at least an elite jōnin, the result of years of training.
"Then come with us," the First Hokage said firmly. "We march to the battlefield together."
His voice was powerful, almost magical. And in that moment, Gaara and Bee felt their fighting spirit return.
The tailed beasts were gone, but instead of despairing, they would now fight to reclaim them. Hiding in the shadows would only cause them to rot in darkness.
Besides, this time… the man standing at their side was the First Hokage himself, someone even stronger than Madara.
---
After clearing the battlefield, the group left the underground cavern.
During the cleanup, both the Second Hokage and Orochimaru found valuable items, black receivers and fragments of the Gedo Statue.
But even after collecting these, Tobirama's heart remained uneasy.
Who exactly was this Byakuya?
Not only did he wield Wood Release and claim to be a successor to him and Hashirama, but he also somehow knew how to use Susanoo, a technique exclusive to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Outside the cave, Naruto finally saw Sasuke waiting.
Sasuke spotted Naruto too and gave a short snort. "I thought you were dead. Didn't expect you to survive. Did Byakuya spare your life?"
Naruto shot back without hesitation, "You're still alive, why would I let myself die? Or do you really think a little training with Orochimaru is enough to beat me? But seriously… why didn't you come inside earlier? Were you afraid to see my corpse?"
Sasuke's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly recovered, saying coldly, "Don't lump me into your childish games. I'm here to save the ninja world… and kill Itachi Uchiha. You have nothing to do with this."