Everything Is Ready Return to Konoha
A gambling den in the Land of Hot Water.
Dice clattered.
Coins rang.
Voices rose and fell like crashing waves.
At the center of the chaos sat a woman whose presence dominated the entire hall.
Golden hair.
Sharp amber eyes.
A figure both elegant and overwhelming.
Stacks of chips surrounded her as gamblers crowded close, shouting and wagering with flushed faces.
Adrenaline thickened the air.
"Lady Tsunade! Something terrible has happened!"
A thin girl forced her way through the crowd, panic written across her face.
She rushed to the table, nearly tripping over herself.
Tsunade frowned without even looking up.
"Calm down. With me here, what disaster could possibly happen?"
She tossed the dice lazily.
"Honestly, Shizune… you've been with me for years and you're still this easily rattled."
"I—I…"
The girl gulped, struggling to speak.
Then she blurted it out.
"Something big happened in Konoha!"
The dice stopped mid-roll.
Silence flickered in Tsunade's eyes.
Then she scoffed.
"What could possibly happen in Konoha?"
"And even if something did… it has nothing to do with me."
Her voice was careless.
Detached.
But Shizune shook her head frantically.
"No, Lady Tsunade… this time it's serious."
She handed over a scroll with trembling hands.
Tsunade took it.
Unrolled it.
And froze.
The lazy indifference vanished instantly, replaced by a storm-dark expression.
"…We're leaving."
Her voice dropped.
"We're going back to Konoha."
She stood abruptly, not even glancing at the fortune left on the table.
"This is something I need to confirm with the old man."
Without another word, she grabbed Shizune and strode out.
For all her distance from the village…
There was one truth she could never escape.
Konoha was the legacy of Hashirama Senju.
Her grandfather's dream.
And she would never watch it burn.
Otogakure Hidden Sound
After leaving Akatsuki, Orochimaru had searched relentlessly for the perfect base.
In the end, he chose the Land of Rice Fields.
There, he founded Otogakure.
The Living Corpse Reincarnation technique was already perfected.
What he lacked now… was the ideal vessel.
His first choice had once been clear.
Itachi Uchiha.
But that bone proved impossible to chew.
Those scarlet Mangekyō eyes had taught him a lesson he would never forget.
So he settled for second best.
First, he infiltrated the chaos of Kirigakure, seeking bloodline limits.
Then he planned to seize the Sharingan from the last Uchiha child in Konoha.
Fortune favored him.
The turmoil in the Hidden Mist left no one to stop him.
And so Orochimaru harvested talent.
Among them
Suigetsu Hozuki, younger brother of Mangetsu.
And the dying prodigy of the Kaguya clan, Kimimaro.
A fruitful harvest.
Enough to begin the ritual.
But just as everything fell into place
The rumor spread.
The Sage of Six Paths' secret treasure.
Truth and fabrication intertwined so perfectly that even Orochimaru could not immediately discern reality.
So he paused his experiments.
A short delay meant nothing.
If the rumor were real…
It would be worth everything.
"Kabuto," he said calmly.
A bespectacled boy stepped forward.
Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses obediently.
"Watch the base while I'm gone."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
Elsewhere
One of the Legendary Sannin was already moving.
Jiraiya had been wandering, gathering stories and indulging in his usual vices.
Then the news reached him.
And everything changed.
He stopped writing.
Stopped drinking.
Stopped smiling.
Without hesitation, he turned toward Konoha.
Some storms demanded witnesses.
Others demanded guardians.
Across the shinobi world, ripples became waves.
Minor villages stirred.
Kusagakure.
Hoshigakure.
Yugakure.
Even reclusive strongholds that rarely engaged with the Five Great Nations began mobilizing.
And then
Takigakure moved.
The Hidden Waterfall Village sent its Jinchūriki directly toward Konoha.
A bold gamble.
If a war for the Sage's treasure erupted, they intended to stake everything.
Not everyone sought power.
Many simply wanted spectacle.
Daimyō.
Merchants.
Wanderers.
Curiosity was a powerful force.
They wanted to see the legendary treasure that could supposedly create a god of shinobi.
So they came as spectators.
After all, imagine returning home and boasting:
"I stood before the Sage's treasure and turned away."
"Such a thing was beneath me."
"I've slain dozens who possessed such relics."
Even empty lies became legends in the right audience.
And so
Because of one rumor
Konoha became the axis of the world.
Eyes converged from every direction.
Greed. Curiosity. Ambition.
Like predators scenting blood.
People began infiltrating the Land of Fire through every possible route.
"It's done," said a low, rasping voice.
A shadow clung to the earth itself.
Black Zetsu.
"Everything you asked for has been prepared."
He had manipulated whispers, rumors, timing, and channels until the world itself became a stage.
Now he looked toward Uchiha Yi.
"What next?"
After stirring such a storm…
What was the endgame?
Uchiha Yi smiled.
Calm.
Confident.
Almost delighted.
"Relax," he said softly. "I won't disappoint you."
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Black Zetsu chuckled darkly.
"Good. I'm looking forward to it."
Uchiha Yi turned.
"Let's go."
"The stage is built. The actors are entering."
"As the audience… we shouldn't be late."
Space twisted.
Flames bent inward.
And he vanished using a distorted space–time technique.
Black Zetsu stared at where he'd stood.
"…Interesting."
"Is that the same type of space–time dōjutsu as Obito's?"
Even with his ancient knowledge, he couldn't fully confirm it.
But uncertainty alone was enough to inspire caution.
Moments later
A spiral distortion appeared.
Obito Uchiha stepped out.
"Zetsu," he said coldly, "what exactly are you planning?"
For days, Black Zetsu and Uchiha Yi had been preparing something aimed at Konoha.
Yet nothing visible had happened.
That silence made Obito uneasy.
If he couldn't understand it
He would force an answer.
"You don't need to worry," Black Zetsu replied flatly.
"Even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand."
Obito's face darkened instantly.
He couldn't refute it.
Because deep down
He knew why Zetsu despised him.
Despite countless warnings, he had still caused the death of the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki.
A catastrophic mistake.
"Relax," Black Zetsu added at last. "Just watch."
"Explaining everything would be troublesome."
"It won't interfere with our plan."
Obito snorted coldly.
Unconvinced.
Unappeased.
With a swirl of space, he vanished, leaving behind a faint ripple of killing intent.
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