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"Old Man, are we family?" Kakuzu finally asked.
"Of course we are. You, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and I are family." Manji said.
"Then... can you tell me who you really are? You're not only the First Hokage, are you?" Kakuzu hesitated for several seconds before asking.
Manji considered it. Kakuzu had lived with him long enough. There was no reason to keep hiding the truth from him.
"I am..." Manji lifted one hand and pointed toward the portrait of the Sage of Six Paths hanging inside the shop.
Kakuzu followed his finger to the portrait. He stared at it for several seconds, then turned back to Manji. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened without making a sound. The question was plain on his face.
Manji looked toward the street to make sure no one was watching, then dropped his disguise. The bearded shopkeeper disappeared. In his place stood a handsome young man—the same face as the Sage in the portrait.
"..."
Kakuzu raised a trembling hand. His finger moved between Manji and the portrait before his knees hit the floor.
"KAKUZU GREETS THE SAGE OF SIX PATHS!"
Kakuzu stayed on his knees, trying to understand what he had just learned. The Sage of Six Paths was standing right in front of him. The whole shinobi world prayed to this man. He was their one and only creator god—a true god.
How was this any different from finding out that the old man he saw every day was the God of Wealth himself?
Then Kakuzu remembered that one of his old missions was to kill the Sage of Six Paths. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"You don't need to be so formal with me, Kakuzu. Get up." Manji bent down with a warm smile and pulled him to his feet.
The shinobi world had worshiped the Sage of Six Paths for more than a thousand years. Kakuzu's reaction came as no surprise.
"Thank you, Sage!" Kakuzu's voice still shook.
The God of Wealth. This was the real God of Wealth!!
"Keep calling me Old Man. And remember, my identity stays between us." Manji turned away, and the bearded middle-aged shopkeeper returned.
Kakuzu nodded strongly.
.............
The fighting within the Uchiha Clan soon ended. Naori Uchiha used Izanami to stop her opponents' Izanagi and ended the bloody feud.
At almost the same time, fights along the border between Konoha and Kumogakure happened more often. One bad fight could start another Shinobi World War. The peace was too new and had cost too many lives to lose, so Izuna decided to go to Kumogakure himself and work out a settlement.
On the appointed day, Izuna crossed into Kumogakure's territory with several of his students.
Elsewhere in the village, Kinkaku and Ginkaku met in secret to decide what they would do next.
"Our lord hasn't sent a single order. We can do whatever we want," Kinkaku said under his breath.
"Too bad we have no way to contact him ourselves." Ginkaku gave a slow nod.
"Then what do we do next?" Kinkaku asked.
"If no one's here to rein us in, we might as well do what we've always wanted. I've been waiting for a chance to take control of Kumogakure." Ginkaku smiled as if the village were already his.
"So have I. Even better, every top unit in the village already follows me." Kinkaku understood right away, and his grin matched his brother's.
"Then we launch our coup during the peace talks. But the Fourth Hokage will be there too. Izuna Uchiha..." Ginkaku paused on the name.
"Bringing Konoha into this will be a problem. If the Hokage blocks us, we'll kill him too." Kinkaku decided quickly.
The brothers kept their voices low as they worked out the rest.
.............
On the day of the peace talks, Izuna and the Second Raikage sat across from each other in the main council room of the Raikage Building. The rough wooden table between them was covered with maps and papers about the border dispute, competing interests in nearby smaller nations, and the repeated fights between their patrols.
For hours, the two men argued over every point. Izuna explained exactly how another border war could spread, answered the Raikage's objections one by one, and showed him what both villages could gain from peace.
In the end, the Second Raikage had no more objections. Konoha and Kumogakure agreed to settle their border disputes and work together to keep the region peaceful.
"Thank you for thinking about the bigger picture, Lord Raikage. May our villages never fight each other again. Long live peace." Izuna smiled for the first time since the talks began and offered his hand.
"You honor your grandfather's name. You have my respect. Long live peace." The Second Raikage smiled back and shook Izuna's hand.
They thought that was it. Peace had been secured, and everyone could go home happy.
Then a roar shook the chamber.
"Bashōsen: Five Elements Upheaval!"
No one saw Kinkaku enter, but he was already inside the council chamber holding the Bashōsen with both hands.
He swung the fan forward, releasing fire, water, wind, lightning, and earth all at once. The five chakra types combined into one attack and rushed across the room toward the two men still shaking hands.
"What the hell? What is Kumogakure doing?" Izuna's pupils shrank. He sensed the danger before he knew where it came from.
The Second Raikage looked just as confused. He had no idea why Kinkaku and Ginkaku were attacking. This was not part of his plan. He had come to sign a treaty, not kill Izuna Uchiha.
Izuna acted before he could think. His scarlet Sharingan spun, and a clear silver Susanoo appeared. Silver ribs wrapped around both men just before the attack hit.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"
The blast shook the Raikage Building. Stone walls broke, furniture splintered, and broken pieces flew through the room. The shock wave tore through the building, and the explosion resounded throughout Kumogakure.
Danzō and Hiruzen were waiting in a side room when the floor bucked beneath their feet.
"Teacher!" they shouted together.
Chakra surged through their legs as they sprinted toward the council chamber.
"Cough... cough..." The smoke cleared enough to show Izuna kneeling among the ruins with a hand pressed over his bleeding eye. Cracks covered the silver ribs of his Susanoo like a spiderweb, and the arm holding him up kept shaking.
The Second Raikage lay a few feet away, burned black by the five elements. He had died and gone to the Pure Land to rest.
"Looks like you can take a hit, Izuna Uchiha..." Kinkaku and Ginkaku came through the smoke at a slow walk.
Both wore the same cruel smile.
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