"Less than two months... Has Konoha really fallen to this?"
"During the Chunin Selection Exams... I should have agreed back then!"
A scowl formed on the Fourth Raikage's face as he muttered under his breath. Even Ōnoki, the veteran Tsuchikage, felt a twinge of regret.
Yet, when they turned their eyes to the man in front of them—the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen—they were left speechless.
Draped in his Hokage robes, Hiruzen still carried the aura of his former station. But those robes were now tattered, stained, and battle-worn.
He swept the street in silence, his mind replaying the image of Konohamaru walking away from him.
"What are you doing just standing there?!"
"Don't you see all the garbage on the ground?"
"I told you to sweep, not sit around doing nothing!"
A villager stormed over and kicked him without hesitation.
"Seriously? Why do I have to deal with someone like you?"
"Everyone else is helping rebuild under Satsuki-sama's orders, but I'm stuck here, watching over you two pathetic old relics. Annoying!"
"Hurry up and clean!"
"Hmph, if you have the guts, run off like those two cowardly advisors did!"
"If not, then shut up and work!"
Silence.
The three Kage and Nagato stood frozen, unable to believe what they were witnessing.
This... This was undoubtedly Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure.
At that moment, Hiruzen felt their gazes on him. Lifting his head, he met the eyes of eleven powerful shinobi.
"The Two Great Scales, Ōnoki... the Fourth Raikage... the new Mizukage..."
Shame. Humiliation. Regret.
A tidal wave of emotions crashed over Hiruzen as he clenched his fists. He could not defend himself. He had no words, no excuses.
Another swift kick landed on his side, jarring him from his thoughts.
Hiruzen could do nothing but endure.
Even death at Orochimaru's hands would have been preferable to this.
This was his punishment, the same disgrace that had once driven Hatake Sakumo and Naruto into despair.
Only this time, he had no one to blame but himself.
He had once wielded power, standing at the helm of Konoha. Now, he was a relic of a bygone era, a pitiful shadow of his former self.
A deep resentment stirred within him—resentment toward Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. If only those two had not fled in the dead of night, perhaps he would not have been left alone to bear this shame.
Even now, he contemplated ending his suffering, but the thought of Konohamaru still in Konoha held him back.
Jiraiya had once shared his fate. Hiruzen had seen it in his eyes. The torment, the regret, the helplessness. But unlike him, Jiraiya had found solace in Konoha's rebirth, dedicating himself to atonement.
Jiraiya still clung to hope, believing that when his penance was complete, he would set out in search of the Child of Prophecy. If he never found him, then Naruto was the one.
"Is it really you, Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
Ōnoki took a cautious step forward, narrowing his eyes.
Hiruzen's face twisted in pain. He lowered his head, unwilling to meet their stares.
"Apologies, dear guests, but this old man is finally doing something useful for Konoha..."
The villager scoffed, ready to continue his verbal abuse, but Ōnoki raised a hand. "Enough. Let us observe."
Ai smirked, his arms crossed. "Haha! So, you've fallen this low, old man?"
"To think, when my village suffered, it was never this bad. I tricked you once, and you sent the Hyuga clan as payment."
"The so-called 'Hero of the Shinobi World'... Tsk tsk, what a satisfying end~"
His eyes shifted. "Look at your old friend, Shimura Danzo. He's scrubbing toilets now."
The Raikage took a deep breath, then mockingly waved his hand in front of his nose. "I could smell it from a mile away. A rat belongs in the sewers, huh? Ugh!"
"If the Nidaime Hokage had left you behind to cover his retreat... Haha, guess it's a good thing he didn't."
Ōnoki chuckled dryly. "When I heard the Fourth Hokage had died, I really wanted to act. If it weren't for some young idiot meddling... Hmph!"
The Raikage ignored the old man's words. Instead, he turned back to Hiruzen with a knowing smirk.
"Old man, if you don't step down when it's time, this is the future waiting for you."
Ōnoki: "..."
Hiruzen simply kept his head down, sweeping silently, hoping they would leave soon.
Prayer, however, was rarely answered in times like these.
Their jeers shifted toward Danzo, dragging him further into disgrace.
But compared to Hiruzen, Danzo seemed almost at peace.
Expressionless, he mopped the floor in silence, his thoughts buried in the depths of his mind.
"The Five Kage Summit...?"
"That Nine-Tailed brat and Tsunade won't be able to handle it... When the Four Great Ninja Villages attack Konoha... they'll remember me then."
"You still want to execute me? Torture me through reincarnation? You'll need me when you're surrounded by enemies. Unless you kneel and beg, I will never return!"
"I am the Sixth Hokage... Uzumaki Naruto, you will regret this!"
As expected, Kotoamatsukami was incredibly useful.
Nagato was about to leave with his companions when Sasuke appeared.
About two minutes later, Nagato was pushed out by Yahiko, a faint smile on his face.
Sasuke blocked their way, turning her head slightly, cheeks tinged with red. "One Sharingan... Five... Five hundred thousand!"
Nagato: "..."
You didn't say anything!
Nagato had originally planned to ask for five million, but seeing how frail Nagato looked, sitting in a wheelchair and being pushed, he reconsidered.
"Ahem... Thank you. I don't have any money on me... I'll have someone send it over later."
After some thought, Nagato decided to ask Kakuzu, who had just collected a bounty.
Hearing this, Sasuke sighed in relief. "This should help pay off some of my debts... Damn that black-hearted Kurama!"
Then, he turned to Nagato. "You're from the Hidden Rain Village, right?"
"Come on, I'll take you to eat something. If you starve to death, I won't have anyone left to collect money from."
And so, Sasuke brought Nagato to Ōtsutsuki Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
...
"Tsuchikage, Raikage, Mizukage, we meet again."
"After visiting Konoha, what do you think?" Minato asked with a gentle smile.
Ōnoki shook his head and sighed. "Unbelievable. In less than two months, it feels like centuries have passed."
Ai chuckled. "I never thought I'd see the day Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo would fall so low."
The Mizukage smiled. "Minato, isn't Uzumaki Naruto coming?"
Minato instinctively took a step back at her charming smile. "Naruto hasn't returned yet."
"If there's any issue... ahem, Kakashi, come here."
"Yes..." Kakashi walked in, looking utterly drained.
Mei Terumi's eyes lit up, then quickly dimmed. "Too old."
Losing interest, she waved it off. "Never mind."
"Yo~ Minato~ Whoohoo... Ah~!"
A, having endured it long enough, finally lost patience and punched Killer B, knocking him out.
"Sorry about that," he said, shaking his head.
Minato sighed. "The meeting officially starts at noon. Have you eaten yet?"
"We left last night. I sprained my back mid-flight, wasted time... Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry."
Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes at her grandfather.
"Then let Kakashi take you to try some of Konoha's specialties."
At this moment, Mei Terumi asked a key question. "Minato, why do I only see Konoha's prosperity? You're not just showing us the good side, are you?"
"No need to worry. What you see is the reality."
...
On the other side, Nagato asked the same question.
Sasuke, mouth full of ramen, looked up proudly. "Konoha is nothing like the Hidden Rain Village. The major clans each manage their own territories."
"If people start starving... well, that would be a huge problem."
"And if anyone steals food, the entire management is punished!"
"The first to bear the brunt? The First Hokage himself."
"The legendary God of Shinobi?" Nagato's eyes widened.
Only then did Sasuke notice his eyes. "The Rinnegan?"
However, he quickly refocused. "What God of Shinobi?"
"He doesn't act like the First Hokage or a so-called Ninja God at all... The elderly in Konoha dance in the square every evening, and he... he's their leader!"
"Not only is he a terrible dancer, but he also drags others into embarrassing themselves."
At this point, Sasuke's face turned red.
"But when it comes to construction and greenery, no one can match him."
Nagato was speechless.
But then, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Perhaps... the Land of Rain will soon follow this path.
Nagato turned to Yahiko. "Did you see that?"
"This is a better world than we ever imagined."
He fell silent for a moment before whispering, "It's just... about Konan..."
Whoosh!—
"I'm late..."
"A bowl of ramen, eh, Fourth Hokage?"
After the entire village celebrated their victory, Ichiraku Otsutsuki stopped pretending and came clean.
"Uh... okay, thank you."
Before he could finish saying "thank you," a steaming bowl of ramen was already in his hands.
Then, the Fourth Hokage took a seat beside him.
"Nagato... Brother?"
"You are... Minato... Junior Brother?"
Sasuke suddenly cut in. "What were you mumbling about just now?"
"Something about Konan? Oh, that blue-haired girl?"
"I remember now. Yesterday, I was about to ask Kurama to lend me more chakra when she said she was busy moving Konan's dowry... Naruto is really pitiful. So many people have their eyes on him."
"Also, isn't your name wrong?"
Minato, Nagato: "..."
—Noon—
Inside the meeting hall.
The Kage from the five great nations took their seats one after another.
At the same time, many other figures sat below—daimyo, village elders, and the heads of Konoha's major clans.
When Orochimaru and Senju Tobirama entered, they were carrying several sets of blueprints.
After settling in, Tobirama immediately gestured for Nagato to come over.
Looking at the densely packed drawings and annotations, Nagato was bewildered.
Gaara stepped forward and extended his hand. "Nagato-dono."
"The Fifth Kazekage?"
Nagato raised his hand and gave Gaara a firm handshake.
After a brief and cordial exchange, the two gained a preliminary understanding of each other.
Nagato smiled. "Have you all begun preparations already?"
"The Hidden Rain Village can't just sit back and watch."
Gaara returned the smile. "Trust is built through communication. Since everyone from Konoha is here, we should trust each other boldly."
At that moment, Tsunade knocked on the table.
Gaara understood the signal and returned to his seat.
The five Kage took their positions, and the meeting officially began.
Nagato looked up to see that Naruto had appeared behind Tsunade at some point.
Just then, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
"Mmmm!"
Nagato turned around to see Killer Bee pointing at the bandages on his mouth, gesturing animatedly.
A's fist clenched again.
Orochimaru, who had been conversing with Tobirama, also looked up, catching sight of the familiar yellow-haired figure.
The Snake Sannin's thoughts: Sasuke? Never heard of him.
"Before we begin, let me make one thing clear: Konoha will now be known as Konohagakure, and its Daimyo is the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade."
Naruto stated this matter-of-factly, ignoring the murmurs of surprise in the room.
Then, he continued.
"Alright, let's get to the main topic—The Shinobi Alliance and the principles of future peace."
"Win-win cooperation and mutual development will put an end to wars over resources once and for all."
"…."