"And let me tell you something else."
"It might sound hopeless once you hear it."
"I once left Naruto in a hotel for several days while I tried to infiltrate Kirigakure to gather information."
"Guess what happened?"
As he recalled the events from a few days ago, Jiraiya's face turned grim.
Even now, the memory made him shiver.
The Eternal Church was terrifying.
Even the sages of the Holy Lands likely couldn't oppose them.
Tsunade guessed cautiously,
"You couldn't get in?"
Sure, Kirigakure was powerful.
But it was unthinkable that someone like Jiraiya couldn't even approach the outskirts.
After all, it was a large village. There had to be ways in.
Jiraiya smiled bitterly.
"The moment I crossed the border, I was detected."
"No matter what methods I used, I couldn't get any further."
"Not only that..." He sighed. "I was even injured."
"What did you say?!"
Tsunade shot to her feet, shock etched across her face.
She always belittled Jiraiya for his perverted antics,
But in terms of pure strength—
Jiraiya was probably the strongest of the Legendary Sannin.
Yes. Stronger than Orochimaru.
Not just slightly, either.
If he went all out, he could crush Orochimaru—
though, like Naruto with Sasuke, he couldn't bring himself to kill him.
But for even Jiraiya to be wounded just trying to approach the perimeter...
That was terrifying.
"Is the Eternal Church really that dangerous?" Shizune asked doubtfully.
Could a mere religious sect grow this powerful so quickly?
There had to be something special protecting them.
"Dangerous?" Jiraiya scoffed.
"The little genin guarding their gates had the power of a Kage.
You tell me—that's not scary?"
Silence fell over the Hokage's office.
Tsunade rubbed her temples again.
Then she realized something. She looked up and asked,
"If they have that much power, why haven't they attacked us yet?"
Geographically, the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning were both within striking distance of the Land of Water.
What was stopping them?
"Because they're focused on spreading faith," Jiraiya explained.
"Every village now has a temple.
Envoys are teaching their doctrine.
Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?
But that's exactly what they're doing."
"Step by step."
"Fortifying their position like an iron fortress. It's impossible to infiltrate."
"In my estimation, Orochimaru really has become a divine envoy.
And he's gained power far beyond normal comprehension."
As much as he hated to admit it—
the facts were undeniable.
Just then, rapid footsteps echoed from the corridor.
BANG!
The door burst open.
An ANBU ninja wearing a fox mask knelt down.
"Report, Hokage-sama!"
"Orochimaru and his forces have arrived at the border of the Land of Fire. They seek a negotiation."
Shizune silently handed over an envelope.
The handwriting was unmistakably Orochimaru's.
"Tsunade, it's been a long time. I am now a divine envoy. I wish to visit your territory to spread the doctrine and clear away corruption. I hope you won't mind."
"How many people did he bring?" Tsunade asked, frowning.
"Only four."
"But one has a Mangekyō Sharingan. Another possesses the Rinnegan."
"And the last... is Uchiha Sasuke."
Jiraiya's brow furrowed.
"Really? Only four?"
The ANBU nodded.
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya. They are currently at the border with the Land of Water."
"They've stated that if you do not appear within two days, they will launch a formal attack on the Land of Fire."
Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged looks.
The situation was now critical.
The Eternal Church was expanding its power.
The Next Day
Border Zone
Uchiha Sasuke stood by the shore, eyes closed, enjoying the sea breeze.
For once, he felt at peace.
"If you won't stay with your brother," said Orochimaru, "why come out here like this?"
"It's none of your concern, Master Envoy." Sasuke answered coolly.
"Danzo must die."
"But I don't understand—why not just attack directly?"
"Our strength far surpasses theirs."
"It would be simple. Destroy them and raise the banner of faith."
"Why bother with negotiations?"
Orochimaru shook his head.
"You're still young."
"You don't know how many tricks that old fox Danzo has up his sleeve."
"If we attacked directly, he'd run. And where would you find him afterward?"
"Now that we've arranged a negotiation, he'll have no choice but to appear in person."
"And remember—we are not evildoers. We are messengers of God.
We must never forget our original purpose."
Sasuke nodded slowly.
Yes. They were no longer mere ninjas.
They were followers of the God of Eternity.
They could not kill indiscriminately—that violated doctrine.
As the two spoke, a large group appeared atop the cliffs opposite them.
Over a thousand people.
Six hundred ANBU alone.
Leading them were elite ninja like Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy.
Of course, the elders Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane had also come along.
Danzo, naturally, was hiding at the rear.
The Legendary Sannin reunited.
Only a year had passed—
but everything had changed.
Orochimaru stood tall, dressed in a black robe and wearing a top hat like an elegant missionary.
Beside him were Nagato, Obito (Tobi), and Uchiha Sasuke, all clad in matching robes.
Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw Obito.
"Obito... How?!"
"Yes, Kakashi. Long time no see."
"And Danzo—surely you recognize me.
I'm the stand-in for Uchiha Madara."
Obito waved casually, smiling.
Konoha's forces were stunned.
No one understood how Obito was still alive—
or what he meant by being Madara's stand-in.
Only Danzo realized the danger.
He turned to run.
But a swirling vortex appeared before him, sucking him in before he could react.
BAM!
A powerful fist slammed into his abdomen.
Danzo's black robe slipped off, exposing his hidden arm.
The grotesque Sharingan embedded there became visible to all.
The Konoha ninjas were stunned.
What was happening?
They hadn't even begun negotiations—yet one of their own had already been attacked!
Danzo felt a chill spread through him.
He tried to use ninjutsu—but his chakra wouldn't respond.
"Trash. Don't bother struggling."
"Divine power overrides all. Your chakra has been sealed."
Obito's voice was cold and dismissive.
Danzo's last hopes of escape evaporated.
Orochimaru addressed the bewildered Konoha forces.
"Surprised?" he asked calmly.
"Wondering how Danzo possesses Hashirama's cells and Sharingan?"
"The answer is simple."
"When the Uchiha clan was massacred..."
"This old man gathered up many of their eyes."
"And by the way—he's using Shisui Uchiha's eye."
As if to prove it, Danzo's facial bandages were torn away.
A Mangekyō Sharingan glared out from beneath.
Konoha's forces were speechless.
This was their Root leader?
A man specializing in stealing power from his own people?
That pale, grotesque arm—
formed from the First Hokage's cells—
explained how Danzo could control so many Sharingan.
BOOM.
Part of the cliff crumbled.
Tsunade, face flushed with rage, smashed the rock beneath her foot.
"Danzo, you old dog!" she roared.
"You dare defile my grandfather's cells?!
I won't forgive you!"
Desecrating her loved one's body—
That was a crime no one could tolerate.
Especially not someone with Tsunade's temper.
Jiraiya quickly grabbed her arm.
Now was not the time to act rashly.
Danzo glared bitterly.
Those experiments were Orochimaru's doing!
He was the one who attached this arm to me!
The Uchiha were killed by Itachi and Obito! What does this have to do with me?!
He tried to argue.
But Obito stomped his head into the ground before he could speak.
Danzo couldn't even move.
He nearly suffocated.
Obito eventually lifted his foot and said calmly,
"Stop wasting energy, old Danzo."
On a distant cliff, Homura Mitokado panicked.
He tried to intervene.
"Hokage-sama! Shouldn't we attack?"
"Danzo may be sinful, but he's served Konoha faithfully.
He deserves punishment—not humiliation!"
"And who do we have here?" Obito chuckled.
"Homura Mitokado. I thought you'd be hiding at home."
"But here you are. And I'm sure Koharu Utatane is lurking nearby, too."
"I remember you both well. And that other old dog—Koharu—I'm sure she came along."
Obito waved cheerfully, his smile gleaming like a predator's.
Homura shrank back, terrified.
He instinctively pulled his hand away from the railing.
Homura Mitokado didn't hesitate.
He immediately turned and ran, not even daring to glance back.
He even used a secret technique that looked like… frantic sideways jumps.
It was honestly a ridiculous sight.
But no one in Konoha could laugh.
The next moment, two swirling vortexes appeared.
Whoosh.
Whoosh.
Two figures were sucked in and dropped unceremoniously next to Danzo.
Orochimaru looked at the horrified expressions on the faces of Konoha's forces.
He smiled calmly.
"Don't worry, everyone.
These people were involved in planning the Uchiha Clan massacre."
"So, Sasuke and Itachi will have their answers soon."
"Although the situation is complicated," Orochimaru continued,
"without the help of these three..."
"It never would've been possible."
Nagato stepped forward and added,
"Danzo also attacked the Akatsuki and killed my friend Yahiko.
You know who that is, don't you, Sensei?"
He looked directly at Jiraiya.
"Yahiko was killed? Danzo did that?"
Jiraiya froze, his expression darkening.
Why did Danzo's name keep surfacing in every tragedy?
Nagato snorted and kicked Homura Mitokado hard.
"Yes. Danzo colluded with Hanzo. They blackmailed us and even used Konoha's ANBU."
"How could I forget that hatred?"
"You always talk about promoting peace, but you never realized some people only seek power for themselves.
If the Divine Envoy hadn't appeared…"
"In less than a year, the Akatsuki would've launched a full-scale war to capture the Tailed Beasts."
"And Konoha was already on my hit list."
"Be honest—" Nagato's Rinnegan gleamed.
"—could you have resisted the Rinnegan with your strength?"
The Konoha forces fell silent.
They stared at the three captured elders, fury burning in their eyes.
Many wished they could cut them into pieces.
Koharu Utatane suddenly screamed,
"This has nothing to do with me! It was Danzo's ANBU!
I only helped plan the Uchiha massacre… and the death of White Fang."
Kakashi: "???"
Wait... what?
My father?
You were involved in my father's death too?!
Everyone knew Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang of Konoha, had been a legend.
But it turned out the Elders had driven him to suicide.
A cold wind blew over.
Koharu shuddered.
Those cold eyes staring at her made her tremble uncontrollably.
"I-It wasn't me. It was Danzo!" she screamed.
"He wanted to become Hokage. He convinced me and Homura to support him!"
"Why are you all looking at me?!"
Danzo's face was as dark as coal.
Unbelievable.
Back then, weren't you the ones pushing me to take power?
Now you're dumping everything on me?
Orochimaru pressed his fingers lightly.
Koharu's chakra was sealed just like Danzo's.
"Enough with the old stories." Orochimaru declared.
"We're here today for two reasons."
"First, the Nine-Tails must be handed over."
"Second, Konoha will be our next target."
"As a populous nation, it's the perfect place to spread faith."
"Don't worry. We won't destroy your ninja system."
"But you must accept the God of Eternity."
As Orochimaru spoke, his face flushed with excitement.
He seemed intoxicated by the idea.
As a former comrade, he didn't want to start a war.
But if Konoha insisted on resisting...
He wouldn't hold back.
Jiraiya sighed.
"So it comes to this after all."
"After all your talk, you just want the Nine-Tails."
"You haven't changed at all."
Suddenly, a large force approached from the west.
Almost a thousand ninja.
Their leader radiated lightning—the Fourth Raikage.
The reinforcements had arrived.
No more stalling.
"What's the point of all this talk? Konoha is our home!" the Raikage roared.
"We won't let you turn it into some temple of faith!"
"Byakugō Seal: Release!"
Tsunade activated the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
The Konoha ninjas readied themselves.
They had planned this for a while.
Konoha couldn't handle Orochimaru's forces alone.
So they contacted the Cloud Ninja.
The Stone Ninja were too far away—it would take time for them to arrive.
Might Guy looked at Kakashi, who still seemed hesitant.
"Snap out of it.
I know it's shocking to see an old friend, but don't forget—he's the enemy now!"
"I know," Kakashi replied.
But a strange glint flickered in his eyes.
Guy didn't notice.
"Lord Hokage!" a Cloud ninja shouted.
"We've arrived with the Hidden Cloud forces.
Look at these Eternal Church zealots—skinny little things!
Only four of them dared to show up. What a joke!"
The Fourth Raikage landed two hundred meters from Orochimaru.
His eyes were filled with contempt.
He believed the Eternal Church's influence came from Uchiha illusions.
All these so-called Kage-level followers were a farce.
What's the big deal?
It's just Orochimaru and a few kids. We'll crush them in minutes.
"It's a waste that I talked with you for so long," Orochimaru sighed.
"So... you were just buying time for reinforcements."
"Even Jiraiya can't understand my dream."
"After all his speeches about peace, he still chooses violence."
The world is truly foolish.
Boom.
Boom.
Two clouds of smoke erupted.
Katsuyu and Gamabunta appeared by the shore.
Nagato stretched, glancing at the growing crowd.
"In the end, it still comes down to battle."
"I told you before—only through pain will people understand the value of peace."
Obito shrugged.
"They're too foolish to see our strength."
"Only the doctrine of the God of Eternity can bring true peace."
"Exactly," Sasuke agreed.
"These three traitors should be executed.
As for the others—let's begin."
Sasuke's eyes flashed.
Three black Amaterasu flame swords plunged into Danzo, Homura, and Koharu.
Then a golden Susanoo wrapped around him,
its majestic armor lifting him into the sky like a god.
Just looking at it made the Konoha ninjas tremble.
"What... is that?"
"I don't know. But it's terrifying."
"Stop staring!" shouted one of the Konoha commanders.
"This is an S-rank battle!"
Countless shuriken were launched toward Orochimaru's group.
The sky filled with glittering steel.
Sasuke sneered.
"Pathetic."
"Don't waste my time with such weak tricks."
He waved his hand.
A hurricane barrier formed in the sky.
The shuriken turned to dust as the powerful wind pulverized them.
The windstorm surged forward, forcing the allied ninja forces to scatter.
BOOM!
A hundred-meter section of cliff shattered.
The windstorm continued plowing forward for over a kilometer before it finally stopped.
The forest in its path was completely flattened.
The gathered ninja swallowed hard.
One punch had destroyed a mountain.
That wasn't ninjutsu anymore!
Kakashi was frozen in place.
Is this really my student?
Could I have taught someone like this?
Sasuke's cold voice snapped them back to reality.
"You chose to fight us. You should be prepared."
"Six Paths Technique: Planetary Devastation!"
Nagato's voice rang out.
The sky darkened.
A massive meteor, wreathed in flames, hurtled toward the ground.
"Run!"
"What jutsu is this?!"
"Haha... we're not even in the same league.
This is the power of the God of Eternity!"
The real battle hadn't even begun.
Yet the allied ninja forces were already in chaos.
Some were frozen in shock.
Some screamed.
Some cried.
Some tried to flee.
Even Tsunade and the Fourth Raikage were rattled.
Jiraiya felt his scalp go numb.
Damn it... there's no time to summon Sage Mode!
"Tsunade! Work with Raikage. We'll try to smash it together!"
"Right!"
The Raikage activated his full chakra mode.
The three leapt into the air together.
BOOM!
They slowed the meteor's descent—slightly.
But even with their combined strength, they couldn't completely destroy it.
Just then, a purple-red sphere shot through the sky.
It struck the meteor, triggering a violent explosion.
The three ninja moved as one, following up with full-force strikes.
The battle had truly begun.