Above the examination space, Jia Yi uploaded the video he had prepared to everyone's screens.
The original footage was generated by the system. It was massive and cluttered—if played in full, it would not only waste a lot of time but could also reveal information related to future test content.
This would hinder the launch of the next testing phase. Therefore, Jia Yi trimmed the video significantly, leaving only the critical segment that contained the answer. He even added background music for effect.
---
Just as everyone inside and outside the space anxiously waited, the screen—black for more than ten seconds—suddenly lit up. The first thing that appeared was the title card:
[Question 5 – Analysis]
Analysis of Question Five?
Only the fifth question? Not the whole video?
Was it because the questions were linked to future exams?
Some sharp-minded individuals instantly understood the logic behind the omission. But before they could dwell on it, the image began to change.
The first thing shown was a sprawling village, with five enormous stone faces carved into a mountain cliff at its center. This highly recognizable landmark instantly triggered recognition.
The Land of Fire – Konohagakure!
> "Was that Tsunade just now?"
> "Yeah, it looks like she really became the Fifth Hokage!"
> "Damn it, the image is changing too fast!"
As public discussion broke out, the scene shifted again. A young girl ran playfully across the screen, and behind her, a gray-haired old woman leaned on a cane, smiling kindly at her granddaughter.
This peaceful scene stunned the viewers. They were braced for intense battles—but what they saw was pure domestic tranquility.
Suddenly, the screen erupted with tragic orchestral music—majestic yet mournful, as though foreshadowing a looming disaster.
---
Within the village, the group who had gathered to persuade Sarutobi Hiruzen all froze in place.
They looked up at the unfolding footage, their expressions growing increasingly grim.
They were all Konoha ninjas—lifelong residents, intimately familiar with every street.
That meant they knew—without a doubt—that what was being shown wasn't fiction.
Even the obscure alleyway tucked into the corner of the screen… was precisely where they stood now!
They knew—this was the calm before the storm. The peace was about to be shattered.
One of the shinobi began trembling violently as he stared at the screen.
Fear.
Overwhelming, soul-crushing fear.
He was the same man who had shouted earlier, "Let the Akatsuki come!"
And now—he recognized the old woman and the child in the video.
They were his mother and daughter.
> "No... this can't be real… this isn't real…"
BOOM!
A black missile with a flaming tail suddenly descended from the sky, striking the ground beneath the old woman. She had no time to react—obliterated instantly.
Hot, crimson blood rained down onto the little girl's stunned face.
Before she could move, the ruined building above her collapsed.
Burying her alive.
> "NO!"
> "NO, NO! PLEASE—NO!"
The once-defiant ninja collapsed where he stood, sobbing, devastated.
Gone was the bravado. Gone was the mockery.
All that remained was anguish.
The others didn't spare him a glance. Their eyes were locked onto the screen. All of them were Konoha shinobi—meaning they all understood the weight of what they were witnessing.
The attack had come suddenly.
And the enemy… was already inside the village.
The Pains. They had infiltrated Konoha.
As the camera zoomed out, it revealed the full extent of the destruction. Fires burned across the entire Hidden Leaf. Explosions weren't limited to just one location—they were everywhere.
Shock spread through the crowd like wildfire.
This wasn't an invasion.
This was war.
Total war.
Pain—alone—was waging war against the entire Hidden Leaf.
Arrogant. Insane. Unthinkable.
Suddenly, the display split into six sections—each showing a different figure in a black cloak patterned with red clouds, a black staff in hand.
> "Wait… one of them is different!"
Jiraiya squinted at the female figure and then glanced at the Fūma man before Nagato.
Sure enough—he was already dead before Pain's attack on Konoha.
Jiraiya's heart sank.
> "So I only managed to take out one of them, even at the cost of my life…"
> "If that's true…"
> "Then Konoha won't even know who they're up against."
Unless—every single Konoha ninja fights with everything they have.
He looked up, expression dark and solemn.
On the split screens, all six Pains began moving.
The female Pain, responsible for summoning beasts, acted first—raising a hand to call forth several massive creatures, including a towering avian she rode into battle.
The moment they appeared, they began attacking indiscriminately—civilians, shinobi, buildings—nothing was spared. The village descended into chaos.
> "This Fifth Hokage is useless," Danzo scoffed, arms crossed, eyes cold.
> "Konoha is under attack and Tsunade's reaction is this slow?"
Beside him, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face was equally grim. He was thinking ahead—he knew what the video was about to expose.
The strength of Konoha.
> "Damn it…"
His fingertips turned pale as he clenched his fists. He couldn't stop the footage now. Any attempt would immediately raise suspicion.
The battle escalated quickly. Five of the six Pains entered the fray, clashing with Konoha's defenders.
The result?
Massacres.
Konoha's shinobi—chunin and jonin alike—fell one after another. The weakest of the Six Paths were still shadow-level threats. The village's elite barely slowed them down.
The cost?
Their lives.
Numb silence spread among the Konoha crowd. They recognized the faces in the video—comrades, clan members, even themselves.
Some saw their own deaths.
The psychological impact was unbearable.
> "Where's the Hokage?"
> "Where's Tsunade?"
Almost as if the video was answering them, a seventh screen suddenly appeared.
Tsunade stood, gripping two Hokage advisors by the collar, roaring:
> "I'm the Fifth Hokage! I must summon Naruto back!"
> "No! He's their target! He can't return!"
> "The Akatsuki have already captured all the other Tailed Beasts! Naruto is our last one!"
Gasps exploded across the ninja world.
Tailed Beasts were the ninja world's nuclear weapons. The hidden villages' power and status depended on them.
How had the Akatsuki captured all the others?
Had they attacked every major village head-on?
And Konoha—was it the final target?
That would mean… when the Great Ninja Alliance eventually formed, it was already too late. Their best forces were gone.
This would explain why even reanimated corpses and Zetsu had managed to halt the alliance.
Rage erupted in the eyes of every village leader watching the footage.
If this was true—then diplomacy be damned.
They had to strike first.
They had to act.
Even if it meant joining forces with former enemies.
---
In the Sand Village, Fourth Kazekage Rasa hadn't connected all the dots, but his advisors had.
They were just about to question him when—
> "The Akatsuki invaded Konoha last?" Rasa shouted.
"Are they looking down on Sunagakure?! DAMN IT!"
---
Meanwhile, Uzumaki Naruto sat watching Tsunade's image above.
> "So that's the Fifth Hokage?"
"She seems kind…"
He rested his chin in his hands, swinging his legs, waiting eagerly for the next scene.
Training? Totally justified.
Jiraiya was one of the legendary Sannin—it made sense he'd take Naruto out of the village to train.
> "I hope when I show up, I look super cool!"
---
At Konoha Hospital, Uchiha Sasuke clutched the corner of his shirt, eyes glowing red with rage.
> "Damn it… damn it…"
> "It's him again… that dead-last loser!"
> "Where am I?! Where's my screen time?!"
The emotional trauma of the day had left him teetering on the edge of collapse.
But he refused to pass out.
He had to see himself appear.
He had to confirm with his own eyes that he—not Naruto—was the strongest.
---
As Pain's rampage continued, Konoha's elite finally appeared on screen.
The first was Hatake Kakashi, white-haired and stoic, saving the injured Iruka from Tendo Pain.
Everyone watching held their breath.
If the Akatsuki appeared in their village—could they resist?
Could they even slow them down?
Even Kakashi…