Konoha High-Level Meeting
Obito snorted coldly, his Sharingan gleaming with malice. "The sealing technique of such precision… Who else could have executed it besides my esteemed teacher, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze?"
He sneered. "And yet, this so-called 'Yellow Flash,' the paragon of Konoha, allows his own son to suffer as a mere pawn for the village's so-called peace. How ironic. After losing Kushina and nearly losing Konoha, he no longer plays the hero—he no longer trusts the village."
"The leader of Uzushio… is the Fourth Hokage?"
Even Black Zetsu found the thought absurd at first, but as he considered Obito's reasoning, the logic became undeniable.
A mysterious powerhouse of that caliber emerging out of nowhere? Impossible. The world believed Minato died sealing Kurama, but in the shinobi world, the dead often reappeared. Madara. Obito. Even Orochimaru defied mortality itself.
If Minato truly led Uzushio's resurgence, it would be a dire problem.
The Fourth Hokage wasn't just feared for his Rasengan or his taijutsu mastery, but for the Flying Thunder God Technique—his space-time ninjutsu made him practically untouchable in battle.
Now, if he was also a Jinchūriki, controlling the Kyūbi's chakra… Even Obito and Nagato together might not be enough to defeat him.
But an alliance between them was a fantasy. Mutual suspicion ran too deep.
Could he afford to wait for Minato to die of old age? No—this was their last chance. Soon, the time promised to his mother would arrive.
Black Zetsu's eyes narrowed. "Something doesn't add up—Naruto Uzumaki is the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. How could the Fourth Hokage be one as well?"
Obito's gaze darkened. "Kushina once mentioned a forbidden sealing technique—one that could divide a Tailed Beast."
After a long pause, Black Zetsu finally asked, "What's your next move?"
Obito's voice dropped to a whisper. "Find Naruto. If he still carries part of Kurama's chakra, we can use him to break Minato. If I'm right, Hiruzen has been keeping Naruto in the shadows, grooming him in secret…"
---
Meanwhile, the Battle of the Land of Waves, though a major event abroad, remained a well-guarded secret within Konoha.
Most villagers barely remembered the Land of Waves, let alone Uzushio, and Konoha's upper echelon ensured the truth remained buried.
The idea that a rogue Uchiha had not only escaped justice but had joined Uzushio's forces would shake the village's faith in the Hokage's leadership.
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen faced an irate council. Danzo Shimura, along with the elder advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, confronted him.
"Why are you ignoring the Uzushio threat?" Danzo's cane struck the ground sharply. "How could you allow the Kyūbi's Jinchūriki to defect?"
The Third Hokage exhaled, his voice tired yet firm. "I never imagined Naruto would not only rebuild Uzushio but also claim the Land of Waves. And now, he's clashed with Akatsuki's mercenaries…"
Koharu frowned. "Sarutobi, stop evading responsibility. You let this happen under your watch. This is your failure."
Sarutobi nodded solemnly. "It is my failure. But we lack the strength to act against Uzushio. If you can bring Naruto back, I will gladly step down as Hokage. But even Jiraiya failed. Naruto has grown strong—strong enough to be called a Kage."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Homura and Koharu exchanged uncertain glances, their earlier bravado waning.
They had come to berate Hiruzen, but his passive acceptance left them at a loss. The harsh truth was undeniable: Konoha couldn't afford to challenge Uzushio right now.
A large-scale military mobilization would only expose Konoha's current weakness to rival villages. Maintaining the status quo was their best option.
At last, their eyes turned to Danzo.
The elder war hawk, sensing their expectation, hesitated. His resources were stretched thin—Root had suffered losses. He cleared his throat.
"Uzushio remains Konoha's ally," Danzo declared. "It will inevitably reintegrate into our village. But for now, we should focus on the true threat—the Akatsuki."
"The Akatsuki?" Homura narrowed his eyes.
Hiruzen folded his hands. "A rogue mercenary group. The masked man who assisted Itachi in the Uchiha massacre is among them. Their origins trace back to Amegakure."
Koharu's expression darkened. "Amegakure… wasn't that under Hanzo's control? Danzo, didn't you deal with them personally?"
Danzo sighed. "Years ago, Hanzo and I allied to crush the Akatsuki. We thought we had succeeded, but they've reemerged, stronger than before."
The advisors exchanged concerned looks.
"So the Nine-Tails attack… was Akatsuki's revenge?" Homura asked. "Danzo, you insisted Uchiha was behind it."
Danzo's face tightened. "Sharingan is the only power known to control the Nine-Tails. That masked man—whoever he is—was certainly Uchiha. But to Akatsuki, even Uchiha were expendable."
He invoked the words of Tobirama Senju, his late master:
"Uchiha is a cursed clan."
The advisors fell silent. Time and again, Konoha's leadership had leveraged fear of the Uchiha to unify the village.
After a pause, Danzo continued, "And Akatsuki is not just targeting Konoha. They manipulated the Fourth Mizukage, plunging Kirigakure into years of bloodshed."
Mitokado Homura's eyes sharpened. "Their pattern is clear—they're engineering civil unrest across multiple nations. If they were merely mercenaries, their goals would be financial. But this…"
Hiruzen interjected. "They seek the Tailed Beasts."
His voice was grim.
"They aim to collect them all—to forge a weapon capable of dominating the shinobi world."
Silence gripped the room.
The advisors, once dismissive, now grasped the gravity of the situation.
Akatsuki wasn't just an enemy of Konoha.
They were an enemy of the entire world.
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