The room was silent.
Everyone was waiting for Raikage's response.
Raikage sat there, scowling. He glanced at the three Kage sitting calmly and then at Tsunade, who remained standing.
This is frustrating.
Honestly, he wanted to smack them all just to break the tension.
But he knew he couldn't.
Still, he wasn't about to let Ōnoki take advantage of the situation either. He was just about to redirect the conversation when—
A swirling vortex of space suddenly appeared in the middle of the room.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant.
A figure emerged—a man in a white mask, a fan strapped to his back.
"You Five Kage don't seem to be having a very productive discussion~"
Chaos erupted.
The guards immediately jumped into action, moving to protect their respective leaders.
Kakashi landed beside Tsunade, but the moment he did, he noticed something.
Wait… where is she?
Tsunade noticed too. The girl who had been standing beside them just moments ago was gone.
But there was no time to worry about that.
Because right now, their attention had to be on the masked man in front of them.
All five Kage stood, their eyes locked on the intruder.
Raikage was the first to speak, his voice filled with anger. "Who the hell are you?!"
Tsunade, however, was already putting the pieces together.
The mask. The Sharingan.
Could this be the masked man Itachi had warned them about? The one pulling Akatsuki's strings? And that fan on his back…
Her eyes narrowed.
"Are you Uchiha Madara?"
The masked man chuckled, tilting his head slightly.
"Oh? Itachi told you about me, did he?"
Ōnoki's expression darkened. "Impossible! Madara died long ago!"
The masked man simply laughed. "Who knows? Maybe I really am Madara."
Raikage wasn't interested in words. He didn't care about the masked man's claims—he'd rather test things himself.
Lightning crackled around his body as he activated his chakra cloak.
With a burst of speed, he vanished in a flash of thunder—
And launched a punch straight at the masked man.
Just as Raikage's fist was about to land, mere centimeters from the masked man's body, he was certain—
There's no way he can dodge this!
But the moment his fist made contact, something felt off.
There was no resistance. No impact.
His fist simply passed through the masked man as if he weren't even there.
Then—
BOOM!
The wall behind them exploded, sending rubble flying as smoke and dust filled the air.
Raikage, still cloaked in lightning, turned sharply, his hair standing on end from the static charge. His expression twisted in frustration.
"You bastard—!"
To everyone else watching, it had looked like Raikage's attack had gone straight through the masked man, as if he were a ghost, and then smashed into the wall.
Kakashi had already activated his Sharingan, trying to make sense of what had just happened. But even with his heightened vision, all he could see was a blur of movement—
Too fast!
He immediately thought of Sasuke. Even with all the progress Sasuke had made, his speed was nowhere near this level.
Then another thought crossed Kakashi's mind—
This technique… it feels familiar.
His eyes narrowed.
Could it be…?
His mind immediately went to her.
She was missing again.
No way…
It wouldn't be the first time that girl had pulled something ridiculous.
After all, not long ago, an entire section of Konoha had been reduced to a massive crater—
And she had been at the center of it.
Kakashi's expression shifted as he looked at the masked man, his gaze turning slightly... odd.
The masked man—who had been focused on Kakashi all along—immediately took notice.
Did he figure something out?
No... impossible.
I have both eyes now.
The masked man's Sharingan spun slightly as he glanced at Kakashi, then smirked.
With an almost playful air, he spoke.
"Relax~ I'm not here to fight. I came to offer a solution—one where we all win."
Terumi Mei narrowed her eyes. This man—this masked figure—was the one behind the "Bloody Mist" era, the one who had manipulated Yagura.
Her voice was cold. "We're not falling for your tricks."
Onoki, more composed, simply asked, "And how exactly do you propose we 'talk'?"
The masked man tapped his chin, as if pondering.
"Hmm... how to put it..."
Then, he raised his gaze.
"Our goal is world peace. And for that, I propose a compromise—the Eye of the Moon Plan."
A silence fell over the room.
"If you hand over the Tailed Beasts, I can cast a powerful illusion—one that will envelop the entire world.
"In that world, everyone will experience their own perfect reality. No war. No suffering. No loss.
"A paradise."
He paused, then smiled.
"What do you think?"
Gaara was the first to reject the idea, his voice resolute.
"That world would be meaningless. Peace is only real if it's achieved in reality—not forced in an illusion!"
Raikage's eyes burned with anger. "You expect us to put the world in your hands?!"
Terumi Mei scoffed. "A life without dreams? Without hope? That's just running away!"
Onoki chuckled, his voice dry and knowing. "You're not doing this for peace. You just want to remake the world in your image."
The masked man exhaled, his tone turning icy.
"And what exactly have you five accomplished?"
He gestured at them, his Sharingan glowing.
"You speak of hope, but in your world, hope is nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
"In the end, there's no difference between hope and despair."
His voice dropped lower, more menacing.
"So, I'll give you one last chance.
"Hand over the Tailed Beasts—help me complete my plan."
The room fell silent.
Then—
Gaara spoke first.
"... War?"
Tsunade stepped forward, her eyes unwavering.
"Forget it. I won't hand Naruto over to you."
Raikage's voice thundered through the room.
"Bee is my brother! I'd die before handing him over!"
Gaara remained calm. "I am a Jinchuriki. I won't give myself up."
Onoki smirked. "Even if I wanted to give mine up, it'd be pointless since they're all refusing. Hah!"
The masked man wasn't surprised.
"I see."
His voice was eerily composed as he took a slow step back.
"Then, I declare the Fourth Great Ninja War."
The weight of his words settled over the room.
Raikage's expression hardened.
"The Fourth War...? You're serious?"
The masked man didn't answer.
Instead, he turned slightly, preparing to disappear into the swirling void of his space-time jutsu—
Then—
Poke.
He froze.
Something—someone—had just poked his waist.
Slowly, he turned his head.
And there, standing behind him, was a young girl.
Bright-eyed. Smiling.
Looking up at him like she had just stumbled across something interesting.
_______________
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