Hiruzen turned to Shamon and said, "Senior, isn't this matter settled? Chiyo made a serious mistake—there's no way she can become Kazekage now."
Shamon let out a bitter smile, "I appreciate your help, Hokage, but won't this shatter her confidence?"
Hiruzen shook his head, "Children and grandchildren walk their own paths. Chiyo is an adult, a mother even. She's not as fragile as you think. If she were, she wouldn't have climbed this high in the first place. You need to let it go, Shamon. You have two other disciples therefore you can't favor just one. If you do, it will only breed resentment."
Shamon sighed, "Thank you for the advice, Hokage..."
Suddenly, a surge of malicious chakra erupted nearby. The oppressive aura sent chills down everyone's spine.
A messenger ninja rushed out from the next room, his face pale. "Master Shamon, there's a riot—Shukaku is loose!"
The air grew tense.
Shamon's expression darkened, "Hokage, I need to go. If you're interested, feel free to come along." Without waiting, he dashed off with Takumi and Ebizo in tow.
Hiruzen turned to his own men, "We're going."
Shikatsu landed on the rooftop beside him, "Lord Hokage, should we intervene?"
Hiruzen didn't turn his head, "It depends. First, prioritize the civilians.
By the time they arrived, the streets of Sunagakure were in ruins.
A massive sandstorm raged in the center of the village. The buildings collapsed one after another as a monstrous, raccoon-like beast rampaged through the village, its sinister yellow eyes were glowing through the dust.
Shukaku had been unleashed.
All around, Sand Village shinobi scrambled to rescue the civilians.
A small child sat in the rubble, crying out for his mother. Nearby, a wounded man struggled to carry his injured wife through the chaos.
Standing behind Hiruzen, Yuhi Shinku, Hatake Sakumo, and Mitarashi Naoto arrived just in time.
Without looking back, Hiruzen ordered, "Go. Evacuate the civilians."
The three nodded and vanished. Shikatsu hesitated for a moment before following them.
Hiruzen's gaze landed on the battle ahead.
Shamon, Chiyo, Ebizo, and Takumi were fighting Shukaku. Their puppets swarmed the tailed beast, but they barely did any damage. Shukaku's sand body absorbed every attack.
Only Takumi's Iron Sand was effective, but even then, using it recklessly risked harming civilians.
Hiruzen frowned. How could one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages struggle so much against their own tailed beast?
The answer was simple, Sunagakure's fighting style was ill-suited for tailed beasts.
Their two greatest techniques—Puppet Jutsu and Magnet Release—were powerful against human enemies. However, against a creature made of living sand, puppets were ineffective, and magnetism, ironically, had been developed from studying Shukaku itself.
Every time Shukaku went on a rampage, Sunagakure could only wait until it tired itself out.
The despair on the villagers' faces was unbearable.
Hiruzen's expression hardened. This time would be different.
He stepped forward and called out, "Kazekage! We're here to help!"
Forming a quick set of hand seals, Hiruzen slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!" (Kuchiyose no Jutsu)
With a burst of smoke, Enma, the Monkey King, appeared.
The summon glanced around and scoffed, "Hiruzen, is this the Land of Wind? That is Shukaku?!"
Hiruzen nodded, "Yes. We originally came to Sunagakure for negotiations, but now we're dealing with this instead. I need your help—Monkey King's Adamantine Staff."
Enma leapt into the air and transformed into a massive golden staff, which Hiruzen caught effortlessly.
He turned to Torifu, "We need to get that thing away from the village before more civilians get hurt."
Torifu nodded, "Leave it to me."
Channeling his Clan's Expansion Jutsu, Torifu's body ballooned in size, growing into a colossal warrior, nearly as large as Shukaku itself.
With thunderous footsteps, he charged straight at the rampaging tailed beast. The battle shifted.
With Tōrifu keeping Shukaku engaged, the burden on Sunagakure's shinobi eased. The Akimichi's giant tackled Shukaku, forcing it backward, step by step, toward the outskirts of the village but Shukaku only grew angrier.
With a howl, its sand erupted outward, destroying everything in its path.
Takumi countered with Iron Sand, desperately shielding what little he could.
Hiruzen saw the opportunity.
He extended the Adamantine Staff, using its full length to shove Shukaku even further away from the village.
The battlefield shifted out of Sunagakure.
Finally, Hiruzen tossed aside his Hokage robe and hat, letting them land at Torifu's feet.
His back facing the others, he said, "Keep it contained. I'll handle the rest."
The atmosphere grew heavy as he rapidly formed hand seals.
A second later, he slammed his hands together for the final eleventh seal.
"Water Style—Exploding Water Wave!" (Suiton: Bakusui Shōha)
A colossal surge of water erupted, crashing toward Shukaku.
The battle was about to reach its climax.
A massive surge of chakra erupted from Hiruzen, distorting the air around him.
Before anyone could react, a gaping hole seemed to open in the world itself, and from it, an unstoppable flood of water poured forth.
The torrent crashed into the desert, swallowing the battlefield and rushing toward Shukaku.
Under the relentless force of the waves, the entire area transformed into a vast ocean, shifting the desert landscape into something surreal.
Shukaku's sand body crumbled under the pressure, its once-mighty form dissolving with each crashing wave.
For a moment, all of Sunagakure stood frozen in shock.
Chiyo, watching in disbelief, muttered, "Summoning an ocean... in a desert? This Hokage is ridiculously strong."
As the water surged forward, everyone instinctively leaped onto the waves, standing on the surface using their chakra.
Only Takumi, thinking quickly, manipulated his Iron Sand to construct a barrier, preventing the flood from rushing into the village.
Shukaku, though battered, was far from defeated.
The instant its footing stabilized, it retaliated—its stomach swelled, and it fired a massive Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet, (Fūton: Renkūdan) at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen remained composed. He split his focus, maintaining the Exploding Water Wave with his left hand while forming a one-handed seal with his right.
A towering wall of water rose before him.
"Water Release: Water Wall!" (Suiton: Suijinheki)
Shukaku's wind bullet tore through the first layer, then the second, but by the time it reached the final barrier, its power had weakened enough to dissipate completely.
Hiruzen didn't hesitate. With a flick of his sword-shaped fingers, he unleashed his next attack.
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave!" (Suiton: Suidanha)
A deadly stream of pressurized water shot forward at blinding speed, slicing through the battlefield like a blade.
Shukaku quickly countered, raising a sand wall to shield itself. The two attacks clashed—water against sand, force against force—sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the shinobi of Sunagakure worked frantically to contain the destruction.
Ebizo deflected a powerful water surge and instinctively licked the droplets that splashed onto his lips.
His expression changed, "...This is seawater."
He grabbed another handful of water and tasted it again, just to be sure.
Ebizo turned to Shamon bewildered, "Where did he get seawater in the middle of the Land of Wind?"
Shamon, watching the battle closely, answered without looking away.
"The Second Hokage of Konoha mastered the secret art of Water Release. His water was always seawater. The Third Hokage was his disciple—it's not surprising that he learned the same technique."
Takumi, still awed by Hiruzen's strength, furrowed his brows. "If the Third Hokage is this powerful... why wasn't his name as feared during the war a few years ago? Every village had its rising stars back then."
Shamon sighed, glancing at his disciples,
"During that war, the Third Hokage wasn't in the spotlight. He was the Captain of the Second Hokage's personal guard. As a result, he was overshadowed by the Second Hokage's brilliance."
He gestured toward Torifu, who had just fought toe-to-toe with Shukaku.
"You've seen his strength, haven't you? If even one of his comrades is this powerful, imagine the one who led them."
Takumi's eyes widened in realization.
Shamon continued, "The reason Konoha's young shinobi stood out so much in that war was because they outclassed their peers. But unlike other villages, Konoha's ranks weren't built on a handful of geniuses—they were overflowing with them."
His gaze drifted toward the young Hatake Sakumo, Yuhi Shinku, and Mitarashi Naoto, standing ready at the edge of the battlefield.
"Even the teenagers Konoha brought for this negotiation are already touching the level of Jōnin. And they're just a fraction of Konoha's talent pool."
He exhaled slowly, "And then there are his personal students… you've heard of them, haven't you? The three prodigies? That's the difference between Konoha and us. They don't just have one or two rising stars. They have an entire generation of them."
Chiyo's frown deepened, "If Konoha is this strong… why did they agree to sign a peace treaty with Kumogakure?"
Shamon gave her a knowing look, "That's exactly the reason. It's because they had the power to choose peace."
Chiyo was silent.
Shamon continued, his voice serious. "Konoha was attacked by four of the Great Hidden Villages—including us—yet they still had enough strength left to face Kumogakure head-on. If you think about it, it's terrifying."
He shook his head, "Don't think for a second it was because they 'couldn't fight back.' No, Konoha's shinobi clans often slow them down politically. Their traditions emphasize peace."
"The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was the most powerful ninja of his era, yet he never sought war. The Second Hokage, despite his brilliance, only ever fought to defend or end conflict."
"The Third Hokage? He's even more idealistic. He wants to see a world without war. That's why he pushed for the Five Kage Summit."
Then, his voice lowered, "But make no mistake… if his ideals were ever shattered, he wouldn't hesitate to act."
His gaze darkened, "Do you remember what happened before the Five Kage Summit?"
Chiyo hesitated, then nodded slowly. "The Third Hokage faced the Third Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, and two elite Kumogakure Jōnin… alone."
She swallowed hard.
"And?", Shamon's expression was grave.
"The Third Tsuchikage was the only one who left unscathed—because he could fly and escape. The Third Raikage? Crippled. The Eight-Tails? Sealed on the spot. The two elite Jōnin? Dead. One captured." Chiyo's blood ran cold.
Shamon leaned back, "If Hiruzen hadn't been thinking about the peace talks, the Third Raikage wouldn't have survived that day." The weight of his words hung in the air.
Finally, Shamon sighed and turned to Chiyo.
"You need to learn to respect true power. The strong may be patient, but that doesn't mean you should test them."
His voice softened, "After this, you will go to the Land of Iron as an ambassador for the Five Kage Summit. It is an important position—one that requires someone trustworthy."
Chiyo's heart sank. She understood what he was saying.
She had lost her chance to become Kazekage.
Her eyes dimmed, but she said nothing.
Shamon's expression remained firm, but deep down, he felt a twinge of regret.
Takumi, on the other hand, was brimming with excitement.