The night wind in the Land of Iron carried fine snowflakes, pattering against the paper windows with a soft rustling sound.
Tsunade was looking down at the case file on the Nine-Tails' Attack' rampage that had been urgently sent from Konoha, the light casting flickering shadows on her tightly furrowed brows.
"Lord Hokage!" Shizune rushed in, carrying a soaking wet Pakkun in her arms. "Kakashi- senpai's emergency summoning!"
"What?!" Tsunade, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. She grabbed the encrypted scroll from the Ninja Dog's mouth and gathered Chakra at her fingertips to release the seal.
As the scroll unfurled, Tsunade's expression grew increasingly grim. Finally, she slammed her fist on the table, making the teaware clatter. "Damn Orochimaru!"
Shizune looked worriedly at the shattered tabletop. "What happened?"
"The disturbance in the Land of Snow is a ruse," Tsunade said through gritted teeth. "Orochimaru instructed Kimimaro to incite the remnants of Kazahana Dōtō's faction to create a riot; his real purpose was to take Sasuke away in the Sasuke."
A bolt of lightning struck outside the window, illuminating Tsunade's ever-changing expression.
She recalled the Raikage's accusations during the daytime meeting, the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre, and the Masked Man who might have been lurking for over a decade—and now, Konoha's only Uchiha survivor had fallen into Orochimaru's hands.
"Pass down the order," Tsunade's voice was as cold as iron, "Immediately dispatch Anbu to monitor the movements of Otogakure in the Land of Rice Fields. Wait for Kakashi and the others to return..."
She couldn't finish her sentence. Thunder rumbled in the distance, as if foreshadowing an impending storm.
The port of the Land of Snow at dawn...
The sea breeze carried tiny ice crystals. Koyuki, wrapped in a thick fur coat, personally saw the Konoha members off.
"Are you leaving so soon?" She looked at Naruto with some reluctance. "I promised to take you to see the Rainbow Ice Wall."
Naruto forced a smile, "Next time, for sure! Once I bring that bastard Sasuke back, we'll all play together again!"
Despite saying that, the disappointment in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Sakura stood by the ship's railing, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her gaze fixed on the snow-capped mountains in the distance—the direction Sasuke had disappeared in.
"Hey, Naruto." Kiba suddenly nudged him with his elbow. "Akamaru says he smells musty on you, cheer up!"
"Idiot!" Ino slapped Kiba on the back of the head. "Can't you say something nicer at a time like this?"
Hinata quietly approached Naruto, her voice so soft it was almost carried away by the sea breeze. "Naruto-kun... I believe Sasuke-kun must have his reasons..."
Kakashi leaned against the mast, seemingly relaxed but actually wary as he scanned the sea. "Lord Jiraiya, do you think Orochimaru will take Sasuke Otogakure directly?"
Jiraiya smoothed his white hair, which was ruffled by the sea breeze. "Given how cunning that snake is, it'll probably go to some secret base first." He glanced at the dejected group on the other side of the deck, sighed, and said, "I'll have to apply to take Naruto out for training when we get back."
Karin stood with her arms crossed on the other side of the ship's railing, her glasses reflecting the cold sea light.
"What a complete idiot..." she muttered under her breath, though it was unclear whether she was referring to Sasuke or herself.
Halfway through the voyage, the group sat in a circle in the cabin. Naruto, staring at the flickering candlelight, suddenly spoke, "I don't understand... why does Sasuke insist on going to Orochimaru?"
His voice echoed on the wooden planks, but no one could answer immediately.
"Perhaps..." Shikamaru unusually broke the silence, "Sasuke-kun has his reasons for needing to become stronger. Just like everyone has a bottom line they can't compromise on."
"But Orochimaru is the murderer of the Third Hokage!" Naruto slammed his fist on the table. "How could he—"
"Naruto," Kakashi interrupted him, "Do you know how Sasuke awakened his Sharingan?"
The cabin fell silent instantly. Even Jiraiya cast an inquiring glance his way.
"The power of the Uchiha Clan... is inextricably linked to emotions." Kakashi's voice was soft, yet it struck everyone's hearts with tremendous force. "Sasuke, he endured pain we cannot imagine."
Sakura's tears suddenly welled up as she recalled the twisted hatred in his eyes every time he mentioned "that man."
"So we're just going to watch him jump into the fire?!" Naruto suddenly stood up, his voice hoarse.
"Of course not." Jiraiya suddenly grabbed Naruto's shoulder, "But you have to understand, some paths he has to walk alone. And what we can do..."
Jiraiya gazed at the dark sea. "It is about becoming strong enough that, if he loses his way, I can pull him back."
Naruto slowly loosened his fist. He turned to look at Sakura and saw her wiping away tears with the back of her hand, her eyes burning with an unprecedented determination.
"I've made up my mind!" Naruto suddenly shouted, "When I get back, I'm going to give that Pervy Sage special training! When we meet again, I'll be strong enough to wake Sasuke up!"
The declaration was so abrupt, yet so "Naruto," that it instantly eased the heavy atmosphere in the cabin.
"Hmph, you think you can take me?" Kiba deliberately provoked, "Don't let Sasuke to a pulp again."
"What did you say?!"
"Alright, alright," Ino chimed in just in time, "If you ask me, Sakura, you should really learn Medical Ninjutsu from Lady Tsunade. As for Naruto..."
She looked at Jiraiya with a mischievous grin. "I hope you take care of yourself. Teaching this idiot is really exhausting."
Everyone burst into laughter, even Sakura stopped crying and started laughing. Only Hinata noticed that although Kakashi-sensei also smiled, his gaze beneath the scar remained solemn as he stared into the distance.
The Land of Rain...
The rain kept falling.
At the top of the towering steel tower, Pain Deva Path silently before the huge floor-to-ceiling window, his Shira Rinnegan reflecting the overcast sky. Amidst the fluttering of paper scraps, Konan appeared silently behind him.
"Have you finished reading the intelligence that Jue sent?" Her voice was as cold as raindrops.
Pain didn't turn around, but slowly raised his hand, palm up, to catch the raindrops seeping in through the window cracks. "The Five Kage Summit... just as expected."
Rainwater gathered in his palm, then he clenched it tightly, splashing into countless tiny droplets.
"They both desire to control the Land of Rain and fear the power of the gods, daring not to wage war directly. "Pain's voice echoed like the abyss. The future revealed by the Heavenly Screen temporarily united them, but deep down, they still harbored their own ulterior motives.
Konan looked out the window at the perpetually gloomy sky. "Will that Heavenly Screen... continue to play?"
Since the last broadcast of the "Five Kage vs. Edo Madara" scene, the Heavenly Screen above each country has fallen silent. There was no countdown, no warning, like a riddle hanging overhead.
Pain's Rinnegan contracted slightly. "It doesn't matter. Whatever the Heavenly Screen reveals, it won't change our plans."
"But countries have already begun to prepare." Konan's fingers flew, folding a paper butterfly, "especially for the defense against the Tailed Beasts— "
"Let them be on their guard." Pain turned, his Six Paths rippled eyes in the shadows menacingly menacing. "Before the true power of a god, all resistance is futile."
A paper butterfly rose from Konan's palm, tracing a fleeting path in the room. "Should we act ahead of time?"
"No." Pain walked towards the massive device in the center of the room, "Let the suspicions of the great powers fester a little longer. Wait until the time is right—"
He reached out and touched the device, Chakra light suddenly blazed forth. "True peace will then descend."
In a hidden underground space on the outskirts of Amegakure, a distorted vortex appeared out of nowhere. As Obito stepped out, the Sharingan in his single eye slowly rotated, and he clutched the intelligence scroll he had just obtained from White Zetsu in his hand.
"The Five Kage are actually discussing the 'mysterious Masked Man '?" He scoffed, his voice sounding particularly deep beneath the tiger-striped mask. "How ridiculous."
He casually tossed the scroll into the brazier, the Kakkō illuminating half of his mangled face. In that instant, memories flooded back—the image of Rin Nohara lying in a pool of blood, the grinning faces of the Kirigakure Anbu, and Kakashi's Lightning Blade piercing Rin's chest.
"Kirigakure..." Obito's fingers dug deeply into his palms, yet he felt no pain. "What's it like Bloody Mist Village?"
He manipulated the Fourth Mizukage back then, causing Kirigakure to kill each other, all to avenge Rin's death.
Now, Mei Terumi and the others discussing the "mastermind" in terror at the Five Kage Summit gave him a twisted sense of pleasure.
"No matter how hard you try, you'll never understand." Obito whispered to the void, as if mocking the entire Shinobi World. "When the Eye of the Moon Plan is completed, everyone will be redeemed..."
His figure was gradually swallowed by the vortex, and his last words drifted away in the damp air.
Above the Shinobi World, the enormous Heavenly Screen still floated, its surface as calm as still water.