Konoha, Hokage Building.
Inside the Hokage Office, people streamed in and out in a constant flow.
After Nara Shikaku's death in battle, the Nara Clan had arranged for someone named Nara Shizumi to replace him, but he couldn't take over much of the work right away. The Third Hokage had to handle it himself.
Especially now, as they prepared for a new war, the workload had multiplied many times over. He'd been busier than he could remember.
The Third Hokage was signing various documents when an Anbu suddenly appeared in the office, bowing in apology.
"I'm sorry, Third Hokage. I failed to complete my mission."
The Third Hokage's pen paused. He sighed and looked up.
"Neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade is willing to come back?"
"Yes." The Anbu shinobi kept his head bowed, not daring to look at the Hokage's expression.
"Jiraiya-sama asked the messenger about the rumors that the Uchiha had been wiped out. After learning they were true, he fell silent for a while, then said he was going out to gather material and had no time to return."
"Tsunade-sama said she's been on a winning streak lately and has been winning big. She wants to seize the time to win back all the money she owes from gambling, and she'll return once she's paid off her debts."
"Once she's paid off her debts..." The Third Hokage smiled bitterly and took out his pipe, putting it between his lips.
After taking a few puffs, he sighed and asked, "Is Naruto still the same?"
"Yes. Ever since that day, Naruto has spent all his time sitting in a daze, and the smile has disappeared from his face. He only manages to perk up a little when Haruno Sakura talks to him. But after Sasuke's death, Haruno Sakura has become much quieter too."
"Alas!" The Third Hokage sighed deeply, his brow furrowed as he held his pipe between his lips. "He's such a young child, yet he's been through so much. No wonder he's become like this."
"I can't spare the time to visit him myself. Arrange for that girl to spend more time with him. Make sure he forms a strong bond with the village."
"We absolutely cannot afford to make any mistakes with the Jinchuriki!"
"Yes." The Anbu acknowledged him and was about to continue his report when a cold voice suddenly rang out from beyond the door.
"Hiruzen, you're allowing danger to arise again!"
Danzo strode into the room, his face dark.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki knows his true identity now. He's bound to be dissatisfied with the way the village treated him before."
"In this situation, we must keep the Jinchuriki under strict control, lest he start thinking of defecting from the village!"
"If you just hand him over to me—"
"Enough!" The Third Hokage angrily cut Danzo off, banging his pipe hard against the desk.
"Danzo, Naruto is Minato's child. Just like Minato, he has the Will of Fire. He would never betray the village!"
"By the time he betrays us, it'll already be too late!" Danzo shot back loudly. "The Jinchuriki is far too important for us to rely on something as illusory as trust!"
"Besides, war is about to break out again. We need the Jinchuriki's power!"
"Give me some time, and I guarantee I can get him onto the battlefield!"
"No. He's still a child!" The Third Hokage shook his head firmly. "Konoha isn't so weak that we need to send a child as young as Naruto into battle!"
"Besides, this is only a small-scale conflict. It'll be over soon and won't develop into a full-scale war!"
As the two argued heatedly, a loud boom suddenly rang out beyond the windows, making the glass vibrate.
They hurriedly fell silent and turned to look. In the distance, a column of black smoke rose into the sky like a tornado, flames flared below, and faint cries of battle rang out without end.
"Damn it! We're under attack!"
The Third Hokage flung off his Hokage robe, revealing the close-fitting clothes beneath, and leaped out of the building to the rooftop. He looked into the distance.
Three Orange-Haired Ninjas in Black Cloaks with Red Clouds were charging toward the Hokage Building.
One of them pulled back his wrist, and several missiles shot out in every direction. Their exhaust trails traced web-like patterns in the sunlight as they bombarded the area indiscriminately.
Every missile that struck the ground blew a building apart. Burning signs fell through the smoke like flaming birds, while the shockwaves toppled passersby. Scattered limbs were charred by the heat before they even hit the ground.
The massive explosion from earlier had been caused by this one shinobi alone.
Another had summoned a host of creatures: a multiheaded giant dog, a rhinoceros as tall as several stories, a centipede stretching across the street, and a huge bird flying through the sky. They were wreaking havoc everywhere.
A third hovered high in the air, flying straight toward the Hokage Building.
Their faces were all unfamiliar. The one thing they had in common was that both they and their summoned creatures had purple eyes with ripple-patterned pupils, like swirling incense coils. They were unmistakably the legendary Rinnegan.
The sight filled the Third Hokage with unease.
According to the intelligence reports, there were only two Rinnegan wielders. Yet there were already three before him.
Almost at the same time, the alarm bell at the main gate began ringing urgently. Clearly, these weren't the only enemies.
"How dare they! We haven't even gone after them for what they did, and they've already dared to wreak havoc in Konoha!"
Danzo was furious. He pointed an accusing finger.
"Hiruzen, this is all because of your weakness. You've made even some tiny country think Konoha is an easy target!"
"You must bear the greatest responsibility for the damage the village suffers this time!"
The Third Hokage was furious too. He slapped a hand against the ground and summoned his old companion, Enma.
When Enma appeared, he looked around and was immediately startled.
"Third Hokage, has the Fourth Great Ninja War broken out?"
"How did the enemy make it all the way to Konoha?"
"I've never seen anything like this before!"
The Third Hokage glared and barked, "Now's not the time to talk about that. We have to show the enemy that Konoha isn't an easy target they can push around!"
Feeling the Third Hokage's anger, Enma said no more. He transformed into an Adamantine Staff and fell into the Third Hokage's hand.
The Third Hokage raised the Adamantine Staff and was about to face the enemy when alarms rang out all around them. An Anbu appeared and reported:
"Hokage-sama, enemies have appeared all around the village. Judging by their clothes, they're all wearing Black Cloaks with Red Clouds. They're probably the Akatsuki Organization mentioned in the intelligence reports."
"What? There are more?" The Third Hokage's heart lurched. He hurriedly put away his weapon and began assigning tasks.
If there had only been a few enemies, he wouldn't have minded taking the field himself and showing off his might to restore some of his standing with the villagers.
But now the enemy had launched a full-scale attack. He couldn't risk going out himself.
Still, whether he wanted to fight or not depended on whether the enemy agreed.
Pain flew directly to the top of the Hokage Building and hovered high in the air. Looking down coldly at the people below, he seemed like a god gazing upon a gathering of ants.
"O shinobi of Konoha!"
"Have you felt pain?"
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