Let Konoha Feel Pain! (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Konoha, Hokage Building.

Inside the Hokage's office, a constant stream of personnel came and went.

After Nara Shikaku fell in battle, the Nara Clan arranged for a replacement named Nara Shizumi, but there was much work he couldn't handle yet, forcing the Third Hokage to deal with it personally.

Especially now, with preparations for a new war underway, the workload had multiplied many times over, keeping him busy beyond measure.

The Third Hokage was signing documents when an Anbu suddenly appeared in the office, bowing in apology.

"My apologies, Hokage-sama, I failed to complete my mission."

The Third's brush paused. He sighed and looked up.

"Jiraiya and Tsunade both refuse to return?"

"Yes." The Anbu kept his head deeply bowed, not daring to meet the Hokage's gaze.

"Jiraiya-sama asked the messenger about the rumors of the Uchiha clan's annihilation. After confirming the truth, he was silent for a while, then said he was going to gather inspiration and had no time to return."

"Tsunade-sama said her luck was running hot, that she was on a winning streak and needed to seize the time to win back all her gambling debts. She said she'd return once they were paid off."

"Gambling debts paid off..." The Third smiled bitterly, took out his pipe, and put it in his mouth.

After a moment of puffing smoke, he sighed and asked, "Is Naruto still the same?"

"Yes. Since that day, Naruto sits blankly all day, his smile gone. Only when Haruno Sakura speaks to him does he perk up a little. But because of Sasuke's death, Haruno Sakura herself has become much more silent."

"Ah!" The Third let out a long sigh, his face troubled as he held the pipe in his mouth. "He's such a young child, yet he's experienced so much. No wonder he's turned out this way."

"I can't spare the time to see him. Arrange for that girl to interact with him more. Make sure he forms a strong bond with the village."

"The matter of the jinchuriki must not be compromised!"

"Yes." The Anbu acknowledged and was about to report further when a cold, harsh voice sounded from outside the door.

"Hiruzen, you're letting danger happen again!"

Danzo strode in, his face dark. "Now that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki knows his origins, he's bound to resent the village's past treatment."

"In this situation, the jinchuriki must be strictly controlled to prevent any thoughts of betraying the village!"

"If you just hand him over to me..."

"Silence!" The Third cut Danzo off angrily, tapping his pipe hard on the desk.

"Danzo, Naruto is Minato's child. Like Minato, he possesses the Will of Fire. He will never betray the village!"

"By the time he betrays us, it'll be too late!" Danzo shot back, unwilling to back down. "A jinchuriki is far too important to stake everything on some vague notion of trust!"

"And war is about to begin 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 shook his head firmly in opposition. "Konoha hasn't grown so weak that we need to send a child as young as Naruto into battle!"

"And this is just a small-scale conflict. It'll end quickly, not escalate into a full-scale war!"

As the two argued fiercely, a sudden loud noise erupted outside, rattling the windowpanes.

They both stopped and turned their heads. Through the window, a black pillar of smoke rose like a tornado into the sky, flames blazing below, and the sounds of battle drifted in.

"Damn! Enemy attack!"

The Third threw off his Hokage robe, revealing his combat gear beneath, and leaped out of the building onto the rooftop. He looked into the distance.

In that direction, three orange-haired ninjas in black cloaks with red clouds were charging toward the Hokage Building.

One of them extended his wrist, launching multiple missiles that flew in all directions, their exhaust trails weaving a web-like pattern in the sunlight as they carpet-bombed the area.

Each warhead that landed collapsed a building. Burning signs fell through the smoke like plummeting firebirds. The blast waves knocked over passersby, and flying limbs were charred black by the high heat midair.

The massive explosion from before was the work of this single ninja.

Besides him, another had summoned a host of creatures—a multi-headed giant dog, a multi-story rhino, a street-length centipede, a sky-flying giant bird—rampaging everywhere.

And a third hovered midair, flying straight toward the Hokage Building.

Their faces were all unfamiliar. The only common trait was that both the ninjas and the summoned beasts had purple eyes with concentric rings like mosquito coils—unmistakably the legendary Rinnegan.

This sight filled the Third's heart with unease.

According to intelligence, there were only two Rinnegan users. Yet three now stood before him.

Almost simultaneously, the alarm bell at the main gate rang out urgently, clearly indicating the enemies were not limited to these few.

"How bold! We haven't even gone to settle accounts with them, and they dare come to Konoha to cause trouble!"

Danzo was furious, pointing accusingly. "Hiruzen, it's your weakness that's made even small nations treat Konoha like a soft target!"

"The losses the village suffers this time—you must bear full responsibility!"

The Third was furious too. He slammed his hand on the ground and summoned his old partner, Enma.

Enma appeared, glanced around, and was immediately shocked.

"Third Hokage, has the Fourth Great Ninja War broken out?"

"How did the enemy fight all the way to Konoha?"

"I've never seen anything like this before!"

The Third Hokage scowled and barked:

"This is no time for that. We need to make the enemy understand that Konoha is not a soft persimmon to be squeezed at will!"

Sensing the Third Hokage's fury, 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 high, about to charge into battle, when alarms blared all around. An Anbu appeared and reported:

"Hokage-sama, enemies have appeared all around the village. Judging by their attire—Black Cloaks with Red Clouds—they should be the Akatsuki Organization mentioned in the intelligence reports."

"What? More?" The Third Hokage's heart jolted. He quickly withdrew his weapon and began assigning tasks.

If the enemy were few, he wouldn't mind fighting in person, displaying his divine might, and salvaging some of his lost image among the villagers.

But now that the enemy was launching a full-scale assault, he couldn't risk his own safety.

Whether he wanted to fight or not, however, depended on whether the enemy agreed.

Pain flew directly to the top of the Hokage Building, hovering high in the air, looking down from on high with cold arrogance, like a God surveying the ants below.

"Konoha Ninja!"

"Have you felt pain?"