One night in October, Year 51 of Leaf Village, Senju Clan Grounds.
Late autumn dusk had dyed the courtyard a dark gold. Fallen leaves spiraled in the wind, landing on the bluestone paving with faint rustling sounds.
In a spacious reception room deep within the clan grounds, the lights burned brightly, and people filled both sides of the long table.
Konoha's Three Sannin—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—stood by the window alongside Hatake Sakumo, his silver-white hair gleaming faintly in the twilight.
Tianyi sat to Tsunade's right, with Minato Namikaze beside him, wearing a focused expression.
Uchiha Fugaku sat upright across from them, while Uchiha Shisui stood behind him, a hint of curiosity on his youthful face.
The heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans—Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Chōza—sat together, speaking in low voices.
Hyuga Hiashi sat alone in a corner, arms folded as he rested with his eyes closed.
The retired Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat to Tsunade's left with an unlit pipe hanging from his lips.
This was the foundation of Leaf Village. Even the weakest among them possessed the strength of an Elite Jonin.
Any one of them would have been powerful enough to hold a high-ranking position in another ninja village.
Yet now, they had gathered in one place for no other reason than Tianyi's intelligence.
Tsunade sat at the head of the table, her arms folded as her gaze settled on Tianyi's face. There was a trace of confusion in her voice.
"Tianyi, why did you gather so many people? Has something serious happened?"
Once Tianyi saw that everyone had arrived, he rose to his feet and nodded at Minato. Minato formed hand seals with both hands, and a sealing barrier appeared, enveloping the entire room.
Tianyi then took a thick stack of documents from his robes