Konoha's Predicament

The window of the Hokage Office was half-open, and the early autumn wind swirled in, carrying fragments of fallen leaves that danced on the mountain of documents. Tsunade was bent over her desk, reviewing reports that had been piling up for months, the Yin Seal pattern on her forehead gleaming with a pale golden light in the afternoon sun. Shizune stood by the window, holding Tonton -Ton, occasionally whispering something, while the pink pig let out contented "puff puff" sounds.

Then, without warning, the air began to fluctuate.

Shizune didn't even notice the condensation of Chakra —there were no Hand Seals, no sound of space tearing apart, just like the light in a previously empty office corner suddenly distorted for a moment. The next instant, a figure was already standing there.

Long black hair, an ordinary middle-aged face, and wearing unremarkable gray casual clothes. He looked like any ordinary civilian on the streets of Konoha. But Shizune's ninja instincts sent chills down her spine instantly—this person's appearance was too strange, too quiet, too... impossible.

"Enemy—" Her exclamation only managed to utter half a syllable.

"Shizune." Tsunade's voice was faster and calmer than hers. The Fifth Hokage didn't even look up, her pen still moving smoothly across the document. "Take Tonton out. And call Kakashi and Shikaku."

Shizune was stunned. She looked at the mysterious person, then at Tsunade, and finally chose to obey. She picked up Tonton and quickly walked towards the door. Just before closing the door, she saw Tsunade finally put down her pen, slowly raise her head, and meet the eyes of the person who had entered.

Only the two of them remained in the office. The sound of the wind outside the window suddenly became clearer.

"Neji," Tsunade's voice was emotionless, "What news did he bring back this time?"

The person standing in the corner— Neji —did not respond, but simply nodded slightly. "Lady Tsunade, congratulations on your awakening."

"Let's skip the formalities." Tsunade leaned back in her chair, casually rubbing her temples with her right hand. "Your choice to appear here directly indicates you have urgent information. And it's... extremely important information."

Neji nodded without replying; he didn't want to wait for Kakashi and Shikaku arrive and repeat himself.

A knock sounded at the right time. Kakashi and Shikaku Nara after the other. Both of them paused for a moment when they saw the sake—why is sake here again? Hopefully it's not bad news. Kakashi narrowed his one eye, while Shikaku looked at Neji without showing any emotion.

He glanced around, his hands swiftly Hand Seals —not an offensive technique, but a soundproofing and anti-detection barrier. Pale blue Chakra curtains rose from the four corners of the office, forming a sealed space. The entire process took no more than three seconds, so smooth it was breathtaking.

"Being cautious is a good habit," Tsunade commented, but her gaze was sharp as a knife. "But perhaps it's unnecessary."

"Just make sure the conversation isn't overheard," Neji said calmly. "After all, if what we're about to say is leaked, Konoha might not even have time to prepare."

These words caused Tsunade's pupils to contract slightly. She sat up straight. The four of them stared at each other in the enclosed space, a tense atmosphere hanging in the air.

"First, the good news," Neji began, his voice deliberately altered but still retaining the crispness of youth. "The battle between Sasuke Uchiha and Shimura Danzō is over. Danzo is dead, and Sasuke escaped unscathed. More importantly— Sasuke has abandoned his plan to destroy Konoha."

Kakashi's body visibly relaxed for a moment, but then tensed up again. "Give up on destroying Konoha, and then what? He wouldn't just want to go back to the village like that, would he?"

"No." Neji stated bluntly, "His new goal is... to become Hokage and revolutionize the Shinobi World."

There was a two-second silence in the office.

Then, Tsunade let out a short sound, which was hard to tell if it was a laugh or a sigh. "Revolutionize the Shinobi World? What a boast. But... at least it sounds a bit better than 'destroy Konoha '."

Shikaku tapped his thigh lightly with his fingers. "So Sasuke Uchiha is now a potential ally, not an enemy. That's certainly good news. But," he looked at Neji, "You came to Konoha specifically to report this 'good news,' didn't you?"

"Of course not." Neji's voice turned somber. "What follows is all bad news. First: Akatsuki's 'Madara Uchiha' —whose true identity is Obito Uchiha —has killed Konan and taken Nagato's Rinnegan."

Kakashi abruptly stood up, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. "Obito... stole the Rinnegan?"

There was a rare emotional fluctuation in his voice, a mixture of shock, pain, and disbelief. The Sharingan in his single eye involuntarily surfaced, the Mitsudomoe spinning wildly.

"Yes." Neji ignored Kakashi's lapse in composure and continued, "This means Obito now possesses the Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan and the Rinnegan, and can fully control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. In my judgment, he has gathered the Tailed Beast Chakra except for the Nine-Tails. War... could break out at any moment."

"Wait, wait a minute." Shikaku raised his hand, his brow furrowed. "Doesn't the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path require a complete Tailed Beast to revive the Ten-Tails? What if the Nine-Tails is still here—"

"He doesn't need a complete Tailed Beast," Neji interrupted him. "He only needs enough Chakra. Kinkaku and Ginkaku's cells contain Nine-Tails Chakra. Add to that the eight Tailed Beast he already possesses... though not complete, it's enough to awaken the nascent form of the Ten-Tails. And once the Ten-Tails appears, even in its incomplete form, it will be enough to destroy any ninja village."

The office fell into a deathly silence. The sound of the wind outside the window was blocked by the barrier, leaving only the sound of the four people breathing— Tsunade's breathing was steady and deep, Kakashi's breathing was somewhat erratic, Shikaku's breathing was almost inaudible, and Neji... his breathing rhythm was as precise as a clock.

Shikaku processed this information first. He closed his eyes, his fingers pressed together—a habitual gesture when he was deep in thought. "So Obito is probably doing two things right now: one, continuing to hunt Naruto and obtain the complete Nine-Tails; two, forcibly awakening the Ten-Tails with his existing Chakra and starting a war." He opened his eyes. "And in either case, we don't have much time left."

"This is the second piece of bad news I have to share," Neji added. "Obito still has an army of 100,000 White Zetsu. These bio-weapons can absorb the Chakra of others and transform into anyone's appearance, including perfectly replicating their Chakra aura. Once war breaks out, anyone on the front lines could be an enemy in disguise."

Tsunade's expression grew increasingly grim. She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. "Ten thousand... White Zetsu? What are those?"

"The specifics are hard to explain, but I can only say that White Zetsu are natural-born disguisers," Neji replied succinctly. "What's important right now is—if war breaks out, Konoha will be facing 100,000 soldiers who can disguise themselves and are skilled in infiltration and assassination. What's worse, they can even absorb the Chakra of the fallen during battle to become stronger."

Kakashi slowly leaned against the wall. He removed his mask—a move that startled Tsunade and Shikaku —revealing his pale and weary face. His fingers unconsciously rubbed the Forehead Protector over his left eye, his voice hoarse. "Obito... has he really come to this?"

No one can answer this question.

After a long silence, Tsunade took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. "Is the source of the information accurate?"

"Absolutely accurate," Neji said. "The battle in Amegakure, the explosion of 600 million Explosive Tag, the change of ownership of the Rinnegan ... these are all facts. As for the number of White Zetsu, it was Black Zetsu from Akatsuki who inadvertently revealed it." The number of White Zetsu is from God's perspective, but I was originally an undercover agent, and I'm just blaming Black Zetsu, so no one can verify it.

"Black Zetsu from Akatsuki?" Shikaku astutely grasped the key point. "Then is your current identity still safe—"

"It should still be safe, right?" Neji lied without batting an eye. "There's no point in discussing that now. The important thing is that Konoha must immediately go on full alert. What are the attitudes of Cloud Village and Iwagakure?"

"The Fourth Raikage of Cloud Village has made it clear that if Konoha cannot prove its innocence with Akatsuki, he will join forces with Iwagakure to declare war on Konoha," Shikaku said bitterly. "As for that old man Ōnoki... he has chosen to wait and see. But knowing him as I do, once war breaks out, he will join the side that is most advantageous to him at the most 'opportune' time."

"So Konoha is practically fighting alone right now," Tsunade concluded, standing up and walking to the window. Through the barrier, she could see the tranquil afternoon scene of Konoha —children chasing each other in the streets, vendors hawking their wares, and ninjas returning home in twos and threes after training. This peace was as fragile as a soap bubble.

She turned around, her eyes no longer filled with confusion, but with the decisiveness befitting Hokage: "Kakashi, immediately activate the highest level of emergency preparedness. All Jonin and Chunin currently on missions must return to the village within three days. Shikaku, revise the defense plan, focusing on the White Zetsu infiltration. Also, contact Gaara of Sunagakure; we need to confirm their support."

"Yes," they both replied simultaneously.

Just then, Neji suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question:

"Has Uzumaki Naruto mastered the Nine-Tails' power yet?"

This question was like a stone thrown into calm water. The three people in the office looked at him simultaneously, each with a different expression.

Tsunade was the first to react, her brows furrowing. "Naruto has mastered Senjutsu and already possesses Kage Level strength. He should have no problem protecting himself. You specifically asked this... do you think Obito is more terrifying than Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan?"

As she asked that question, a chill suddenly ran down her spine. Nagato's Six Paths of Pain had nearly destroyed Konoha; if Naruto hadn't persuaded Nagato in the end, Konoha would no longer exist. And now, Obito not only possessed the Rinnegan, but also the Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan, an army of 100,000 White Zetsu... as well as the title "Madara Uchiha" and a decades-long scheme.

This is an opponent that cannot be measured by the "Kage Level" caliber alone.

Kakashi's perspective was different. He was still processing the fact that Obito had acquired the Rinnegan. He himself struggled immensely with just one Mangekyō Sharingan, often confined to bed due to excessive Chakra depletion. And Obito, the underdog he had to protect during the Kannabi Bridge mission, now not only possessed two eyes, but one of them was the Rinnegan?

"Can his body... withstand it?" Kakashi wondered instinctively. Although he didn't know what had happened to Obito, if he calculated it this way, Obito's current strength had indeed... surpassed Nagato's.

The fear of being killed by Pain returned. Not the fear of death itself, but the fear of that sense of powerlessness—faced with overwhelming power, all tactics, all efforts, seemed as pale as a joke.

Shikaku, on the other hand, interpreted Neji's question from a strategic perspective. He astutely realized that Neji wasn't asking "Can Naruto protect himself?" but rather "Does Naruto have the strength to confront Obito -on?" This meant that, in Neji's assessment, the power of the Nine-Tails in its complete form might be the key to fighting the Ten-Tails.

But what if Naruto hadn't mastered that power yet? What if Obito had started the war before Naruto had fully grown up?

"Sake," Shikaku began cautiously, "You asked about Naruto's situation, does that mean... the Nine-Tails' power is a key variable in this war?"

Neji didn't answer directly. He glanced at Tsunade, then at Kakashi, and finally his gaze settled on Shikaku. "I can only say that if Obito successfully becomes the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto might have a chance to stop him."

"Uzumaki Naruto? The Child of Prophecy?" Tsunade pressed.

"Yes."

Silence fell in the office once more. This silence was heavier, for it pointed to a cruel possibility: the key to victory in the impending war might not lie with thousands of soldiers, but with a young ninja.

Tsunade closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Jiraiya has already returned to Konoha with Naruto, and they should arrive tomorrow. If you have the time, you can wait."

Neji. Waiting here was obviously not appropriate; the Konoha High Command needed time to process the intelligence and formulate a plan. Besides, he had other things to do— the Impure World Reincarnation of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, whether it was necessary to meet with Obito again... He needed to personally arrange each of these matters.

"At the same time tomorrow," Neji said. "I'll come. If possible, I'd like to see Uzumaki Naruto."

He removed the barrier, and the sounds from outside the office flooded in again—the shouts from the training ground in the distance, the cries of vendors on the street, the rustling of leaves in the wind. These ordinary sounds sounded especially precious at that moment.

"Sake." Tsunade called out to him before he could activate the Flying Thunder God. The Fifth Hokage looked directly into his eyes, his gaze filled with scrutiny and doubt, but deep within, it held the weighty responsibility of a leader:

"Whatever your plan... please protect Naruto. He is the future of Konoha."

Neji gave Tsunade a deep look. There were no promises, no guarantees.

Then, space distorted. His figure vanished from the office, as if he had never been there at all.

Kakashi put his mask back on, but his eyes remained somewhat unfocused. "Obito... why...?"

"Now is not the time to dwell on the past, Kakashi." Tsunade's voice regained its usual authority. "Shikaku, the war preparedness plan must be ready tonight. Kakashi, go and contact Sand Village. And..." She paused, "Send someone to meet Jiraiya and Naruto, and make sure they return to the village safely."

The two men accepted their orders and left. Tsunade in the office.

She walked to the window and looked down at Konoha. The setting sun began to sink, bathing the village in a golden glow. Children finished their day's play and were called home by their mothers for dinner; ninjas finished their training and headed to the hot springs in groups; shops gradually lit up their lights, and wisps of smoke rose from their chimneys.

A scene of peace. Ordinary life.

And she, as the Hokage, must protect all of this—even if the enemy is a former comrade, even if the shadow of war looms over her, even if the price may be her own life.

"Jiraiya..." she murmured to herself, "Please come back soon. This time... we might really need a miracle."

In the distance, the last rays of sunlight were swallowed by the horizon. Night fell, and the longest night in the Shinobi World seemed to have just begun.