Dark undercurrents surged on all sides

At the same moment, in Konoha's Hokage office.

The atmosphere was suffocatingly silent.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat upright in his chair. The pipe in his hand had gone completely cold, his fingertips trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with disbelief and shock. Several senior elders stood frozen in place, their expressions horrified, unable to speak for a long time.

Every word of the urgent intelligence that had just arrived struck at their hearts.

A Level Two Rift had erupted on the western border. Three groups of powerful enemies from other planes, each countering the Shinobi World's combat capabilities, had surrounded an ANBU squad, trapping them in a hopeless deathtrap.

In the end, Lin Chen had single-handedly cleared the battlefield, eliminating every high-risk enemy within seconds and breaking through to Kage Level combat strength in the process.

A twelve-year-old Kage Level fighter.

The news utterly shattered decades of understanding held by the Konoha High Command.

Throughout the history of the Shinobi World, even the most brilliant geniuses had needed years of development in their youth and countless bloody battles before they could reach the threshold of Kage Level as young adults. Even the legendary Sannin had been nowhere near such a heaven-defying height at that age.

"Twelve years old... Kage Level..." a white-haired elder murmured, his voice dry. "This boy's potential for growth has long since transcended the conventions of the Shinobi World. He is completely unbound by the shackles of the Heavenly Dao."

"In the battle in the Land of Waves, he merely held a clear advantage over Jonin. In just a few days, he stepped straight into Kage Level?" Another elder's face was filled with shock. "Even the upheaval across the myriad realms has become his stepping stone?"

Everyone understood completely now. All their previous assessments, apprehensions, and contingency plans to keep him in check were rendered meaningless by Lin Chen's heaven-defying growth.

The Third slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, only a faraway look and solemn gravity remained. "Effective today, revoke all covert surveillance of Lin Chen and all risk assessment plans concerning him."

"He is not Konoha's variable. In this age of chaos, he is the Shinobi World's only constant."

"Pass down my orders. Grant Lin Chen the highest level of operational freedom. All of Konoha's resources are his to use. In any otherworldly disaster, his judgment takes precedence. No reports or approval are required."

The order conclusively established Lin Chen's special standing above every Jonin in Konoha, and even some of its senior leadership.

In Konoha's shadows, inside a deep, frigid underground laboratory.

The culture fluid in countless test tubes quivered faintly, while eerie green light flickered.

Bare-chested, Orochimaru held a newly collected fragment of Cursed Energy from the Level Two Rift between his fingertips. His serpentine pupils contracted slightly, his tongue repeatedly licked the corners of his mouth, and his eyes brimmed with utter greed and excitement.

"A Level Two Rift, traces of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, mature Sea Kings... and a breakthrough to Kage Level?"

"You're becoming more and more interesting, Lin Chen."

"Others see the Myriad Realms Rift as a world-ending crisis, but to you, it is endless nourishment and opportunity. Plundering origins, ignoring rules, advancing at incredible speed... Your constitution is the world's most perfect ultimate life-form."

Orochimaru's fingertips slid across the documents on the laboratory table, densely covered with records of every detail of Lin Chen's battles and the characteristics of his abilities.

"The Chunin Ninja Exams are approaching, and the Konoha Crush is imminent..."

He chuckled softly, his tone strange and feverish. "With a variable like you entering the game, this match is sure to become spectacular. I look forward to seeing how many surprises you can bring me now that you're at Kage Level."

In Amegakure, at a hidden Akatsuki base.

The dim hall was empty and deathly silent. The sounds of wind and rain drifted slowly through the window lattice.

Pain sat upon a raised platform, his Rinnegan surveying the state of the entire Shinobi World. A rare ripple stirred in his cold eyes.

Konan stood beside him and reported quietly, "Leader, a Level Two Rift erupted in the western Land of Fire. Lin Chen resolved the crisis alone, and his combat strength has officially reached Kage Level. He can perfectly counter all beings from other planes."

Pain remained silent for a long time before his deep voice echoed through the hall. "The fusion of the myriad realms is accelerating, forces from beyond our world are invading, and the Shinobi World's old order is on the verge of collapse."

"I originally thought the Tailed Beasts would be at the center of this chaotic age. Now it seems this boy is the greatest variable disrupting everything."

Konan frowned slightly. "Should we send people ahead of schedule to probe the extent of his strength?"

"No need." Pain slowly shook his head, a faint light flowing through his Rinnegan. "He is at Initial Kage Level, yet he can crush the high-risk combatants of a Level Two Rift. His reserves of strength far exceed those of an ordinary Kage Level fighter. Probing him at this stage would only waste our fighting strength needlessly."

"We will watch and wait."

"He is growing, the rifts are expanding, and the age of chaos is accelerating. Once the Shinobi World's order collapses completely, the time will come for him to act and break the deadlock. Then we will pick up the pieces and reshape the world."

Meanwhile, in the dense forest along the Land of Fire's border.

Zabuza and Haku hid deep within the thick mist, silently sensing the terrifying fluctuations of energy lingering in the distant valley.

Their auras were still weak. The foundations of their strength had been stripped away entirely, and they no longer possessed the ferocity they had once shown as Kirigakure's rogue ninja.

Haku's face was pale, his eyes filled with helplessness. "A Level Two Rift... He single-handedly resolved a crisis that left even Konoha's ANBU helpless, and even used it to break through to Kage Level..."

They had still harbored a sliver of hope before, intending to lie low, recuperate, and wait for a chance at revenge. But now, as they truly sensed that all-crushing Kage Level presence, all their obsession and hatred vanished in an instant.

The gap was no longer a chasm. They were separated by an entire dimension.

Zabuza clenched the Kubikiribōchō tightly, his knuckles whitening. His eyes were filled with bitterness and apprehension, and he remained speechless for a long time.

For the rest of their lives, they would probably never again be qualified to stand against that boy.

In the valley on the western border.

A gentle breeze blew. Lin Chen raised his head toward the blazing sun high in the sky, his expression calm and composed.

Dark undercurrents surged on all sides, and every faction was stirred by his rise. Konoha held him in awe, Orochimaru coveted him, the Akatsuki watched and waited, and the Heavenly Dao targeted him.

Endless turmoil and dangers lay ahead.

But he had no fear.

Kage Level was only the beginning.

The Chunin Ninja Exams were approaching. The Konoha Crush, rampaging Tailed Beasts, advancing Myriad Realms Rifts, the arrival of high-tier powerhouses from beyond their world... Countless opportunities and upheavals were all on their way.

Kakashi walked to Lin Chen's side, his expression solemn. "The rift has been sealed off, and the security deployment is complete. We can return to the village and prepare for what comes next."

Lin Chen nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the writhing black rift one last time.

"Let's go."

"Next time, it'll be my turn to enter the game on my own initiative."