An exalted place in Konoha, a gathering storm

A gentle breeze swept through the mountain wilderness on the journey home.

The woodland path, usually bustling, was unusually quiet that day. Kakashi accompanied them in silence, his gaze drifting now and then to the slender boy ahead of him, the shock in his heart refusing to subside. Four wounded Anbu Ninjas followed close behind, their steps respectful, not daring to overstep in the slightest.

No one said much on the way back.

The utterly overwhelming battle in the valley had seared itself into everyone's memory. No roaring ninjutsu, no desperate physical combat-through rule plundering alone, he had slain a calamity-class Exotic Beast. Having reached Kage level, Lin Chen had already drawn an absolute dividing line between himself and every ninja in the Shinobi World.

Before him, Konoha's former prodigies and the finest of the new generation had all become ordinary.

Half a day later, Konoha's main gates came into view once more.

This time, however, their reception was entirely different.

The Chunin guarding the gates spotted the party from afar. Seeing the Anbu escort and Kakashi leading them, they immediately turned solemn and granted the highest level of passage clearance, even lowering their heads in greeting without daring to ask a single question. Anbu patrols inside the village all stopped and bowed upon encountering them, their reverence deepening as their eyes fell on Lin Chen.

The astonishing news that he had single-handedly quelled a calamity in a Level Two Rift and reached Kage level at twelve had already reached the Konoha High Command and the Anbu's inner circle through encrypted messages.

Lin Chen was no longer an ordinary Konoha Genin.

Amid the upheaval across the myriad realms in this age of chaos, he was Konoha's only trump card, the greatest variable in the Shinobi World to transcend its rules.

"Lord Hokage is already waiting in the office building. He specifically instructed that you proceed directly to the Top-Floor Secret Room for a discussion upon your return." A Root ninja hurried forward and dropped to one knee, his attitude utterly respectful, with none of his usual severity toward juniors. "The Research Department and Sealing Squad will handle the remaining evidence, captives, and Exotic Beast remains. You needn't trouble yourself with them."

Across all of Konoha, he alone received such treatment.

Even the living Sannin and elite Jonin returning with distinguished achievements had never enjoyed the privilege of meeting the Hokage directly without reporting in or undergoing a debriefing.

Kakashi shifted slightly aside and said quietly, "Go ahead. I'll take care of the follow-up work for you. You no longer need to concern yourself with the petty rules governing ninja."

Lin Chen nodded slightly and headed alone straight for the Hokage's office building.

The village streets he passed through were peaceful and secure. Villagers came and went, and children laughed and played. No one knew that, within a single day, a world-ending calamity had nearly erupted on the Land of Fire's border. Still less did anyone know that this young ninja of their generation beside them already possessed the terrifying strength to overturn the Shinobi World and hold the chaos at bay.

Outside the Ninja Academy, many Genin from his graduating class were training hard after lessons, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura conspicuous among them.

Naruto remained full of energy, practicing basic ninjutsu over and over while dreaming of the approaching Chunin Ninja Exams. Sasuke stood alone beneath a tree, eyes tightly closed, furiously honing his chakra control. The gap exposed in the Land of Waves, the terror of enemies from beyond their world, and Lin Chen's rapidly rising strength drove him relentlessly, never allowing him to stop.

Yet the ninja path they pursued with all their might was already a thing of the past in Lin Chen's eyes.

One step into Kage level, looking down upon all.

Lin Chen swept a dispassionate glance over them without stopping, his steps carrying him straight into the solemn Hokage office building.

In the special-grade secure chamber on the top floor, every barrier was active, shutting out all surveillance and eavesdropping.

The Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat alone, free of all the clutter of official business, his expression grave and solemn. No elders or Root officials were present. He alone waited there.

As Lin Chen pushed open the door and entered, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly rose. His face held none of an elder's authority, only heartfelt wonder and respect.

"You're back."

A simple greeting, yet it carried a thousand words.

He had personally read the complete battle report Kakashi sent back and seen the terrifying capabilities of those calamity-class Sea Kings and Special Grade Cursed Spirit. More importantly, he knew how Lin Chen had utterly erased those seemingly insurmountable enemies with a single thought, devouring all their essence.

Kage level at twelve, crushing calamities from other planes, transcending every rule and constraint of the Shinobi World.

Such talent, such combat strength, such power to serve as the final safeguard in troubled times was enough to eclipse every Hokage in history.

"Lord Hokage." Lin Chen inclined his head slightly, impeccably courteous but neither servile nor overbearing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gestured for him to sit and said softly, "Let's dispense with all formalities. I summoned you today for just two things. First, to finalize all your authority in Konoha. Second, to tell you frankly about the desperate circumstances facing the Shinobi World and the crises ahead."

He took a deep breath, his gaze distant and his tone exceptionally grave. "By resolution of the High Command, you possess Konoha's highest special grade access as of today. You may freely consult and use every Ninjutsu Compendium, secret technique dossier, sealed forbidden technique, and resource vault in the village. You may mobilize the Anbu, Disaster Response Squad, and Research Department at any time. On all matters concerning Myriad Realms Rifts and anomalies from beyond our world, you have final decision-making authority. No one's approval is required."

Those words completely shattered Konoha's thousand-year-old power structure.

It was equivalent to placing half of Konoha's authority in the hands of a twelve-year-old boy.

"Second is the truth of the upheaval across the myriad realms." Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone grew heavier. "Our monitoring shows that the rate of fusion between the Shinobi World and other planes is increasing exponentially. The Level One Rift in the Land of Waves and the Level Two Rift in the west were merely the beginning. Within a month at most, a Level Three Rift will inevitably appear. When that happens, powerful high-ranking outsiders, mature calamity-class Exotic Beasts, and clusters of Special Grade Cursed Spirits will invade the Shinobi World."

The Shinobi World's past conflicts had been contests between people, struggles between villages.

The chaos to come would be a collision between planes, an onslaught of unknown, world-ending disasters.

The Five Great Nations' grudges and attachments, the balancing games involving the Tailed Beasts-all were too insignificant to mention before the threat of the myriad realms collapsing.

"I know you see things clearly. There is no need for an old man like me to say more about checks and restraints." Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was sincere. "Chaos is coming. The survival of Konoha, and even the entire Shinobi World, rests largely upon you alone."

Lin Chen listened quietly, his eyes untroubled, then spoke softly. "As long as I am here, Konoha will face no danger of destruction."

There was no extravagant oath, only absolute confidence.

He now possessed the power to plunder the rules of two planes. His four systems-physical strength, haki, cursed energy, and chakra-were perfected, firmly securing his Kage-level foundation. He could quell low- and intermediate-level rift crises with ease. Even against the powerful high-ranking enemies of a Level Three Rift, he had absolute confidence in overwhelming them in battle.

At those words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's worries finally lifted entirely, and a relieved smile at last appeared on his face.

"Good."

"With that assurance from you, I can prepare everything that follows with peace of mind."

As the discussion in the secure chamber ended, hidden currents were already surging through the outside world.

It was dusk when Lin Chen left the office building. The setting sun spilled over Konoha, gilding the Hokage faces carved into the cliff. Beneath the village's seemingly peaceful surface, undercurrents were already stirring.

Countless hidden eyes were fixed intently on him.

Konoha's underground laboratory was dark and damp.

Orochimaru hovered before a nutrient-fluid chamber, his serpentine eyes fixed on Lin Chen's updated combat data on the screen. His fingertips lightly stroked the laboratory bench, and the eerie smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.

"Killing a Special Grade Cursed Spirit with a thought, taking the impact of a calamity-class Exotic Beast head-on with his body, a tenfold increase in essence-plundering efficiency..."

"What a perfect ultimate life-form."

"The Chunin Ninja Exams... the Konoha Crush... It seems I'll have to prepare some 'interesting' test subjects ahead of time and give you a proper test, to see just where your limits lie now that you've reached Kage level."

The chilling murmurs echoed through the secure chamber, murderous intent entwining with greed.

Wind and rain swept through the Akatsuki's base in Amegakure.

Pain sat high upon a platform, his Rinnegan overlooking the Shinobi World, and his icy voice rang out once again. "The Level Two Rift incident has ended. Lin Chen has established himself at Kage level. The balance of native combat strength in the Shinobi World has been completely overturned."

Konan said quietly, "Leader, the Kage-level fighters of every nation have all gone to ground. None dare make any rash moves. The major ninja villages have already learned that Konoha has produced a twelve-year-old Kage-level fighter. Everyone is shaken."

"Being shaken is useless," Pain said flatly. "With Myriad Worlds Fusion, the Kage level of the old era has already fallen behind. Only combat strength like Lin Chen's, which transcends planar rules, can secure a foothold in the true age of chaos."

"Keep watching. Wait for the rifts to upgrade."

Meanwhile, at Konoha's Training Ground.

All of Team 7 had gathered there, the setting sun stretching the four figures' shadows long.

Naruto remained oblivious, merely feeling that Lin Chen's presence had grown steadier since his return. He bounded over excitedly. "Lin Chen! I heard this mission was super dangerous! You're incredible! The Chunin Ninja Exams are coming up soon. Let's become Chunin together!"

Sakura looked at Lin Chen, her eyes filled with shock and admiration. She had heard vague accounts of the terror at the border rift and knew of his feat in single-handedly quelling the catastrophe. Her sense of the gap between them grew ever clearer.

Only Sasuke stood to one side, his fists clenched tight, intense anxiety and helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Just days earlier, he had thought he was close behind, that he could still close the gap through hard training.

Yet in the blink of an eye, Lin Chen had reached Kage level, standing at a height Sasuke might never reach in his entire life.

That gap, as though spanning dimensions, made all his hard training, all his obsessions, and all his resolve for revenge seem utterly feeble and laughable.

Kakashi stood behind them, quietly watching the four, countless thoughts passing through his mind.

The Chunin Ninja Exams were approaching on schedule, bringing prodigies from the major ninja villages to Konoha.

What had originally been a stage for the new generation's prodigies to compete had now changed completely because of one boy's rise.

It would no longer be a contest between Genin, but the first battleground where the various powers tested one another and hidden currents collided after the beginning of the myriad realms' age of chaos.

Lin Chen raised his eyes toward the deepening dusk on the distant horizon.

The system's notification tone slowly sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Level Three Spatial Rift detected: energy accumulation complete!]

[Prediction: a Level Three Rift will officially manifest on Sunagakure's border in three days!]

[High-risk warning: high-ranking ability users from One Piece, mature calamity-class Sea Kings, and clusters of Special Grade Cursed Spirits will spill out of the rift!]

[Vast quantities of high-grade essence, Devil Fruit fragments, and special-grade cursed technique foundations await harvesting!]

The wind began to rise, and dusk deepened over Konoha.

The brief peace was merely the final moment of tenderness before the storm.

The clash of prodigies in the Chunin Ninja Exams, Orochimaru's secret preparations, the Akatsuki's cold scrutiny, the Level Three Myriad Realms Rift about to appear...

A tremendous storm that would sweep through the Shinobi World and link the myriad realms was already poised to break.

Lin Chen stood with his hands behind his back, the sharpness in his eyes concealed, leaving only dispassionate control.