Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly drew a breath and picked up his pipe again, though his fingertips were less steady than before.
"Kakashi, are you sure you weren't mistaken?"
Kakashi said gravely, "At first, I thought I might have been mistaken too."
"But I've seen portraits of the First Hokage and historical records of Madara Uchiha."
"That face, that armor, and that oppressive presence didn't seem like a disguise."
Hiruzen's brow furrowed even more deeply.
"What about the Transformation Technique?"
"Could someone have deliberately taken their forms?"
Kakashi shook his head.
"No."
"If it were just the Transformation Technique, there would be subtle flaws in their chakra flow."
"But the presence of those two men was completely different."
He paused, his voice growing quieter.
"Especially the one who appeared to be Madara Uchiha."
"He only stood there, and I already felt like I was being watched."
"That wasn't pressure a Chunin or even a Jonin could create."
Hiruzen's expression grew even grimmer.
Who was Kakashi Hatake?
He had served in the Anbu, had abundant experience, and had encountered countless dangerous people.
For even him to report it in that tone meant the matter was anything but simple.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the office.
"Lord Hokage!"
Might Guy pushed the door open and entered, still radiating heat from his training.
When he saw Kakashi, he immediately gave him a thumbs-up.
"Kakashi, I'm here to vouch for your youth!"
The corner of Hiruzen's eye twitched.
Under normal circumstances, he might have managed a smile.
But now, he simply couldn't.
"Guy, did you go to that tavern too?"
"Yes!"
Might Guy said loudly, "Kakashi and I went in and bought some wine together!"
"There really were two men with an extraordinary presence standing at the entrance!"
"One had a smile with the warmth of youth, and although the other was a little frightening, he had the bearing of a powerful warrior too!"
Kakashi put a hand to his forehead.
"Guy, youth isn't the point."
Might Guy blinked.
"Oh, right!"
His expression suddenly turned serious.
"Afterward, Kakashi pointed it out to me, and I thought back carefully."
"That man who was trying so hard to smile really did look like the First Hokage on Hokage Rock!"
"Not just a passing resemblance."
"He looked exactly like him!"
Hiruzen's heart sank.
If Kakashi had been the only one to see them, he could still suspect a genjutsu.
But Guy had been there too.
Although Guy's resistance to genjutsu wasn't among the best, his intuition for danger was exceptionally sharp.
More importantly, given Might Guy's personality, he wouldn't lie along with someone about something like this.
Hiruzen slowly stood and walked to the window.
From here, he could see Hokage Rock in the distance.
The stone likeness of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, silently looked down over Konoha in the darkness.
Hiruzen watched for a long time, his throat growing dry.
"Lord First..."
"And Madara Uchiha..."
"How could that be?"
He didn't want to believe it.
But he dared not take it lightly.
Few people in Konoha's history could truly be called legends.
Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha were without question two of the most terrifying among them.
If those two had truly appeared in Konoha, even a rumor of it would be enough to put the entire village on the highest alert.
Kakashi said quietly, "Lord Third, I suspect it might be a forbidden technique."
Hiruzen didn't turn around.
"Impure World Reincarnation."
Kakashi nodded.
"I considered that possibility too."
Hiruzen's expression grew extremely grim.
Impure World Reincarnation.
It was a forbidden technique developed by the Second Hokage.
It used a living person as a sacrifice to summon the soul of the dead and bring the deceased back in a corpse.
This technique was too dangerous.
If someone really had used Impure World Reincarnation to summon the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, the person behind it certainly had no simple purpose.
More terrifying still-
Madara Uchiha.
He was a monster on par with the First Hokage.
Even in a reincarnated state, he was by no means someone the present-day Konoha could deal with easily.
Hiruzen turned around, his voice once again as steady as a Hokage's should be.
"Kakashi, lead the way."
Kakashi was taken aback.
"Lord Third, you're going in person?"
"I have to."
Hiruzen picked up his Hokage hat and put on his outer robe.
"With a matter like this, leaving it to anyone else would only alert them."
"If it really is Impure World Reincarnation, I have to find out who cast it."
Might Guy immediately clenched his fist.
"Lord Hokage, I can come too!"
Hiruzen glanced at him.
"Guy, stay nearby and be ready to assist."
"If anything happens, notify the Anbu immediately."
Guy nodded firmly.
"Understood!"
Kakashi said no more. His figure flashed, and he led Hiruzen out of the Hokage's office building.
Night had fully fallen.
The streets of Konoha gradually grew quiet.
In the direction of the distant Ninja Academy, the day's graduation exam had already ended.
Some children cheered, while others were dejected.
Naruto Uzumaki was the most dejected of them all.
He hadn't passed the graduation exam.
He had failed yet again.
In the shadows at a street corner, Mizuki wore a gentle smile as he spoke quietly to Naruto.
Naruto's downcast expression gradually gave way to excitement.
"If I get the Scroll of Seals and learn the ninjutsu in it, I can graduate?"
Mizuki smiled warmly.
"Of course."
"This is a special test."
"Iruka-sensei just couldn't say so openly."
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"I knew it! Iruka-sensei would never really give up on me!"
Mizuki patted him on the shoulder.
"Go on, Naruto."
"Prove it to everyone."
Naruto nodded hard, turned, and ran toward the Hokage's office building.
Mizuki stayed where he was, the smile on his face gradually turning cold.
He had been so frightened at the Undead Tavern during the day that he had completely lost face.
But the more that was the case, the more he wanted to leave Konoha as soon as possible.
As long as he got the Scroll of Seals, he would have something to offer Orochimaru.
Konoha, the Ninja Academy, the Hokage.
None of it mattered.
Atop Hokage Rock.
Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha sat side by side.
Hashirama suddenly looked up.
"He's here."
Madara said coolly, "The Nine-Tails' chakra."
Hashirama looked toward the depths of the village, a complicated look in his eyes.
"A child of the Uzumaki Clan."
"The Nine-Tails is sealed inside him."
Madara sneered.
"Konoha still likes leaving its troubles to children."
Hashirama didn't argue.
He could sense the enormous chakra inside Naruto.
He could also sense that the child was approaching the Hokage's office building.
Mizuki's chakra, meanwhile, was hidden farther away, like a snake waiting for its prey to take the bait.
Hashirama sighed.
"The boss was right."
"That ninja called Mizuki really is manipulating Naruto."
Madara stood up.
"The mission starts now."
Hashirama stood as well, his expression considerably more serious.
"We can't let the Scroll of Seals fall into other hands."
Madara looked at him.
"You still care quite a bit about Konoha."
Hashirama smiled.
"It's the village you and I built together."
Madara snorted.
"Leave me out of it."
Hashirama didn't argue. He simply looked in Naruto's direction.
"Let's go."
"The boss told us not to hurt Naruto."
Madara's tone was indifferent.