Temari stood on the rooftop, unconsciously tightening the Three-Star Fan in her hand.
Hoshino's figure stood out clearly in the night, his long gray hair fluttering in the wind, his empty eye sockets still not recovered, yet they seemed to see through everything.
"That guy... he's finally back."
She murmured softly, her tone carrying a hint of relaxation that she herself didn't even realize.
Kankuro raised an eyebrow, deliberately drawing out his words: "Oh? Who just said 'mind your own business'?"
Temari whirled around, her fan flashing as she held it against Kankuro's neck, her eyes sharp. "Say one more word, and I'll make sure you sleep in the puppet repair room tonight."
Kankuro immediately raised his hands in surrender, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.
Downstairs, Hoshino seemed to sense something and slightly raised his head to "look" towards the rooftop.
Although he had no eyes, Temari subconsciously took a half step back, as if she were being locked onto by some invisible gaze.
"Tsk, this guy's senses are still so annoying..." she muttered, but still turned around and quickly walked towards the stairs.
Kankuro watched his sister's retreating figure, shook his head, and muttered to himself, "She's clearly worried to death, why is she pretending..."
The streets of Sunagakure were cool with the night breeze.
Hoshino and Otsutsuki Toneri walked side by side, attracting curious glances from the surrounding villagers.
Toneri's long, snow-white hair and empty eye sockets made him stand out, while Hoshino's presence drew many onlookers.
"Is this the Sunagakure of the Shinobi World?" Toneri's voice was soft, with a hint of barely perceptible tension.
"Hmm." Hoshino nodded. "You'll get used to it. They're just curious."
After a moment of silence, the Toneri said in a low voice, "It's been a long time since I've been in contact with so many people."
Hoshino didn't respond, but simply tilted his head slightly, as if sensing something.
The next second, a white figure rushed out from the street corner and headed straight for Hoshino.
" Hoshino! You're finally back!"
Shion's voice was clear and cheerful. She almost pounced on Hoshino, grabbing his sleeves with both hands, her eyes shining as if they were filled with starlight.
Hoshino let her pull him along, his tone remaining calm. "Yes, you're back."
Shion then noticed Otsutsuki Toneri standing to the side, and blinked. "Who is this?"
" Otsutsuki Toneri," Hoshino introduced briefly, "Will be working with us for now."
Shion tilted her head, sizing up Toneri, then suddenly extended her hand. "Hello! I am Shion, the priestess of the Land of Demons."
Toneri was taken aback, seemingly not expecting anyone to greet him so directly.
He hesitated for a moment, then gently shook Shion's hand. "Hello."
Shion smiled and withdrew her hand, turning to Hoshino and saying, "While you were gone, the Shinobi Alliance has been working like crazy!"
"The post-war reconstruction of the Heavenly Martial Continent, the research and development of new technologies, and the monitoring of the stability of the Dragon Vein... Orochimaru talks about finding you Tenten."
Hoshino nodded and said, "I will go to the Shinobi Alliance headquarters tomorrow."
Shion pouted. "It's tomorrow again. Can't you take a break first?"
Before Hoshino could answer, a cold voice came from behind him.
"If he knew how to rest, he wouldn't have gotten himself into this state."
Temari, holding the Three-Star Fan, slowly approached. Her gaze lingered for a moment on Shion's hand, which was tugging at Hoshino's sleeve, before casually looking away.
Hoshino looked at her and nodded slightly in greeting, " Temari."
"You actually know how to come back?"
Temari stared at him, seemingly trying to read something from his face, but in the end she just sighed, "Whatever, you never listen to advice anyway."
Shion blinked, her gaze darting between Temari and Hoshino, before suddenly flashing a sly smile, " Temari, you didn't come here specifically to see Hoshino, did you?"
Temari's ears instantly turned red, and she swished her fan open, covering half her face. "What nonsense are you talking about! I was just passing by!"
Shion chuckled to herself, "Oh~ just passing by~"
Temari: "..."
Hoshino seemed oblivious to the subtle tension between them, and calmly said, "Let's go back to headquarters first; there are some things that need to be arranged."
Temari closed her fan and snorted coldly, "Suit yourself."
Shion followed with a smile, "I'm going too!"
Toneri stood there, watching the three figures disappear into the distance. After a moment of silence, he finally stepped forward and followed them.
The headquarters of the Reform Society was brightly lit.
Rasa had already received the message and was waiting in the conference room with Kankuro and Gaara. When Hoshino pushed the door open and entered, the three of them stood up at the same time.
" Xiaoye."
" Hoshino!"
Rasa then asked directly, "What is the situation on the Heavenly Martial Continent?"
Hoshino walked to the conference table and sat down. "The situation is basically stable; the subsequent management will be handled by the Shinobi Alliance."
Rasa nodded, then shifted his gaze to Otsutsuki Toneri standing behind Hoshino: "And who is this?"
" Otsutsuki Toneri, Hamura Otsutsuki, is a descendant of the younger brother of the Sage of Six Paths," Hoshino briefly introduced. "He's temporarily joining the Reform Society."
The three exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes, but they quickly regained their composure.
Rasa cleared his throat and said simply, "Since your attack on the Heavenly Martial Continent, the Intelligent Puppets have produced another 50,000 Intelligent Puppets, and the technology is now quite mature."
"We expect to produce 30,000 units in a month, and the production capacity can continue to increase, but it consumes a lot of resources."
"In addition..."
Hoshino listened quietly to the report, nodding occasionally.
Temari stood to the side, glancing at him every now and then, seemingly observing his state.
Shion leaned closer to Temari and whispered, "Hey, why are you staring at him like that?"
Temari glared at her. "Who was staring at him?"
Shion chuckled to herself, "It's obvious."
Temari ignored her and turned to look out the window, but her thoughts drifted away involuntarily.
It was late at night when the meeting ended.
Hoshino stood alone atop the Reform Society building, the night wind ruffling his long hair and causing his robes to flutter.
Tap tap tap--
Footsteps sounded behind her, Temari's voice rang out. "How long are you planning to stand there?"
Hoshino didn't turn around. "Is something the matter?"
Temari walked to his side, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly said, "Your eyes... still haven't recovered?"
Hoshino: "Soon."
Temari frowned and said, "It's always the same line."
Hoshino did not respond further.
Temari stared at his profile, then suddenly sighed, "What are you hiding?"
Hoshino tilted his head slightly. "Why do you ask that?"
Temari hugged her arms tightly, the night wind making her hair flutter. "Intuition... you're a completely different person since you came back."
Hoshino was silent for a moment before speaking, "The barriers of spacetime are collapsing; the enemy is stronger than expected."
Temari was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Hoshino gazed at the night sky and said slowly, " The Shinobi World's time is running out."
Temari's heart sank.
Just then, a dazzling light suddenly lit up the distant sky, like a shooting star streaking across the night.
Hoshino's senses instantly locked onto that direction, and he whispered, "They're back."
Temari followed his gaze and saw several huge flying ships slowly sailing towards Sunagakure, with the insignia of the Shinobi Alliance printed on their hulls.
Tobirama Senju, Tsunade, Raikage A, Ōnoki... the high-ranking members of the Shinobi Alliance have returned from the Heavenly Martial Continent.
The night sky over Sunagakure was illuminated by several enormous flying ships, and the Shinobi Alliance's emblem gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
The ship slowly landed on an open space outside the village, the roar of its engines causing the ground to tremble slightly.
Temari stood beside Hoshino, her brows slightly furrowed. "Why did they come directly to Sunagakure? Isn't the Shinobi Alliance headquarters in the Land of Rain?"
Hoshino said calmly, "They're probably here to see me."
Temari glanced at him sideways. "What have you done now?"
Hoshino didn't answer, but simply walked towards the landing point.
Temari gritted her teeth and quickly followed. Shion and Otsutsuki Toneri also followed closely behind.
The ship's hatch slowly opened.
Tobirama Senju stepped forward first, his silver hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze, his sharp gaze locking onto Hoshino.
" Hoshino."
His voice was calm and restrained, but Temari sensed the anger hidden within it.
Tsunade, Raikage A, Ōnoki, and others disembarked from the ship one after another, each with a solemn expression.
"Hey kid, you really know how to pick your time to come back."
Ōnoki hovered in mid-air, arms crossed, his tone slightly teasing, but his eyes were unusually serious.
Hoshino calmly met everyone's gazes. "Have you finished dealing with the matters on the Heavenly Martial Continent?"
"Hmph!" Raikage A snorted coldly.
"We've captured the mainland, but there's a lot of trouble to come! Those martial artists would rather die than surrender, and the guerrilla warfare they're wreaking havoc on us!"
Tsunade rubbed her temples, saying wearily, "Medical resources are being used up at an enormous rate, and the resistance from the common people is even stronger than we expected."
Tobirama Senju Hoshino and cut straight to the point. "We received a report from the Dragon Vein Monitoring Department that the abnormal fluctuations in the spacetime barrier have intensified."
"You knew all along, didn't you?"
Temari's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively looked at Hoshino.
Hoshino was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Mm."
Tobirama Senju's eyes suddenly sharpened. "Why didn't you inform the Shinobi Alliance beforehand?"
Hoshino said calmly, "What difference would it make if I told you?"
Raikage A angrily said, "At least we could have prepared in advance! Instead of being so passive like this!"
Ōnoki sighed, "Kid, you really went too far this time."
The atmosphere froze for a moment.
Temari gripped her fan tightly, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.
She knew that Hoshino always kept to himself and that, as the head of the Scientific Research Department, he hadn't been to the lab in a long time.
Moreover, this matter has clearly transcended the personal realm.
Shion couldn't help but interject, " Hoshino only recently confirmed the situation, and he's already started taking action!"
Tobirama Senju gave her a cold glance. "Priestess, this is not something you can interfere with."
Shion choked and wanted to retort, but Hoshino stopped her by raising his hand.
"The collapse of the spacetime barrier is inevitable." Hoshino's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty. "The enemy is stronger than we anticipated; the Shinobi World needs more thorough preparation."
Tobirama Senju narrowed his eyes. "Your so-called 'preparation' is nothing more than acting on your own, even bringing back a descendant of the Ōtsutsuki Clan?"
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Otsutsuki Toneri, filled with scrutiny and wariness, clearly showing his distrust of this descendant of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
You should know...
Whether in history or in other worlds, the Ōtsutsuki Clan has always been a major force in invading the Shinobi World, so how could they feel at ease?
Toneri stood expressionless, seemingly oblivious to the hostility of the crowd.
Hoshino said calmly, "He's a fighting force, not a threat."
Tsunade rubbed her temples and interrupted, "That's enough. Now is not the time for infighting."
She looked at Hoshino, her tone softening slightly. "We need to hold an emergency meeting; all high-ranking members of the Shinobi Alliance must be present."
Hoshino nodded and said, "Okay."
Tobirama Senju said coldly, "The meeting will be held at the headquarters of the Land of Rain tomorrow at noon."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the ship, with Raikage A and Ōnoki following behind.
Tsunade glanced at Hoshino, hesitated, and finally just sighed, "Don't be late."
The ships took off and departed, Sunagakure returned to silence.
Temari stared at Hoshino and couldn't help but ask, "What exactly are you planning?"
Hoshino gazed at the night sky and whispered, "A war."
Temari's heart tightened. "With whom?"
Hoshino did not answer, but turned and walked towards the headquarters of the Reform Society.
Shion glanced at Temari with concern and whispered, "He's under a lot of pressure."
Temari gripped her fan tightly, gritting her teeth as she said, "But he never tells me!"
The Toneri, standing to the side, suddenly spoke up, "He carries more burdens than you can imagine."
Temari and Shion both looked at him at the same time.
Toneri said calmly, "The enemy of time and space is far more terrifying than the Heavenly Martial Empire."
Temari's heart sank.
The following day, in the Land of Rain, at the headquarters of the Shinobi Alliance.
The towering steel buildings gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and the Shinobi Alliance flag fluttered in the wind.
Inside the meeting room, the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, representatives of the Akatsuki, and the heads of various ninja clans gathered together in a solemn atmosphere.
Hoshino sat in the Sunagakure representative's seat, with Temari and Rasa on either side, Otsutsuki Toneri standing behind him, attracting many curious glances.
Tobirama Senju, surveyed the crowd, and said in a deep voice, "I have gathered you all here today to announce an urgent decision."
He raised his hand and waved, and the holographic projection unfolded, displaying the latest data from the Dragon Vein Monitoring Department: the number of spacetime rifts was increasing at an alarming rate.
" The Shinobi World doesn't have two years left."
As soon as he finished speaking, the meeting room fell into a deathly silence, and everyone's eyes turned to Hoshino.
Hoshino slowly rose to his feet, his voice calm yet icy. "The advance team, led by a Six Paths Level expert and accompanied by a million-strong expeditionary force, is expected to arrive in the Shinobi World No. 1 in a year."
The meeting room was deathly silent; even breathing could be heard clearly.
" Six Paths Level... a million-strong expeditionary force..."
Raikage A slammed his fist on the table, instantly denting the metal surface. "What a joke! If this is the level of an advance team, how are we supposed to fight the rest?!"
Ōnoki hovered in the air, his cloudy eyes fixed on the projection. "Kid, are you sure the information is accurate?"
Hoshino didn't answer, he just raised his hand and waved.
The projected image switched to show footage recorded deep within the Dragon Vein.
A figure wearing a white mask floated in the void, surrounded by nine Truth-Seeking Orb, and simultaneously activated the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and the Rinnegan.
Behind him was a densely packed army of ninjas, their sheer number breathtaking.