"Is Shimura Danzo... dead?"
From a secluded corner of the shinobi world, Uchiha Itachi lowered his head, a faint trace of disappointment flickering in his eyes.
Konoha will crumble if things continue down this path.
"Heh... I never expected Uzumaki Naruto to show such courage," Itachi murmured.
Compared to the past... Haha. Don't diminish yourself to worthlessness, Naruto.
Kisame chuckled outwardly, but inwardly, he was reeling.
If only someone like him had been born in the Hidden Mist...
Before the live broadcast to the entire shinobi world cut off, the final image was of Naruto — resolute, unwavering.
Then, the screen shifted, revealing shinobi leaders from the other four great nations, standing alongside their daimyo — non-shinobi rulers who had aligned with the idea of peace.
"The dark era is over. A new age begins."
Beep—
The broadcast ended.
"Hah, so the relics of the old era still aren't done kicking."
Yakushi Kabuto smirked as he adjusted his glasses, staring at the now-blank screen.
Suddenly—
"Hey! Hey! How long have we been dead?"
"Why the hell does the shinobi world look like this now?!"
Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu, twirled his mustache and howled theatrically.
"Tch. That brat... finally showing hints of what it means to be a Raikage."
Third Raikage stood with arms crossed, his emotions unreadable.
But all four could tell—the current shinobi world mirrored the days of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara.
Konoha still stood at the center of power.
And yet, something had shifted. The dawn of a new era was unmistakable.
"Is Ōnoki still alive?"
Second Tsuchikage, Mū, asked, almost to himself, shaking his head with quiet resignation.
"Gaara… he's the Fifth Kazekage?"
Fourth Kazekage Rasa immediately focused on his village. Relief settled in his chest upon seeing the Sand Village was still standing, no signs of war in sight.
"Boy... you're the one who used the Impure World Reincarnation. You're from Konoha—Second Hokage Tobirama Senju's forbidden jutsu."
Rasa looked down at Kabuto with cold eyes. "Why summon us?"
Kabuto's lips twisted into a grin, a hint of madness dancing in his expression.
"To shake the shinobi world... and to make my name known to it!"
He pushed his glasses again. "Lord Orochimaru has submitted to Konoha... Hahaha! He's lost his ambition, but I haven't. I've surpassed him!"
"Go. Capture Uchiha Sasuke!"
The four resurrected Kage stared silently at him.
"...What a lunatic."
Kabuto didn't argue.
"Go now, resurrected Kage. Don't let me down."
With that, he made a seal.
Buzz—
Instantly, their eyes dulled. Their bodies snapped to attention.
Whoosh—
And in a flash, the four vanished from their summoning circle.
Kabuto turned to the final coffin and hesitated.
"This one... is still too dangerous."
He clapped his hands.
Bang—
The lid of Uchiha Madara's coffin shut with a resounding thud, then sank into the earth.
Meanwhile, Black Zetsu was already approaching the Hidden Rain Village — carrying the Rinnegan.
Infiltrating this place wasn't simple, not when the target was Nagato, someone who needed to be controlled in one swift, silent strike.
It would take time. Planning.
Thankfully, Kabuto was the perfect pawn to buy it.
Obito should be adjusting to the Rinnegan by now. Even if Kabuto fails, he won't let the plan fall apart...
No matter what, Uchiha Madara must be revived.
The Eye of the Moon Plan must succeed.
"This alone won't be enough... 100,000 White Zetsu..."
"...Then let the Fourth Great Ninja War begin."
All for Mother...
Black Zetsu paused.
It had forgotten something.
Back in Konoha, following the public execution of Danzo, attention turned toward the village's future.
The advancement of shinobi technology had opened new possibilities. Naruto believed that the modern ninja world could evolve into something more... even connected.
He convened a summit with Konoha's research division.
But outside the village—
The Four Kage resurrected by Kabuto had arrived at the gates of Konoha.
"I never thought we'd be reunited... like this."
Hōzuki Gengetsu stood with his arms wide, a half-smile on his face.
"Tch. Don't forget, I killed you."
Mū gave him a cold glance. "You were dead long before that, Second Mizukage."
"Ah... which time are you talking about?"
Gengetsu frowned, scratching his head.
Then he pointed at Mū, a bit annoyed.
"No! Didn't you die with me that time?!"
"That's not right—I killed you!"
Mū blinked, then paused. "Is that... true?"
"...Let's save the bickering for later," Gengetsu said with a sigh.
Mū nodded. "More importantly, the chakra here… it's overwhelming."
He turned and looked ahead, narrowing his eyes.
"It's just a few kilometers out. A massive chakra source—immense, focused... familiar."
He shifted his gaze to the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
"There's a chakra signature here... it's incredibly familiar."
Rasa's brow furrowed. He already knew who it was — this wasn't his sensory perception talking.
It was a father's instinct.
He looked in the direction of the overwhelming chakra.
"Isn't this Konoha?" Hōzuki Gengetsu scratched his head, puzzled.
"If memory serves... you're..."
The Third Raikage turned his sharp gaze toward Rasa.
Rasa nodded slightly. "Yes. I am the Fourth Kazekage."
"The Fourth?" Gengetsu blinked. "That means the Sand Village lasted at least until four generations?"
He looked around exaggeratedly. "Wait, don't tell me there's a Fifth Kazekage now?"
"Time travel's messing with my head!"
Mū sighed and crossed his arms. "We're not in the future. We're dead. Try not to interrupt or I'll kill you."
"Oh please, I was dead long before you got the chance!" Gengetsu shot back.
"And I killed you, don't forget it!"
The Third Raikage stood silently for a moment, then shifted his attention to the landscape. "This technique... the Impure World Reincarnation. Our bodies aren't fully under our control."
Gengetsu nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, just now, I tried to punch this guy — but my body wouldn't let me."
Mū narrowed his eyes. "We've been here a while, and still no one's found us..."
"Not quite." Rasa's tone grew serious. His gaze locked on a nearby rooftop — where a faint shimmer appeared.
An eye opened. Watching.
"...Gaara?"
Back in the Kazekage's office, Gaara stood abruptly, one hand covering his left eye.
He had just dispelled a Sand Eye clone.
"The Raikage. The Tsuchikage. The Mizukage... and the Fourth Kazekage."
He closed his eye, breathing slowly.
"They're standing at the old gates of Konoha."
Silence.
Shock.
"A Fourth Kazekage?"
"Dad?!"
"Second generation Kage?!"
Crack—! The window shattered as Ay, the Fourth Raikage, burst through, unable to sit still.
Killer Bee followed right behind him, rapping as he went.
The rest of the Five Kage stood up in unison — solemn and focused.
Hashirama and Tobirama Senju exchanged glances.
"Orochimaru, continue the meeting without us," Tobirama said coolly. Then, with a flicker, he and Hashirama vanished.
Back at the gates of Konoha.
"You are... the Second Tsuchikage, Mū?" One of the Konoha elders, Koharu, squinted forward.
"And that means—"
"Enough talking," Rasa cut her off.
He formed a rapid set of hand seals and slammed his palms into the earth.
Boom—!
Golden sand surged from the ground, erupting in a massive, blinding storm.
The air shimmered. Under the sunlight, the particles danced like molten gold.
Civilians and shinobi alike stared in awe and confusion.
"This... this isn't Konoha anymore!"
"What's going on?!"
The jutsu had been cast. There was no calling it back.
"Ohhh~! What a dazzling storm!"
Gengetsu raised his head, eyes gleaming as golden light bathed the area.
Deep inside Naruto's mindscape.
Kurama had his eyes shut, thinking... calculating.
Then suddenly, his ears perked up.
He sat upright and grabbed Naruto.
"I WANT IT."
Naruto blinked. "...Want what?!"
Just as Kushina was about to yell, Kurama blurted, "Gold Dust! Lots and lots of Gold Dust!!"
"That's enough to make hundreds of betrothal gifts!"
Kushina froze. "Huh?"
Naruto gawked. "Betrothal gifts?!"
Kurama: "WALK!"
Kushina: "WALK!"
Whoosh—!
When everyone arrived, they saw the Four Reanimated Kage standing in formation, slowly approaching the gates of Konoha.
Boom—Boom!
Gaara was the first to make a move.
A colossal sandstorm howled into existence, sweeping across the sky like a desert tempest.
"This chakra... Shukaku? The power of the One-Tail!"
Rasa's eyes widened in disbelief.
"The opening move is... Desert Suspension?"
He immediately formed a string of hand seals. Chakra surged, and with a thunderous slap to the ground, shimmering Gold Dust erupted from beneath him.
Far away, Kurama strolled past with Kushina and the others in tow. His eyes lit up gold as he caught sight of the airborne glitter.
"Forget this place for now. Prioritize collecting all the gold dust flooding Old Konoha!"
"Eh? Lady Tsunade? What are you doing here too?!"
Back on the battlefield, the Third Raikage raised his hand, watching the skies filled with swirling gold.
"So... you use Magnetic Release to control gold dust."
Boom—Boom!
The sandstorm collided with the gold dust in a roaring clash.
Both forces stalled midair—neutralized.
"Gold is heavier than sand," Rasa explained coolly. "Mixing gold into the sand slows its momentum. That's how we restrained Shukaku when he went berserk back in the day."
But before he could speak further, he sensed a presence above.
His eyes snapped upward.
"…That's not Shukaku."
Hovering above was Gaara, his expression unreadable.
With a casual sweep of his hand, massive arms of sand erupted from the ground, instantly capturing the Raikage, Mizukage, and Kazekage — all except Mū.
Keeping his distance, Mū slowly looked up.
"…Ōnoki?"
Fwoosh—!
A glowing white sphere formed in Ōnoki's palm — Dust Release.
"You've lived a long life, Ōnoki," Mū said calmly.
Ōnoki smirked. "Thanks to your teachings… and a little Dust Release."
Snap—!
He clapped his hands, forming a Light-Weighted Boulder Jutsu to hover in mid-air.
Then, in perfect sync, the master and student struck.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
Twin white beams of disintegration surged forward.
Elsewhere, the Third Raikage flared with electricity, activating his Lightning Chakra Mode in an instant.
Bang!
His fist collided with his son's — Fourth Raikage A.
"Dad!"
Their auras clashed briefly, then receded.
Meanwhile, another voice cut through the tension.
"Huh? The current Mizukage is... a little girl?"
Mei Terumi's eyes twitched, but her mood shifted when she saw who had spoken.
"…As expected of the Nidaime Mizukage."
With a playful smile, she raised a hand and tapped her lips lightly.
A dangerous gleam sparkled in her eyes.
...
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