Hiruzen Sarutobi completely distanced himself and Konoha from the incident, feigning ignorance as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
In terms of acting skills alone, even Minato Namikaze and Aoba Yamashiro would have been ashamed of their inferiority.
He even brought up the issue of Madara Uchiha having possible descendants. Was he truly not afraid that invoking Madara's name might provoke unrest or suspicion?
Whether Madara Uchiha would ever come to protest was uncertain, but the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had already gone red with anger at Hiruzen's subtle deflection.
"Enough with these hollow excuses. If you claim this matter has nothing to do with you, then explain your late arrival," Ōnoki demanded.
Hiruzen simply cast him a glance, one brimming with both condescension and calculation.
"This old man is the Third Hokage of Konohagakure. I cannot afford to move recklessly. As for Minato and Aoba, they were assigned to protect me in case of danger."
"Is that explanation satisfactory, Third Tsuchikage?"
Ōnoki was left speechless, and yet Hiruzen continued with firm composure.
"Now that this petty farce is concluded, shall we return to more urgent matters? The Third Mizukage remains unconscious. Shouldn't we assign a medical-nin to his care first?"
Hiruzen's steady, biting tone silenced Ōnoki. He wasn't just losing the argument—he was being outmaneuvered politically.
What irritated Ōnoki most was Hiruzen's thinly veiled superiority. What bodyguards? Was he flaunting the fact that Konoha had enough elite shinobi to assign two high-level guards to their leader?
Ōnoki left in a foul mood, followed closely by the Fourth Raikage, A. Though he hadn't been directly involved in the argument, even A bore the sting of Hiruzen's presence.
Among the Five Kage, only Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed capable of speaking with such authority. After all, he was the only Kage who had rarely needed to step directly onto the battlefield during the previous Great Ninja Wars—Konoha's strength allowed it.
Outwardly, the others might scoff at him. Inwardly, they envied and resented the overwhelming stability and power of Konoha.
Back in his quarters, Hiruzen turned to Minato.
"Minato, where is Fugaku now?"
"He's already returned to the village, Lord Hokage. He mentioned earlier that the genjutsu affecting the Mizukage has been dispelled. Would you like me to summon him?"
"No need. Let him rest. He's done enough today," Hiruzen said softly, though a trace of concern flickered in his eyes.
But his worry wasn't about Fugaku's fatigue.
Tonight would be sleepless—for many. The incident involving the Mizukage was only the surface of deeper issues. Fugaku Uchiha awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan had been a revelation that Hiruzen hadn't anticipated.
When had Fugaku gained such power? Why had he kept it hidden from the village? How many within the Uchiha clan knew about it? Would this embolden them to pursue political power again?
Worst of all—was there a connection to Madara Uchiha?
Hiruzen sat at his window, his pipe glowing with embers that mirrored the unrest in his thoughts.
At the same time, Fugaku sat quietly at home, similarly unable to sleep. Revealing the Mangekyō Sharingan to the Hokage had been a calculated risk. Would Hiruzen trust him—or suspect him? Would he link this to the clan's old ties to Madara?
Both men had fallen into a cycle of mutual suspicion. Only one individual, the ANBU observer Aoba Yamashiro, who knew both men well, understood that this stalemate might be the best-case scenario.
The next morning, a samurai from the Land of Iron brought news: the Third Mizukage had regained consciousness. Though mentally strained, he was physically stable.
And so, the Five Kage Summit resumed.
Ōnoki again proposed a joint military coalition of the Five Great Nations to eliminate the rogue group known as Smog.
But unlike yesterday, this time only Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage supported the idea. Surprisingly, the Third Mizukage, who had stood with them previously, now aligned with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Third Mizukage, what is the meaning of this?" Ōnoki narrowed his eyes sharply.
The Mizukage responded with a cold stare. "It means I am acting in the best interest of Kirigakure. And you, Third Tsuchikage, have no place instructing me in how to lead my village."
"That's not what I meant. But we had agreed—"
Ōnoki's protest was cut off.
"That was yesterday. Today, I've reconsidered."
With that, the Mizukage closed his eyes, unwilling to discuss the matter further.
Furious, Ōnoki turned his gaze on Hiruzen. Had this crafty Hokage manipulated the Mizukage? Had last night's assassination attempt been part of Hiruzen's ploy? But there was no evidence—no proof. And that was the most frustrating part.
The proposal to unite the Five Great Nations against Smog failed in a 2–3 vote.
Despite their frustration, Ōnoki and A were forced to accept the outcome.
With the first major agenda item of the summit resolved without success, attention turned to the second issue: the formal signing of a non-aggression pact among the five nations.
On this, all five Kage agreed without dispute.
Sunagakure and Iwagakure, having suffered heavy casualties in the wars, could no longer afford extended conflict. Peace was no longer just an ideal—it was a necessity.
Kumogakure had also suffered heavy losses during the Third Great Ninja War.
As for Kirigakure in the Land of Water—although its casualties were not as catastrophic as Kumogakure's—the Third Mizukage, who had only recently broken free from Madara Uchiha's Genjutsu, needed time to stabilize the unrest within the village.
The Third Mizukage, already aging and weary, felt that his remaining years were few. He intended to leave a lasting legacy for Kirigakure while he still could.
Then there was Konohagakure, the most prosperous of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. The Land of Fire boasted favorable geography, and Konoha stood as the strongest of the five major villages. As long as it continued its steady growth, its dominant position would remain unchallenged.
Hence, no village desired peace more than Konoha.
Thus, a formal peace treaty was signed. Barring any unforeseen developments, the shinobi world was poised to enter a brief era of peace.
Of course, minor conflicts would be inevitable, but large-scale wars with devastating casualties were no longer expected.
As for how long this fragile peace would last? That depended on how swiftly the five villages could recover—or on when the elusive Madara Uchiha would stir the world once more.
Kawaki Aoba had excluded himself from the signing ceremony. Though his involvement in the war had drawn both trouble and resentment, his intentions were righteous—and in the end, his efforts helped bring the conflict to a close far earlier than in the original timeline.
Just as the Five Kage were about to sign the final agreement, Namikaze Minato's expression suddenly changed.
Kawaki Aoba, sharp-eyed and alert, immediately noticed. He frowned. What happened to Minato? He activated his Kenbunshoku Haki, but sensed nothing amiss within Minato's body.
It was clearly not the time to speak out.
Once the treaty was signed and the Kage each took a copy, they dispersed.
As soon as they were away from others, Minato turned urgently to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Forgive me, Lord Third. I need to leave immediately. One of my Flying Thunder God Kunai has been triggered—my students may be in danger."
Sarutobi didn't hesitate. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Minato without question.
Minato vanished in an instant, teleporting away with the Flying Thunder God Technique. Kawaki Aoba, watching this unfold, had already begun piecing it together.
Kakashi and the others are in danger… Could it be Madara? Is this his attempt to push Obito into awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan?
Aoba had considered keeping Obito under watch to prevent such a scenario, but you can't guard against every possibility. And given the disparity in strength between him and Madara, direct confrontation wouldn't solve anything.
He decided it was better to let the events play out—for now. He was confident in his ability to handle things if they escalated.
Worst case scenario, Obito turns evil, Aoba thought. But even that's not beyond fixing.
Meanwhile, Minato had already arrived at his marked location.
The scene was grim—bodies littered the ground, a battlefield soaked in blood. Among the corpses were not just shinobi but civilian merchants as well.
Kakashi was engaged in combat against two rogue ninja of Jōnin-level strength. He was clearly wounded and struggling, and neither Rin nor Obito were visible—though, thankfully, no sign of their corpses either.
Minato didn't hesitate. He threw two marked kunai at the enemy, then instantly teleported. Two Rasengans landed with pinpoint precision, instantly neutralizing the threat.
"Kakashi-sensei! Obito and Rin are escorting the mission client in that direction! But they're being pursued by bounty hunters!" Kakashi shouted before Minato could speak.
Minato nodded and vanished again, heading toward the direction Kakashi had indicated. Kakashi, after hastily patching his wounds, followed.
After a long search, the two found only the severed head of the merchant they were escorting. There was no sign of Rin or Obito.
"Minato-sensei…" Kakashi's voice trembled as he held out something.
It was Obito's pair of goggles—broken and bloodstained.
Minato's heart sank.
They examined the surrounding area and followed faint traces of a scuffle. Eventually, they reached a clearing where they found a large pool of blood and a severed arm clad in Konoha attire.
Kakashi froze, then rushed forward and picked it up.
"These are Obito's clothes. There's no mistaking it…"
The bleeding was extensive—if all that blood belonged to Obito, survival was near impossible.
Minato, now as much a desperate teacher as a shinobi, could only hope that at least one of his students still lived.
They searched desperately, combing the forest, but the trail ended abruptly.
"The trail stops here. It's like they vanished into thin air," Minato murmured.
Kakashi stood silently beside him, trembling.
Why? he asked himself. Why did a simple mission turn into this nightmare?
They searched again—carefully, thoroughly—but the battlefield offered no more clues. No tracks. No chakra signatures. Just silence.
Eventually, even Minato had to accept it.
Other than the blood, the goggles, and the arm—there was nothing left.
"No… Obito… Rin… you'll be okay… right, Minato-sensei?" Kakashi's voice cracked. The fear and confusion were overwhelming him.
Minato said nothing.
But in his heart, dread was growing.
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