A dim, murky hue shrouded the entirety of the City of Peace. The streets were spotless—no trace of battle remained. Every scar of conflict had been meticulously erased, restoring the scene as if it had always been this tranquil and untouched.
Two tall trees stood at the entrance gate. From their branches hung numerous corpses, shriveled and rotten, exuding a putrid stench. And yet, in those hollow sockets, the eyeballs spun slowly, cold and lifeless, staring in every direction.
Ichiraku Ramen was still open for business. However, its usual decor had changed. The signboard and walls were now dotted with splatters of reddish-brown stains, giving the shop an eerie, unsettling vibe.
With no customers around, Teuchi lay slumped over the counter, snoring soundly. Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth and landed on the countertop, instantly sizzling into a small hole. Moments later, a squirming layer of mycelium surfaced from within and neatly filled the pit, restoring the table to its original state.
...
Meanwhile, at the Fire Daimyō's residence, the man cloaked in a black ceremonial robe sat with his head bowed, drafting a document.
It was a list—names and files of traitorous ninja from the Land of Fire. This dossier would be delivered to both the great and minor nations. At the bottom, a stern warning had been added:
"Any force that dares to harbor traitors from the Land of Fire will be regarded as hostile and shall face retribution from our nation."
After finalizing the document, the daimyō swiftly signed his name, stamped it, and issued the proclamation. It was all about legitimacy and righteous authority.
...
And the fugitives? What were they doing now?
They had arrived at a desolate ruin. All around them were the collapsed remains of buildings, charred and blackened from explosions. Severed limbs were scattered across the ground—there was not a single living soul to be found.
Only corpses.
The warm, humid air reeked of decay. Carnivorous scavengers crept through the ruins, picking at the dismembered bodies, now pitted and crawling with worms. Some had already been stripped down to bloodstained skeletons.
"Taki... Taki's been wiped out?"
There were about a dozen of them, all survivors who had escaped from the City of Peace. With no one pursuing them, they'd regrouped midway and fled together to the Land of Waterfalls.
The Land of Waterfalls bordered the Land of Fire. Takigakure had always been a secluded and neutral village. Though its rogue shinobi Kakuzu had once attempted to assassinate the First Hokage, that was ancient history—something barely remembered by anyone not directly involved.
The Konoha ninja who had made it out of the City of Peace were either incredibly lucky or ruthlessly selfish—and all of them were formidable in their own right. They had planned to use Takigakure as a refuge. If possible, they even considered seizing control of it.
But the scene before them shattered that fantasy. After much difficulty, they had found the underwater tunnel into the village... only to be greeted by crumbling walls and scorched ruins.
"Who did this?" someone muttered, baffled. "Why destroy Takigakure? What could it possibly have had that was worth erasing?"
Could it have been the Seven-Tails?
"What do we do now?" another asked. "Is there even a place left in the shinobi world where we can stand?"
Konoha was gone. Gaara of Sunagakure was clearly working with Sasuke. The other three great nations surely wouldn't look kindly on Konoha survivors, and the smaller villages didn't seem safe either...
"So much disaster..." someone sighed, crouching beside a relatively intact corpse. The withered, decayed hand of the body was clenched tightly around a scrap of black fabric marked with a crimson cloud.
"That's Takigakure's village head... Shibuki. The cloth in his hand... it looks like the Akatsuki's uniform."
A quiet stir ran through the group. They'd long heard rumors that the Akatsuki had taken in many S-rank rogue ninja. Now that they'd glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, the danger felt all too real.
Their leader clenched his jaw, then turned to look at his companions. Fatigue and dread were etched into each pale, worn face. He asked them for their thoughts.
Some suggested they should alert Kumogakure and Iwagakure, enlist their help to eliminate Sasuke and Neji. Those two possessed powers far too strange—this could well be a calamity for the entire shinobi world.
Others wanted to simply find a quiet corner to hide in. Let someone else bear the weight of the world.
A few talked about looking for Tsunade, some hoped to take refuge in a lesser village, while others simply went with the flow, offering no opinions at all...
Ninja were used to working in teams—tight-knit squads. But now, with no clear path ahead, the group split. No one knew which direction was the right one anymore.
...
Soon after, news of the "traitor ninja" from the Land of Fire spread like wildfire. Curiously, Iwagakure began openly recruiting Konoha's remnants, positioning itself in direct opposition to the Fire Nation.
Tensions rose. The scent of gunpowder filled the air.
At the same time, Orochimaru—having gathered intelligence from multiple sources—decided to accelerate his plan to consume Asura's power.
But what he didn't expect... was to provoke the wrath of the Sage of Six Paths.
The aftermath was catastrophic.
And afterward, the Sage encountered a fake Black Zetsu. The shadowy mastermind pulling strings from the darkness... was beginning to reveal itself.
...
The Akatsuki convened once again.
One by one, figures in black cloaks with red clouds took their seats.
Tendo Pain was the first to speak, announcing a minor update: the organization had recruited a new member—Yakushi Kabuto.
Kabuto had inherited Orochimaru's legacy and had mastered the Edo Tensei technique. In search of protection, and with the Akatsuki in dire need of fresh talent, the arrangement suited both sides perfectly.
Next, Pain spoke of more pressing matters: conflict between the Lands of Fire and Earth was escalating rapidly. The Lands of Lightning and Water were subtly leaning toward the Earth side, while the Land of Wind had committed firmly to supporting Fire.
Across the nations, displaced civilians were being rallied by unknown parties, forming militias, sharpening their blades.
"Everyone," Pain said coldly, "if this war breaks out... it won't be the Fourth Great Ninja War."
He paused.
"It will be... the First World War."
The room fell silent.
From underground, a strange Venus flytrap-like figure emerged slowly. It was Zetsu, who produced a set of photographs and passed them around.
"These were taken at great risk, inside the Lands of Fire and Earth," he said.
As they studied the images, the assembled members exchanged glances—tense, grim, shocked.
Each of them was a powerful rogue ninja in their own right. Their instincts told them immediately—what they were seeing was bizarre... and terrifying.
Yakushi Kabuto adjusted his glasses.
"I have even worse news to share."
All eyes turned to him. "Orochimaru once secretly observed Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Neji," he said. "Their bizarre abilities show no chakra fluctuations. They're a completely new power, outside the ninja system."
"It might come from beyond the stars or another realm. In short, we may be facing an unknown invader…"
His words hung in the air, followed by an awkward silence.
The Akatsuki members exchanged looks. They weren't scholars or scientists. They didn't grasp why Kabuto was so worried.
A power outside the ninja system? So what?
There was senjutsu in the distant past, and more recently, Hidan's blood-based rituals—both unrelated to ninjutsu.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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