Another pillar of light descended from the heavens.
Kakashi Hatake stood before the man, his expression a complex tapestry of emotions.
"In the end, seeing that you're doing well and have even started a family of your own... as a father, I can finally rest satisfied."
Enveloped in the pillar of light, Sakumo Hatake's soul gazed at his son with a look of profound relief. His spirit began to gradually disentangle itself from the Vessel of the Reanimation Jutsu.
"Compared to you, Kakashi, it seems I wasn't exactly the most qualified father."
"Regardless, I hope you can take my share of responsibility and live a long, full life."
As he spoke, a trace of regret flickered across Sakumo's face.
"Really, now... here we are at the final goodbye, and I'm still saying such irresponsible things, pushing my burdens onto others..."
"I truly am a failure of a man..."
With those final words, Sakumo's body turned translucent and drifted toward the sky, vanishing completely.
Kakashi remained where he stood, staring up at the empty sky for a long time. Finally, he reached out into the air, his fingers grasping at the void.
"In any case... leave everything to me."
The Land of RainAmegakure
The drizzling rain never ceased.
In a city forged entirely of steel, a figure draped in a black raincoat walked briskly toward the high tower at the center of the metallic metropolis. Dull footsteps echoed through the empty, long corridors, leaving a trail of wet footprints on the floor.
The man walked toward his destination. He was there to see one person—a man who considered himself a god.
As the heavy steel doors slowly creaked open, the room's interior was reflected in his crimson eyes. This included the man he sought.
The man seemed to always be there. He sat upon the tongue of the Great Flame King statue overlooking the village, his strange, purple eyes silently watching the steel-clad hamlet. The eternal rain seemed to deliberately avoid him; despite being outdoors, the downpour failed to dampen his black cloak adorned with red clouds.
"Pain," Obito Uchiha spoke.
"What is it?" the man outside asked calmly.
"The Land of Fire is about to make its move. What are your plans?"
Konohagakure's recent actions were too massive to ignore. The news that both the Kazekage and Raikage had fallen was impossible to suppress, and White Zetsu had already gathered intelligence for Obito. Given Kakashi's current style of leadership, there was no way he would simply swallow his pride and stay quiet.
"Plans?" Pain turned slightly, revealing his mysterious, ripple-patterned Rinnegan. "It is merely a Hokage whose heart is filled with ambition, seeking a way to display his power. Does such a thing warrant this much concern from you?"
"The current Leaf Village—and its Hokage, as well as the shinobi under his command—are not the same as the Leaf of the past," Obito replied evenly, meeting Pain's gaze. "According to the intel Zetsu gathered, the Kazekage and Raikage were both defeated and captured in one-on-one combat. And the one who did it wasn't the Fifth Hokage himself."
This was the true reason for Obito's visit. It would have been one thing if Kakashi had personally taken down the Kazekage and Raikage. But the problem was that, facing two of the Five Kage—reputedly the five strongest people in the shinobi world—the Hokage hadn't even needed to lift a finger. Two subordinates alone had completed a battle that would shake the entire ninja world to its core.
Might Guy.
Shizune.
Obito knew these two. They were old acquaintances, classmates from his youth. He could understand Might Guy; after all, as the man who controlled the Hidden Mist, Obito knew all too well how Might Duy had once turned the Seven Ninja Swordsmen into the "Three Lucky Survivors."
But Shizune? What kind of joke was that? A medical ninja who followed Tsunade around had taken down the Kazekage? Even if Rasa was the weakest among the five Kage, he was still a Kage. To be neutralized by a mere medical ninja...
Obito felt it was necessary to treat the current Leaf Village with extreme caution.
"Interesting."
Pain's response was short—just a single word. This caused the crimson eye behind Obito's mask to narrow slightly.
"Our current numbers are too few. We aren't strong enough to oppose the Leaf directly," Obito stated his purpose. "Therefore, we need allies."
"Oh?" Pain looked back out at the rainy landscape, a hint of undetectable sarcasm in his voice. "Does the legendary Madara Uchiha actually need allies?"
"No one can stay strong forever, not even me," Obito replied, ignoring the jab.
"Tell me about these allies," Pain conceded, not dwelling on the point.
"The Leaf's attitude is clear. Based on my contact with that Hokage a few years ago, I have a rough understanding of his personality," Obito said slowly. "He is firm and brook no dissent. With a personality like that, he won't let this slide, even if the Sand and Cloud Kages were the ones who fell in his village. Furthermore, Onoki of the Hidden Stone has already contacted the Mist. He wants them to mobilize immediately when the Leaf moves against the Sand and Cloud. Clearly, that old fox of a Tsuchikage has realized the danger."
The moment Obito, as the shadow ruler of the Hidden Mist, received the Tsuchikage's message, he had rushed to the Land of Rain. He felt the danger. A brief clash with Kakashi six years ago had planted a sense of crisis in his heart, leading him to constantly seek ways to become stronger. Now, the Kazekage's failed gamble had given the Leaf an excuse for war, and that sense of crisis had returned.
He felt he had to do something.
Pain remained silent, staring into the curtain of rain.
"Even though the Leaf hasn't moved yet, I believe that when they do respond, it will be with a maneuver that instantly changes the current landscape of the shinobi world. Even if it means..." Obito's eye flickered with a trace of apprehension. "...starting the Fourth Shinobi World War."
"You believe the Leaf will start a war?" Pain finally responded.
"Exactly. With such a god-given opportunity, if I were the Hokage, I would strike without hesitation to crush the other villages."
Pain glanced sideways at Obito's definitive statement. "I understand. When the critical moment comes, the Akatsuki will lend you its strength."
Pain knew Obito controlled the Hidden Mist, but he didn't care. To him, a single village was nothing before the power of his eyes.
"Then I look forward to your intervention."
Obito's voice faded away. Before long, he had vanished from the room. He needed to return to the Hidden Mist to keep an eye on the Leaf and prepare to respond to Onoki's moves. Although he loathed the Hidden Mist, he didn't mind playing the role of a true Mizukage if it meant he could put those "trash" to good use.
Shortly after Obito left, a slender figure appeared in the room.
"Is he gone?"
A woman with blue hair and a paper flower in her hair spoke. She was cold and beautiful.
"Yes," Pain nodded.
"What do you think? I don't like that man, but regarding this matter, I think he's right."
Pain's demeanor softened significantly when facing this woman—it was, in fact, almost tender. "On that point, I agree with you. If the four villages cannot withstand the Leaf's blade, I will step in."
Pain spoke calmly, as if stating a simple fact. It was as if his mere presence on the board would tilt the scales of victory in his favor. Konan looked at his silhouette, a faint glimmer of worry passing through her eyes. For some reason, she felt Pain might be being a bit too conceited.
But the thought vanished as quickly as it came. Pain was invincible. After all, a god does not lose.
"Pain is too arrogant. If the Leaf specifically targets him in battle, he will surely lose."
As Obito traveled toward the Hidden Mist, a voice emanated from his body. Black matter surged within his wide sleeve, and a pair of round eyes appeared within the darkness.
"Even you think so?" Obito didn't question Black Zetsu's words directly but asked for his reasoning.
"Based on the current intelligence... in this Chunin Exam, aside from the existing top-tier combatants like Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi himself, three more masters have been added: Might Guy, Hayama Shirakumo, and Shizune."
"Might Guy is the Jonin Commander, Shizune is the Head of the Medical Department, and Hayama Shirakumo is part of the Hokage's Guard."
"But there is one more person in that Guard," Black Zetsu's voice whispered from the sleeve, causing Obito's brow to furrow.
"Are you saying Itachi Uchiha also possesses combat power on their level?"
Itachi Uchiha. A person Obito had once tried to recruit under the name of Madara, only for the plan to fall through due to Kakashi's interference. Obito didn't deny Zetsu's assessment; he simply fell silent. If Itachi weren't strong, he wouldn't have bothered with him in the first place.
But counting Itachi, the current Leaf Village possessed at least seven top-tier masters. And that was only based on the intelligence exposed during the Chunin Exams. Who knew how many more hidden experts they had?
"We must prepare for the worst," Black Zetsu spoke again. "Seven is just the public strength. We should prepare to face ten masters from the Leaf."
Ten.
Obito was internally shaken. The Akatsuki hadn't even finished gathering ten members yet. How could they face ten of the Leaf's elite?
In truth, there was one more thing Black Zetsu hadn't mentioned. He recognized the current Hokage's wives. Specifically, the "Mangekyō brat" who, five hundred years ago at the age of twelve, had turned the Warring States period upside down, forcing the Senju, Uzumaki, and Sarutobi clans to join forces just to seal her away.
But Black Zetsu kept this information from Obito. While pressure can be a motivator, too much of it can strip a person of the will to resist. Facing a Leaf Village led by Obito's former best friend—the man he once trusted with his life—the pressure was already high enough. Adding more might cause an unpredictable collapse.
Though Black Zetsu himself lacked the confidence to win a direct confrontation against a Leaf Village of this caliber, he had no choice. He had finally managed to bring the Rinnegan back into the world; if he gave up now, when would his mother ever be unsealed? No matter the obstacles ahead, he would not give up.
The Leaf's efficiency was staggering. While the high-ranking officials of the Sand and Cloud were racking their brains for a response, an official proclamation had already been issued by Konoha.
December 9th, Year 60 of the Leaf
Konohagakure has always treated others with a heart of peace, yet in return, we receive only war, bloodshed, sacrifice, and death.
It has been less than ten years since the last war ended, yet our allies, the Sand and the Cloud, could no longer restrain their desires and have struck once again.
As one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, if the Leaf does not strike back against such an insult, would we not be a laughingstock?
The Sand has betrayed the alliance; the Cloud has violated their treaty.
Since you have chosen to be enemies of the Leaf, prepare to pay the price.
Effective immediately, the Land of Fire enters a state of war.
The Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud are enemies of the Leaf. Anyone who assists the Land of Wind or the Land of Lightning will be regarded as an enemy of the Leaf.
They shall be rooted out and utterly destroyed!
The proclamation was mostly calm, merely stating the facts of the Chunin Exam incident and the Leaf's subsequent actions. But those last few words sent a chill through the hearts of all who read them.
Only then did people remember that the Hidden Leaf was the strongest of the Five Great Villages. In every previous Shinobi World War, they had faced three or even more enemies at once. Now, the Leaf was choosing to proactively show its fangs to the world.
This left Chiyo of the Sand and Tutai of the Cloud sitting on pins and needles.
"Order the troops! Immediately dispatch soldiers to take the Land of Rivers!"
"At the same time, send someone to contact Hanzo of the Salamander at once!"
In the Kazekage's office in the Land of Wind, the white-haired Chiyo looked at the proclamation and immediately issued her orders. The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire did not share a border; between them lay the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers. Both were small nations acting as buffers, and in every war, they became the battlefields.
However, the Land of Rain was different. It possessed its own shinobi force and was led by Hanzo, the man known as the "Demi-god." Compared to the insignificant Land of Rivers, the Land of Rain was a power second only to the Five Great Nations.
"Should we contact the Land of Earth?" Ebizo asked, watching his sister.
"No need. That old fossil Onoki will start a war against the Leaf on his own initiative."
Just as Onoki had predicted Kakashi's moves, Chiyo could guess Onoki's. It was a tacit understanding between clever veterans. They didn't need to communicate to coordinate their actions.
"Compared to the Stone, we should contact the Hidden Mist for a joint operation."
"Though, I suspect someone has likely already contacted them."
Looking at her brother, a cold light flashed in Chiyo's eyes.
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