In Konoha, Nara Shikakaku hurried into the Hokage's office.
The moment he saw the Third Hokage, he felt a pang of sympathy.
He had visibly aged years in just days.
And Shikakaku understood why.
Shinnosuke had been far from his peak. Give him another three to five years, and he would have become one of Konoha's true pillars.
But Konoha had been struck by blow after blow.
So before he was ready, Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been forced onto the front lines.
And then that gifted son had died in the Land of Hot Water.
For powerful men, the question of succession had always been a cruel burden.
Even the First and Second Hokage had failed to produce heirs worthy of standing beside them.
If Tsunade had not emerged, the Senju clan would have passed through two full generations without producing a single shinobi who could truly reach Kage level.
That was also why every village placed such extreme importance on Tailed Beasts.
The birth of a Kage-level shinobi was never guaranteed.
But whoever possessed a Tailed Beast had a Kage-level weapon on hand at all times.
The future of the Sarutobi clan had been shattered by the joint assault of the Cloud and Stone.
Shikakaku knew the Third Hokage was drowning in grief.
But duty was duty.
"Hokage-sama, the messenger has already gone to the Fire Country border. Sarutobi Yamatori and Nara Kyoichi have been ordered to establish a defensive line there.
"But… the front has seen a new development."
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly raised his head, his gaze lifting from the intelligence scroll lying open inside his desk drawer.
That scroll contained the report of Shinnosuke's death.
Hiruzen's eyes turned cold.
"What? Have the Cloud and Stone joined forces and broken through the Fire Country border?"
Not once had a Great Ninja War been started by Konoha.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen would not hesitate to be the one to ignite the Third Great Ninja War if that was what it came to.
"No," Shikakaku said.
"It's not that the Cloud and Stone broke through the border fortresses.
"According to our intelligence, the Stone ninja have already withdrawn from the Land of Hot Water and returned to the Land of Earth.
"Also… Fox successfully assassinated Jie, the head monk of the Fire Temple. Jie died suddenly.
"After that, Fox returned to the front lines, rallied Konoha's routed forces, and clashed head-on with the Two-Tails."
Shikakaku lowered his eyes and glanced at the report scroll sent back by Kyoichi before continuing.
"Fox… killed the Two-Tails."
His tone shifted, even now still faintly disbelieving.
"Not merely defeated the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki. He used one of the First Hokage's secret techniques… Top Transformed Buddha… and annihilated the Two-Tails head-on.
"Kumogakure paid dearly for this. For the next several years, they won't be able to make use of the Two-Tails' power.
"Fox says he intends to avenge Advisor Shinnosuke. He's currently pursuing the remnants of the Cloud forces."
Sarutobi Hiruzen froze.
The moment he heard the name Top Transformed Buddha again, his expression turned dazed.
After a moment, he asked, "Top Transformed Buddha? Does it have something to do with the Fire Temple?"
Shikakaku nodded.
"It's a new secret technique Fox has mastered. He didn't explain its source in the report.
"But just as the First Hokage once experienced a sudden leap in strength after attaining enlightenment at the Fire Temple… Fox has clearly obtained something extraordinary there as well."
Hiruzen lowered his head again.
"If Fox has already mastered Top Transformed Buddha… then everything in the Land of Hot Water is to be handled entirely at his discretion."
Shikakaku still wanted to discuss several things.
But seeing the Third Hokage sink once more into grief and silence, he knew Hiruzen had not yet recovered from the pain of losing his son.
There was nothing more to say.
So he quietly left the Hokage's office.
Totai fled in terror until he reached the outskirts of the Land of Hot Water's capital.
The Two-Tails had been beaten to death…
A Tailed Beast.
A walking natural disaster.
How could something like that be beaten to death?
Totai still remembered the days when he had only been a Tokubetsu jōnin. Because of his unusual abilities, the village had assigned him to help suppress the rampaging Two-Tails.
At the time, Ryuuren had not yet become a perfect Jinchūriki.
The berserk Two-Tails had blown apart mountains with ease.
Its Fire Release and Tailed Beast Bombs had driven everyone into despair.
If not for the Third Raikage holding it back head-on, the Cloud shinobi there would have been slaughtered within minutes.
For years afterward, the Two-Tails' roar had haunted Totai's nightmares.
And now, the Two-Tails was dead.
Who knew where it would revive a few years from now?
The capital of the Land of Hot Water had been built against the foot of a mountain. Three sides were enclosed by walls, while the fourth backed directly into the mountain itself.
Hot springs flowing from within the mountain had turned the city into one of the most famous hot spring resorts in the land.
When the samurai on the wall saw the Cloud headbands, they did not dare stop them.
The banners over the capital had changed hands again and again.
A week ago, Konoha shinobi had served as the guardian force.
Then Konoha had been driven out.
Now it was the Cloud's turn.
Totai rushed toward the Tenshu Castle where the daimyō resided and found Gomoi seated leisurely in the grand hall, chatting with the daimyō as though nothing were wrong.
The moment Gomoi saw Totai's battered, miserable state, he sensed that something had gone terribly wrong.
"Your Lordship, I need to attend to some matters concerning Kumogakure."
The daimyō stiffened slightly.
The knife in his hand slipped while he was cutting meat and nicked his finger.
The cut healed with eerie speed.
The daimyō quickly tucked his hand back into his sleeve and said, "Of course. Please, go ahead, Advisor Gomoi."
He watched Gomoi leave, but the two Rain ninja standing behind him remained fixed on him like hounds.
A trace of irritation rose in his heart.
With his back turned to the two Cloud shinobi, the daimyō's eyes suddenly filled with blood, going crimson in an instant.
Then, after blinking several times, his gaze returned to normal.
He had only just gotten rid of Konoha's control.
And now he was under Kumogakure's thumb instead.
"The great Evil God…"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Please grant me strength… enough to kill every last shinobi…"
Outside the hall, Totai hurriedly said, "Advisor Gomoi! We have to leave! The Konoha shinobi are coming!"
"They're coming?" Gomoi frowned. "We only just secured the post of guardian force for the Land of Hot Water's daimyō. We're about to consolidate an enormous gain. How can we just leave?"
"Advisor… Ryuuren is dead!"
Gomoi's pupils contracted violently.
"Ryuuren? Dead?"
Totai spoke rapidly.
"When we killed Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Fox wasn't there.
"But now Fox is back. His Wood Release is on par with Senju Hashirama's. He used the legendary Top Transformed Buddha.
"That Wood Release technique beat Ryuuren and the Two-Tails to death.
"The Two-Tails' chakra collapsed and dispersed into the world.
"Maybe it'll revive someday, but for the next several years, we won't be able to rely on its power!"
Gomoi frowned and thought for only a few seconds before making his decision.
"Then we leave. We can't hold the Land of Hot Water's guardian post or its mission share."
He immediately gathered the hundred-plus Cloud shinobi stationed within the capital.
The twelve temporary guardian shinobi looked stunned, not understanding what Advisor Gomoi was doing.
He had only just appointed them as guardian shinobi.
By all logic, they should have remained at the daimyō's side at all times.
When Gomoi saw that only a little over twenty Cloud shinobi had returned with Totai, it felt as though his heart were bleeding.
The losses had been catastrophic.
Nearly four hundred Cloud shinobi dead.
And the Jinchūriki lost on top of that.
"Abandon the capital of the Land of Hot Water!" Gomoi barked. "Withdraw to the Land of the Moon!"
One of the guardian shinobi hesitated. "Advisor-sama… are we withdrawing too?"
"All of you withdraw. Fox of Konoha is here. If we stay, we die."
Then Gomoi pointed to two of the guardian shinobi.
"You two are familiar with the defenses of Tenshu Castle. Once the chaos begins, assassinate the daimyō of the Land of Hot Water.
"If we can't keep this country, then Konoha won't get to enjoy it either. Leave them a complete mess to clean up.
"And remember—do not expose yourselves as Cloud shinobi. If the assassination is openly tied to us, it will be difficult to explain to the daimyō of the Land of Lightning."
The two accepted the order and immediately departed.
At the same time, Nara Kyoichi led an elite squad on a forced march into the capital.
"Move!" he shouted. "Get to Tenshu Castle as fast as possible!"
If he were in the Cloud's position, he would absolutely destroy the Land of Hot Water before retreating, just to leave Konoha with a nightmare.
That was why he had suggested to Fox that they enter the capital one step ahead.
Gomoi led the Cloud shinobi toward the walls to evacuate the city.
But the moment they reached the battlements, they saw a lone figure standing outside the walls.
A single ANBU shinobi wearing a fox mask…
Gomoi's heart clenched.
He had not expected Fox's sensory abilities to be this sharp.
He had come at exactly the right moment to intercept them.
In a low voice, Gomoi said to Totai, "Scatter and break out. I'll hold Fox here."
Totai immediately replied, "Let me be the rear guard instead, Advisor-sama. I specialize in defense."
Gomoi shook his head.
"In the face of power capable of killing the Two-Tails, all defensive ninjutsu are meaningless.
"You're still young. You've only served as the Raikage's aide for a few years. Don't disobey me now."
Totai clenched his fists.
Then, after a moment, he slowly loosened them and began organizing the Cloud shinobi into breakout groups.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
The castle wall lit up with crackling lightning as a sharp lance of electricity tore through the air toward Fox below.
A massive wooden hand suddenly rose from the ground and intercepted the attack.
Lightning exploded across the wood with violent crackling bursts, casting harsh white light everywhere.
Gomoi immediately realized something grim.
His Lightning Release was completely ineffective against Fox's Wood Release.
This kind of defensive power…
No wonder it belonged to the same wooden construct that could stop a Tailed Beast Bomb with its bare hands.
At that moment, Gomoi understood.
He was prepared to stake everything on buying time for the others to escape.
But in the next instant, he saw a giant fifty meters tall burst from the earth.
A Wrathful King wooden giant with three heads and six arms.
It stood thirty meters taller than the city walls.
Everyone inside the capital saw the wooden giant beyond the walls.
And the entire city fell into panic and despair.
Only days earlier, the Cloud had defeated Konoha outside the city, and every Konoha shinobi in the capital had withdrawn.
Now Konoha had come back.
No one knew whether Konoha would blame the Land of Hot Water.
No one knew whether Konoha would retaliate against them.
Inside Tenshu Castle, the daimyō stood beneath the eaves of the grand hall, his expression dark as he stared at the enormous wooden giant beyond the city.
Wood Release.
The strongest secret art of Konoha.
The daimyō knew it was over.
But had any of this ever been something he could choose?
Could he have stopped the Cloud from defeating Konoha outside the city?
Could he have stopped Konoha's guardian shinobi from leaving?
Could he have prevented the Cloud from becoming his new guardians?
Could he stop those same Cloud guardians from abandoning him now?
He could do nothing.
All he could do was wait.
Wait for the judgment of shinobi.
The daimyō no longer looked at the giant in the distance.
The outcome of the battle on the walls no longer mattered.
No matter who won, the one who would suffer was him.
And the Land of Hot Water.
He turned and walked back into the grand hall.
A servant opened the door to a hidden chamber.
A staircase descended into darkness.
An endless darkness.
The daimyō walked down alone.
No one knew how long he descended before he finally reached the end.
Two dim candles illuminated a blood-soaked idol.
The bright red blood on its body gave off a heavy, metallic stench.
In the corners of the underground chamber sat cage after cage, each containing sacrificial offerings long since dead.
The daimyō suddenly dropped to his knees before the idol.
"O great Evil God… your servant has sinned. Your sacred blood has run dry!
"I will replenish it for you at once!"