After the war came the long, grueling task of rebuilding.
The battle between Senju Haruto and Hashirama, both masters of Wood Release and its overwhelming bloodline powers, had reduced Konoha's once-bustling districts to rubble. Towering wooden constructs and forests summoned in their clash had flattened the city streets, leaving behind a vast sea of trees.
Though greenery was usually a blessing, in the middle of a village it was little more than chaos. Thus, the very first step of reconstruction was the felling and clearing of timber.
Meanwhile, Yamato and Uchiha Izumi were working together to detain and confine the surviving shinobi from Sunagakure and Otogakure. With the Fourth Kazekage slain by Orochimaru and their command structure shattered, both forces had collapsed into scattered, leaderless bands. Any attempt at resistance was quickly crushed by the precision and discipline of Root operatives.
Inside the Hokage's office, Haruto sat in the seat that once belonged to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The official ceremony was still several days away. According to Koharu and Homura, while they supported Haruto becoming the next Hokage, they insisted the matter could not be rushed. Out of respect, the proper course was to hold Hiruzen's funeral, a village-wide memorial service, and only then proclaim the new Hokage.
Haruto himself had little interest in such details. He delegated full authority to Koharu and Homura, allowing them to handle all arrangements. All he needed to do was appear at the key moments.
"Still… is this really what you intend?" Homura's throat tightened as he stood before Haruto. As a senior elder of Konoha, alongside Koharu, he had ways of discovering intelligence even if Haruto remained silent. By now, they were well aware of his intention to march on the Land of Wind.
"Of course." Haruto leaned forward slightly and nodded without hesitation.
Sunagakure's elite had already been captured within Konoha. Their Kazekage was dead. The only armed forces remaining in the Land of Wind were those belonging to the feudal lord's private army. Yet compared to true shinobi—especially jōnin of the highest level—such forces were laughably inadequate.
Kakashi, Yamato, Zabuza, Gai, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura… all were elite beyond measure.
And years ago, Haruto had secretly placed a Wood Release clone deep within Sunagakure as a spy. Only the late Kazekage, Rasa, had known of its true identity. With such groundwork already laid, Haruto saw no reason to hesitate.
Koharu and Homura fell silent.
From the beginning they had supported Haruto's vision of unifying the shinobi world. Yet now that he stood on the cusp of carrying it out, their hearts wavered. Was he moving too fast?
"Conquering the shinobi nations is only the first step," Haruto said evenly. "The true challenge lies in erasing the hatred between peoples, in creating a shared sense of belonging, in forging genuine unity."
"Compared to that, the act of unification itself is the simple part."
"And besides…" His eyes sharpened as they locked on the two elders. "I am now the Hokage of the Land of Fire. I didn't summon you here to ask your permission. This is an order. Do you understand?"
There was no mistaking the steel in his voice. Haruto had no intention of being a figurehead, no pawn to be manipulated. Unlike Namikaze Minato, who had allowed others to interfere with his decisions, Haruto would lead as a true Hokage—decisive, commanding, absolute.
The elders exchanged a glance, then bowed their heads.
"…We understand."
With that, they turned and departed.
The door of the Hokage's office clicked shut. At that very instant, a black crow fluttered in through the open window.
"You're here," Haruto said casually, as though greeting an expected guest.
There was only one shinobi who favored crows as his calling card—Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother.
And Haruto had already anticipated his arrival. To Itachi, nothing mattered more than his younger brother… and the safety of Konoha. With such upheaval shaking the village, he was bound to appear.
"It's been a long time, Haruto."
As Itachi's voice resonated, the crows gathered together, swirling into a human form cloaked in black robes patterned with red clouds.
"It has, hasn't it?" Haruto chuckled lightly. "You've grown taller, Itachi."
"Congratulations on becoming Hokage," Itachi replied flatly, ignoring the jest. "Your next move is the Land of Wind, isn't it?"
"Yes," Haruto answered without hesitation. There was no point in hiding it. Akatsuki's information network rivaled any in the world. The fall of Sunagakure would reverberate across the nations.
"But you didn't come here just to congratulate me, did you?" Haruto asked knowingly.
"…I'm ill."
Itachi's pause was slight, but the truth was blunt.
Haruto wasn't surprised. In the original timeline, Itachi had been afflicted with a fatal congenital illness that no medic could cure. By all rights, he still had two years left to live.
"So, you've come to set your affairs in order?"
"You could say that." Itachi's voice was calm, as if speaking of another man's fate. "I want your cooperation in staging a battle. Sasuke must kill me. Only then will he awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan—and afterward, inherit my eyes to gain the Eternal Mangekyō."
Haruto exhaled slowly. "Always thinking ahead, aren't you, Itachi?"
"As compensation, I'll give you intelligence on the Akatsuki."
This Itachi, Haruto realized, was only a clone. His true body was elsewhere, and such clones could not last long.
"Go on," Haruto said, gesturing for him to continue.
Of course, Haruto already knew far more about Akatsuki than Itachi imagined. But he had no desire to crush the dying man's resolve. If this was the ending Itachi sought, Haruto would let him have it.
"Akatsuki has already captured the Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails," Itachi said. "The One-Tail has also been taken, and is in the process of being sealed."
Haruto's brows rose in surprise.
According to the original timeline, Akatsuki's hunt for the Tailed Beasts wasn't meant to begin for another two years. Had his own actions accelerated their plans?
The One-Tail—that would mean Gaara. He had fallen into Akatsuki's hands already?
How had they managed to strike so quickly?
"My true body is traveling with Kisame to the Land of Lightning," Itachi continued after a brief pause. "We intend to capture the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki—Killer Bee."