"Kakashi-senpai!"
One of the Root operatives, sent by Yamato, quickly located Kakashi. At that moment, Kakashi was with Naruto, Sakura, and tending to Sasuke's condition.
Although Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan after being provoked by Itachi, his body had nearly collapsed under the strain. Only now was he beginning to recover.
"What happened?" Kakashi noticed the Root ninja's anxious expression and immediately pressed him for details.
But before the operative could respond, the ground itself began to tremble violently.
Kakashi instinctively shielded Team Seven, his chest tightening with unease.
Fortunately, the shaking didn't last long—after only a few minutes it subsided. Yet the light filtering into the room was suddenly cut off by enormous trees towering outside, their canopies blotting out the sky.
"Wood Release…?" Kakashi's first thought leapt to Senju Haruto.
In the shinobi world as it stood now, Haruto was the only one capable of unleashing Wood Release on such a massive scale.
But… according to what Kakashi knew, Haruto was supposed to be away from the village with Jiraiya on a confidential mission.
"I–It was… Uchiha Madara."
The Root ninja's voice shook as he uttered the legendary name.
The instant the name left his lips, Sasuke, who had been half-reclined on the bed, suddenly stood upright, staring in disbelief at the operative.
As a member of the Uchiha clan, he could hardly be unfamiliar with that name.
Madara was not just a figure from the past—he was the most powerful shinobi of their clan's history, once the clan head during the era of the First Hokage.
"Uchiha… Madara?"
Naruto, too, froze in shock.
That name was carved into his memory. The instigator of the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha that had killed his parents…
"What exactly is going on?" Kakashi swallowed hard, his voice tense. He needed more information.
But what could a single Root operative know? He had only followed Captain Yamato when an intruder was discovered within the village—and what he saw was Uchiha Madara standing inside the village itself.
"Oh, right—Madara asked us about the whereabouts of the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."
As the Root ninja spoke, his gaze flickered toward Naruto.
Everyone already knew the truth—Naruto was the Nine-Tails' host.
Madara had come for him.
"That explains it." Naruto nodded slightly, not at all surprised.
After all, more than a decade ago, Madara had already tried—and failed—to seize the Nine-Tails. This was nothing more than a return attempt.
What Madara didn't know was that Naruto no longer feared the legend of his name. On the contrary, he even looked forward to facing him in battle.
"Where is he now?" Naruto asked outright.
"Naruto!" Kakashi cut in sharply, realizing his student's intent. This was not the time.
With Haruto away from the village, the correct decision was to evacuate Naruto to safety, while others bought time.
"Contact Fukasaku and Shima at Mount Myōboku—have them summon you back with Reverse Summoning." Kakashi laid out his plan without hesitation.
But Naruto wasn't about to listen.
"My father and mother died because of Madara, Kakashi-sensei. This is between me and him."
At the same time, Sasuke leapt down from the bed. With his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan, he could feel clearly that he had shed his old self.
He was no longer who he had once been.
Now, he was strong.
"A man like Uchiha Madara belongs in history. I'll be the one to put an end to him."
Sasuke's words rang with steel.
Meanwhile, at the Uchiha compound—
Since the failed coup, Fugaku had been stripped of his role as head of the Konoha Police Force, reduced to an ordinary citizen. Though still the clan leader, he had let go of many of his former ambitions.
But while he was engaged in his usual training, he suddenly felt an overwhelming chakra erupt within the village.
A terrible sense of foreboding welled up in his chest.
"That chakra… it's not Haruto's."
Fugaku muttered to himself.
He had once clashed with Senju Haruto, and though he had been utterly overpowered in that battle, the impression of Haruto's chakra had been burned into his memory.
This surge was not his.
Nor was it the Nine-Tails'.
After a moment's thought, Fugaku broke into a sprint, heading straight for the village center.
No matter what, he had to confirm the truth—and ensure Konoha's safety.
Elsewhere, others had also felt it.
At the Hyūga compound, Hiashi and Hizashi were sparring in the dōjō when Hiashi froze mid-motion, his Byakugan snapping open.
"This chakra…"
Before he could identify its source, the vast sea of trees had already torn through half the Hyūga estate, reducing buildings to splinters.
"Wood Release?" Hizashi blinked in disbelief.
In his memory, there was only one man alive capable of such power—Senju Haruto.
"It's not Haruto." Hiashi quickly shook his head.
Though his encounters with Haruto had been few, he remembered his chakra clearly.
This was different. Similar in nature—but not the same.
"Hizashi—gather the branch family guards. Come with me."
Hiashi drew in a deep breath and gave his command as clan head.
Hizashi, of course, would not refuse. This was their home—the home of both the main family and the branch.
The Yamanaka, Akimichi, and Nara clans also sensed Madara's Wood Release tearing through Konoha. Without hesitation, they too rushed toward the source.
But they weren't the only ones.
Among those in Konoha now was also Terumi Mei—brought here after the fall of Kirigakure.
"That chakra…"
As a former Fifth Mizukage, she was far stronger than most shinobi in the village. The moment she sensed the terrifying Wood Release, she knew an intruder had struck Konoha—and struck hard.
Her feelings were complicated.
On the one hand, she was not of Konoha.
On the other, it was Senju Haruto who had destroyed her homeland.
By all rights, she had no reason to intervene in this battle.
And yet…
In the time she had spent in Konoha, her days had been peaceful, simple, free of burdens.
It was a life she had come to cherish.
"…Fine."
Mei clenched her teeth, struggling before finally reaching her decision.
"At the very least, I'll go see for myself. If this battle spills over to me, it'll be far more troublesome."
Taking a deep breath, Terumi Mei moved swiftly toward the storm of chakra.