Kushina eyed the two girls standing beside Ryoma—Sako and Rin—with open suspicion. Her expression practically screamed unhappy, dissatisfied, and more than a little jealous.
After all, having two beautiful and lively young women hovering near your husband would make any woman uneasy.
Ryoma smiled awkwardly, trying to think of a reasonable explanation, but before he could speak, Sako suddenly blurted out,
"Mother Kushina—!"
Before she could finish, Rin quickly covered Sako's mouth.
Rin gave a bright, nervous smile. "Sister Kushina!"
Kushina blinked in surprise. "Who are you two?"
Their voices felt strangely familiar, but she couldn't quite place them.
Rin quickly answered, "My name's Aya. Teacher Ryoma often talks about you, Sister Kushina!"
Kushina's face turned pink in an instant. "R-Really?"
Ryoma hadn't expected Rin to step in and bail him out so neatly.
But wait—did he just hear that right?
Did Sako call Kushina mother?
That would mean… both Kushina and Mikoto were her mothers?
The amount of information was staggering, and Ryoma's mind went blank.
Three days later—on the outskirts of Konoha, more than ten kilometers away from the village's main district—a massive wooden cube stood silently in the forest.
Inside it, two figures—one flickering with lightning, the other calm and unreadable—moved at impossible speeds.
"Too slow."
Ryoma slipped past Sako's kunai by a hair's breadth and tapped her forehead with his finger.
"If I were holding a real weapon, you'd already be finished."
"Again!"
Sako, refusing to admit defeat, burst forward once more, her body shrouded in crackling blue lightning.
Since defeating the Ōtsutsuki invader three days ago, Ryoma had been personally training Kushina, Sako, and Nohara Rin. That battle had been too close—if he hadn't acted when he did, his future daughter and student might have died.
Knowing how dangerous future enemies could be, Ryoma decided to train them seriously while there was still time.
Kushina was strong—already at the level of a jōnin—but Ryoma knew that wouldn't be enough against what was coming. He'd dragged her into training too.
As for Uzumaki Mito, she had already applied her own sealing techniques. Ryoma had stationed Hatake Sakumo and others nearby for protection and placed a Flying Thunder God seal just in case. If anything went wrong, he could teleport instantly to her side.
He wasn't overly worried—but he was preparing.
After all, someone like the Ōtsutsuki who'd suffered such a heavy defeat wouldn't let it go. Retaliation was inevitable. And Ryoma was ready for it.
The massive wooden training facility—crafted using the Wood Release: Tree World—covered several square kilometers, divided into ten zones simulating different environments to hone adaptability.
In one of those zones—a vast desert—lightning flashed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sako and Ryoma clashed at high speed, their movements barely visible as they kicked up waves of sand with each impact. Every second brought another series of rapid collisions, echoing like thunder.
"Shhhhh!"
Arcs of lightning exploded, blasting the desert and sending sand clouds soaring dozens of meters high.
At the edge of the arena, Rin watched the battle with wide eyes, the two blurs moving so fast that her gaze had to dart back and forth just to keep up.
"Sako's getting stronger and stronger…" Rin murmured in awe.
"She really is," Kushina agreed, astonished. "For a girl barely ten years old to have that kind of power—it's incredible."
"But Miss Aya," Kushina added with a grin, "you're amazing too."
During these past days of training, Kushina still didn't know the girls' true identities.
According to Ryoma, Sako and Rin had been cultivating in the mountains, away from civilization, until fate led them into an Ōtsutsuki conspiracy. Only then did they come to help Konoha.
Kushina had her doubts, of course—but she didn't press. Everyone had secrets, and both girls were clearly good people.
Especially Sako. From her Sharingan alone, Kushina had already woven a little romantic story in her head—something about forbidden love between clans, a child raised in secrecy in the mountains…
In short, Kushina decided to trust them.
And she had to admit, both were talented.
Sako's adaptability and combat instinct were extraordinary, her progress rapid even by Uchiha standards. Rin, despite lacking any kekkei genkai, showed impressive fundamentals—her ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu balance was excellent.
Watching Sako's stance and movement, Kushina felt a sudden flicker of déjà vu.
"…Strange," she murmured. "Sometimes I feel like I see a bit of Ryoma in Sako."
She shook her head quickly, brushing off the thought. Maybe Sako was just imitating her teacher's style during training.
A loud explosion shattered Kushina's thoughts.
A shockwave rolled across the desert training field as towering sand waves—each more than ten meters high—surged toward them.
Kushina and Rin reacted instantly, dispersing the sweeping sand with their chakra.
Both women dashed toward the center of the desert, only to find a massive crater where the ground had been torn apart.
Inside the hollow pit lay Sako, gasping for breath, her Sharingan dimming as she released the last of her chakra.
Standing a short distance away, Ryoma didn't even look winded. His expression was calm, his breathing steady—as if the battle had been no more exhausting than an evening stroll.
"Haah… haah…" Sako exhaled sharply and looked up at him.
"H-how much strength did you use just now?"
Ryoma thought for a moment before answering evenly, "Less than one-tenth."
Sako's face twisted in frustration. "Tch… The gap's still that big?"
She slammed her small fist against the ground, her dark eyes burning with unwillingness.
Ryoma couldn't help but smile.
Ambitious, just like I was.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Good. Keep cultivating that spirit. Once you can use even a tenth of my power, there won't be a place in this world you can't go."
With a light gesture, chakra surged from Ryoma's palm, spreading through the sand. The torn-up battlefield began to shift and reform—restoring itself completely in moments through the Wood Release: Tree World technique.
Over the next few days, Ryoma continued training Sako, Kushina, and Nohara Rin.
Sako, carrying Ryoma's bloodline, grew stronger at a remarkable pace. Under his guidance, her mastery of chakra control and her Sharingan abilities advanced rapidly—until she could manifest the third stage of Susanoo with stability. Her combat power had already surpassed most Kage-level shinobi.
Kushina and Rin, too, had made astonishing progress. Both had stepped firmly into the ranks of the Kage-level.
Konoha and the surrounding lands remained unusually peaceful during this time—quiet before the coming storm.
The sky darkened.
Heavy rain poured from the clouds, forming a gray curtain that blurred the landscape. Beneath it loomed a metallic city—its rough, vertical structures interlaced with countless pipes and steam vents.
This was Amegakure, the Village Hidden by Rain.
Once a thriving industrial stronghold, it now lay in ruin. The village had suffered severe destruction after recent conflicts. Now, chaos ruled unchecked—murder, looting, and bloodshed had become part of daily life.
In one of Amegakure's abandoned sectors, Ōtsutsuki Urashiki stood among the corpses, his face twisted with disdain. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed aside another lifeless shinobi.
"Pathetic," he muttered coldly. "So little chakra… Is everyone in this world such useless trash?"
Dozens of terrified Ame-nin trembled before him, their bodies slick with rain and sweat. Urashiki glanced at them with disappointment. He had come to the Land of Rain out of jealousy—driven by his obsession to reclaim the power Ryoma had stolen from him. But what he found here were only weaklings, unworthy of even his notice.
"Still," he said with a cruel smile, "even the smallest insect has a little meat on its bones."
He raised his hand, and glowing red threads shot out like harpoons—piercing through the hearts of the cowering shinobi.
Moments later, streams of chakra surged into Urashiki's body, their dying screams lost beneath the pounding rain.
When he had absorbed enough, he turned his gaze toward the horizon.
"Next… the Land of Earth."
A black rift tore open before him—the Yomotsu Hirasaka.
Urashiki stepped through, vanishing into the void.
Meanwhile, far away in Konoha, reports of Urashiki's rampage began to arrive one after another.
Ryoma could only shake his head and sigh.
"So because of that fool's interference," he muttered, "the Unification War had to be postponed… and now he's out there destroying the other four Great Shinobi Villages?"
He couldn't decide whether to laugh or curse.
Hokage Building – War Room
Inside the strategy chamber, tension filled the air.
Around the table stood Konoha's finest—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hatake Sakumo, the heads of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, as well as representatives from the Hyūga and Uchiha clans.
Ryoma stood at the head of the room, his eyes sharp and determined.
"At present," he said, his tone measured but firm, "the other four Great Villages are leaderless. Urashiki's sudden attacks have thrown them into chaos. This is the best opportunity we'll ever have… to unite the entire shinobi world under one banner."
The room fell silent. The words carried immense weight.
Everyone present understood what Ryoma was suggesting—a war for unity, one that would change the very shape of their world.
But none objected.
They had seen Ryoma's strength with their own eyes. They had witnessed his vision, his composure, and his unmatched power.
If there was anyone capable of uniting the world and ending the endless cycle of bloodshed, it was him.
Their trust in him was absolute—a trust earned not through titles, but through the strength and resolve he had shown time and again.
"We support the decision of the Fourth Hokage."
Ever since Ryoma had taken office, Hiruzen Sarutobi had supported nearly every one of his policies.
To Sarutobi, two things defined Ryoma — strength and ambition.
The same overwhelming power as the First Hokage, and the same fierce ambition as the Uchiha Clan.
A man who carried the shadows of both legends could never be ordinary. Ryoma's vision was vast, and every policy he enacted aligned perfectly with Konoha's long-term interests. That alone made Sarutobi respect him deeply.
Back in the First Hokage's era, Konoha had possessed the strength to unite the shinobi world under a single banner. Yet Hashirama had chosen compromise—allowing the other villages to form and grow.
How many Konoha shinobi had died since then, in endless border skirmishes and great wars?
To Sarutobi, it was better to follow someone with the courage and intellect to end that cycle—once and for all.
Ryoma turned to Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka.
"Prepare a document detailing the current turmoil across the shinobi world," he instructed.
"Extend an invitation to the other major villages—formally asking them to join a Shinobi Alliance under Konoha's leadership. For the sake of stability."
At first glance, the proposal seemed reasonable. Who could object to peace?
A formal alliance to maintain order during a time of chaos sounded noble—even righteous.
But every seasoned leader would see the truth hidden between the lines.
The "alliance" was little more than a polite way to demand submission to Konoha's authority. Ryoma was testing their resolve and gauging their willingness to bow.
He continued coldly,
"Also declare this: If no representative from the high command of the Four Great Villages arrives within one day, I will personally visit them. We cannot allow Urashiki's rampage to continue unchecked."
His words were blunt—borderline arrogant—but undeniably effective.
A day later, the message had reached every corner of the shinobi world.
And everywhere it landed, it caused an uproar.
Kirigakure — The Water Shadow's Office
In the mist-shrouded tower, an elderly man tore Ryoma's letter to pieces, his hand trembling with fury.
"That damned Ryoma…! Does he even understand what he's doing?"
The shredded parchment scattered like snow across the desk.
Iwagakure — The Tsuchikage's Chambers
Bang!
The heavy desk cracked under Kurotsuchi's grandfather's fist—Loess, acting Tsuchikage after the last leader's death. His expression was livid.
"Outrageous! He's taking advantage of the chaos caused by that Ōtsutsuki monster to force us into submission!"
His advisors murmured in agreement, voices sharp with resentment.
"Konoha thinks we'll just kneel because we're weak right now?!"
"This talk of Urashiki is just an excuse—pure propaganda!"
"We can't let them dictate the future of the shinobi world!"
Kumogakure — The Cloud's Council Chamber
"The nerve of these Konoha hypocrites!" a jōnin shouted, slamming his palm on the table.
"Do they really think Kumogakure will bow just because we've taken some losses?"
Others joined in—outraged, defiant, unwilling to yield.
"First that so-called Ōtsutsuki attack, now this! It's all a farce—just a pretext for conquest!"
Sunagakure — The Wind Shadow's Hall
"The Sand Village will never compromise!" the council declared.
Their pride burned bright even in the face of dwindling power and uncertain leadership.
But the next day…
News came that Loess, the acting Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, had been found dead.
His body was mutilated—lifeless, drained completely of chakra.
The killer? None other than Ōtsutsuki Urashiki.
Panic spread across the remaining villages like wildfire.
In that instant, everyone realized it—Ryoma's warning hadn't been an empty threat.
This wasn't just about unifying the shinobi world.
The enemy he spoke of was real. And if Urashiki could strike down the Tsuchikage himself without effort… then perhaps, just perhaps—the Fourth Hokage's vision was the only chance the world had left.
...
TN:
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