"Lord Hokage, are you this kind to everyone?"
At the center of it all, the main body, Hanataki, let out a cold laugh.
"I love all good, living things equally."
Heshu's gaze was resolute. "I won't let anyone who wants to harm the innocent for no reason get away!"
His voice rang out across the battlefield.
Countless eyes focused on him.
Awe. Adoration. Reverence.
Tears welled in everyone's eyes.
"Love?"
Hanataki's expression twisted beneath his mask.
"Then let's see how many of them your 'love' can protect!"
The golden light around Hanataki was instantly replaced by a more brilliant, ominous color.
At the same time, a deafening shriek tore through the air.
The immense body of the One-Tail, Shukaku, materialized beside Heshu.
"Hahahaha! Lord Shukaku is finally free!"
Shukaku swung its tail, eyes blazing with hatred for humankind.
"Die, humans!"
It immediately charged toward the dense crowd at the Chūnin Exam arena.
Inside, Kakashi and others were continuing the exams. The war outside couldn't disrupt the spectators' mood.
MASSIVE pillars of ice erupted from the ground. They slammed down in front of Shukaku.
The beast roared in fury.
Its colossal form slammed into the ice barrier.
The ice shattered—and instantly reformed. Again and again. An endless, regenerating prison trapping the rampaging tailed beast.
With Heshu's [Infinity] fueling it, this icy cage would hold.
"Your opponent is me!"
Heshu lowered his hand. In that instant, Hanataki's figure appeared before him.
A sphere of light encased Hanataki's fist, driving straight for Heshu's chest.
Yet, that bizarre phenomenon from before repeated itself.
As if frozen in time, Hanataki's fist halted ten centimeters from Heshu's chest. It couldn't advance another millimeter.
"An absolute defense?"
Hanataki put distance between them.
Heshu patted Gaara's head and handed the boy to Tori.
"Protect this child."
"Yes, sir!"
Tori nodded solemnly.
[Ding! Target Gaara's Affection has reached 80!]
A wave of power—stronger and stronger—erupted from Hanataki's body, chilling everyone to the bone. His voice cut through the chaos of battle, crystal clear to all:
"I don't believe in absolute defenses in this world. Nothing is unbreakable if you're strong enough!"
Chakra poured out like the blazing dawn spilling across the horizon. A torrent of radiant light.
Gale-force winds threatened to blow everyone away. With power like this, half the village would be leveled.
"I won't let you run amok in Konoha!"
Darkness pooled in Heshu's eyes.
He appeared beside Hanataki in a flash. A powerful suction force gathered in his palm. They vanished—reappearing a kilometer away in the dense forest.
Hanataki's attack, the Cosmic Nova Strike, came down.
For a moment, daylight reversed. Night became day.
A storm of sand, dust, and uprooted trees flew—only to be blocked by a sudden wall of ice. But at the attack's epicenter, the light was blinding.
No one could see what was happening.
"Just who are you?"
After the shockwaves settled, Heshu and Hanataki faced each other in the air, both unscathed.
Heshu demanded, "With power like yours, why hide behind a mask?"
Everyone else watched the masked man nervously. They wanted to know, too. Since when had a fighter capable of taking on the Five Kage alone appeared so silently in the ninja world?
"You… don't recognize me?"
Hanataki's voice held an inexplicable, biting mockery.
Heshu frowned, not understanding.
Shisui, who had just rushed over from the exams, heard this exchange. His heart plummeted. If the truth was exposed before Lord Hokage… Heshu might be so shaken he'd give the masked man a lethal opening. That was the last thing Shisui wanted.
Meanwhile, the Raikage and Killer Bee, fighting in sync, began trading blows with the Hanataki clone, no longer just taking a beating.
The main Hanataki seemed to remember something. He gave Heshu a deep look. "You'll know who I am one day, Lord Hokage."
With that, he flickered, reappearing atop Shukaku's head.
A golden net enveloped the tailed beast. As Shukaku struggled and cursed, the net shrank—and the beast shrank with it, down to the size of a palm. In a single move, a tailed beast was subdued.
Every witness felt their blood run cold.
The clone dissolved into golden light. The main Hanataki glanced at Killer Bee. "Let the Eight-Tails stay inside you… for a little while longer."
Then, he was gone.
Heshu immediately checked on Gaara.
"Lord Hokage, aren't we pursuing?" Tori asked, catching up.
Heshu shook his head, serious. "The enemy isn't as important as everyone's safety."
Those words brought fresh tears to many eyes. The one who always put their lives first… was Lord Hokage.
The restorative light of Ultraman Cosmos could revive the vanished. Restoring a child's vitality was nothing.
Heshu gently examined Gaara.
"Good. He's fine."
He sighed in relief, his gaze toward Gaara impossibly tender.
Gaara blinked.
The people around him all had mothers. He didn't. He didn't know what a mother was, or how it felt to have one. But this big sister… always gave him a very warm feeling.
"Mom."
[Ding! Target Gaara's Affection has reached 100!]
Heshu's face stiffened for a second at the address. Then, with magnanimous grace, he chose to forgive. How could he hold a child's words against him? Kids say the darndest things.
Rasa, covered in wounds, appeared before Gaara, his expression complicated. Heshu took the chance to heal the Kazekage's injuries too.
"You're safe. That's what matters."
Rasa didn't understand why Gaara hadn't died after the tailed beast extraction. But for him, it was still good news. At least he hadn't lost both the One-Tail and his son. Gaara was the child his wife, Karura, had risked her life to bring into the world.
"Damn him to hell!"
The Raikage stomped over, aura raging. The masked man's parting words about the Eight-Tails only fueled his fury.
That day, after the exams concluded, the Five Kage didn't leave. They gathered in the Hokage's office for a summit. Key figures from each village were present.
"Is there really no lead on that masked man's identity?" Mei Terumi spoke first.
Until this was resolved, she couldn't rest easy. No one could predict when such a dangerous figure would appear next. With that level of power, capable of destroying a village single-handedly… how could anyone not be anxious?
Ōnoki's expression was grave. "We may not know who he is, but we know his goal." He looked at the others. "He's collecting the tailed beasts."
"Bastard!" The Raikage slammed a fist on the table. "What the hell does he want them for?!"
"Whatever his goal, we can't afford to be careless." Heshu looked at them all earnestly. "Right now, we Five Great Villages—no, the entire ninja world—face a powerful, unknown enemy. We need unity."
Ōnoki immediately nodded in agreement. In his eyes, the only one who could currently stand against the masked man was Tsukimi Heshu. Even for Iwagakure's sake, he needed to build good relations.
"If our villages coexist peacefully, help each other, and unite as one, we'll have much more strength to face this enemy!"
Heshu's sincere gaze met each Kage's.
"The Hokage saved my life. I'm not an ungrateful man!" The Raikage thumped his chest. "Besides, given the situation, we really do need to help each other!"
Rasa nodded, calm and collected. "Correct."
Ōnoki nodded in agreement.
A dazzling smile bloomed on Mei's lips. "That's right. Being allied with the Hokage… feels very secure."
Under Heshu's guidance, they discussed for five hours. A Five-Nation Alliance wasn't just about the five major countries and their villages; it included all affiliated nations and minor villages. Such an alliance also needed a leading nation to organize and guide.
Ōnoki inwardly sighed. He wanted to be the leader, but he knew his strength wasn't enough. Mei had never held hope for the role. As for the Raikage, his affection for Heshu had already hit 90. In his mind, Heshu was practically a savior.
So, despite Heshu's many refusals, he couldn't withstand the fiery enthusiasm of the other four Kage. He smoothly ascended to the position of alliance leader.
"I know I'm young. My experience can't match the Tsuchikage's, my composure falls short of the Kazekage's, and I lack the Raikage's valor and the Mizukage's wisdom. In the days ahead, we'll need to strive together, improve together, and lead the ninja world toward a better future."
Heshu stood, speaking with moving emotion.
His words left the other four feeling quite pleased. They rose together, nodding with deep feeling.
The other ninjas in the room exchanged glances, hearts stirred by an unfamiliar sense of passion. This moment… was truly exhilarating.
On the other side.
Hanataki, now in control of the One-Tail, returned to Amegakure.
Zabuza followed behind him.
"You're back."
Konan was the first to approach, carefully checking Hanataki for injuries.
"Sister Konan, don't worry. I'm fine." Hanataki shook his head and handed Shukaku over to the Deva Path.
Only after Konan confirmed he was truly unhurt did her cold gaze shift to Zabuza, appraising him up and down.
Sasori rushed out immediately. "Hanataki! Why didn't you take me?"
He wanted to go out with Hanataki too. Stuck in this Akatsuki hideout, no one understood his art. They were all fools, utterly blind to his genius. That new guy, Kakuzu, was obsessed with money, reeking of greed. Orochimaru didn't smell like money, but his experiments were disgusting. As for Konan… the hostility radiating from her was palpable. And the Deva Path?
"…"
Sasori chose silence.
So yeah. In this whole Akatsuki, only he and Hanataki were soulmates. The only true comrades here.
Hm?
Sasori spotted Zabuza beside Hanataki.
His face darkened immediately.
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