Under Aoki's orders, the entire Ninja World had been frantically searching for traces of Madara and Black Zetsu these past few days. This had thoroughly angered Madara Uchiha, and even Black Zetsu dared not venture out easily to gather information.
Most of the ninja searching for them came from the Hyuga clan and the Uzumaki clan. After the Uzumaki clan members in the Land of Grass were rescued, the clan's strength had finally recovered somewhat, with the vast majority joining Konoha's side.
Everyone mobilized to track down Madara Uchiha. With the Uzumaki clan's Mind's Eye of the Kagura and the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, such powerful sensory abilities made it impossible for Madara and Black Zetsu to completely vanish without a trace.
Now, apart from the corpses previously stolen from Kirigakure and Kumogakure, there were hardly any ninja worth summoning with Edo Tensei. Madara cursed angrily, "Damn it! These petty ninja nowadays aren't even worthy of being opponents for the entire Ninja World! Konoha is no longer the simple village it once was!"
Although Madara Uchiha had regained his youthful body, he was still in an Edo Tensei state, which left him deeply dissatisfied. Moreover, he couldn't make sense of Konoha's current situation at all.
"What should we do now?" asked a subordinate beside him. "My clones can still go out to gather information using the Ephemeral Technique!"
Madara shook his head. "It's useless to send them out now. Your clones are even more foolish than Hashirama. Our traces might be exposed because of it, and then the entire plan would be ruined."
Thinking of his plan, a complex expression crossed Madara's face. The current Ninja World didn't seem too different from what he had imagined. Aoki's actions had already proven that even if he personally performed the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it might not bring true peace to the Ninja World.
At this thought, Madara fell silent for a moment. Although his goal had ultimately been achieved, it wasn't accomplished by his own hands, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "Forget it. Let's lie low for now and hide our tracks. There will be opportunities!" he said firmly.
Time passed bit by bit, and the next day arrived in the blink of an eye. Just after leaving the hospital, Aoki, recalling the events of the previous night, couldn't help but rub his lower back. Fortunately, he possessed a Sage Body, allowing him to withstand such exertion.
When Aoki arrived at his office, Mabui, dressed in her secretary outfit, immediately greeted him and said softly, "Hokage-sama~ Please rest for a while. Today's documents will be ready soon."
Entering the office and being attentively served by his secretary, Aoki comfortably settled into the Hokage's seat. Nowadays, everything was handled by specialists in their respective roles, so he no longer had to manage every single task personally. Pakura, watching this, couldn't help but purse her lips. As a senior member of the Wind Division and one of the earliest to merge into Konoha, she was unwilling to be left on the sidelines like this.
She walked behind Aoki and gently began massaging his shoulders with her hands. This pleasant moment made Aoki close his eyes in contentment.
Just then, a notification sound rang in Aoki's mind—
[The Chat Group conference is about to begin.]
The time for the Hokage conference had arrived. Aoki was filled with anticipation. Finally, enough Hokages from the Ninja World had been gathered, and the moment to unlock new functions was at hand.
He had been worried that if Hashirama and Madara's world unified the Ninja World first, his position as the First Hokage might become unstable. That was why he was so eager to convene this meeting.
When the chat interface popped up with the option to invite new members, he followed the usual procedure and selected "Invite." Inviting newcomers before each meeting had long become a rule. With the addition of these new members, the Chat Group would reach ten people, and the Multiverse Traversal function was about to activate, which further fueled Aoki's motivation.
He wondered who the newcomers would be this time. Soon after Aoki confirmed the invitation, the Chat Group began automatically screening eligible Hokage worlds.
[Ding! Invitation successful!]
[The Fifth-and-a-Half Hokage, Shimura Danzo, has joined the group chat!]
"What?!"
Aoki was startled by the notification from the Chat Group, his expression turning strange.
Last time, Sarutobi Hiruzen was invited, and this time it was actually Shimura Danzo—the Hokage with the shortest tenure in history. As Konoha's Fifth-and-a-Half Hokage, Danzo had toiled for the village his entire life, ultimately dying in battle while serving as Hokage. His unwavering obsession, persisting until death, left a deep impression on everyone.
As for Danzo, Aoki didn't have much to say. After all, he was famously known as the scapegoat in Hokage history, always taking on the dirty and difficult tasks. Aoki knew that Danzo's addition would surely liven up the group chat.
This guy had caused more trouble for Konoha than even Madara Uchiha. He and Hiruzen worked in tandem, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop, yet no one ever saw through their act.
Soon, the second world was also selected by the Chat Group.
[Ding! Invitation successful!]
[The Sixth Hokage, Hatake Kakashi, has joined the group chat.]
Aoki felt that Kakashi's world was much more normal.
After the Fourth Great Ninja War, during Kakashi's tenure as Hokage, the village's strength was formidable. The Seventh Hokage, Naruto, who succeeded him, was at his peak. Sasuke traveled the Ninja World while protecting Konoha, Sakura kept pace with everyone else, Tsunade remained in the village, and Orochimaru chose to return home. Konoha's strength had already returned to its peak from the early days of the village's founding.
Learning that the second newcomer was from Kakashi's world, Aoki breathed a sigh of relief. If it had been the Seventh Hokage Naruto's world, he would have had more concerns. But the Konoha of the Sixth Hokage era was still some distance away from Naruto's time, so there was no need to worry too much.
Afterward, Aoki entered the Chat Group and was transported to the meeting space of the group chat.
Meanwhile, in the world of the Fifth-and-a-Half Hokage, Danzo had finally ascended to the position of Hokage, forty-three years after Sarutobi Hiruzen became Hokage. Holding the Hokage Hat, he laughed heartily in the Hokage's office. At this moment, the Root ninja had completely replaced the Anbu.
Danzo ordered Root to closely monitor Tsunade's recovery and report any developments to him immediately. He knew full well that he had only managed to become Hokage by taking advantage of the chaos after Pain's invasion, while Tsunade was severely injured and unconscious.
The village's reconstruction work had already begun, and Danzo's perpetually gloomy face was now filled with smiles. His Root organization, hidden in Konoha for so many years, could finally see the light of day.
As he stroked the emblem on the desk representing the Hokage's seat, Danzo felt ecstatic. In his eyes, even this seemingly ordinary desk and chair looked incredibly pleasing.
But this joy was abruptly interrupted by a sudden notification sound in his mind.
[Ding! You have joined the Konoha Hokage Chat Group.]
[Group Leader Aoki is convening a Hokage meeting. Please join immediately!]
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