A vast, majestic aura stretched across the skies, as if ethereal, sacred chanting echoed throughout the heavens—an ode to the existence of a supreme sage.
Sacred chakra surged skyward from the Sage of Six Paths. For countless ages, the Pure Land had been a realm of nothing but gray desolation—but in this moment, it was suddenly bathed in divine light.
Under this radiance, one after another, soul entities emerged from the murky gloom. Their forms resembled those of ordinary humans, yet each was enveloped in a thin, invisible membrane of spiritual energy.
The Sage's chakra cast its brilliance across the land, illuminating the once-obscured faces of the dead.
Lost... vacant... dreamlike.
Within that gray, lifeless world, their consciousness had long since sunk into eternal slumber.
As the immense chakra soared into the heavens, the Sage of Six Paths brought his hands together. Space above the firmament suddenly tore open—a great rift forming overhead. That chakra then surged through the breach, streaking toward an unknown dimension.
With a single strike, the Sage fell silent. The dazzling light gradually receded, and the world once again returned to utter stillness.
"Elder Brother, your action was too reckless. If Mother's clan members were to notice, it would be a catastrophic disaster for us," Ōtsutsuki Hamura said softly after the Sage of Six Paths had finished.
"It is precisely because Mother's clan members have not yet noticed the Shinobi World that I must seize this opportunity to stabilize the situation here," the Sage of Six Paths said calmly. "I have propagated Yin and Yang, spreading the Five Nature Transformations' chakra until now, precisely to create enough 'Soul Wedges' before Mother's clan discovers us."
"Only by creating enough Soul Wedges can our consciousnesses be eternally disseminated. Only then can we, like Mother's clan, rise to become true gods across the stars."
The so-called Soul Wedge was a special secret art created by the Sage of Six Paths, based on the unique "Karma" used by his mother's clan.
Karma allowed a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan to digitize and replicate themselves, implanting that data into another person. Through Karma, they could be reborn, effectively achieving immortality beyond death.
The Soul Wedge functioned similarly: a digital imprint of the self implanted into others. But unlike Karma's "resurrection", Soul Wedges were more akin to scattered seeds of power—meant to one day converge again.
Anyone bearing the chakra of the Sage would carry within them a seed of the Soul Wedge. Over time, that seed would grow. Upon the host's death, as their soul returned to the Pure Land, the Soul Wedge would collect and return all that power to the Sage.
Hearing the Sage of Six Paths' words, Ōtsutsuki Hamura fell silent. After a long time, his voice slowly echoed in the temple.
"…Let's just hope nothing goes wrong."
Their conversation in the Pure Land of Reincarnation remained unknown to the living.
...
Inside Konoha Village, the Forest of Death.
The lingering shockwaves of Hōzuki Gengetsu's full chanted Hado #91 gradually dissipated. In the center of the vast crater, a pale soul-body had been blown apart into scattered fragments.
Reiatsu drifted through the air, rapidly gathering toward the shattered form, as if trying to reconstruct it. But before the spirit could recover, Gengetsu appeared in a flash before him.
"So, only guys like you can directly harness the spiritual power of this world, huh?" Noticing the Shinigami's condition, Hōzuki Gengetsu sneered. Genmu had already covered his palm: "Then if I completely destroy you, will this distorted Pure Land of Reincarnation return to normal?"
A beam of Reiatsu erupted from his palm. But in that very instant, a surge of power—far more terrifying than even the fully cast Hado #91—suddenly tore the sky apart.
The space around Gengetsu ruptured with a crack, and a torrent of blazing, blinding white energy came crashing down.
With a thunderous roar, everything around Gengetsu was annihilated in an instant.
The attack had come too suddenly, and it was far beyond anything Gengetsu had prepared for. Even Yoru hadn't reacted in time—before the blast landed.
Under Yoru's grim expression, Shisui's shock, and Gengetsu's blank stare, the very space around them collapsed. More than half the Forest of Death was reduced to utter nothingness.
"Bankai!"
At that moment, Gengetsu had only one thought in mind—unleash everything. He channeled every drop of Reiatsu within him, releasing it in the most powerful form possible.
A colossal surge of energy burst forth from his body. In an instant, the entire forest seemed to be pressed under a gravity dozens of times heavier than normal. Giant trees splintered, the earth cracked apart, and even the ground itself sank several centimeters.
Beside him, Yuki Yoru grabbed Uchiha Shisui's shoulder and instantly vanished from the battlefield.
Overwhelming Reiatsu collided with the descending, sacred chakra. For a brief moment, time itself seemed to freeze.
"Mugen Genmaku!"
A mist of pure white exploded outward, immediately merging back into Gengetsu's form. But in the next instant, the immense Reiatsu he had unleashed was utterly overwhelmed by that sacred chakra.
Then, as if struck by a heavenly cannon, that divine force came crashing down, dealing a devastating blow.
The shockwave tore through the land, and the entire Forest of Death was shattered—reduced to a bottomless rift. In the aftermath, violent chakra still lingered, the residual force so intense it left one's soul trembling.
The ground split open. Looking down, magma could be seen rolling deep within the earth.
Yoru and Uchiha Shisui reappeared slowly, hovering above the devastation.
Looking up at the clear sky and then down at the rift that seemed to reach the planet's core, Shisui swallowed nervously. Beyond fear, however, was a trace of... confusion?
He'd felt something familiar in that chakra blast from the heavens.
"What... was that attack?"
"Your ancestor," Yoru said flatly.
"Wh—what?!"
Looking at the bewildered Shisui, Yoru's gaze turned to the sky, as if he could see through layers of space to the existence within the Pure Land of Reincarnation.
"That attack came from the founder of Ninshū, the first to spread chakra throughout the world, the sage who brought peace to the chaotic era… and also your ancestor—Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo."
"Or to put it simply…"
"The Sage of Six Paths."
"The Sage of Six Paths?!."
Uchiha Shisui's throat tightened as he swallowed hard. He knew Yuki Yoru's goal was to confront the extraterrestrial beings, but he had never heard anything about the Sage of Six Paths.
"Was this ancestor… still alive?"
"If you define it by body and soul, then yes—he died over a thousand years ago," Yoru said calmly, his gaze deep and unfathomable. "But if you're talking about consciousness… then he's very much alive. And doing just fine."
His voice was steady, but his eyes gleamed with insight.
He had clearly sensed it: the Shinigami that had been obliterated by Gengetsu's earlier strike had been pulled away by that sacred surge of chakra. And with it—so had Namikaze Minato's soul.
"The reason why there's no spiritual power in the Shinobi World… that's his doing," Yoru murmured.
"You're telling me… I got blindsided by the Sage of Six Paths?!"
A voice filled with anger, yet tinged with a hint of oddity. A wisp of mist condensed in the air beside Yoru, and Hōzuki Gengetsu's figure slowly solidified.
Though his aura was unstable and his Reiatsu depleted at the moment, it still surprised Uchiha Shisui.
That earlier blast had been utterly devastating. If it had landed on him, he would've been erased—body and soul—with no possibility of reincarnation.
But Gengetsu had survived…
"The Sage of Six Paths… is seriously overpowered," Gengetsu muttered with a snort, glaring at Yoru. "If I'd known this would happen, I would've just stayed in the Land of Rice Fields. Not only did I gain nothing by coming here, but I also got beaten up by the Sage of Six Paths.
Yoru chuckled softly. Even Shisui couldn't help but crack a faint smile.
Then, as if remembering something, Gengetsu's eyes lit up. "Hey—Lord Fourth. Did you manage to nab the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki's soul?"
"Yes, although Minato Namikaze's soul was still taken, Kushina Uzumaki's soul is indeed in my hands." Yoru nodded: "But it's unlikely for her to become your vice-captain. Not to mention her strength, she's not the type to help you deal with things all day."
"Aaaargh! Why am I so unlucky?!"
Gengetsu collapsed into exaggerated wailing. Yoru ignored him and slowly turned his gaze back to the sky.
The Sage of Six Paths' strike had far exceeded his expectations. But from it, he had gained certainty—about the Sage's motives, his strength, and even the coordinates of the space he currently inhabited.
This one encounter had answered countless questions.
Yoru glanced toward Naruto, still wrapped in a cloth bundle and protected not far away. The infant's cheeks were round, soft, and marked with faint whisker lines.
A faint smile tugged at Yoru's lips.
"Let's see who wins in this grand game of shōgi."
"It's time. Let's head back."
"Eh? Lord Fouth, aren't we taking the kid with us?"
"No need. Kirigakure isn't a place for an Asura reincarnation. Besides, whether it's that old fossil in the Pure Land or his parents—they'd all prefer the boy stay here in Konoha, wouldn't they?"
With that, the three departed Konoha. The darkness of night was slowly shredded by the first rays of dawn.
The gentle morning sun shone down on the newborn child's face. His little body stirred, and his powerful cries echoed across the ruined Forest of Death—until several figures appeared beside him.
But this day, Konoha did not wake with the same vibrancy it once had.
Instead, a heavy gloom blanketed the village. Countless villagers—displaced and grief-stricken—opened their eyes with numb expressions. They looked around blankly, hoping the nightmare of the previous night had been just that… a dream.
But reality was cold and cruel.
The village lay in ruins. Countless comrades, shinobi, family members—gone.
Sacrifice. Death. The overwhelming weight of loss ignited flames of fury in their hearts.
It was all that damned Nine-Tails' fault!
To the civilians of Konoha, the prior Great Ninja Wars had been fierce—but the fighting had never touched the village itself. For the ninja, the battlefield had been a place of blood and sorrow. But for ordinary people, this Nine-Tails rampage had ripped a wound straight through their hearts.
Though the higher-ups understood that Yuki Yoru's group of Shinigami were the true threat, Konoha couldn't afford to point fingers at Kirigakure—not now, not in the current shinobi world climate.
To direct the people's pain and rage, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox became the perfect scapegoat...
...
After an entire day of emergency efforts, the initial damage report was finally complete. But Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression didn't ease one bit.
Lighting his pipe, he took a slow, heavy drag. Smoke curled upward in the dim office.
This disaster had brought Konoha to its knees. The village lay in ruins. Countless ninja were dead, and civilian casualties were beyond what anyone had prepared for.
Rebuilding the village. Comforting the victims. Distributing compensation. Managing military gaps. Guarding against external threats. It was a logistical nightmare—one that only he could shoulder.
But the thing that weighed heaviest on Hiruzen's heart… wasn't logistics.
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, had only taken the mantle a little over a year ago. Now he had perished in a single night—sacrificed without warning.
Never in Konoha's history had a Hokage died so soon after assuming power.
A nation could not go a day without its ruler. A village could not go a day without its Hokage.
The vacancy at the top had become an emergency of the highest order.
"Will we need to choose the Fifth Hokage already…?"
Hiruzen thought silently, brows furrowed.
The village was critically short on high-level shinobi. Among those with the strength, reputation, and standing to lead, only a few names surfaced: Danzō, Torifu, Fugaku, Hiashi…
But the village was drowning in grief and unrest. No one was truly ready to talk elections.
"If only Tsunade were still here…"
The Third sighed deeply.
Jiraiya was dead. Orochimaru was a fugitive. If Tsunade had returned, she could've taken up the Fifth's mantle and helped rekindle Konoha's heart.
But she had vanished long ago. Ever since she'd left the village, she'd cut off all contact. Even during the Third Great Ninja War, Hiruzen had tried many times to reach her—but every plea had been swallowed by silence.
And even if she did return…
Tsunade still had her crippling fear of blood.
"As things stand, it seems I'll have to take up the Hokage's seat once more. At least until the village stabilizes…"
Convincing himself, Hiruzen rose and changed into a black mourning robe. The sky was growing dark.
The funeral was about to begin.
Twilight fell over Konoha. In the village cemetery, nearly a hundred shinobi stood in solemn formation, facing the rows of photos commemorating those who had fallen during the Nine-Tails attack.
At the front stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane—the four most senior officials in the village.
Behind them were the heads of various clans: Akimichi Torifu, Hyūga Hiashi… but Uchiha Fugaku was still away in the Land of Iron and had not yet returned.
The funeral unfolded in complete silence. Every heart present was weighed down with unbearable grief.
Not just for the Fourth Hokage.
But for the soul of the village itself.
By the time the rites concluded, the sun had dipped below the horizon. Darkness settled once more over the wounded village.
Yet none of the high-ranking figures present left to rest.
They gathered at the Hokage's office, forming a closed council—one that would decide Konoha's future.
Inside the Hokage's office, the room was sparse and solemn.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at the head of the gathering alongside the other elders—Danzō Shimura, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane.
Below them sat the heads of Konoha's most prominent clans: Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Hyūga, Inuzuka, and more. Though Uchiha Fugaku was still away in the Land of Iron, the Uchiha had sent one of their elders to represent the clan—Uchiha Kōka.
The room bore none of its usual formality. With the village still reeling from disaster, the meeting was held in a simplified setting. Everyone sat cross-legged directly on the wooden floor. There were no seats. No ornaments. Just necessity.
Several of Konoha's elite jōnin were present as well.
"Though our losses are grievous, we must remember: we, the living, carry the burden of rebuilding,"
Hiruzen began, his voice low but resolute.
Koharu nodded in agreement.
"He's right. There's no time to wallow in grief. The most urgent matter before us is selecting a successor to fill the Hokage's vacant seat."
"It's not an easy choice," someone murmured.
Then Uchiha Kōka spoke.
"Why not select from the candidates in the previous Fourth Hokage election?"
A few heads turned sharply. Kōka was a veteran Uchiha elder—brother of Shisui's father, Uchiha Kōfū. With Fugaku absent, he was here as the Uchiha's voice.
His words immediately drew frowns from several clan heads. But Danzō's eyes flashed with sudden interest.
Back during the Fourth Hokage selection, the top three contenders had been Namikaze Minato, Orochimaru, and Danzō himself. Now that Orochimaru was a rogue and Minato was dead, the next names in line were Danzō and Fugaku.
But the truth was—none of the people in the room wanted either man to become Hokage.
The tension was thick.
"The real issue is the current state of the village,"
spoke a calm voice—Nara Shikayoshi, the newly appointed Nara clan head.
He glanced at Hiruzen as he continued.
"This is absolutely not the time to appoint a new Hokage. With the village in crisis—both internally and externally—we must focus on stabilization, not political transition."
He paused, then added,
"Before leaving for the Land of Iron, the Fourth had already appointed the Third to act in his stead. So I propose—let Hiruzen-sama resume his role as Hokage, until the situation settles."
Nara Shikayoshi was also one of the current Ino–Shika–Chō representatives. He was the cousin of Nara Yoshino, the wife of the previous Nara clan head, Nara Shikaku.
As a representative of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, his voice carried considerable weight—and it was quickly echoed by others around the room.
Although his strength was that of an ordinary Jonin, his wisdom was in no way inferior to Nara Shikaku.
After Nara Shikaku's death, he became the head of the Nara clan and held significant influence in the high-level meetings.
As soon as Nara Shikayoshi spoke, he quickly gained the agreement of many present.
Danzō and Uchiha Kōka seemed like they wanted to argue, but before they could speak, Hiruzen cleared his throat.
"Although Konoha has never had a retired Hokage continue to serve as Hokage, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, am willing to take on this important responsibility!"
"Hiruzen…"
"You're willing to return? That's a relief," said Homura, cutting Danzō off before he could interject.
Koharu added warmly,
"Hiruzen, your willingness to stand up at this time is a great help to the village."
Seeing the expressions of support from those aligned with the previous administration, Danzō realized what had happened. He clenched his jaw and fell silent.
The Uchiha elder followed suit.
With no further objections, Hiruzen gave a small, satisfied nod.
"Then, until a Fifth Hokage is chosen, I shall resume leadership of the village. I ask for everyone's cooperation."
He paused, then added with more weight:
"There's one more matter—the Fourth Hokage's child…"