*Land of Waves, Leader's (main) Office.*
The door clicked open and Kushina strolled in, a triumphant grin plastered on her face.
"Finished lecturing your son?" Mikoto asked, blinking.
"He'll listen if you reason with him properly," Kushina sighed, settling back into her chair in front of the computer.
"Reasoning with your fists, you mean?" Mikoto shook her head helplessly and sighed. "Stop using Tsunade already. You lost every game you played using her."
"That last round was just a fluke!" Kushina insisted stubbornly.
"No, I think you actually ran into a pro," Mikoto said, walking behind her and pointing at the stats screen. "Look at this two tails player. Didn't die once the entire match. Their mechanics were smooth too, the combos were on point!"
"You don't even understand this game, how can you sound so sure?" Kushina squinted at her, pursing her lips. "What, are you being that little brat's mouthpiece now? Mocking me for being bad?"
"Uh, well…"
"I'm hitting Diamond rank within two months!"
"Sure, whatever makes you happy."
Mikoto's mouth twitched. She returned to her seat beside Yuto.
"We've got seventeen thousand people on our end. Should we bring them all back to the Land of Waves?"
Before Yuto lay a wide-screen communicator. On the screen, hundreds of staff members in Land of Waves uniforms were clearing the left flank's battlefield.
"Release the Genin and release anyone under fifteen," Yuto ordered calmly.
"Understood." Uzumaki Rina, the communicator, nodded and turned to be busy herself.
Just then, the sound of "First Blood!" echoed from Kushina's computer again. Her face visibly darkened.
"Don't look. Pretend you didn't hear," Yuto said softly.
Mikoto nodded, forcing herself not to look at Kushina's sour expression.
"Lord Yuto, I've received a message from Lord Hanzo," Rina's voice came through again. "The Tsuchikage Ōnoki on the central front is still observing the situation. Should we proceed with the original plan?"
"First, notify Elder Chiyo of the right flank. Tell them they may commence," Yuto's voice remained steady.
"I understand." Rina nodded again.
*Right Flank, Shinobi Alliance Forces.*
The Fourth Raikage, A, pressed on relentlessly through the night, leading his shinobi forces straight toward the Land of Waves.
"No enemy presence detected within the next kilometer," a Hyūga reported respectfully.
"Keep scouting," Chiyo, waved her hand, expressionless.
"Yes." The Hyūga accepted the order and left.
"What, you don't trust the Hyūga?" A asked, glancing at Chiyo beside him. He had noticed the strange look she gave the Hyūga man.
"Not exactly," Chiyo shook her head gently.
"I know your hidden sand village has grievances," A said.
Though he appeared rough and tough, he was actually quite perceptive.
"What that old fool from Konoha did was despicable, but I hope you can endure it for now, for the sake of our common enemy."
"This old woman understands," Chiyo was silent for a moment before nodding.
"Hayashi Yuto's betrayal of Konoha is a blessing for the shinobi world," A continued. "If he had the chance to become Hokage, that would have been a true disaster!"
"Lord Raikage, that almost sounds like praise for the world's greatest evil," Chiyo remarked, somewhat surprised.
"Just stating facts," A snorted lightly. "I despise the man to the bone, but I won't deny his capabilities! It's just a pity he was foolish enough to reveal himself before he was fully grown… a bit stupid."
"Lord Raikage is quite confident," Chiyo sighed with an unreadable expression.
"Even if the God of Shinobi himself were resurrected, he wouldn't dare to claim he could slaughter the entire shinobi world," A said impassively.
"What you say is true, but even the God of Shinobi didn't possess Leader Yuto's brilliant planning and foresight," Chiyo said mildly.
'Huh?'
The Fourth Raikage finally sensed something was wrong. He looked at Chiyo. "What do you mean?"
"Lord Raikage, you must be feeling a bit dizzy by now," Chiyo said expressionlessly. "Don't be alarmed. It's not poison. It merely consumes and breaks down the chakra within your body, weakening you."
"Chiyo, you old hag…" The Raikage gritted his teeth, his body involuntarily sinking to one knee. "Have the shinobi of Sunagakure all defected to Hayashi Yuto?"
"Allies, Lord Raikage," Chiyo corrected.
As her words fell, the surrounding shinobi suddenly began transforming, one by one, into pure white creatures.
"Takeuchi? Naitō? You… all of you! How?" The Raikage stared wide-eyed in shock. "Chiyo, did you do this?"
"I only just learned of it myself," Chiyo sighed helplessly. "Without your knowledge, the entire right flank have been replaced by White Zetsus from the Land of Waves."
"Wow, this guy is so dark!"
"Seriously, his skin is so different from ours!"
"Is the sun in Kumogakure that harsh?"
The White Zetsus chirped noisily around the Fourth Raikage. One with a spiral-patterned face stepped out from the crowd and began cuffing him.
"Now you understand, Lord Raikage," Chiyo said, watching his stunned expression, and shook her head. "Even with the entire shinobi world united, victory isn't assured."
—
Amidst a barren mountain range.
Hiruzen Sarutobi led a few hundred men trudging wearily along the mountain path, their faces etched with exhaustion and defeat.
"Hahaha! What a perfect spot!"
Only Danzō remained chest-out and head-high, laughing loudly.
"That fool, Yuto is such an idiot! If he had any strategic sense, he'd just station an army here to defend! Wouldn't we be like turtles caught in a jar then?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, a man stepped forward slowly over the gravel.
"You… you are?!" Hiruzen's eyes bulged, and he sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of the man before him.
Hōzuki Mangetsu!
The once-genius ninja of Kirigakure, and at his peak, the master of all seven Blades of the mist.
Before Hiruzen and the others, Hōzuki Mangetsu slowly raised his right arm. As he did, they could see the number "8" imprinted on the exposed skin of his forearm.
Espada!
One of the ten strongest Arrancar in the Land of Waves!
BOOM!
A crimson beam shot foward from Hōzuki Mangetsu's palm, obliterating everything in its path into nothingness.
A moment later, the red light faded.
Homura stood panting heavily before Hiruzen and the others, his body covered in wounds. The instant Mangetsu had released his attack, he had countered with one of his own. Though he was left battered and bruised, he had managed to block it.
"Go! Get out of here! Konoha cannot be without its Hokage!"
"Homura, you…"
"GO!"
Hiruzen gritted his teeth, about to call for Danzō to retreat, only to find the man's figure already fading into the distance, heading west.
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