A low, anxious hum of conversation filled the main conference hall in the Land of Waves. Yuto sat in silence at the head of the long table, his calm eyes observing the last of his department heads as they filed in and found their seats. The air was thick with unspoken questions.
The heavy wooden door swung open one last time.
"Whoa. Full house today," Kabuto from the Tech and Research department announced, sliding into the room with his characteristic grin. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his gaze sweeping over the assembled faces. "Even Elder Chiyo made the trip. This must be serious."
"Just sit down, Kabuto," Hanzo grumbled from his seat to Yuto's right, not even bothering to look up. "You're always the last one in, with the most to say."
"Hey, I'm just appreciating the turnout," Kabuto retorted finally taking his chair.
From her seat, Chiyo, her eyes half-lidded as if she'd rather be sleeping, spoke in a slow, measured tone.
"The Leader requested my presence. He indicated it was a matter of some importance."
"How important are we talking?" Nagato from Aquaculture asked, rubbing his temples. "Any chance we can get the cliff notes version? I was up all night grinding game ranks. My brain is completely fried."
Across from him, Konan slowly lowered the report she had been reading. Her voice was dangerously level.
"Grinding ranks? You told me you thought that game was a pointless waste of time."
Nagato shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Uh, well. Yahiko wanted to play. I was just... keeping him company."
"Really." Konan's tone was flat, her expression shifting from simple skepticism to clear annoyance. "You've developed a real talent for creative excuses these last few years, Nagato."
"Uh," he offered a weak, apologetic smile and wisely decided to shut up.
"Let's not get off track," Yuto said, his voice calm and easy, cutting through the brewing tension. "I'm the one who called this meeting on short notice. That's on me."
Konan gave a slight, non-committal shrug, her gaze still cool.
"One thing has nothing to do with the other."
"So, what's the emergency?" Kabuto cut in, eager to steer the conversation forward. "Did the Four Great Villages finally decide to knock on our door?"
"Not yet," Yuto replied. "But it might be sooner than any of us thought."
He gave a quick, almost imperceptible signal. With a soft whir, a hidden screen descended from the rough-hewn stone wall at the front of the room. It flickered to life, casting a pale glow on the faces of the watchers.
The first image was a close-up of Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged face, his wrinkles deep and pronounced, arranged into a smile that looked like a crumpled paper bag.
"Hashirama-sensei!" his voice crackled through the room's speakers, brimming with forced cheer. "Congratulations on your rebirth!"
In the conference room, Tsunade's fist slammed onto the table with a quiet thud.
"Those idiots. They actually did it."
"What did you expect?" Pakura sighed, shaking her head. "They're backed into a corner. They'll try anything, no matter how desperate."
"To violate the peace of the dead so openly..." Chiyo murmured, her voice heavy with ancient disapproval. "It is a foul practice."
"And who exactly started that particular trend?" Tsunade shot back, fixing a sharp look on Yuto.
Hanzo let out a dry, rasping chuckle.
"Now, now, Tsunade. We're a small, upstart nation. We have to use every tool we can get our hands on, even the controversial ones. But them? The mighty hidden villages, It's just sad. They're stealing our act."
"Pretty much," Nagato agreed, his tiredness forgotten for a moment. "They love to preach about honor and tradition, but when push comes to shove, they'll get their hands just as dirty as anyone else."
While they debated, the screen showed a figure stirring within a large, fluid-filled glass tube.
Hashirama Senju's eyes fluttered open. He stared at his own hand as if seeing it for the first time, slowly flexing his fingers with an expression of wonder.
"Incredible," he whispered, a faint smile touching his lips. "Actual flesh and blood. Is this what the world is capable of now?"
"Don't give us too much credit," Tobirama said, stepping into the frame. His expression was as grim and severe as his brother's was awestruck. "This is all that kid from the Land of Waves' doing. We're just copying his work."
"I know. Hayashi Yuto." Hashirama's smile vanished, replaced by a look of grim recognition. "Madara told me all about him."
"Yuto and his nation are a clear threat, but don't forget, Uchiha Madara is a loose cannon too," Tobirama stated, his cold eyes settling on Madara, who stood apart from them, radiating disdain. "His goal is no less than the total domination of the world."
"Domination?" Madara scoffed, the sound dripping with contempt. "You think so small, Tobirama. I intend to unify this fractured world. To forge a single, unbreakable empire. That is the only path to true and lasting peace."
"You're mad! What about the daimyos? The nobility? The entire world order?"
"Useless relics," Madara stated, as if it were the most obvious truth in the world. "They will be swept away in the tide of history."
"You—"
"Enough." Hashirama's voice was heavy with a weariness and exhaustion from his friend's new ambitions. "Madara, this isn't a joking matter."
"Who said I was joking?" Madara's gaze was chillingly direct, meeting Hashirama's squarely. "This is my goal. Try and stop me, if you think you can."
Tobirama looked like he was about to explode. "You arrogant—"
"Um, not to interrupt," a new, milder voice cut in, diffusing the tension. "But shouldn't we be focusing on the Land of Waves?"
The camera panned to a young man with bright, sun-kissed blond hair and a warm, apologetic smile, a white Hokage's cloak draped over his shoulders.
The moment he appeared on screen, every person in the Wave conference room glanced at their leader, Yuto.
"Who's this?" Hashirama asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
"The Fourth Hokage," Hiruzen explained from off-screen. "Minato Namikaze."
"The Fourth?!" Hashirama's face lit up with a grandfatherly delight that seemed out of place. He turned to the others. "Hey! Tobirama, Madara, did you see? Our village has a Fourth Hokage!"
Tobirama just sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I see him."
Madara didn't even bother to look. "This isn't my village."
"While you were… recovering," Hiruzen continued, "we located a few other capable individuals whose strength we needed. Minato has agreed to aid us in this crisis."
"It's an honor to be of service to the village again," Minato said, his smile still kind and earnest.
A smirk played on Madara's lips.
"Don't get the wrong idea, boy. You're not truly alive. You're just a convincing copy, a construct of condensed spiritual energy. A temporary fix (similar to edo tensei)."
Tobirama whirled on him. "Is this your doing? Some kind of trick?"
"Don't flatter yourself. This has nothing to do with me," Madara scoffed.
"What lord Madara says is true" Orochimaru slithered into the frame, his golden eyes gleaming with clinical interest. "True Hollowfication requires a specific genetic compatibility. The First and Second Hokage here cleared the forty percent threshold. The rest..." he trailed off with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Minato's sunny expression faltered, a shadow crossing his features. "So, we're...?"
"On a timer," Orochimaru stated bluntly, devoid of any sympathy. "Without a constant, external influx of energy to sustain this form, your consciousness will simply… fade back to the Pure Land."
Tobirama's sharp eyes locked back onto Madara. "And him? I assume his situation is different?"
A rare look of scientific curiosity crossed Orochimaru's face.
"His compatibility is… anomalous. His compatibility is over ninety percent. Frankly," he admitted, a note of genuine intrigue in his voice, "I'm not entirely sure how he managed it."
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