Waterfall Village.
Although Konoha had not sent a large army, the invasion by more than ten ANBU squads threw the villagers into a panic, certain their doom had arrived.
With no leader to guide them, a portion of the Waterfall ninja put their trust in Shibuki's rogue teacher, Suien, who vowed to actively resist Konoha. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Suien drank from the Waterfall Village's other secret treasure—the Hero Water, a legendary liquid said to be collectible only once every hundred years, capable of increasing one's chakra tenfold.
At Suien's command, the cheers of the villagers fell silent. He felt the chakra swelling inside him and slowly clenched his fist, the smile on his face almost irrepressible. "I won't be a coward like Shibuki. I will lead the Waterfall Village to defeat Konoha's invaders!"
"Lord Suien!"
"Lord Suien is the savior of the Waterfall Village!"
The villagers erupted, taking Suien's words as gospel. Not long ago, he was just a rogue ninja. Now, under the pressure brought by Konoha, he had become the village's savior.
Life is truly strange.
A few youths stood on a rooftop, looking down at the farce below. The yellow-haired boy among them was the main culprit behind this war between Konoha and the Waterfall.
Naruto Uzumaki sat on the roof, his hand cupping his chin as he tilted his head. "Alright, let's go say hello to them!"
"Lord Hokage, won't it be dangerous with just the few of us?" Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Rock Lee stood behind him. The Byakugan user was a bit worried; after all, their numbers were far too small compared to the Waterfall ninjas.
Kabuto Yakushi smiled faintly, glanced at Sasuke beside him, and said softly, "Even Sasuke-kun alone is more than the Waterfall Village can handle, wouldn't you say?"
"Hah, then let me do it!"
Sasuke Uchiha gave a wicked smile, stomped his foot, and leaped into the air. A flash of red light flickered in his eyes.
Sasuke felt like he was on top of his game again. And this time, he really was.
Although he didn't know why his visual prowess had been so greatly enhanced, or why the shape of his Mangekyo Sharingan had changed, he considered it a sign of the Sharingan's natural growth. The power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was enough for him to easily use its most powerful dōjutsu.
A purple light materialized around his body. The second form of the Susanoo appeared, moving as if it were his own limbs. A giant purple bow and arrow materialized in its hands. The bowstring was drawn tight, aiming directly at Suien.
In Sasuke's vision, Suien's face was a mask of horror. The moment he saw the Susanoo, the new leader of the Waterfall Village instantly wanted to flee. After all, when an ordinary ninja sees a Susanoo for the first time, their first reaction isn't to poke it with a shuriken. It's to turn and run, right?
"Hmph, trying to escape?"
Red light flared in Sasuke's eyes as he activated his Mangekyo's dōjutsu. At the same time, the purple arrow was released from the Susanoo's bow. The long arrow shot forward so fiercely that it seemed to cross the distance in an instant. It pierced Suien's chest and abdomen, splattering a large amount of blood.
The savior the Waterfall Village had believed in died on the spot.
"Lord Suien... is dead!"
"Konoha ninjas have broken in!"
The entire village descended into chaos. Villagers ran in all directions, trying to escape the battle. The Waterfall ninjas, gritting their teeth, fled even faster than the civilians.
That's it?
No wonder the village's official leader, Shibuki, didn't counterattack the rogue ninja but instead went to Konoha for help.
However, it wasn't that the Waterfall ninjas had no courage. It was that the ones who did have the courage to protect the village had all been imprisoned by Suien. The ones left were his supporters. What kind of integrity could you expect from those who would support a rogue ninja as their leader?
Naruto leaped down and stood where the Waterfall leader had been, shouting loudly, "Hey, everyone, don't be afraid! Konoha is not here to hurt you. I just want to know one thing: where is a girl named Fū?"
"..."
The scene immediately fell silent.
Kabuto, Sasuke, and the members of Team 3 surrounded the area, defeating the few Waterfall ninjas who tried to escape and crushing any remaining will to resist.
"Fū... is in the back mountains," a Waterfall ninja said, raising his head to look at the legendary young Hokage. He added, "She and the others are all imprisoned there."
The Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, Fū, was not yet mature. The chakra she could use was limited, and she wasn't skilled in combat, but she was still considered a fighting force.
After invading the village, Suien had imprisoned Fū and the defeated Waterfall ninjas in the back mountains. He planned to win the little girl over after dealing with Konoha's attack.
Unfortunately for him, Suien had just drunk the Hero Water and hadn't even had a chance to enjoy his tenfold chakra boost before being pierced by Sasuke's arrow.
"Is that so? I understand." A smile appeared on Naruto's face. He nodded at them and said, "Then please stay where you are for now. I will be back soon."
After speaking, he glanced at Kabuto and Sasuke. One was reliable for intelligence, the other for combat. With them here, they should be able to maintain the situation.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses and asked with a smile, "Lord Hokage, do you need me to accompany you?"
"There's no need." The young Hokage shook his head, looking down at the villagers and ninjas. After he obtained the Seven-Tails' chakra, he would consider how to deal with the Waterfall Village. Besides, in the original timeline, Naruto had come here once and was very familiar with the environment.
-----
Waterfall Back Mountains.
The smell of blood was thick in the air. Naruto had expected to find noise and chaos, but it was unexpectedly silent. His heart tightened.
When he arrived at the back mountain dungeon, he saw a figure sitting outside. The face was covered by a patterned mask... it was the masked man from Akatsuki!
How did this guy get here too?
This time, when the mysterious masked man saw Naruto, his demeanor wasn't as frantic as their last encounter. Instead, it was somewhat gloomy. "Fifth Hokage, according to the terms of our agreement, the Waterfall Village and the Land of Waterfalls belong to Konoha. I'll be taking the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki."
After meeting with Pain, the masked man had been ordered to come here to deal with the Seven-Tails. Coincidentally, he didn't want to see another Jinchuriki fall into Naruto's hands.
After discussing it with Black Zetsu, he came to take the Seven-Tails directly. After Konoha's invasion, the Waterfall Village would cease to exist anyway. No one would care about the Jinchuriki's whereabouts. It would be better to let this new Hokage take the blame.
"That's not going to work," the young Hokage said as he leaped over, his brow furrowed. "I need more leverage to restrain the Akatsuki before I unify the ninja world. Otherwise, I'm worried you'll betray me for the power of the Tailed Beasts."
"..."
The mysterious masked man's figure stiffened. He wasn't entirely clear on the negotiation method Black Zetsu had used with Naruto, or the specific terms of their agreement. Wasn't the deal that Akatsuki would help him unify the world, and then he would give them the Tailed Beasts as a reward?
Why did it now sound like Black Zetsu had negotiated Akatsuki into becoming Konoha's subordinates?
-----
Bonus:
Obito Uchiha: How in the world did you negotiate this?
Black Zetsu: We help him unify the ninja world, he helps us collect the Tailed Beasts!
Obito Uchiha: Then why is he acting like he's my boss and giving me orders?
Black Zetsu: Perhaps there was some misunderstanding in the middle?
Obito Uchiha: What misunderstanding? Tell me the details of your negotiation!
Black Zetsu: I used tactical deception on him... a little of this, a little of that...
Obito Uchiha: So, we just became his tools to unify the world? And now we have to hope he's in a good mood before he lets us 'safeguard' the Tailed Beasts?
Black Zetsu: ...He's a pretty good talker...
Obito Uchiha: I think you're a pretty good talker, too.