Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, gasped for breath.
Before him, his mentor, the reanimated Second Tsuchikage Mū, was reconstituting. Though Ōnoki had defeated him, he no longer had the strength to seal him away.
However...
The battle came to an abrupt end.
The Edo Tensei ninja were beginning to dissipate one by one, dissolving into mist.
Ōnoki was caught off guard, watching Mū's body rapidly reform—yet the old master no longer attacked.
"The real storm is coming."
Mū looked at his disciple, taking this final chance to pass on a warning before fading completely:
"Ōnoki, don't stand still. This power you have now is far from enough for what's ahead..."
With that, the Second Tsuchikage vanished into smoke.
Ōnoki's expression was peculiar.
He had already fought beyond his limits to defeat his teacher—what more strength could he possibly find?
He was nearly eighty!
Was the world really throwing this much trouble at someone his age?
And that wasn't even the worst of it...
His village was in ruins.
Their most vital strategic asset, the Five-Tails Jinchūriki Han, had been taken by Akatsuki.
Years ago, they had lost their Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi.
Now, Iwagakure had lost all its deterrent power.
"Dad..."
Kitsuchi approached grimly to report.
"I saw it all."
Ōnoki waved him off and issued his orders in a weary tone:
"Get people into the Land of Rain. I remember Akatsuki's base is there. Even if they have to dig up the whole country, we're finding Han."
He paused, remembering Mū's warning:
"No—tell them to move with caution."
"Also..."
"Start looking for Rōshi again..."
"And get intelligence on the other villages. Knowing that man's methods, he won't stop with Iwagakure's tailed beasts..."
Kitsuchi quickly jotted everything down.
Soon after, Iwagakure's scouts returned with reports from across the ninja world.
Akatsuki had struck every major village.
The least affected was Kirigakure.
Since they hadn't sealed the reborn Three-Tails, they only lost it to Nagato and Konan.
Attempting to recover the rogue Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata, yielded nothing.
Kirigakure, too, had lost all its beasts.
Sunagakure fared worse.
The One-Tail Jinchūriki, Gaara, was also their newly appointed Fifth Kazekage.
He was taken by Deidara and Sasori.
The morale of Suna was shattered. Their people couldn't even protect their own Kage, who sacrificed himself to shield the village.
But the worst fate...
Fell on Kumogakure.
Their mountain stronghold was cleaved in half by Uchiha Madara's Perfect Susano'o.
The Fourth Raikage's fate was unknown.
Both the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails were forcibly extracted.
The survivors fled in terror to the relative safety of Turtle Island.
Of the Five Great Nations...
Only Konohagakure remained untouched.
The tailed beasts—passed down for generations—had been seized in mere days.
Within weeks...
Akatsuki's terror swept the ninja world.
Every shinobi knew the threat.
And every gaze turned toward Konoha.
Because no one believed Akatsuki would spare the Nine-Tails.
Naturally...
That included Konoha itself.
Inside the Hokage Tower...
Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, was overwhelmed by the grim reports.
The other villages' devastation, once a cause for secret relief, now spelled out an imminent crisis. Konoha's fate could follow the same path.
"Hokage-sama..."
A guard named Raido cautiously asked,
"Should we raise the village's alert level?"
Tsunade nodded silently.
They all knew the truth—what use was increased security now?
Not even the combined power of four Hokage could defeat Shigen.
Now he had Madara at his side.
What defense could they mount?
Given Madara and Shigen's feats, if Akatsuki attacked, their only consideration would be how many could survive.
Everyone in Konoha with half a brain knew—
There was no bridging this power gap with numbers or will alone.
The only slim relief—
Was that Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, was not in the village.
Jiraiya, upon learning the other beasts had been taken, immediately sent Naruto to Mount Myōboku. There, the toad sages would teach him Sage Mode while keeping him hidden from Akatsuki.
But...
Mount Myōboku could only shield Naruto.
It couldn't protect Konoha.
Facing the looming threat of Akatsuki, Tsunade had to brace for the worst.
"You all..."
"Begin evacuation preparations immediately."
Tsunade stood atop the Hokage Tower, gazing out at her beloved village:
"Prepare for the possibility that this place may become a battlefield... and be reduced to rubble."
"Yes, ma'am."
The gathered shinobi nodded grimly.
Ever since the news of Akatsuki's raids broke, a heavy gloom settled over Konoha.
Everyone understood—this crisis would surpass any before.
And just then...
A visitor came in the dead of night.
A long-haired man in a hooded cloak silently entered the Hokage Tower.
He appeared behind Tsunade, licking his lips with a smirk as he greeted his former teammate:
"Long time no see, Tsunade."
"Orochimaru?"
Tsunade turned sharply.
Her brow furrowed at the familiar face.
"You've been quiet lately. What do you want? I don't have time or energy to fight you."
In the past, she would've ordered the ANBU to capture him immediately.
But now, with the Akatsuki crisis looming, she couldn't waste resources on someone like Orochimaru.
"Ah, but I do have the time."
Orochimaru grinned, amused at her desperation.
"I know exactly what kind of trouble Konoha's in. What if I said I could help?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
Tsunade scowled.
"You brought back the First Hokage just to fight that man. And what happened?"
What happened...
Was that Shigen had been fully resurrected.
Now no one could stop him.
And with Madara, their domination of the ninja world was imminent.
"But, Tsunade..."
"You have no solutions of your own."
Orochimaru's smile deepened.
"Maybe what I offer is just a straw... but it's still something to cling to."
Tsunade fell silent.
"First, summon Kakashi Hatake," Orochimaru said smoothly.
"This conversation could be overheard by Akatsuki... so we need somewhere safe to talk."
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Powerstones?
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