"Jugo... Jugo..."
The Hawk Squad found Jugo, who was lying unconscious by the river, his body no bigger than a child's.
"Ugh..." Jugo held his swollen head as he stood up.
Sasuke asked,
"What happened?"
Jugo looked confused, unable to remember. It turned out that before leaving, Naruto had tampered with Jugo's memories.
Naruto didn't want to appear in Sasuke's sights too soon.
Jugo had been secretly attacked, and Sasuke should have investigated, but right now, he was more concerned with the whereabouts of his enemy.
Sasuke: "Forget it. It's enough that he's alive. We'll investigate this later, but right now, we have more important matters!"
Jugo: "More important matters?"
Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan, with its six-pointed star, flashed with a sharp light:
"Change of target. Land of Iron, the Five Kage Summit. We, the Hawk, need to be there to hunt the evil leader of Konohagakure, Danzo!"
The Eagle Squad set off for the Land of Iron.
The masked Obito and White Zetsu stood behind a thicket, watching from afar.
White Zetsu asked, "Why not let me inform Sasuke of Naruto's movements? Wouldn't it be better to use him to deal with Naruto?"
Obito pondered, "Naruto took Nagato's body, and this involves both the Rinnegan and the Golem, two of our highest secrets. It's best not to let Sasuke get involved... Besides, the current Naruto is probably too much for Sasuke to handle."
White Zetsu replied, "That's true..."
Obito said, "By having Sasuke fight the Five Kage and develop his Mangekyou, we can have him as a backup. It's the safer choice... By the way, have you found Naruto?"
White Zetsu answered, "No, but not long ago, one of my clones suddenly went missing. It seems someone took it out..."
"Oh?" Obito raised an eyebrow under his mask. "Someone who can eliminate my clone before it can even relay information... That's interesting. Tell me the location where it went missing!"
Whoosh! Several seconds later, Obito appeared at the place where Naruto and Orochimaru had fought, using Kamui.
Kamui's movement requires spatial markings.
Obito had been in hiding for more than ten years. While he didn't go so far as to mark the entire Land of Fire, he had no trouble moving freely within the area around Konohagakure and the surrounding hundred miles.
About a minute after he arrived, White Zetsu showed up.
Obito gazed at the ruined walls and muttered, "It can't be wrong. Only those eyes could cause this level of destruction. Naruto... He's already able to use the power of the Rinnegan!"
White Zetsu said, "It's hard to believe. Back then, Nagato only reached this level several years after Akatsuki was formed..."
Obito responded, "It's not surprising. That kid, Naruto, is a late bloomer. His potential now probably surpasses Nagato's."
White Zetsu asked, "So, what do we do now? We've fallen into a passive position."
Obito's gaze deepened. "Don't worry. As long as I have the Gedo Mazo and the Tailed Beasts, Naruto can't gain the absolute upper hand. And even if things go south, I still have one backup plan that could turn the tide!"
Even if that backup... is something I've been unwilling to touch for all these years! .....
Konohagakure Village.
Except for the Jonin led by Shikaku, the villagers of Konohagakure fully supported Danzo's leadership. This was a result of Danzo smearing Naruto's name to create a strong influence. He had to admit... it was quite successful.
Now, they only had to wait for the Five Kage Summit to finish, and after the defeat of the rogue ninja Sasuke, even the Jonin would have no choice but to accept Danzo as Hokage.
Inside the temporary tent of the Hokage.
Danzo sat upright, with three members of the White Zetsu faction kneeling before him.
Danzo said, "With this, I can go to the Five Kage Summit without worry."
"These are critical times. To ensure everything goes smoothly, we must avoid any mistakes."
"Send more people if necessary, we need to capture Kabuto." Danzo thought to himself: He might know about my relationship with Orochimaru...
It's easy to understand why. Orochimaru had been the one to carry out the plan to destroy Konohagakure, and if his connection to Danzo became known, it could threaten Danzo's recently secured position as Hokage.
"Also, the information on Orochimaru's human experiments should be in Kabuto's hands. We must get our hands on it..."
Click!
Danzo revealed his right arm, covered in armor, pressing against his bandaged right eye. His expression darkened, "That information might still be useful for my right eye and arm..."
After giving these instructions, he looked at the three people in front of him.
"Fuu and Torune stay, Terai, you handle matters with Dou, go ahead."
"Yes!" Terai quickly disappeared, leaving Fu and Torune behind.
Danzo said, "Alright, I should attend the Five Kage summit now. As agreed, during the summit, only two guards are allowed unless there's an exception. Since you're among the top experts in the Root, you two will accompany me, but the masks are not allowed. Take them off."
The two took off their masks—Yamanaka Fuu and Aburame Torune revealed their true faces.
Yamanaka Fuu asked, "What kind of weapons do we need as guards?"
Danzo replied, "You decide on that yourself."
"Understood," said Yamanaka Fu.
Danzo continued, "Torune, have your people find Uzumaki's whereabouts. We can't let the Nine-Tails go beyond our control. Also, keep an eye on 'Sai.' He might betray Root, be careful..."
...
"Eliminate the traitor ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!!!"
"Eliminate the Nine-Tails fox, Naruto!!!"
"Return our homeland!!!"
The people of Konohagakure were outraged, holding spontaneous protests against Uzumaki Naruto.
Even Naruto's house in the village was burned to the ground.
The situation had completely spiraled out of control.
Kakashi and his group were deeply troubled.
But in the face of these nearly undeniable facts, they couldn't defend Naruto.
Danzo took the position of Hokage and issued a kill order for the traitor Sasuke.
The honorable Naruto's name was utterly tarnished.
The appearance of the two traitors was a heavy blow to their peers.
They gathered near the temporary benches set up in Konohagakure to discuss the matter.
Hyuga Neji and Aburame Shino were both solemn, not saying a word.
After all, among the dead related to Naruto, there were connections to both the Hyuga and Aburame clans...
Yamanaka Ino sat on the bench crying, after all... Sasuke had been her prince during her younger years.
Sakura's face was pale... Her village was destroyed, her teacher was unconscious, and her two teammates had become traitors.
One had been her long-time support, the other... the deepest affection in her heart.
Could the seventh team still be the seventh team without Naruto and Sasuke?
But the most painful of all was Hinata... Everyone said the boy she loved had killed her elders.
Nara Shikamaru was the most clear-headed. Seeing the oppressive atmosphere, he, who usually avoided trouble, stepped forward: "It's too early to confirm Naruto's crimes. The bodies of those three were brought back by Root members, and with Root's methods, there's likely something fishy about this."
Everyone fell silent, thinking deeply.
After a long pause, Sakura hesitantly asked, "Then... what about Sasuke?"
"Ha." Shikamaru sighed. "Sasuke... his crimes are clear, no one can defend him. His situation is even worse than Naruto's. No matter what, Naruto only poses a threat to Konohagakure for now. Sasuke has become an enemy of the entire ninja world. The Five Kage summit held in the Land of Iron is specifically to discuss the eradication of Sasuke."
"..." Sakura bit her lip, feeling the pain inside: Naruto, why, as a hero, would you do such extreme things at this moment? The only person who could save Sasuke is you...
"Sigh." Shikamaru sighed again, wanting to say more when... a soft but determined female voice interrupted: "I will go find Naruto-kun!"
The group looked on in shock:
"Hinata...!?"
Hinata said firmly:
"Naruto leaving the village must have been for a reason he couldn't avoid. Iroha was definitely not killed by Naruto. There's something else going on here!"
At that moment, Neji spoke to comfort her:
"Hinata, I understand how you feel, but as ninjas, we can't let personal emotions cloud our judgment..."
But Sakura spoke up:
"Hinata has a point!"
"Sakura...?"
Sakura thought to herself:
"Naruto... If you've been misled, then I will bring you back! In my own way!"
Rock Lee said:
"It seems like there's no other choice. Youth is all about charging forward!!"
Inuzuka Kiba added:
"Searching for someone is something we can't do without our noses. Right, Akamaru?"
Akamaru:
"Woof, woof!"
Neji said:
"Actually, I don't believe Naruto would do something like this either. Let's go investigate..."
Shino spoke up:
"I'm going too. If you want to know why... I was excluded from the previous mission to find Sasuke, but this time, I can't be left out... Besides, I want to get to the bottom of Muta's death!"
Shikamaru stood up helplessly:
"Ugh, it's such a hassle. One thing after another, all the same... including me."
Hinata gratefully said:
"Shino, Kiba, everyone... thank you so much."
And just like that, with all parties moving in unison, the Five Kage Summit was held as scheduled.
---