"What delicious chakra!"

Shinno smiled.

He sat on a bench outside the emergency room, quietly waiting for the "Zero-Tails: Hollow" within him to feast.

He closed his eyes.

His consciousness drifted.

Within his spiritual mind, a mass of soft, purple substance was slowly forming the body of a serpent. Its head was covered by a white mask, branded with the kanji for "Zero," and four red ribbon-like tendrils floated from its top.

At this very moment—

It was greedily absorbing dark chakra, its body gradually swelling.

This was the creature once excluded from the Tailed Beast roster, yet still bearing the name of one: the Zero-Tails.

The Zero-Tails was born from negative human emotions. It could convert despair, sorrow, rage, helplessness—any emotion on the brink of collapse—into nourishment and feed it back to its Jinchūriki.

Shinno had searched through the four great shinobi villages.

But he never found any trace of it.

That is, until the recent turmoil in Konoha.

After some investigation, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the scroll sealing the Zero-Tails was actually hidden at the very bottom of Konoha's Forbidden Jutsu Archive.

With Konoha's internal defenses stretched thin, and a riot erupting a few nights ago, he took the opportunity to infiltrate the Forbidden Jutsu Room and easily obtained the scroll.

After the night of chaos, Shinno shook off Konoha's Anbu surveillance but chose not to leave the village.

Failing to find a suitable Jinchūriki, he made himself the host of the Zero-Tails.

And with the riot in full swing, he slipped into the hospital to absorb the flood of negative emotions—perfect for awakening the Zero-Tails.

Two birds with one stone.

Once the Zero-Tails fully awakened, he would return to the ruins of the Sky Ninja Village and restore its former glory!

"Ahhh—!"

Agonized screams echoed from the emergency room.

The corridor bustled with foot traffic.

Shinno closed his eyes, basking in the process of the Zero-Tails absorbing despair and gradually awakening.

During the Second Great Ninja War—

The Sky Ninja Village rose to fame for its cutting-edge aircraft carriers, aerial machines, and long-range ninja tools.

Just as it was expanding its power, fate dealt it an unfortunate blow: it crossed paths with the then-dominant Konoha.

Shinno's expression grew cold as he sank into thought.

That year, just as the Sky Ninja Village began to show promise, before it could demonstrate its full power, it was crushed by Konoha.

As the village's leader, Shinno had no choice but to order his subordinates into hiding while he wandered the shinobi world in search of the Zero-Tails.

Elsewhere in the corridor—

Room 13.

Kakashi stood silently by the window, a complex look on his face as he gazed out at the village streets.

His left eye had been replaced with an ordinary one after surgery. With healing nearly complete, he'd be discharged in a week.

Since the end of his last pursuit mission, Kakashi had been hospitalized—utterly demoralized for half a month.

Thankfully, he had adapted to his new eye.

"Without the Sharingan, my whole body feels so much lighter. But it's a shame—my entire Lightning Release style relied on it. Without the Sharingan, my accuracy will probably drop sharply," Kakashi sighed helplessly.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed as a flash of lightning coursed through his mind. A strange, dark chakra crept up his spine… and was forcibly extracted.

"This chakra… it's unbelievably dark!" Kakashi's eyes widened, his body frozen as though plunged into an icy abyss.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as he pushed open the door and stepped into the hall.

Having spent years nurturing his Sharingan with his own chakra, Kakashi knew all too well: the sudden emotional crash had triggered a strange new energy in his body.

And that shadowy chakra he glimpsed just now… was tied to his own emotions.

It was darker even than the Yin Chakra of the Sharingan.

Just as he reached the doorway—

Thud—

Kakashi, still in hospital attire, collided head-on with Yamato. Both men's expressions hardened as their elite jōnin instincts kicked in—shifting just in time to avoid a full impact. Their shoulders brushed, and each steadied himself.

"Senpai?"

Yamato looked surprised, holding a fruit basket in his hands.

Kakashi brushed past him, sticking his head out into the corridor and scanning the bench outside—but it was empty.

The hallway bustled with people.

Nothing unusual.

He ran into the corridor, eyes darting around—but still, nothing.

"Senpai!"

Yamato caught up quickly.

Kakashi turned to the bewildered Yamato, grabbed his shoulder, and asked gravely:

"When you got here, did you see anyone suspicious?"

"No!"

Yamato shook his head.

"I see…" Kakashi fell into thought, then turned to head back toward the hospital room.

Yamato followed, asking curiously, "What happened?"

Once inside the room, Yamato set the fruit basket down on the table beside the hospital bed.

Kakashi said thoughtfully, "I suspect the person who infiltrated the Leaf is hiding in this hospital."

Yamato was taken aback. "What's their objective?"

"I don't know," Kakashi sighed. "Any recent findings from the Anbu?"

"These days, the Anbu are taking orders from the two Hokage advisors. Because of my special abilities, they haven't assigned me any missions lately."

Yamato's face showed a trace of frustration.

Being left unused like this—it left him feeling helpless.

As he mulled over it, he picked an apple from the fruit basket and asked curiously, "Senpai, what are your plans?"

"Recover, and return to active duty."

Kakashi looked equally troubled.

Then—

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed outside. Through the hospital window, they saw movement—ninja from the village were gathering rapidly, then scattering in all directions.

Kakashi's pupils contracted. He muttered, "Something happened."

Yamato paused mid-bite, one brow rising. "Hm?"

The two approached the window.

In the next instant—

Whoosh—

A green blur zipped past them, latching onto the second-floor hospital window like a spider.

The figure had a bowl-cut hairstyle, wore a green vest over a matching bodysuit.

His face was firm, his expression serious. "Kakashi, how can you still be sleeping—oh, you're not. Right. Anyway, latest intel from the front lines—Northwest, Southeast, and Northern borders have all fallen…"

Through the glass—

Kakashi and Yamato's expressions darkened. Even their breathing grew heavier.

"Guy… what about Lord Third?"

A thunderous explosion shook the skies, followed by tremors that rattled the ground. Dust and small stones crumbled from the faces of the Hokage Rock.

Panic spread like wildfire.

The villagers of Konoha snapped their heads toward the source—it was coming from the village gates.

"Have the Iwagakure forces reached Konoha's doorstep?!"

"Did the Third really lose?!"

"What are we supposed to do now?!"

Only now did the people of Konoha truly grasp that the shadow of war had descended upon them.

When word of the frontlines falling reached them, many still clung to a sliver of hope.

But now, with destruction at their very doorstep—

That hope was replaced with despair.

The once-foremost shinobi village was once again plunged into war, and the common folk didn't even know what had triggered it.

---

Outside Konoha.

The Iwa-nin launched a sudden assault.

Beyond the forest, Ōnoki hovered in the sky, coldly surveying the retreating Konoha shinobi, now like defeated strays.

"Fall back to the village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi barked the order.

He looked worn and battered, his black combat uniform torn in several places.

After using a Fire Release technique to push back the enemy, Hiruzen led the last of the Konoha shinobi into the village's protective barrier.

Shikaku had returned early from the negotiations with Kumogakure and was already there to receive them.

Only when the final shinobi stepped into the barrier did Hiruzen allow himself a brief breath of relief.

He stood at the rear of the barrier, gazing blankly at Ōnoki, who still floated high above.

The fire in his heart had long gone cold, replaced by grief and uncertainty.

°°°

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