Kaito went there because he truly needed a place to train.

At his current level of power, the effects of his next advancement would be staggering. He had to find a remote, expansive place where he could practice without interference.

It was the era of the Third Great Ninja War. The five major nations were all entangled in conflict. Smaller nations were caught in the middle, manipulated as pawns.

Kaito thought about it and realized that the Land of Whirlpools, already destroyed, would remain untouched by the war. According to the original timeline, the Hidden Mist Village wouldn't join the war until much later. With enough time before their involvement, he could complete his advancement without interference.

Half a day later, Kaito arrived in a small town near the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools. After washing up, grabbing a meal, and stocking enough supplies, he set out.

The ruins were overrun with weeds, shattered stone, and remnants of a forgotten village. Kaito strolled quietly through the broken remains.

Stains of old blood clung faintly to the cracked walls. They marked the final stand of the Uzumaki clan — their legacy wiped out, their cries absorbed into the silence of the rubble.

After confirming he was alone, Kaito found a quiet, hidden spot deep within the ruins.

There, he began his training to open the next Gate.

---

Nightfall

The sky shimmered with countless stars, each one gleaming like a scattered pearl. Together, they formed a breathtaking blanket above the world.

---

Hokage's Office — Konoha

The Konoha leadership, known as the "Konoha F4," gathered under the leadership of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen puffed from his long pipe, his expression dark. On the table lay a report — intelligence Shikaku and his team had covertly sent back. It outlined everything that had happened the day before.

"Everyone, take a look! Read it!" Hiruzen slammed the table, his voice sharp with anger.

"What's got you so worked up, Hiruzen?" Utatane Koharu asked as she picked up the document. Her face darkened as she scanned the pages. She passed the information to Mitokado Homura and said gravely, "Jiraiya... Only the top brass of Konoha knew about the masked man. How did the Sand get that intel?"

"You're asking me? Who do you think I should ask?" Hiruzen growled, his eyes narrowing as they flicked toward Danzo.

It was clear he suspected Danzo. Hiruzen knew he had been in contact with the masked man, but he hadn't expected him to actually leak the information to the Sand.

"Ugh. This is a mess. What do we do now? With Rasa bringing reinforcements, Tsunade and the others won't be able to hold out," Koharu muttered.

She caught the glare Hiruzen gave Danzo but said nothing. She couldn't throw Danzo under the bus now — even if he had caused this.

"Right now, Shikaku's team has fallen back to within 10 kilometers of the Fire Country border. If they don't get reinforcements soon, they'll be forced to retreat even farther."

"What do you mean they've already fallen back? What are Tsunade and Minato doing? Can't they hold the line?" Koharu snapped, growing anxious.

"What choice do they have? Rasa didn't come alone — he brought the strongest elite Sand shinobi with him. If our side doesn't retreat, they'll get wiped out," Hiruzen said bitterly.

"There are four Kage-level fighters with the Sand, including Rasa. And Tsunade's team is expected to stop them on their own? That's suicide."

"This is getting out of hand. Let me go!" Danzo said, his tone grim.

"You will go. But we need to send more. Just one reinforcement isn't enough against the Sand," Hiruzen replied coldly.

"Recall Jiraiya. The Iwagakure front won't move for a while after being pushed back by that man named Kan," Homura said.

"Ugh..." Koharu sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Is now really the time to bring this up?"

Sure enough, Hiruzen's already sour mood grew even worse.

"That's right. That Man managed to defeat the Third Tsuchikage. What if he decides to turn his attention to us next?"

"We'll deal with the border later. First, we need to think about how to handle that masked man. Based on Jiraiya's intel, is this really the kind of person we should be making an enemy of right now?"

"Too late for that," Hiruzen muttered. "We already offended him. Reconciling now won't be easy."

"He's close to Tsunade, isn't he? Let her talk to him. We'll claim that the leak came from a Sand spy hiding in Konoha," Koharu suggested.

"Do you think he'll believe that?"

"It doesn't matter if he believes it. We'll make our stance clear. If he won't marry Tsunade, there's no need to make peace," Koharu said with a shrug.

"Exactly. We're Konoha — the strongest village in the shinobi world. We're not like the Sand or Rock scum. If he dares to come here, I'll make sure he never returns!" Danzo's voice was sharp with killing intent.

Hiruzen clenched his jaw. Danzo just couldn't help himself. The man could've been a powerful ally. Now, thanks to Danzo's arrogance, he was an enemy — a dangerous one.

And in the midst of war, Konoha could ill afford to create more enemies.

"Enough. Everyone out. Let me think," Hiruzen waved them off with a tired gesture.

"By the way, Hiruzen. Last night, we caught several enemy spies infiltrating the Senju compound. They attempted to kidnap the remaining Senju children. My Root agents intercepted them, but during the clash, the spies killed the children before we could stop them... then bit their own tongues and died. Clearly trained assassins," Danzo said calmly.

"What? You're telling me the last children of the Senju clan were murdered by spies, and I'm only hearing about this now?!" Hiruzen exploded.

He was furious. This was unforgivable. With Tsunade fighting on the frontlines, the Senju clan had already been on the brink. Now, their last heirs were gone.

When Tsunade returned… how would she take the news?

"Aren't the Uchiha in charge of village security? What are they even doing?" Koharu yelled angrily.

The Senju were the founding clan of the village — their teacher's clan. Now, only the elders remained, and the last of the children were gone. How would they explain this to Hashirama-Sensei in the afterlife?

---

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