"What are you talking about?! I was happily gambling when the God of Gamblers must've possessed —I just kept winning!" Tsunade exclaid.
"I went back to the ruins of the Whirlpool Country to find you, and saw the note you left behind. I ran all the way from there to Konoha! I'm exhausted!" she huffed, her beautiful face twisted in frustration.
"Hiruzen-Sensei! Are you alright?" After her rant at Kaito, Tsunade turned toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, concern in her voice.
"I'm fine," Hiruzen replied wearily. "But Konoha… has been completely destroyed by him."
"If the Senju clan could build Konoha from nothing, then I can just as easily reduce it to rubble," Kaito said flatly.
"You'd better stop with the useless chatter. You all have two choices now." Kaito's voice was calm and cold. "First—I'll personally kill everyone from the four clans. That includes you, Hiruzen. That includes Shikaku, Tatsu, Mito—none of them will survive."
"Second—I'll only destroy the ninja line of your four families. No shinobi from your clans will remain. Even the children."
"You pick. And because you were Hokage for so many years, I'll spare your bloodline—this ti."
"Impossible! I'll never allow you to harm them!" Hiruzen shouted and turned to Tsunade.
"Shikaku! Bring Danzo and the others here!" Kaito called out toward the distance, ignoring Hiruzen's plea.
"Kaito! That's enough! You've already destroyed Konoha!" Tsunade shouted in protest.
Kaito turned slightly to glance at the approaching group, his eyes indifferent. "Tell Danzo and the rest—I've given my conditions. They have one hour. After that, their only choice is option one."
With that, he vanished in a flash. But his voice echoed ominously through the air:
"There's a price for wiping out the Senju Clan. You've already received your bill. Whether or not you can pay it… is up to you. See you in an hour."
"You bastard! Get back here!" Tsunade roared at the sky.
"Enough screaming," ca Kaito's voice, disembodied and fading.
"Coward! Show yourself! I won't agree to this madness!"
Just as the words left her mouth, Kaito appeared behind her. In one swift motion, he struck her neck, knocking her unconscious.
"You talk too much."
He slung Tsunade over his back and vanished into the sky. "Rember, Hiruzen—you have one hour. Don't make repeat myself."
"Third Hokage…" Shikaku and the remaining elders approached Hiruzen, guilt on their faces.
"No need," Hiruzen said, his voice heavy. "I understand. Go… go get Danzo and the others."
Minutes later, dical-nin began reviving Danzo and the others. Once they awoke, Hiruzen wasted no ti relaying Kaito's terms.
Their expressions froze. They had once secretly eradicated the Senju clan. Now, the retribution had co—and there was no escaping it.
One hour passed.
Kaito reappeared before the four elders, expression unreadable. "So… what's your choice?"
"We choose… the second," Hiruzen said grimly. His voice sounded hollow, his face gaunt.
...
And so, Kaito executed every ninja from the four clans, sparing only the non-combatants. As he gazed at what remained of their legacy, he spoke coldly:
"I hope you didn't lie to ."
He raised his hand, and the thunder domain behind him collapsed. The air twisted and cracked as the energy field vanished, leaving behind a blackened, scorched wasteland.
With Tsunade still unconscious on his back, Kaito launched into the sky and disappeared without another word.
...
Three days later.
The entire shinobi world was in chaos.
News of Kaito's annihilation of Konoha's ninja forces and his ultimatum to the elders had spread like wildfire. Even the brutal tides of the Third Great Ninja War slowed, shaken by what had occurred in the Land of Fire.
The leaders of the other four great villages—Kirigakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure—turned their eyes toward the weakened Fire Nation.
With its central territory decimated and its leadership shattered, Fire was vulnerable. And during war, vulnerability invites predators.
...
Back in the ruins of the Whirlpool Country, Kaito sat in quiet ditation.
Tsunade had awakened… and promptly demanded more money so she could go gamble in a nearby town.
Kaito was surprised she rembered nothing of what had happened, but he said nothing. Perhaps this was her way of coping.
After the Fire Nation incident, Kaito redirected his focus toward rging his Yin Release with the unique properties of his bloodline.
...
Deep underground, a single candle flickered in the shadows.
A white figure knelt near the ground, reporting everything in a low tone.
Above him stood a skeletal figure cloaked in darkness. His face was wrinkled like ancient bark, unmoving—yet in his eyes, light flashed like thunderclouds in a midnight storm.
"Madara-sama, that's the current state of the ninja world," White Zetsu said respectfully.
"So, Konoha lies in ruin?"
Uchiha Madara's voice was low and steady.
"Yes. Except for a few survivors from the four clans, most of the village was destroyed," Zetsu replied.
"The Senju clan again… another monster from their bloodline." Madara's gaze drifted as if piercing through ti itself. He seed to see old mories—himself and Hashirama founding Konoha, side by side.
"What shall we do, Madara-sama?" Zetsu asked.
"Wait. Let's see if this Kaito causes more disruption. If he does, I'll handle him myself. Our plan must not be compromised."
Madara turned, his voice sharp. "Keep a close eye on him. If he steps out of line, alert imdiately."
"Understood," Zetsu said, slowly vanishing into the earth.
Madara remained in the chamber, alone once more. The shadows clung to him like a second skin.
"Senju Kaito… Hashirama… I never imagined that even after the fall of the Senju clan, soone like you would rise."
His voice echoed in the silence, laced with curiosity, admiration… and the hunger of a ghost watching the living.
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