With Tsunade's appointnt, Konoha experienced a revival, like a tree sprouting anew in spring. The once stagnant village was full of vitality once again. Jiraiya had stayed in the village ever since the battle at the Rain Village with Nagato, and Kushina, now fully mastering the Nine Tails' power, was helping guide the next generation.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Obito felt an overwhelming danger surge from behind.
"This is… a Tailed Beast Bomb!" Obito's pupils shrank sharply.
Impossible! Has Ayanami Kaito mastered space ninjutsu as well?
He had no ti to think. Obito activated Kamui in an instant, attempting to escape. But before he could fully phase out, the Tailed Beast Bomb detonated.
Boom!
A deafening roar shook the void-like dinsion. The violent energy engulfed Obito, spreading destruction in a radius of over a hundred ters. It was as if a natural disaster had descended upon the space itself.
When the energy storm finally subsided, the terrain was unrecognizable. Where jagged landforms had once stood, there was now only a bottomless crater, vast and dark as an abyss.
A swirling vortex appeared, and from it stepped Uchiha Obito, masked and battered. He clutched his chest, relief flashing in his eyes.
"Fortunate… I had prepared an extra Sharingan before coming here, or today might have been my end," he muttered.
Opening his palm, he revealed a dim Sharingan. Its brilliance had faded, drained of power.
Turning toward the space where Kaito lingered, Obito's tone darkened. "What a terrifying man… If what Nagato said is true, and the Rinnegan is truly in his hands, reclaiming it may be impossible."
With that, Obito vanished into the distortion of Kamui, retreating swiftly from Konoha.
---
anwhile, in Konoha, Kaito observed the rippling fluctuations of Obito's dinsion with narrowed eyes.
"Not dead? Hmph, no wonder he's one of the key figures in the Fourth Great Ninja War," Kaito muttered.
Kisa, standing nearby, studied him intently. "So you're Ayanami Kaito… the one whispered about in the shadows?" His grip tightened on Sahada. He rembered the warnings Itachi had given—few could make Itachi speak with such caution.
Facing this young man, Kisa felt sothing rare—an invisible weight pressing down on him. It wasn't even killing intent, rely Kaito's presence, yet it bore down like a mountain.
"It's ," Kaito answered calmly, turning his head toward him.
Kisa's lips curled into a sharp grin. Slowly, he unraveled the bandages covering Sahada, revealing the sharkskin blade, its barbs gleaming. "A few years ago, you left with quite the mory. I've been waiting for another chance to test you."
Kaito frowned. He had no interest in this. At his level, Kage-tier shinobi were no more than obstacles—barely worth effort. Ti wasted here could be better spent honing Yin–Yang Release. The war was approaching. Kabuto was surely already moving toward Obito, and with Itachi gone—likely having fallen to Sasuke—there was little ti left.
Still, Kisa pressed on, his shark-toothed grin widening. "It's not that I want to fight you. But I want to see for myself… the danger that even Itachi acknowledged. For years, we've worked together, and Itachi has never spoken of another with such caution. Aside from our leader, only you earned his warning."
He chuckled darkly. "Strong presence doesn't always an strong power. I've cut down plenty of people like that."
Kaito's patience snapped. In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished.
"So fast!" Kisa's eyes widened. He barely had ti to raise Sahada before pain erupted in his abdon. Kaito's cold voice whispered beside his ear:
"You're weak. Stop wasting my ti."
The force was cataclysmic, like a volcano unleashed. Kisa's body was launched like a cannonball, crashing through countless trees before vanishing into the distance, leaving behind a torn path that scarred the forest.
Kaito flexed his hand dismissively and disappeared once more.
---
In the Hokage's office, Shikaku was finishing his daily report to Tsunade when lightning flickered. A figure appeared suddenly.
"Han—no, Kaito?" Shikaku exclaid, startled. "You're back? What brings you here?"
"Anything significant happen while I was gone?" Kaito asked, his gaze steady.
Shikaku nodded grimly. "Quite a lot. Sasuke fought his brother, Itachi—and won. Afterward, he joined the Akatsuki, forming the Taka squad. They've already captured the Eight Tails' Jinchūriki. At the sa ti, leadership within the Akatsuki shifted. The masked man has taken over, and the whereabouts of Pain and Konan are unknown. And just yesterday, the Fourth Raikage summoned a Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron. Lady Hokage has agreed to attend."
"The Five Kage Summit?" Kaito murmured. "Then the Fourth Great Ninja War is closer than expected."
Tsunade folded her arms. "Interested in coming along?"
"You go," Kaito replied, shaking his head. "Just let know the result." His figure blurred and vanished.
Tsunade and Shikaku exchanged puzzled glances. Why had he only co to ask about recent events, then disappeared again?
---
Back at his ho, Kaito spent a brief mont with Hinata before retreating once again to train. With the Five Kage Summit underway, urgency gnawed at him.
Inside his personal dinsion, he resud practice on Yin–Yang Release, determined to master it fully before the storm broke.
anwhile, preparations for the summit advanced. Kakashi gave his report, ending with a question.
"Lady Hokage, have you chosen your guards for the trip?"
"Yes. I already know who I'll take," Tsunade replied firmly.
The next day, Tsunade donned the Hokage's hat, Kushina and Ino flanking her as they set out. Villagers cheered as they departed, bound for the neutral Land of Iron—a place untouched by shinobi wars, where the Five Kage would soon gather to decide the fate of the world.
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