Hanekawa settled into the Raikage's office chair—a vast improvement over the Fourth Raikage's half-gym setup—and surveyed his new domain. The transition to Fifth Raikage had been remarkably smooth, all things considered. A fight with the Fourth Raikage, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's overwhelming presence, and suddenly the position was his.
Another village, another title. At this rate I'll need a business card.
Kaguya materialized beside him, settling onto his lap with the casual grace of someone who'd conquered worlds. Samui hesitated at the doorway, then carefully perched on his other leg, her blonde hair catching the light.
"Samui," Hanekawa said gently, "what's on your mind?"
She bit her lip, glancing between him and Kaguya. "Yugito and Mabui... will they be alright?"
Of course that's what she's worried about. Hanekawa had learned that Samui's loyalty ran deep—not just to him, but to those she'd grown up with. "I won't kill them. Strength rules this world. They'll live."
Relief flooded her features. She'd been with him long enough to know his word was absolute.
"I can't stay in the Hidden Cloud long," he continued. "You and Mabui will manage things here. But the Flying Thunder God Technique means I can visit—two or three hours daily, at least."
Samui's expression shifted from resignation to genuine happiness. Two or three hours is more than enough for her, he thought with amusement, remembering her stamina limitations.
He lowered his right hand, fingers tracing the edge of her black skirt. "I need you to form an ANBU team. Seventeen members. Find people who might be... dissatisfied with the previous regime."
"Yes," she answered, though confusion flickered in her eyes.
Memory manipulation will handle the loyalty issue. Simple and effective.
"Kaguya," he turned to the Goddess of the Rabbit, "status on the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails?"
"Sealed in the first dimension of Amenominaka," she replied in that flat, measured tone. "But this is temporary. We need the Outer Path Statue and a new Sacred Tree."
Hanekawa nodded slowly. "Mount Myōboku has abundant natural energy. Perfect for cultivation."
The Great Toad Sage wouldn't like it. But then again, the Great Toad Sage didn't have much choice in the matter.
---
Deep in the Myōboku Mountains, the Great Toad Sage's eyes snapped open. Cold sweat drenched its massive form as it gasped for breath.
"Master, a nightmare?" Fukasaku rushed forward, concerned.
"The Sacred Tree," the Toad Sage whispered, its voice trembling. "I saw it. The same vision from a thousand years ago."
Fukasaku's expression darkened. "But the Nine-Tails are scattered across the villages. How could—"
"Hanekawa," the Toad Sage interrupted. "He has the power to gather them."
Before Fukasaku could respond, footsteps echoed outside. Shima appeared moments later, her expression anxious. "The Hokage of Konoha has arrived. Hanekawa. He requests an audience."
The timing was impossible. Too perfect. Too coincidental.
When Hanekawa and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki entered the temple, the Great Toad Sage's entire body went rigid. The chakra radiating from the masked woman beside Hanekawa was suffocating—ancient, overwhelming, utterly terrifying.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
The Goddess herself.
"Toad Pill," Hanekawa's voice carried that familiar calm. "Long time no see."
Recognition crashed through the Toad Sage like a wave. That voice. That presence. A thousand years compressed into a single moment of terrible clarity.
"It's you," the Toad Sage breathed.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's Rinnegan opened—six tomoe spinning in perfect synchronization. An invisible pressure descended, and the Toad Sage felt death hovering inches away.
"Lady Goddess," it bowed immediately, every instinct screaming survival. "How may I serve?"
There was no point in resistance. The Toad Sage had made its choice in seconds: the survival of Mount Myōboku, or defiant death. The answer was obvious.
"I need land," Hanekawa said simply. "A valley. Clear it."
The Toad Sage complied without hesitation. Within minutes, the valley was empty of toads—all except Gamabunta, who watched with growing confusion as the heretic demon statue materialized in a thunderous crash.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki raised her hand. Chakra flowed like water, ancient and infinite. The statue's withered bark came alive. Branches erupted from its form, intertwining, growing, transforming into something that hadn't existed in a thousand years.
The Sacred Tree.
The Two-Tails and Eight-Tails spiraled into the statue's mouth, absorbed into its growing form. Leaves unfurled. Roots burrowed deep into Mount Myōboku's earth.
The Great Toad Sage watched in silent despair. The natural energy that had sustained Mount Myōboku for millennia was being drained, consumed by the awakening tree.
Why us? it thought bitterly. Why is it always Mount Myōboku?
"Seven more tailed beasts," Kaguya Ōtsutsuki said, her eyes fixed on the growing tree. "Then the fruit can be harvested."
"Takigakure has the Seven-Tails," Hanekawa replied. "After that, the remaining six will follow. It won't take long."
He paused, studying the Sacred Tree with genuine curiosity. It looked different from the original—more refined, perhaps, infused with Kaguya's own essence.
No entry triggered. I didn't do anything this time.
"The Pure Land's energy," Kaguya continued, "can accelerate the fruiting process. One fruit for me. The next will be yours."
"Acceptable," Hanekawa agreed.
The Toad Sage's heart sank further. Two Sacred Fruits. Two beings of unimaginable power, growing stronger still.
The ninja world had just entered a new era.
And Mount Myōboku would bear the cost.
---