In the end, Kakashi set off back for Konoha.
Truth be told, with Naruto's current strength, it was hard to say who was really protecting whom anymore…
Beneath a clear moon and scattered stars, Naruto slept soundly at the inn — for the first time in days, he truly felt there was hope for Sasuke.
Once the news of Lord Hashirama's rightful claim to the Hokage title reached Konoha, Sasuke would be saved…
In his dreams, he saw Sasuke and Sakura, the three of them running free across open fields.
He never noticed the small figure slipping quietly out of the inn…
"Lord Danzō — Aoi has left the inn."
Torune Aburame opened his eyes sharply; his microscopic insects gave him perfect tracking ability.
"At this hour?" Yamanaka Fu frowned cautiously.
"Lord Danzō — this could well be a trap!"
"Trap or not — I will see him dead!"
Danzō snarled, clutching his Hokage hat tight.
As long as that boy draws breath, I will never sleep easy again.
"Move out!"
Beneath the pale moonlight, four figures moved in pursuit, while a massive stone bridge spanned the chasm between cliffs and thundering falls…
Aoi came to a halt.
"Danzō — I knew you wouldn't let me down."
He turned with a smile as Danzō and his two followers stepped coldly from the treeline.
"Looks like you've finally come to die."
Danzō ripped away the seals binding his right arm, revealing the transplanted First Hokage flesh studded with countless Sharingan eyes.
He intended to finish this quickly.
But…
Aoi had never planned to fight. He had no interest in swatting the same pest over and over again.
"Obito — come out now, won't you?"
"Wha—?" Danzō stared in confusion.
A swirling void tore open in the air, and just as in the original story, Obito stepped through — followed by Sasuke and Karin.
"Uchiha Madara!"
Danzō had never imagined Aoi would be in league with Madara.
If the two most powerful legends of the ninja world stood together… was the world itself about to end?
"No need for alarm," Aoi said with a shake of his head.
"He is not Madara, and we are not conspiring. This was Sasuke's choice entirely."
Obito met his gaze with a cold smirk.
"Why fight each other? Even if I am not Madara… you are certainly no Senju Hashirama."
"Oh? And what makes you so sure?" Aoi asked, genuinely curious where he had slipped up.
"Because the real Hashirama would never act this way," Obito sneered.
"The God of Shinobi was upright and honorable — he would never pass secret messages behind the scenes…"
It seemed that, as fellow masters of performance, Obito had spotted the inconsistency almost instantly. But on a stage with no audience — what did it matter if the mask slipped?
"Believe what you like!"
Aoi waved a hand, activated the Flying Raijin, and vanished in an instant — reappearing inside a dim, quiet room.
"Lord First Hokage!"
Sakura Haruno knelt respectfully before him.
"You are certain?" Aoi laid out a map gravely on the floor between them.
"Once you leave, there will be no turning back."
"I am certain!"
Sakura's voice was unwavering, her eyes burning with the same resolve she had shown when she first sought him out in secret days before.
"Lord First Hokage… they say you know everything."
She stepped forward and bowed low.
"Please — tell me where Sasuke is."
Her resolve… Aoi thought quietly. I truly hope it won't end in tears.
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