The day passed in the blink of an eye, and Aoki and the others prepared to return to their respective worlds.
"Time really flies," someone sighed softly.
"Tsunade, you must work even harder. Your world, your Konoha—there are still many things that need careful attention," Hashirama couldn't help but remind Tsunade before parting.
The First Hokage, Hashirama, always had a few extra words of advice for Tsunade before leaving.
Tobirama, standing nearby, added, "When the third gathering begins, let us see some real changes."
As for Minato, the Konoha in his world was not as prosperous as Tsunade's current Konoha. He could only smile awkwardly, quietly awaiting the third gathering to reunite with everyone.
All eyes turned to Aoki. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Ahem, let's head back then! We'll meet again at the third Hokage Chat Group gathering! By then, two new Hokage will have joined. Don't let the newcomers outshine you."
Hearing Aoki's words, everyone immediately felt a sense of urgency. Originally, competing for the top three spots among the five of them was already challenging. Now, with two more added, maintaining their rankings would only become more difficult.
Hashirama and the others exchanged glances. As the "old-timers" who had joined the Chat Group first, they now felt a strong sense of pressure.
"Well then, everyone, see you at the third Hokage gathering!"
As Aoki's words fell, everyone hesitated no longer. They stepped into the colorful light gate one after another, returning to their respective worlds. Once back in their own territories, they immediately threw themselves wholeheartedly into development and construction.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
In the Hokage's Office, Aoki had fully mastered the Rinnegan and Sage Body.
He no longer needed to keep his eyes closed all day; he could now activate and deactivate the Rinnegan at will. His Sage Art had also reached a level of harmony with heaven and earth, and his body could autonomously absorb Natural Energy from the surroundings.
"Hokage-sama."
A voice interrupted Aoki's thoughts. He set aside what he was doing and looked up to see Minato walking in, covered in dust.
"Minato, you've worked hard. It seems the resource collection this time went smoothly," Aoki greeted him.
Minato smiled and nodded solemnly. "Yes, because we control the daimyo and resource lifelines of the three great nations, we can allocate their supplies to Konoha. Over there, they've been cutting military funding and refusing to allocate funds, while here, all kinds of supplies arrive on time every month."
As he spoke, Minato brought new information: "However, this time, Uchiha Motoyasu and Uchiha Gaku separately sent back intelligence. The Land of Earth is in turmoil, and Onoki is restless, frequently visiting the daimyo's palace."
"The situation in the Land of Water is quite similar. The Third Mizukage is also constantly visiting the daimyo's palace. Moreover, the situation in the Land of Water is even more dangerous. Uchiha ninja have discovered traces of several Kirigakure ninja near the daimyo's palace. It seems Kirigakure is planning to assassinate the daimyo of the Land of Water."
Hearing this, a sharp glint flashed in Aoki's eyes.
Over the past six months, the lands of Earth, Wind, and Water had already been struggling, and now the Land of Water was even considering assassinating its daimyo. Aoki couldn't help but curl the corner of his lips. Kirigakure's assassination techniques had always been among the finest in the Ninja World.
"Good, relay my orders. Ensure all related personnel have their memories erased. Additionally, have Uchiha Gaku assist Kirigakure. Since Kirigakure already intends to assassinate the daimyo, let Gaku help them completely eliminate the Land of Water's daimyo and erase the word 'preparation' from their plans entirely," Aoki commanded solemnly.
Six months had passed, and the third Hokage gathering was now imminent. Aoki had no interest in continuing to scheme and maneuver; he had already withdrawn after setting the trap. Upon hearing this, Minato immediately turned with renewed vigor to relay the orders.
As soon as Minato left, the familiar mechanical voice of the Chat Group echoed in Aoki's mind.
The mechanical voice inquired whether to invite new members to the gathering. Naturally, Aoki hoped for as many Hokage in the group as possible, as the World Traversal function required ten Hokage to activate. Currently, including himself, there were only five.
Without hesitation, he clicked "Invite."
A system notification sounded—Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage from the parallel world The Road to Ninja, had joined the group chat.
Seeing the familiar prompt, Aoki's eyes lit up. He had been pondering how to gather ten Hokage, and now he realized that Hokage from movie worlds could also be pulled into the group.
This Tsunade was completely different from the one in the main world—a gentle, charming young woman wearing glasses, whose appearance and demeanor were the polar opposite of the main world's Tsunade. Aoki grew increasingly curious about this Hokage Chat Group.
System notifications continued one after another, and Aoki soon received another successful invitation notice.
The system notification sounded again—the Sixth Hokage…