Hiruzen persuaded me to die

"Yes,"the reporting Konoha shinobi said with unshakable respect, eyes wide with reverence.

It wasn't just admiration.It was awe—worship.

After witnessing Hyuga Naraku obliterate Cloud Shinobi Village with a single mountain and sever the mighty Eight Tails with his golden blade, he had become more than a shinobi to the soldiers of Konoha.

He was a force of nature.A god among men.

The deep gouge left by the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion still scarred the land, a brilliant, unhealed wound that stretched for dozens of kilometers. Like a reminder left by the hand of a deity.

Just like the First Hokage in his prime—Overwhelming. Absolute. Unstoppable.

Naraku, trying to avoid the burning gaze of the young shinobi, sighed softly and turned to the mission report in his hand.

"During the First Great Ninja War, the newly appointed Third Raikage pursued the Golden and Silver Brothers. When they finally caught up… the four treasured Six Paths tools were no longer with them."

Naraku's sharp gaze lifted to Dodai—the Raikage's assistant, now reluctantly acting Raikage after the death of the Fourth.

Cloud had been left with no one strong enough to lead.

Dodai was scrambling to train the next generation, hoping to elevate a suitable shinobi to claim the title of Fifth Raikage before their enemies swarmed in like vultures.

"That's all we know," Dodai answered honestly. "After the war, the Third Raikage dispatched numerous search teams. But the tools vanished without a trace."

Cloud had once boasted five of the treasured Six Paths tools:

The Amber Purifying Pot

The Crimson Gourd

The Seven Star Sword

The Golden Canopy Rope

And the Banana Palm Fan

Four had belonged to the infamous Golden and Silver Brothers. Only the Amber Pot remained—until Naraku sealed Gyūki inside it.

Naraku turned to the Konoha shinobi accompanying him. The shinobi gave a sharp nod—affirming Dodai's claim. Cloud had indeed surrendered everything truthfully.

No deception.No hidden vaults.No secret rooms buried under rubble.

The four tools were gone.

Naraku exhaled, almost disappointed.

Of the five, only the Crimson Gourd held real interest for him.

That tool had once saved lives from the Infinite Tsukuyomi.In the final war, Samui and Atsui had survived the moon's light only because they were sealed inside that gourd.

To Naraku, that meant one thing:

The gourd possessed a chakra nature strong enough to counter Rinnegan-level Genjutsu.Possibly even its own inner world—like Kamui or Tsukuyomi.

With the right analysis, it could unlock a deeper understanding of the Sage of Six Paths' power.

He mused aloud, "Third Raikage must've returned with the brothers' bodies, didn't he?"

Dodai blinked, puzzled by the sudden shift."…Yes. They were buried in Cloud Village."

Just as I thought.

In the Fourth War, Kabuto had used Impure World Reincarnation to revive the Golden and Silver Brothers—with their Six Paths tools still intact.

He must have found the bodies.

Which meant… if he needed to… Naraku could retrieve those tools by force.

"I understand," Naraku said, setting the report aside.

Not long after, the doors opened—and in walked Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi.

"Naraku," Hiashi began, his voice subdued, "when do we return to the village?"

"I've had this strange feeling lately…"

Hizashi added, "Neji has been left in the care of others for too long. I trust them, but… I want to return to his side."

Naraku didn't look at them. He kept his eyes on the distant horizon—toward Konoha.

"Soon," he said. "Very soon."

There were only a few final embers left in Konoha…And they were about to be extinguished.

Elsewhere — Hidden Mist Village

The mist clung thick to the mountains.Twisting space began to ripple in the silence.

From the warped void stepped Uchiha Obito, his orange mask reflecting the faint light.

"How about it?" he asked, voice cold and unfeeling."Have you decided?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen barely glanced up.

He was no longer surprised by Obito's theatrical entrances.

"You're certain Hyuga Naraku is dead?" Hiruzen asked, suspicion simmering beneath his voice.

Obito chuckled darkly.

He understood Hiruzen's fear.He relished it.

Anyone would be terrified of an enemy who could casually carve a canyon into the world.But that threat was over.

Cloud's Chakra Cannon had finished construction.Obito had seen it himself, during one of his space-time infiltrations.

"They never suspected it," he said. "Cloud played them beautifully. The peace talks were a ruse. That cannon was meant to obliterate Naraku and the entire Konoha force with him."

"All two thousand of them."

"They thought Fourth Raikage wanted peace… but they couldn't see the simplest deception."

He sneered beneath the mask.

"And they'll die for it."

Hiruzen let out a slow, satisfied breath.

It had been too long since he felt this kind of calm.

Naraku—the boy who'd defied him, humiliated him, turned his dream village against him—was finally gone.

"Good," he growled. "But it's not enough. That bastard made me crawl like a rat… disgraced me…"

"If I could, I'd have him torn apart, one cut at a time!"

"But if he's truly dead, then I'll settle for burning the Hyuga Clan to the ground."

He clenched his fists, trembling with rage.

"I'll make them pay for Naraku's sins—until he's begging for mercy in the afterlife!"

Obito's voice turned low and smooth.

"Then we have a deal."

His masked face turned slightly.

"I'll send a thousand Mist shinobi to help you retake Konoha. But once you're Hokage again... you'll do as I say. When the time comes, you'll hand over the Nine Tails' Jinchūriki to me."

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes."The Nine Tails is Konoha's deterrent. Without it, we'll be exposed."

"If another war breaks out—"

"Konoha will have Mist as its ally," Obito said coolly. "You'll have a thousand Mist shinobi standing behind you. Who would dare challenge us then?"

Silence fell.

Then Hiruzen nodded, slow and grim.

His soul had already been sold the moment he crawled out of exile.

If this deal brought him back to power—If it allowed him to destroy the clan that humiliated him—If it let him erase Hyuga Naraku's name from history—

Then it was a price worth paying.