Naruto: The Sage Body of Konoha

Northwest.

There were five individuals altogether, each with intense chakra signatures indicating at least elite Jonin-level strength. Obviously, they were all ninjas from Akagakure.

Heiyan wasn't surprised by this.

After all, his reputation as Lord Takemikazuchi had already spread across half the Land of Lightning. It was only natural that Akagakure wouldn't ignore such rumors. Sending ninja to investigate would be perfectly normal.

However, what caught Heiyan off guard was that among these chakra presences, one stood out as particularly powerful—so much so that it surpassed the combined strength of the other four.

Instantly, Heiyan thought of one person—the Third Raikage.

That legendary powerhouse who, in the original timeline, fought alone against ten thousand enemies for three full days and nights before finally collapsing from exhaustion.

Was the Raikage himself really here?

Furrowing his eyebrows slightly, Heiyan had no intention of making contact with them. But just as he prepared to escape using Enshinsui, something felt off.

Because he sensed another wave of approaching chakra signatures coming quickly from the southeast.

Whoosh!

He leaped upward onto a rooftop and saw, indeed, coming from the direction of the Land of Water, a boat arriving at sea and docking along the coast.

One... two... three... four... five.

He detected five new chakra signatures—no more, no less—all at or above elite Jonin-level strength. This must have been a group of high-ranking Mist Village ninja. Even the Mizukage might be among them.

Ten people total from both factions—both heading toward Kasuga Shrine. Seemed like... a secret meeting place.

Akagakure and Kiri, meeting secretly during this particular period on their borders… His mind quickly pieced together the information, raising his instinctive alarm bells.

But even more surprising came next—

At this moment, a third faction appeared.

From his sensing ability, he detected three additional chakra reactions downhill—and one of them immediately struck him as familiar.

Black Zetsu.

The dark and dangerous aura surrounding that individual was completely unique across the entire world of shinobi, unmistakable to Heiyan.

Why was Black Zetsu involved too? Who were the two others accompanying him? What were their plans with this secret rendezvous? Could it possibly be...

Filled with these questions, Heiyan made an immediate decision: stay and find out.

With a light leap, he jumped silently into the branches of a black pine tree inside the courtyard, landing over twenty meters above ground. His Shanwenjia armor quickly shifted color, mimicking the surrounding leaves' hue until he completely blended into nature, leaking absolutely no presence.

This was the "Chameleon Mode" of living armor—an stealth mode complementary to its combat form.

Not long afterward.

Bang!

The shrine gates were shoved open roughly as several heavy-footed figures stomped heavily inside.

Heiyan focused closely and saw the leader was a towering brute—over two meters tall and easily pushing two hundred pounds.

His wild, golden hair flowed down his back as he left his shirt wide open, revealing a broad chest with bronze-toned muscles. On his right shoulder sat a striking tattoo: the kanji character for 'Lightning.'

He was the Third Raikage of Akagakure, born from the Yotsuki Clan. With an enormous physique and extraordinary strength, he mastered both the "Ultimate Spear"—Hell Stab—and the "Ultimate Shield"—Lightning Release Chakra Mode. He was a superhuman capable of fighting off the rampaging Eight-Tails alone and even breaking all eight of its tails.

Back in the original arc, even as an Impure World Reincarnation with power far below his prime, the Third Raikage managed to withstand Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken completely unharmed thanks to his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

Keep in mind that Naruto had used that same technique to destroy Kakuzu's three hearts in one strike.

From this alone, the might of the Third Raikage can be seen—he was undoubtedly the strongest Raikage in history, a ninja standing at the pinnacle of the Transcendent Kage tier.

Compared to today's Heiyan, their strengths could be considered evenly matched.

As for who would truly win between them, only an all-out battle would reveal the answer.

Beside the Third Raikage stood four young ninja—three men and one woman—who served as his current escorts.

Among them, a blue-haired woman caught Heiyan's attention. From within her body, Heiyan sensed a massive and volatile chakra, burning like an erupting volcano.

A Two-Tails Jinchuriki?

He immediately thought of the Nekomata—the Two-Tails of Akagakure—that wielded what was considered the strongest Fire Release among the Nine Tailed Beasts.

So both the Third Raikage and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki have come in person.

After entering the shrine grounds, the Third Raikage casually sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard while his four guards dispersed, carefully searching every inch of the place.

Heiyan remained well-hidden and undetected.

At this moment, the Hidden Mist ninja arrived.

Compared to Kumogakure's group, Kirigakure's delegation was equally formidable.

Leading the team was indeed the Third Mizukage himself. At first glance, he looked plain, with narrowed eyes. But to Heiyan, this man gave off an aura of danger, like a volcano waiting to erupt.

The Third Mizukage was escorted by three members of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist: Suikazan Fuguki, Biwa Juzo, and Raiga Kurosuki. Additionally, there was a shinobi from the Kaguya Clan—a man with two red dots upon his forehead, his gaze fierce and bloodthirsty, clearly not someone to mess with.

"Now that we're all here, let's begin."

The Third Raikage stood up and said in his deep, resonant voice.

"Please wait just a moment," the Third Mizukage replied, raising a hand with a faint smile in his narrowed eyes.

"Is there still someone missing?"

The Third Raikage frowned slightly before sitting back down again, forcing himself to wait patiently.

Just when he was on the verge of losing his patience—

Three more figures appeared outside the main gate.

They've arrived.

Perched atop a tree, Heiyan instantly spotted Black Zetsu wearing his signature large triangular straw hat. Beside him stood an unfamiliar man, yet the black threads of Earth Grudge Fear swirling around his body clearly told Heiyan—this was none other than Kakuzu.

It seemed Black Zetsu had already helped Kakuzu recover his missing hearts and provided him with a new body.

Heiyan lowered his gaze—only to suddenly shrink his pupils in shock.

Because he saw Kakuzu pushing a wheelchair with both hands, and seated on it was a figure in black robes. The person's head was bowed low, their face hidden beneath the hood—making it impossible for Heiyan to catch even a glimpse.

Yet at this close distance, Heiyan distinctly sensed something eerily familiar about the chakra—it was immense beyond comprehension, terrifying in its sheer scale.

This individual exuded a level of danger that even surpassed the Third Raikage's presence.

In today's world of shinobi, only one such person existed.

Madara Uchiha.

So he actually came here as well.

As soon as Heiyan realized Madara's identity, he instinctively held his breath and stilled his heart, deepening his concealment even more.

Down below, in the courtyard:

"Tsk tsk, just look at all these blooming flowers and lush trees—like spring never left! Could it really be true that some god lives here?"

Black Zetsu stepped in and immediately started admiring the scenery, expressing his amazement.

Seeing this, the Third Raikage scowled deeply. He immediately questioned the Third Mizukage,

"Raikage Third, don't get angry. These three are representatives sent by the Golden Exchange."

The Third Mizukage still kept his eyes closed, calmly explaining, "During this operation, they will mobilize the Golden Exchange's resources, organizing over a thousand bounty hunters as the vanguard force to attack Uzu Country."

"Hmph! Such a mere Uzu Country doesn't deserve such a large-scale action. Even considering Konoha's full support, as long as Cloud and Mist can work together, that would've been sufficient enough—there's no need for the Golden Exchange to intervene."

The Third Raikage snorted coldly, disagreeing with the Mizukage's opinion. In his mind, bringing in another faction meant just one more mouth to feed once the dust settled—an unnecessary hassle.

"Lord Raikage, please calm yourself slightly."

At this moment, Black Zetsu took the initiative to step forward and explain further, "Our Golden Exchange provides manpower and effort without requesting any reward—complete destruction of the Uzumaki clan will suffice."

"Why?"

The Raikage stared at Black Zetsu while countering, "Does the Golden Exchange have a grudge against the Uzumakis?"

Hearing this, Black Zetsu let out a quiet, contemptuous laugh before answering,

"It's not just a grudge—it's irredeemable hatred. Do you, Lord Raikage, happen to know of a certain ninja from Konoha named Heiyan?"

"Heiyan?"

The Raikage frowned; somehow the name rang a bell, but he couldn't recall precisely at once.

With prompts from his guards, he finally remembered this was a genius ninja from Konoha, whose bounty stood at an astronomical 150 million ryo—one breaking all previous records set by the Golden Exchange.

"A year ago, Heiyan destroyed the Golden Exchange located on Mist Island in the Land of Water, killing hundreds of bounty hunters. To the Golden Exchange, this wasn't just provocation—it was a full-on declaration of war. We've since learned that Heiyan's real identity belongs to the Uzumaki clan. Now he's hiding himself, vanishing completely for a whole year. To retaliate, the Golden Exchange has decided—kill all his clansmen."

So spoke Black Zetsu.

"Hmph."

The Third Raikage, as expected, gave a cold snort and did not fully believe Black Zetsu's words, though he was too lazy to argue further with the other party.

After a brief exchange, the three factions got straight to the point.

The Third Mizukage took out a map and laid it open before everyone. First, he sought opinions from the Third Raikage and Black Zetsu, finalizing plans for the allied forces to gather in half a month and launch an attack on Uzu Country. Then he discussed with Kumogakure how to divide the spoils of war.

Throughout the meeting, it was mainly the Third Mizukage, the Third Raikage, and Black Zetsu who did the talking, while the others listened quietly, occasionally adding their thoughts.

Heiyan finally understood the whole picture.

It seemed that Uzu Country's calamity had already been fated and could not be avoided. Moreover, the attacks against Uzugakure would be even fiercer than they had been in the original timeline.

If Heiyan chose to intervene, a battle that would shake the world would inevitably erupt on Uzu's soil in two weeks' time.

It was time to start preparations — without delay.

Thinking thus, Heiyan was about to slip away. However, before leaving, he decided to give them a farewell present they'd never forget.

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!