The Hokage Office was thick with the scent of stale tobacco and a mounting, suffocating dread.
The wrinkles on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face seemed to carve themselves deeper into his skin. He stared with wide, hollow eyes, his hands unconsciously clutching his graying hair, completely oblivious to the fact that his pipe had clattered to the floor.
"Uchiha Sasuke... he... he could actually intimidate that brute of a Raikage all by himself?" He muttered, his voice trembling with a trace of undetectable fear.
He knew Fourth Raikage A's temperament—a man who preferred the weight of a fist to the logic of a word. For such a man to suppress his fury, the only explanation was an absolute, terrifying gap in power.
Could it be... has he already reached the heights of Shodai-sama or Uchiha Madara? The thought made Hiruzen shudder. He attributed this impossible growth to the cursed, yet magnificent Sharingan.
"The Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai is indeed... terrifying."
Suddenly, a grave realization struck him, and his expression twisted. "This is bad!"
He barked an order toward the empty, shadowed corner of the office. "Immediately send more personnel to secretly protect Uchiha Sasuke! Highest level of alert! Do not let anyone—especially those from Root—get near him!"
Hiruzen knew Danzo Shimura all too well. His old classmate would never allow an Uchiha with such potential to grow uncontrolled. Sasuke's current "glory" on the screen was effectively pushing the boy toward the edge of a dangerous cliff.
The streets of Konohagakure had completely exploded with a feverish excitement!
"Sasuke-kun... the future Sasuke-kun is so cool!" "Even the Raikage has to give him face! Oh my god!"
In the Ninja Academy, young girls watched with glowing eyes, their hearts racing for the guardian deity they saw on the screen. However, one voice cut through the praise like a jagged blade.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Uzumaki Naruto pointed at the sky, his face flushed with defiance and jealousy. "That show-off Sasuke! How could he possibly become that strong? I'm the one who's going to become Hokage!"
At the heart of it all, Uchiha Sasuke felt his own heart nearly leap from his chest. An incomparable ecstasy surged through his veins like molten lava.
A me this strong... the future me possessing such power... Then that man... Uchiha Itachi! I must have killed him! The shock turned into a blazing, vengeful motivation. He clenched his fists until his nails drew blood, drawing power from the future version of himself.
On the heavenly screen, the Five Kage Summit had finally reached a consensus to form an Allied Shinobi Forces. But as their guard dropped for a split second, the air itself seemed to scream.
"Susanoo!"
Standing behind Tsunade, Uchiha Sasuke gave a low, sharp shout. His eyes bled into the intricate pattern of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
With a resonant hum of power, a massive skeletal frame of purple Chakra erupted out of thin air, enveloping the Five Kage in a spectral fortress.
BOOM!!!
A massive energy sphere of immeasurable diameter descended from the sky like a falling star. It struck the summit building with a speed that defied human reaction. A deafening explosion shook the firmament, and a blinding white light swallowed the world.
The sturdy building and the surrounding landscape were reduced to smoking dust in an instant. As the energy dissipated, the purple Susanoo slowly flickered out. The Five Kage were pale, their breaths coming in ragged gasps.
"Damn it! It's him!" The Fourth Raikage roared, lightning crackling violently around his body as he glared at the sky.
A figure floated silently in mid-air. He wore a uniquely styled white Haori, his brilliant blond hair fluttering in the turbulent airflow. Most heart-wrenching was his cold smile devoid of any human warmth and an aura that felt like a god looking down upon insects.
When his face was clearly displayed to the entire Ninja World, time itself seemed to freeze.
Thud.
In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi stumbled back, falling heavily into his chair. His face was as pale as paper, his lips trembling. Beside him, Homura and Koharu were equally bloodless.
"No... impossible... how could it be..." Hidden in the darkness, Danzo Shimura's single eye widened in pure horror.
"Is that... a Rasengan?" Jiraiya's playfulness vanished, replaced by an unprecedented solemnity. He didn't recognize the man, but he felt the weight of the "Child of Prophecy."
Outside the Akatsuki base, even the indifferent Uchiha Itachi felt his Mangekyo contract. It's not Pain?
Across the entire Ninja World, a single title surged from the depths of everyone's hearts: The World Destroyer.
At the Ninja Academy, Naruto looked at the golden figure in the sky and scratched his head in confusion. "Strange... why does this guy... feel a bit familiar?"
As the words left his mouth, he noticed a deathly, terrifying silence had fallen over everyone around him.