The attack came without warning.
Not on Konoha—but everywhere.
Seals detonated across the Five Nations, ancient chakra networks flaring to life. The enemy finally named itself: Mokuren—the belief that love had made shinobi weak, that peace was a sickness, that bonds must be severed for power to return.
"They want to erase what we built," Shikamaru said grimly.
Naruto stood at the head of the room, Hokage cloak heavy on his shoulders.
"They won't," he said.
But Sakura saw the truth in his eyes.
This wasn't a war that could be won without loss.
That night, Naruto stood over their child's crib long after Sakura fell asleep.
"I don't want them to grow up without me," he whispered into the dark.
Sakura woke and heard him.
She didn't try to stop him from trembling