In the depths of a dark underground chamber, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path raised all ten fingers. Upon them stood six shadowy figures.
Each figure was weaving hand seals, clearly performing a jutsu.
Beside the statue, a young girl floated unconscious in midair.
This girl was the host of the Seven-Tails.
At that moment, the Seven-Tails was being forcibly extracted from her body, sealed into the Demonic Statue.
In response, one of the statue's eyes slowly began to open.
After some time, the eye opened fully.
Her body, now an empty shell, fell to the ground with a dull thud—completely lifeless.
With the beast torn from her, she had perished.
"At last, the extraction is complete. When do we proceed with the Three-Tails' host?" Deidara asked.
"There was… an accident. The mission failed," Nagato replied grimly.
The other squads had succeeded, but as their leader, his own mission had ended in failure. It was a bitter humiliation.
"Failed?" Deidara's eyes widened in disbelief.
With Nagato's strength, he hadn't expected such an outcome. The others were also visibly surprised. Of all of them, Nagato was the least likely to encounter setbacks.
"On the return route, I crossed paths with Uchiha Fugaku. Because of his interference, the Three-Tails' host was killed.
"I managed to unseal the beast in advance, but thanks to Fugaku's interference, the Three-Tails escaped into the sea."
The group exchanged glances of understanding. If Uchiha Fugaku was involved, the failure made sense. They all knew well the terrifying extent of his power.
"Could it be that Shennong and Hidan also fell at Fugaku's hands?" Hiruko asked with a frown.
"Most likely," Nagato admitted.
"What incredible power…" Hiruko muttered, filled with both fear and yearning.
He dreaded Fugaku's overwhelming might, yet at the same time hungered to know what strength he might gain if he used Chimera Technique to assimilate Fugaku. More than any other Uchiha, even one with awakened Mangekyō Sharingan, Hiruko desired Fugaku as his prey.
But with power on that level, the chance of ever capturing him was near zero.
"Hiruko, I know what you're thinking," Nagato warned, his sharp gaze fixed on him. "But if you try to fight Fugaku, you'll only throw your life away. If you ever cross paths with him again, abandon the mission and retreat immediately."
"Relax. I won't gamble with my life," Hiruko replied, suppressing his greed with a heavy breath.
…
At the end of the month, Uchiha Fugaku departed from Konoha, setting out for the Land of Iron.
With him were two companions: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
Naruto, as the host of the Nine-Tails, was already targeted by the Akatsuki. If left behind, they might attack the village in his absence to capture Naruto.
For Naruto's safety—and Konoha's—Fugaku decided to bring him along.
As for Sasuke, this was an opportunity to broaden his horizons. The upcoming Five Kage Summit was a rare and historic gathering.
"Uncle Fugaku, I heard the Land of Iron is really cold. Is that true?" Naruto asked along the way.
"Idiot. We're acting as escorts. You should address him properly as Lord Hokage," Sasuke corrected.
"The Land of Iron does have a cold climate," Fugaku explained. "But we're traveling in the summer, so it won't be unbearably harsh."
Two days later, a massive fortress appeared before them. This was Iron Castle, the venue of the Five Kage Summit.
As they approached, a unit of armored samurai hurried to greet them, each wearing layered plate armor and carrying a katana.
At their head was an elder with a bandaged head and a long beard, clad in green lamellar armor, sword at his side. This was Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron.
"Greetings, Lord Hokage. I am Mifune, General of the Land of Iron," he said courteously, though his eyes studied Fugaku intently.
Though the Land of Iron remained neutral, it could not ignore the balance of power in the shinobi world. Mifune knew of the man before him—Konoha's Fifth Hokage, widely considered perhaps the strongest among the Five Kage.
The record spoke for itself: capturing Orochimaru, defeating the Jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, and overcoming the mysterious leader of the Akatsuki, Pain. Achievements no ordinary Kage could claim.
"General Mifune, we're in your care," Fugaku said with a polite smile.
"You honor me, Lord Hokage," Mifune replied, shaking his head.
"Tell me—have any other villages arrived yet?" Fugaku asked.
"Only the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure," Mifune admitted after a pause.
"The Third Tsuchikage, hm?" Fugaku's expression remained calm, though the faintest curl touched his lips.
Relations between Konoha and Iwagakure were far from friendly. The Stone had once schemed to capture Naruto, and the deaths of their Five-Tails' Jinchūriki and a thousand border troops weighed heavily against them.
Still, for now, Akatsuki was the priority. Unless the Tsuchikage pushed too far. In that case, Fugaku would not hesitate to remind him of his place.
"Please, Lord Hokage, this way."
"After you, General Mifune."
Led by Mifune, Fugaku and his party entered Iron Castle and were shown to the guest quarters.
Iwagakure's delegation had likewise been housed there, though Fugaku made no effort to greet the Tsuchikage. Mifune, wise to the tension, mentioned Iwa only once before letting the matter drop.
—
In a stone-paved training yard, Naruto unleashed his Shadow Clone Jutsu. A hundred Narutos charged Sasuke in unison.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Claw Crimson!"
Sasuke's fire-style technique sent burning shuriken scattering through the air, tearing through dozens of clones in a blaze of sparks.
Yet some Narutos broke through the flames, one with a spiraling Rasengan in hand.
"Chidori!"
Lightning crackled in Sasuke's hand, the chirping of a thousand birds echoing as he charged to meet Naruto head-on.
Nearby samurai, drawn by the noise, murmured in awe. "They're just children… yet already this strong."
"Amazing. No wonder they are shinobi of Konoha."
Fugaku watched silently from a distance, ready to step in before things went too far. He cared deeply about these two—future powers on the level of the Sage of Six Paths.
"What's all this noise? A duel?"
A group approached. At its head was a short, stooped old man—the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. At his side stood Akatsuchi, his burly bodyguard, and Kurotsuchi, his black-haired granddaughter, a kunoichi a few years older than Naruto and Sasuke—destined to be the Fourth Tsuchikage.
"Fifth Hokage, an honor to finally meet you," Ōnoki said with a thin smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Onoki of Both Scales—the honor is mine," Fugaku replied, smiling as well.
"You're quite impressive for one so young. Unlike an old man like me—twice your age already," Ōnoki said with false modesty, his intent clear. He was subtly reminding Fugaku of his seniority.
"You're so old already—shouldn't you consider stepping down? Give the younger generation a chance," Fugaku countered smoothly, his smile edged with mockery.
"My body is still sturdy enough. I can serve a few more years yet," Ōnoki retorted lightly, before gesturing to the sparring boys.
"Since we've met, why not let one of my Iwa shinobi exchange blows with them? It would be a good test of their strength."
"You don't mean your thirty-something bodyguard, do you?" Fugaku asked with a pointed glance at Akatsuchi.
"Of course not. Kurotsuchi, go and exchange with Konoha's two youngsters."
"Yes. I'll make sure to 'exchange' properly. One against two—I don't mind," Kurotsuchi said with a smile, clearly eager to teach them a lesson.
She understood her grandfather's intent well: to use the spar as a chance to humble Konoha's rising stars.
"Sasuke, you will spar with Kurotsuchi," Fugaku ordered calmly.
Two against one would have given Iwa an excuse to save face, even if they lost. He would not allow them that.
As for Sasuke's chances, Fugaku had no worries. Kurotsuchi might be a future Tsuchikage, but compared to the others who bore that title, her power was hardly remarkable.
In his view, Iwagakure was walking right into humiliation—and he was more than willing to oblige.