Akatsuki Organization?
Takeshi carefully folded up the letter, a playful smile tugging at his lips as he looked at the honest man standing before him.
Kisame met Takeshi's gaze without the slightest hint of fear.
Maybe it was an illusion, but from this man, Kisame saw a shadow of his own Fourth Mizukage.
The same youthful appearance, the same refined features.
The only difference was that the Fourth Mizukage always wore a serious expression, calm and steady when facing the elder council—never arrogant, never servile, flawless in demeanor.
But this Hokage—
Kisame didn't know how to describe Takeshi's attitude. Everything about him, from his gestures to his bearing, lacked the oppressive weight a leader ought to have.
...
Kosuke, for once, had left his large iron pot at home, strolling alone with his hands behind his back through the gathering grounds set up at Kikyo Pass for the exam candidates.
Takeshi had taken note of his "eternal genin" reputation and hoped he could use the pretext of the exams to keep an eye out for any destabilizing factors among the examinees.
After all, every Chūnin Exam in Konoha was always accompanied by some incident—sometimes an Orochimaru falling from the sky, other times an unknown Ōtsutsuki wandering through.
Faced with such a request, Kosuke naturally had no grounds to refuse.
Kirigakure, Sunagakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, Takumi Ninja Village...
Observing the shinobi from each village without drawing attention, Kosuke slowly made his way to the front of the exam hall.
"For now, everything looks normal. Hopefully, this will be a peaceful exam."
Kosuke's heart carried a quiet hope for a smooth event, but reality would soon prove otherwise.
...
Somewhere on the seas of the Land of Fire.
Several massive ships of strange design were anchored offshore, their flat decks crowded with Sky Ninja clad in bizarre equipment.
"The Chūnin Exams should already be underway. All of Konoha's attention is fixed on Kikyo Pass. This is the perfect time for a surprise assault."
Atop the flagship, Shinno delivered his speech before the battle.
"Comrades! Now is the best time to make Konoha pay for the Second Great Ninja War. The rise and fall of the Sky Ninja hinges on this very moment!"
Fired up, the Sky Ninja raised their heads and roared, "Banzai! Banzai! Banzai!"
With shouts echoing across the deck, the Sky Ninja sprinted forward, and in the instant their feet left the planks, they soared into the sky.
Like a swarm of locusts, they surged into the skies above, plunging into the area covered by Konoha's barrier.
The instant the barrier was breached, its operators sensed the intrusion. They scrambled to their feet, dispatching a messenger to report to the higher-ups.
"Enemies have broken through the barrier! Their numbers… unknown!"
At the same time, witnessing the Sky Ninja's assault, a squad of three Snow Ninja seized the opportunity. As a four-man Konoha patrol's attention was diverted upward, the Snow Ninja struck from behind with shameless treachery.
"Ice Release: Swallow Flurry!"
Kakuyoku Fubuki struck first, sending forth a storm of icy swallows that engulfed the unsuspecting chūnin before they could react.
"Ice Release?"
The few Konoha shinobi who narrowly dodged prepared to counter, but some of the icy swallows that had missed suddenly curved midair, spearing straight through one man's chest.
"What a letdown. I thought we'd meet some tough opponents, but these guys aren't even at Kakashi's level."
As the last Konoha shinobi fell, Kakuyoku Fubuki planted one hand on her hip and disdainfully pressed her boot down on a corpse's head.
But as she scanned the area for other targets, high above Konoha, the Sky Ninja had already begun dropping chakra bombs over the crowded sectors.
These were mechanical explosives crafted from blueprints provided by the Akatsuki. Round in shape, they unfolded mid-fall under the pull of gravity, releasing clusters of smaller bombs as they plummeted.
As the bombs drew closer to the ground, grins spread across the faces of the Sky Ninja. In their minds, Konoha was already a sea of corpses, and all those within the blast zone were as good as dead.
"Cold air?"
One Sky Ninja was the first to notice something wrong.
As his flight grew more sluggish, he forced his head to turn, only to find that at some point his entire body had been sheathed in a thin layer of frost.
Takeshi didn't know what the Sky Ninja had dropped, but he didn't need to. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be anything good.
Without sparing a thought for chakra consumption, he rapidly forged an immense crystalline wall of ice, forming an impregnable defense in midair.
The bombs slammed into the frozen barrier and erupted in violent explosions, shards of ice scattering everywhere. But the wall did not falter.
"Ice Release: Piercing Spears!"
Using the midair ice wall as his platform, Takeshi formed seals, launching a barrage of sharp ice lances into the swarm above.
Their movements dulled by the frigid air, Sky Ninja were pierced one by one, their tight formations collapsing into chaos.
"It's the Fifth Hokage-sama! Charge!"
At the sight of Takeshi's signature Ice Release, the Konoha shinobi who rushed onto the scene felt their spirits ignite. They unleashed their own jutsu, joining forces to bring down the invaders above.
"Hokage-sama, leave the rest to us!"
The two guards assigned to Takeshi's protection appeared, trying to pull him away from the frontlines.
"Stay sharp! The enemy won't rely on just one trick!"
Takeshi refused to withdraw, his mind racing.
He didn't recognize these Sky Ninja. He had no idea which faction had sent them—or why.
"Alert the police force! Strengthen defenses! Don't let anyone slip into the village under cover of this!"
His command was quick and sound.
Almost at the same moment, a wall of roaring flames burst up on the western edge of the village. Silhouettes were hurled skyward amidst the firestorm.
It was Uchiha Yakume, Fuen, Fūka, and Furido. The four launched their own assault.
Standing against them was the Konoha Police Force, led by Uchiha Tekka and others.
"So this makes my third time attacking Konoha, doesn't it? Last time, I carried away the Fourth Hokage. This time—"
With his dōjutsu, Yōwan moved effortlessly through the crowd.
As his eyes fell on Takeshi's nearly completed Stone Monument, a cruel smile curved his lips.
"Well then… once I finish up at the Research Bureau, I'll come for you."
...
"Yakume! You traitor!"
Barely dodging Yakume's Fire Release, Tekka glanced down at the charred bodies at his feet, his three-tomoe Sharingan burning with fury.
"The strong devour the weak. That is the eternal law of the shinobi world."
Yakume's face betrayed not the slightest hint of remorse for killing his own clansmen. On the contrary, he advanced boldly, ready to cut Tekka down before he could recover his footing.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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