While Raizen stalked the Ōtsutsuki from the shadows of the Land of Water, the Land of Fire was on the verge of imploding.
In Konoha's council hall, Senju Hashirama stood at the center, expression grim.
"Everyone knows why we're gathered," he said quietly. "There's no point pretending otherwise."
The elders looked shaken.
Since Hashirama and Madara returned two days earlier, rumors had spread like wildfire:
First Hokage Amamiya Raizen vanished after a battle in the Snow Polar Region.
At first no one believed it — Raizen was the man who could make Uchiha and Senju sit at the same table without killing each other.
He was the reason Konoha existed.
He was the glue holding the clans together.
Who could possibly threaten him?
But then…
Raizen's wood clone in the village dissipated.
His chakra markers went silent.
All attempts to contact him failed.
The denial cracked.
Fear set in.
Now, every elder sat with stiff backs and pale faces.
Madara spoke first.
"We've searched the entire northern border. Nothing. Not even a fragment of chakra."
A murmur rippled through the chamber.
Hashirama inhaled.
"We can't keep this quiet anymore. I want to mobilize all of Konoha to find Raizen."
One elder stiffened. "If we deploy everything, the other villages will sense weakness. They might act."
Another banged his cane.
"But if we do nothing, we've already lost! The Hokage must be found!"
Hyūga Tennin rose to his feet, white eyes sharp.
"Hinata-dono is correct," Hashirama said quickly. "Raizen-sama kept our clans united. Without him…"
He didn't finish.
Everyone understood.
Madara looked around the room, Sharingan dim with frustration.
"If Raizen truly fell… Konoha loses its strongest shield."
The decision was made.
Hashirama raised his hand.
"Announce the mission. Effective immediately — S-rank notice: locate Hokage Amamiya Raizen. All clans mobilize."
Konoha Cracks
The announcement hit the village like an earthquake.
Children cried.
Chūnin froze mid-mission.
Veteran jōnin looked like they'd swallowed knives.
Raizen wasn't just a leader — he was their battlefield god, the man who forced the Warring States to stop bleeding long enough to build a village.
Now he was gone.
Konoha didn't riot only because the elders held everything together by sheer force of will.
Even then, the tension was unbearable.
Over 80% of missions were canceled.
Clans were drafted into search parties.
The Hokage Tower burned with candlelight day and night.
And beyond the borders?
The entire shinobi world howled with excitement.
Other villages whispered:
Konoha's Hokage is dead.
Konoha is exposed.
Konoha's tailed beasts are unguarded.
Armies began to stir.
Old grudges ignited.
The peace Raizen carved with his own blood lasted barely a month.
One Month Later — Council Hall
Another emergency meeting.
Another row of exhausted elders.
Another empty Hokage seat.
Shimura-dono let out a long sigh. "It's been a month. We must accept it: Hokage-sama may truly be gone."
Hashirama's eyes dimmed.
Another elder rubbed his forehead. "Without a leader, Konoha is fracturing. Fights break out in the streets. The clans are restless."
"And families that joined reluctantly before?" someone added. "They're stirring. Testing boundaries."
Silence.
The kind that hurts.
An elder finally whispered the forbidden words.
"Then… we should appoint a new Hokage."
Hyūga Tennin slammed the table.
"Silence."
The Byakugan snapped open — cold, furious, unblinking.
"Amamiya-sama is missing, not dead. Appointing a replacement now is betrayal. And if he returns, what then? Two Hokage? A divided village?"
The chamber froze.
Because Tennin was right.
If Raizen came back and found someone sitting in his seat…
that conflict could break the village before any enemy ever tried.
Hashirama lowered his head.
"We can't choose a new Hokage."
"But," another elder said softly, "we also can't let Konoha remain leaderless forever."
A quiet dread settled over them.
Because everyone knew:
If Raizen didn't return soon…
the village he built might not survive.