Land of Wind – Sunagakure
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stared fixedly at the Heavenly Screen.
On it stood a red-haired boy before a banner marked with the character "Wind."
Dark rings circled his eyes.
A massive gourd of sand was strapped to his back.
And carved clearly into his forehead—
The single character: Love .
"Th-that's… Gaara?"
Rasa sprang to his feet, eyes nearly bulging from their sockets, disbelief and absurdity written all over his face.
"He became the Fifth Kazekage?! How is that even possible?!"
His voice erupted in a near roar.
"He's the One-Tail's jinchūriki! A monster feared by the entire village! The people despise him—reject him! How could they ever accept him as Kazekage?!"
But in the next instant—
A far colder, far more terrifying thought slithered into his mind like a venomous serpent.
"…Wait."
Rasa's voice trembled.
"Where… am I?"
"Ten years from now, I should still be in my prime. There's no reason I would step down—unless…"
Unless he was dead.
There was only that possibility.
And most likely—
An unnatural death.
A chilling speculation surfaced uncontrollably.
Did Gaara kill me?
Was it Shukaku's rampage?
Or had his son completely lost control?
Rasa's face turned ashen as he stared toward the direction of Gaara's residence.
This child of his—
Was even more dangerous and uncontrollable than he had imagined.
Land of Water – Kirigakure
The shock in the Land of Water was no less severe.
Standing beneath the banner marked "Water" was a mature, alluring woman with long reddish-brown hair—
Terumī Mei.
"It's that woman—Mei Terumī!"
"She became the Fifth Mizukage?! Then what about Lord Yagura?!"
"Lord Yagura is a perfect jinchūriki! Strong beyond measure! How could he—"
Kirigakure erupted into chaos.
Under the oppressive policies of the Bloody Mist, the villagers were already living in fear.
Now, seeing that the future Mizukage was not the current Fourth Mizukage, but another woman entirely—
Confusion and anxiety spread rapidly.
Coupled with the village's long-standing bloodshed and eerie atmosphere, whispers began to circulate:
Something must have happened to the Fourth Mizukage.
The already suffocating mist grew even more ominous.
Mei lowered her head slightly, her eyes flickering.
The exposure of the future brought only uncertainty—
And deep unease.
The Heavenly Screen – Five Kage Summit (Future)
The atmosphere at the summit was so explosive it felt as though it might burst through the screen itself.
"Fifth Hokage!"
The Fourth Raikage, A, struck first.
His massive frame radiated rage as he slammed his palm onto the table.
The solid hardwood surface instantly split with deep cracks.
"This is all because of Konoha's mess! You will take full responsibility!"
Tsunade sat opposite him, her face dark, forcibly suppressing her anger.
"Raikage, I understand how you feel," she said coldly.
"But now is not the time to argue over blame! The priority is dealing with the crisis!"
"Don't give me that crap!"
A exploded like a detonated bomb.
He leapt to his feet, his voice roaring like thunder, the pressure so immense that even viewers beneath the Heavenly Screen felt their hearts seize.
"They took Yugito Nii! They took my brother, Killer B!"
"You tell me you understand? What do you understand?!"
"Have you ever lost someone truly important to you?!"
Those words struck Tsunade like knives.
In an instant, she saw Nawaki.
She saw Dan.
Her face went pale.
Her chest heaved violently.
For a moment—
She couldn't speak.
Seeing Tsunade forced into silence, Ōnoki, floating calmly, spoke in his measured yet subtly provocative tone:
"Raikage's words may be harsh, but they aren't without merit. Konoha does bear the primary responsibility."
"This isn't the time for infighting," Mei Terumī interjected, brows knitted as she tried to mediate.
"What matters is unity. If we fall apart now—"
Concern filled her eyes. She understood all too well the consequences of division.
At last, Gaara, the youngest Kazekage, spoke.
His voice was low, steady, and far beyond his years.
"I don't believe this is something the Fifth Hokage wished for either."
He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping across the others.
"All of this stems from the darkness of the past."
"And that darkness," he continued calmly,
"is something none of our villages can claim to be innocent of."
"What matters now is unity and the exchange of intelligence. Otherwise—no one escapes."
Gaara's words elevated the issue to the level of the entire shinobi world, easing some of the pressure placed solely on Konoha.
But the Raikage, consumed by rage, wasn't listening.
He sneered, eyes like blades cutting toward Tsunade.
"Nice words. But my brother's life hangs in the balance."
"Konoha will give me an answer. That is my bottom line."
Repeatedly cornered, Tsunade's infamous temper finally ignited.
She stood abruptly and slammed her fist down.
BOOM!
The corner of the table on her side shattered instantly.
"Fine!"
She laughed in fury, leaning forward fearlessly into the Raikage's murderous glare.
"You want an answer?! Then I'll give you one—right now!"
Her ferocity—more explosive than even the Raikage's—stunned him for a split second.
He clearly hadn't expected her to push back even harder.
After the brief shock came even greater rage.
"What did you say, you woman—?!"
Veins bulged on his forehead.
"The victims are from Kumogakure! What kind of attitude is that?!"
The summit teetered on the brink.
Two Kage famed for brute strength and explosive tempers faced off, neither yielding an inch.
The atmosphere plunged to freezing.
Kumogakure – Raikage's Office (Present)
A stood completely frozen.
For the first time, a trace of blankness and disorientation appeared on his bronze face.
His massive body swayed slightly, forcing him to brace against the desk.
"Yugito… B…"
They weren't just strategic assets.
They were jinchūriki of the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails—
And more importantly—
They were his comrades.
His family.
Especially Killer B.
That was his brother in everything but blood.
"…Gone. Under my leadership…"
An overwhelming sense of failure swallowed the Raikage whole.
What kind of future had he led them into—
That he couldn't even protect the two most important people in his life?
What kind of Raikage did that make him?
Lightning Release chakra surged uncontrollably from his body, shredding documents throughout the office.
Near the Cloud Valley
Elsewhere, Killer B, training alone—
The usual carefree grin frozen on his face—
Also looked up at the Heavenly Screen.