Konoha: I have a clone in One Piece.

At the end of July, it was the height of summer.

Even so, it still couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm and joy.

The farewell party after the Chunin Exams was exceptionally lively. Banners were hung everywhere in the streets and alleys, and vendors did their best to offer discounts, with enthusiastic shouts filling the air.

Konoha Village, a brightly lit food street at dusk.

Madara Uchiha looked panicked and walked quickly down the street, as if some ferocious beast was following behind him.

A hot wind blew in.

Along with the hot air came a clear and melodious shout.

"Luo...wait...wait for me!"

Uchiha Izumi weaved through the crowded streets, fine beads of sweat sliding down her forehead and wetting the hair on either side of her face.

Even so, she kept her eyes fixed on Madara Uchiha's figure in front of her for a moment, afraid of losing him.

Fortunately.

The villagers and tourists not only know the first place winner of the Chunin Exams, but also know the strength of the Uchiha clan.

People quickly made way for them.

Madara Uchiha glanced back as he sped forward, speechless with frustration.

What's wrong with this kid?

How dare you say such things to an old man like that in public? And now you're still chasing after me!

When did my Uchiha clan girl become so unrestrained?

Madara Uchiha couldn't help but blush as he recalled the scene where Izumi Uchiha suddenly rushed up to him and confessed her feelings after the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had just finished awarding prizes to the top ten Chunin Exam takers.

Having lived for nearly a hundred years, he had never experienced anything like this before!

However, waiting is out of the question. If you catch up, how am I supposed to face Hashirama afterwards?

Madara Uchiha kept his head down and walked forward.

"I absolutely... I absolutely don't want to lose track of you for too long again!"

Watching the figure recede into the distance ahead, Uchiha Izumi's expression hardened. She gritted her teeth and ran even harder.

The two figures chased each other and soon disappeared into the snack street.

The old Suzuki residence.

Seeing their older brother Madara being chased by a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair, the three people standing on the roof, Kabuto, Kimimaro, and Haku, couldn't help but look at each other in bewilderment.

……

At a food stall in the snack street, selling fried meatballs.

Uchiha Itachi stared blankly at the two figures that were rapidly disappearing into the distance, his mind going blank for a moment!

Quan... how could you leave me too?

Didn't we agree before the competition to eat meatballs together?

Thinking of the admiring look in his younger brother Sasuke's eyes when he looked at Madara Uchiha on stage during the awards ceremony, and now witnessing his childhood friend, whom he has always had feelings for, striving to pursue Madara Uchiha.

Itachi Uchiha felt as if his life had plunged into unimaginable darkness.

That peer named "Otsutsuki Law" loomed in front of him, shattering all his beautiful fantasies about the future!

Uchiha Itachi, looking bewildered, munched on the dumpling in his hand and walked slowly toward his home with lifeless eyes.

However, it didn't last long.

A barely perceptible sound rang in his ears.

"Uchiha Itachi".

"You must be feeling desperate right now, right? You failed to complete your father's mission, you failed to meet the villagers' expectations, and even your younger brother and childhood sweetheart have left you. Have you ever thought about why all of this happened?"

"who???"

Uchiha Itachi turned around instantly.

A strange smile flickered in Yamanaka's eyes, announcing his identity:

"Roots—codename…Wind!"

Before Uchiha Itachi could speak, Yamanaka Fu continued:

"Think about the consequences of letting the village down. On Konoha's home turf, an outsider won first place, and even lost so badly. How will the villagers view you afterward? How will they view the Uchiha clan?"

"Oh, I'm sure everyone will say that the Uchiha clan couldn't stand seeing Konoha doing well, so they deliberately lost. They must have colluded with the Land of Waves..."

"Stop talking...stop talking!!!"

Uchiha Itachi roared in a low voice with a ferocious expression, crushing the wooden stick in his hand into powder, and scattering the dumplings on the ground one by one.

"hehe."

Yamanaka Kaze stopped speaking, then looked at Uchiha Itachi standing before him and softly offered words of comfort:

"Lord Danzo knows about your affairs."

"You're a pathetic person; there's no place for you to live under the sun anymore!"

"So... come with me to the root!"

"If one is destined not to win honor for the village in the sunlight, then isn't it also a kind of greatness to contribute silently to the village in the darkness?"

"..."

Uchiha Itachi stood silently in place, a look of struggle and inner conflict flashing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Yamanaka Fu seized the opportunity to walk to Itachi's side, leaned down slightly, and whispered in Itachi's ear:

"Look, they're all looking at you strangely~"

"..."

Uchiha Itachi suddenly raised his head and glanced at the whispering villagers around him.

At that moment, it felt as if a string had snapped completely!

He looked at Shan Zhongfeng, gritted his teeth, and said:

"Okay, I'll go to the root with you!"

"It should have been done a long time ago."

Yamanaka Fu smiled, then led Uchiha Itachi slowly toward the Root base.

……

Konoha Village, Hokage Building Conference Room.

After the awards ceremony, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, invited the Raikage, Tsuchikage, Mizukage, Kazekage, Hanzo of the Salamander, the leaders of various factions, and the high-ranking officials of his own village to the conference room.

In front of the long desk.

Minato Namikaze opened a storage scroll, revealing the evidence that Jiraiya had brought back earlier.

"Everyone."

"The Land of Waves, or rather, the ninja world's news, is hiding a shocking conspiracy!"

"They planned this world revival hoax a long time ago; those mutated creatures and secret treasures were all fabricated by the ninja world news..."

"..."

An enlarged document and several similarly enlarged photographs lay across the table. Minato Namikaze, with a serious expression, recounted the various conspiracies and past actions of the Shinobi World News.

However, although the group of old foxes all showed shock in their eyes and their expressions were surprised and astonished, their bodies remained completely still.

Minato Namikaze glanced at the crowd, knowing that he had to explain how this matter was related to their vital interests in order to move them.

"By now, almost every village or country should have some people with special abilities who have consumed secret treasures, right?"

"But the Ninja World News isn't so kind as to just give us a secret treasure for free!"

Minato Namikaze opened another storage scroll, took out a shriveled corpse, and solemnly began to recount the corpse's origins.

After learning that the Ninja World News had been secretly capturing Devil Fruit users, the leaders of the various factions finally frowned.

"Hmph, I knew it all along! I knew that newspaper was no good!"

The Fourth Raikage, A, snorted coldly, then looked at the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and said mockingly:

"You old codger, you always like to speak in the newspapers, you wouldn't have been hooking up with them all along, would you?"

"You brat!"

Onoki stood up and roared angrily, saying:

"Don't use your simple-minded brain to falsely accuse this old man!"

"I did speak up there, but which of you here hasn't been interviewed by a reporter from the Ninja World News? Are you all undercover agents?"

"..."

The leaders of the various factions exchanged glances.

Then, Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, spoke with a furrowed brow:

"Alright, what time is it? What are you two still saying?"

"Right now, the most important thing is to figure out the purpose of the Ninja World News, its core members, and how we should deal with this threat!"

Hanzo the Salamander, being a user of the secret treasure himself, instantly developed a strong hostility towards the Shinobi News. His wife, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, was equally unable to accept this.

The Kazekage looked at Minato Namikaze and asked with a serious expression:

"Hokage, now that you've uncovered the conspiracy of the Shinobi News, do you know their strength and who they are?"

"Sorry, I don't know."

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, shook his head, then looked at everyone and said in a deep voice:

"Everyone, that's precisely why I called you all here immediately, hoping we could discuss and analyze this together. This isn't just a threat to Konoha Village alone, but a catastrophe that the entire ninja world is about to face!"

As he spoke, Minato Namikaze seized the opportunity to recount the Great Toad Sage's prophecy.

Given the previous groundwork and the facts before them, the crowd accepted the existence of the prophecy with little resistance.

"Mount Myōboku... I never imagined that even a legendary sage who had lived for over a thousand years would die so inexplicably at the hands of the Ninja World News. This is truly something we must be wary of!"

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, said with a sigh.

The three great sacred sites for summoning beasts in the ninja world are all extremely famous in the ears of these ninjas who have reached the top.

aside.

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, whose face was being controlled by Obito Uchiha, frowned.

Ninja World News Report...

This force capable of hindering the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan must be eliminated!

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, before he spoke:

"In that case, let's send troops to attack."

"Each of our five great ninja villages will send 1,500 ninjas, and the other forces will add another 2,500. With the combined attack of tens of thousands of ninjas, I think the mere Land of Waves could be razed to the ground without any problem."

"Hey, that's way too extreme!"

Jiraiya stood up and retorted:

"There are still many innocent people in the Land of Waves. Besides, the Ninja World News might also be following an elite route, just like the Akatsuki. What's the point of sending so many ninjas there? It would be better for each family to send a few Jonin squads to come with me to find out the Ninja World News' headquarters."

"I agree!"

Hanzo the Salamander gave Jiraiya an appreciative look, then nodded and said:

"I think..."

boom!!!

A sudden, violent explosion rang out, and everyone in the conference room instantly stood up! (End of Chapter)