Naruto: Starting with the Two Kamui

Kasyapa Senju sat cross-legged in meditation, attempting to harness the power of the Nine-Tails in his spiritual world.

Kasyapa's sister, Thousand-Armed Gara, stood motionless to the side like a puppet.

Before the flickering candlelight.

Kabuto's gaze deepened: "Judging from this situation, it will take Kasyapa another day and night to completely control the Nine-Tails' power..."

"This day and night have been wasted. It's a bit of a waste. All six of my pieces have been out of my control. White Fang and Might Guy have simply disappeared. As for the other four, even though my Impure World Reincarnation is still ongoing, I can't control them. According to my intelligence, only the former Akatsuki member, Uchiha Shisui, possesses such eye power. Those eyes... have they already been used by Uchiha Yu?"

"Never mind, things are developing as I expected anyway. In Konoha, the election for the Hokage position seems to be continuing, but it's only a matter of time before Kakashi Hatake is elected."

"Hmph, they concealed the news of losing the Yellow Flash and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki quite well~ Unfortunately, it's useless no matter how well they concealed it. My informants in the five great nations will soon spread this news to the major ninja villages. Let's leave aside Sunagakure and Kirigakure for now, what will Iwagakure and Kumogakure do? Especially that Raikage who's so easily provoked..."

"Jiraiya is still recovering from his serious injuries, Tsunade is in a slump, and Minato and his wife have died. It seems that the only fighting force in Konoha that can be considered competitive is the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Kakashi Hatake... Unfortunately, Hiruzen is getting old! Kakashi is too young!"

"Shadow Uchiha Yu, will you join the war? But whether you join or not, it's a sure-fire deal for me. Let them cause as much trouble as they want. The more ferocious they are, the more advantageous the situation will be for me, hehehehe!"

Kabuto laughed arrogantly.

Sunagakure Village.

Upon hearing the news, Fengying Luosha fell into deep thought.

Sunagakure and Konoha have maintained a close relationship and stood together through thick and thin for the past few years.

Looking out the round window at the swirling sandstorm, Rasa said, "We must fight this battle... This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Sunagakure! Rather than waiting to be killed, we should fight with all our might!"

"Lord Kazekage, Advisor Chiyo requests an audience!"

Hidden Mist Village.

Mei, the Fifth Mizukage, rested one arm on her hip and said with an air of authority, "No matter what happens, we will remain still..."

"But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

"You've forgotten one man, who is on Konoha's side!"

"Are you talking about Shadow? But even he can't stop the inevitable trend!"

"You underestimate Shadow. Only he... can influence the current situation!"

This was a conclusion that Mei Terumi had reached not long ago, based on her own observations.

Hidden Rock Village.

"Lord Ōnoki..."

"It's time to settle old scores with Konoha. The pain we suffered at Kannabi Bridge during the Ninja War, and the deaths of my granddaughter and disciple in Konoha this time—we must get our revenge with interest!" Onoki, the Two Scales, revealed his true colors.

"What about Dark Hidden Village?"

"My Dust Release fears no opponent." Onoki thought to himself: My health has been declining lately, and in a few more years, I'm afraid I'll truly be powerless. Of course, Iwagakure secretly controls the Yang Dragon Vein in addition to the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, but in contrast, Yamigakure has three Tailed Beasts and the Yin Dragon Vein...

Now that one of the two strongest rising stars in the ninja world has been eliminated, while my old back can still straighten, it's time to give it one last shot. Otherwise, what will the younger generation of the village use to snatch food from the jaws of the Hidden Shadow Village?

Hidden Cloud Village.

Crash! The round table was smashed into pieces.

The Fourth Raikage, A, had an explosively long head of hair that reached his lower back. Even more fiery was his temper: "Agh!! I've finally gotten this chance!!"

The Hidden Cloud Village began assembling a combat-ready force three years ago, stationed at the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire, all in preparation for launching a lightning strike when the opportunity arises!

"Gather all our forces at the border and march on Konoha!!!"

"Lord Raikage, how should we deal with this variable, Dark Shadow Uchiha Yu?!"

Click! Click!

"Hmph!" Lei Ying cracked his knuckles. "I'm just waiting for Shadow to come! I'll gouge out his eyes, then tear him to pieces to avenge the humiliation of losing my arm eight years ago, and make him regret it in hell, so he'll give me back my arm!!!"

Chapter 301 The Cataclysm of Konoha! (1/5)

In Konoha Village, Kakashi Hatake over the opposition and was elected as the Fifth Hokage.

The first thing he did after taking office was to completely overhaul the Anbu left by the Fourth Hokage, removing all members with tainted backgrounds from the Anbu organization, especially those with ties to Root.

The tragedy that befell the Fourth Hokage made Kakashi realize that the Root's evil was not yet eradicated. The Fourth Hokage's direct ANBU had always been reliable, and the leak of information could only be related to Root members who had infiltrated later.

Therefore, even if it's better late than never, we must painfully remove this malignant tumor!

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was enjoying his retirement away from home, rushed back to the village day and night after hearing about the tragedy that had occurred there.

The previous attack on the Chunin Exams venue.

6432 civilians were killed, including 5816 from the Land of Fire!

1241 ninjas were killed, including 14 Konoha Jonin!

More than 10,000 people were injured to varying degrees, with more than 1000 suffering serious injuries and disabilities!

This has been called the worst attack in history since the establishment of the one country, one village system!

Moreover, since it happened in peacetime, Konoha, as the organizer of this Chunin Exam, naturally became the focus of public opinion.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was criticized for abandoning his post during the attack.

Tens of thousands of relatives of the victims came to Konoha demanding answers.

Konoha organized personnel to comfort the victims, but dared not announce to the public that Minato and his wife had perished.

If this matter gets out, other ninja villages might take the opportunity to start an uprising. The already precarious Konoha Village can't afford any more blows!

But hiding it for too long is not a solution...

In response, the Fifth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, organized an emergency meeting overnight with the village's elite Jonin and advisory group to discuss countermeasures!

In the secret meeting room protected by a barrier in Konoha, Kakashi Hatake, dressed in Hokage attire, sat facing south, while the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat facing north. Beside them were advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

Kakashi said, "After investigation and analysis, the attack on the Chunin Exams venue was a smokescreen created by the enemy. The enemy's real target was Kushina Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki who had given birth to the Nine-Tails twice. The fact that the Fourth Hokage and his wife died and the Nine-Tails was taken away at the same time as the attack is the best evidence!"

The victims were not only the Fourth Hokage and his wife, but also the Third Hokage's wife, Sarutobi Biwako, who was also Asuma's mother.

After pondering for a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "Do you have any leads regarding the six resurrected users of the Impure World Reincarnation technique?"

Kakashi said, "According to the Shadow Uchiha Yuu, who previously assisted us in repelling the enemy, the caster of the Impure World Reincarnation technique was Kabuto Yakushi!"

"Yakushi Kabuto? That name... it feels somewhat familiar." Many people present suggested.

Hiruzen sighed, "He was chosen by Danzo from the orphanage as a spy. Danzo planned to use him and then eliminate him completely, but Orochimaru saved his life..."

Sarutobi Asuma said, "Kabuto serves Orochimaru, and Orochimaru serves the Shadow! This matter is most likely related to the Shadow as well! He also has a motive! Hasn't he always been eyeing the Tailed Beasts, from the Eight-Tails to the Seven-Tails, and then to the Two-Tails? It's not surprising that he's now eyeing the Nine-Tails. We can't believe his lies just because of his superficial actions!"

Asuma's suspicion was shared by many others present, even Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into deep thought.

I disagree with that.

"Kakashi!"

"The situation is urgent. We cannot stand against the Hidden Shadow Village based solely on speculation. Asuma, while your speculation has some merit, there is no factual basis to support your viewpoint, and we have no resources left to gather so-called evidence. We can only trust the Shadow..."

"Moreover, the issue we need to discuss now is how to resolve the biggest crisis at present, when to announce the death of the fourth generation couple to the public, and... after that, how to prevent the outbreak of war! Please share your opinions."

After a period of silence.

Someone suggested, "Why don't we just keep it a secret? It's not that difficult if we're determined!"

"What about the people? They still believe that Konoha is protecting the Fourth Hokage, and have even petitioned the Daimyo to stop providing economic support to Konoha. Among the dead are many high-ranking officials, and the Daimyo must fully consider their opinions. In any case, we must give them an explanation..."

Bang! Someone slammed their fist on the table: "How could the Fourth Generation be so muddle-headed! His wife was giving birth, so he just let her give birth, but he had to abandon his post! He died, and left us with this mess!"

Kakashi Hatake's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, clearly showing his displeasure. After all, Minato was his teacher, who had dedicated his youth and life to Konoha, only to be treated so poorly in the end…

Kakashi said, "Regardless of his merits or demerits in life, they will all vanish like smoke once his eyes are closed... Let's stop discussing the rights and wrongs of the Fourth Hokage. What we need to do is to preserve the Fourth Hokage's dignity as much as possible and give the people an explanation."

Someone suggested, "Then let's explain to the people that the Fourth Generation did not desert his post, but discovered the enemy and unfortunately sacrificed himself in the process of fighting them!"

After thinking it over, Kakashi said, "This is all we can do regarding the Fourth Hokage's situation. As for what the people think, it's hard for us to control. In short, let's make sure the compensation is paid out and do a good job of appeasing them. The biggest problem is that we lost the Nine-Tails!"

"We can hide the fact that we've lost the Nine-Tails!"

"But Kushina Uzumaki has met with misfortune after all. After the news of the Fourth Hokage's death was announced, Kushina's whereabouts will definitely attract a lot of attention, and it can't be kept secret any longer!"

"Then we'll announce to the public that the Nine-Tails has a new Jinchūriki!"

"The identity of a Jinchuriki must be public and transparent... So, who will take the blame? You should know what a Jinchuriki means, right? Not to mention Kushina, even Mito-sama back then was once criticized and called an incarnation of bad luck!" Kakashi scrutinized the person who spoke, but the person avoided his gaze.

At this moment, advisor Mitokado Homura spoke up: "Then let the Fourth Hokage's son take the blame!"

"Naruto!?"

"As the saying goes, the son pays for the father's debts! This couple, spanning four generations, has created such a huge mess. It's not unreasonable for their son to bear the criticism of being a Jinchūriki!"

Koharu Utatane chimed in, "Moreover, there's something Minato thought he was hiding from us... but little did he know we already knew everything. He had close contact with that Shadow. When Naruto was born, the Shadow, Uchiha Yu, even injected a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra of unknown origin into the child's body."

"In a sense, saying that Naruto Uzumaki is a Jinchūriki isn't exactly deceiving the public. Kakashi, you're in charge of everything else, but on this matter, listen to the advice of us advisors!"

Upon hearing this, Kakashi looked at the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage pulled his hat down low, burying his face in shadow, which was tantamount to tacit approval.

After a long silence, Kakashi sighed, "I understand... Let's announce it to the public that Naruto Uzumaki has become the new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

After the meeting, Kakashi arrived at his new residence, looking wearily at the night sky: "I'm sorry, teacher, I'm sorry, Naruto, I finally understand. Even the Hokage has no choice in the matter. But at least this way, I can finally clean up this mess..."

Kakashi was unaware that... just as he took office as Hokage, the greatest calamity in Konoha's history was about to begin!

boom!!!

In the dead of night... a loud roar woke him from his sleep!

"What's going on?!"

"Fifth Hokage, Kumogakure has launched a full-scale attack on us!!"

Chapter 302 Rise Up in Resistance! (2/5)

On a high point in the mountains outside Konoha Village, there is a cannon. It is not a cannon in the traditional sense, but a product of the combination of natural science and ninjutsu.

Before serving in the Hidden Cloud Village, Tono Tensuke was the captain of the Special Forces Ninja Tool Research Team of the Hidden Cloud Village. Although he left the Hidden Cloud Village, he left behind some of his theories.

Over the years, based on the theories left by Tensuke, the Hidden Cloud Village spent a lot of money to create a batch of war tools to fill the gap in combat power caused by the loss of the tailed beasts!

This 'Lightning Release Cluster Chakra Cannon' is one of its masterpieces!