Day 245

Tobirama Senju, the incumbent Nidaime Hokage of Konoha No Sato, surveyed the vast plain spread out before him, his arms crossed in deep contemplation. Since the tragic disappearance of his brother Hashirama Senju, Tobirama had emerged as the very embodiment of shinobi power, an unyielding force that none could hope to challenge in single combat. Like his brother before him, Tobirama was revered as a deity among shinobi.

However, where Hashirama had been the epitome of uncontested brute strength, Tobirama distinguished himself through unmatched tactical genius. Even amidst the Fourth Great Shinobi War, none could match his razor-sharp intellect.

For Tobirama was a master in every field he touched. He was the supreme architect of ninjutsu arts, wielding his creations with such grace that no gesture was needed to deploy them. His mastery of the five chakra elements made him versatile and formidable, but it was in the art of Suiton, water manipulation, that his reputation shone the brightest. He could draw moisture from the very air, weaving water particles into an unstoppable torrent.

Yet ninjutsu was but one facet of his arsenal. Tobirama was also a virtuoso of kenjutsu, the art of sword combat, outmatching nearly any opponent with a closely guarded secret. In conjunction with Ashina Uzumaki, he had perfected the art of fūinjutsu, the deadly seal that gave him an invaluable edge.

Perhaps his most formidable technique was his temporal fūinjutsu teleportation, a capability that defied the very limits of combat. A technique that, in the future, would be perfected by the Yondaime Hokage.

These skills, coupled with his unparalleled intelligence, made Tobirama Senju more than just a mere shinobi, but a Hokage of unmatched danger. And it was precisely because of all these qualities that Tobirama now stood on this endless plain, ready to face whatever the future held.

For weeks, his troops and spies had filled his reports with alarming news: an imminent invasion plotted by their enemies. As the master strategist he was, Tobirama had acted without delay, preparing methodically. He had mobilized his resources, launching a vast intelligence-gathering operation, unscrupulous in the methods employed. Targeted assassinations had been orchestrated to extract the secrets necessary for the impending victory.

In addition to his other talents, Tobirama possessed a major asset against his adversaries: unmatched expertise as a sensory ninja. His relentless training in this discipline had made him an enigma to any ambush. His keen senses allowed him to detect an army for miles around, a crucial advantage in the impending struggle.

That's why he had ordered his troops to conceal themselves, ready to act according to his directives. And they didn't have to wait long.

"Everyone to their posts," Tobirama declared, his arms still crossed, to his subordinate.

"Hai, Hokage-sama," responded Hiruzen Sarutobi before darting into the trees to relay the next orders.

For two days, Tobirama remained at his post, his gaze fixed on the horizon. He turned away only to eat or answer nature's call. Neither sleep nor rest. His troops wondered at his conduct, but none dared to question their Hokage.

"Here they come," Tobirama declared, squinting as the first soldiers appeared on the horizon. A cohort of six hundred men advanced in military formation, half of whom seemed to possess ninja arts skills, recognizable by their chakra reserves.

Suddenly, the troops rushed in his direction, a sensory shinobi having detected his presence. But Tobirama had orchestrated everything to be detected.

As the shinobi advanced rapidly, Tobirama examined their formation to confirm his information.

"Kaze No Kuni... Tsuchi No Kuni... Tch!" he grumbled disdainfully, recognizing the forehead protectors of his enemies, as the army spread out before him on the plain.

He would not make the same mistakes as his brother, would not show the same weakness. Out of respect for Hashirama, Tobirama had not contested when he offered Biju to other nations, a gesture of goodwill. But for him, it was like offering a dagger to an enemy to stab you in the heart.

The sight of the shinobi in front of him only confirmed his fears: their generosity had been a mistake. Tobirama was a mix of Hashirama and Madara, and even though it pained him to admit it, he agreed with Madara's radical approach. He would have acted without hesitation: to subjugate this world before it subjugated them!

The first shinobi would reach him in less than twenty seconds, but Tobirama showed no sign of concern. His gaze swept the plain one last time, assessing the meticulous work he had prepared for two days. The Nidaime Hokage uncrossed his arms, then formed the ram seal with his right hand. Immediately, the air became charged with chakra, tinged with the acrid smell of sulfur, causing the hair on the skin of all present to stand on end.

"KATSU!" Tobirama roared.

In an instant, the thousands of explosive tags hidden in the plain for two days exploded simultaneously! The blast wave was felt for tens of kilometers, accompanied by a deafening roar. The detonations tore trees from their roots, transforming the peaceful meadow into a field of devastation.

In one gesture, Tobirama had annihilated over six hundred human lives, effortlessly, mercilessly.

Day 250

For over a month, the caravan of over a thousand souls had been making its way towards Ta No Kuni, specifically towards Heiwa, the promised city where they could finally find refuge and peace.

In a strange, almost unsettling manner, the vast convoy hadn't encountered a soul throughout its journey. No wild animals, no inhabitants of the lands they traversed... no bandits, no shinobi... absolute silence reigned.

Some saw it as an unexpected stroke of luck, while others attributed it to the protection of the two shinobi who had saved them from the invaders. But the reality was quite different, and it remained a closely guarded secret.

Every ten seconds, the small stick hidden in the child's cloth carried by a woman at the heart of the convoy emitted a chakra wave infused with a genjutsu. It was a clever creation by Sakura, supported by Madara's expertise.

This fûinjutsu technique allowed Madara's genjutsu to be spread through a chakra wave, affecting everyone nearby. Anyone touched by this illusion within a one-kilometer radius would feel an irresistible urge to change direction, without understanding why. Moreover, the genjutsu had a camouflage effect, making the group practically invisible to the world as they stood at the edge of Heiwa, in the heart of the valley.

The woman carrying the child, to whom Sakura had entrusted the stick, played tenderly with her precious burden, who chirped happily in her arms. When her gaze fell upon the imposing silhouette of the grand city, she remembered the words of the pink-haired young woman. Once near Heiwa, drop the stick to the ground and crush it.

With a confident gesture, the young mother reached into the fabric enveloping her child, retrieving the small wooden stick a few moments later, adorned with dozens of kanji characters. Sometimes, it seemed to her that the characters glowed faintly... but she attributed it to her imagination, lulled by the movement of her precious burden.

Regardless, the woman gazed at the horizon, where stretched an immense valley, surrounded by majestic mountains, and the grand city that rose within it. The towering walls, at varying heights, testified to ongoing construction, while buildings seemed to emerge from the mountainsides. It was then, in front of this magnificent spectacle, that she dropped the stick to the ground and crushed it under her foot.

The wood chosen for its construction was fragile, and the blow was enough to shatter it into several pieces.

Meanwhile, in the council chamber of Heiwa, a daily meeting was in full swing, with the presence of the Daimyô of Ta No Kuni and a newcomer: Matsuo.

Matsuo was the first shinobi to join the quest for genuine peace led by the inhabitants of the rice country. Despite being thirty years old, the trials of the shinobi profession had given him an aura of maturity far beyond his age. A scar crossed the left half of his face, continuing along his neck to the base of his shoulder. This war mark, inflicted by a Raiton technique, had cost him the sight in his left eye.

A wound obtained for disobeying a direct order from his superior. He had been ordered to kill a child to serve as an example to an enemy clan, shortly after the province wars. But Matsuo, a father himself, had categorically refused.

In response, he received this scar, and his son was killed to serve as a warning to all those who dared to disobey. Since then, Matsuo had deserted Tsuchi No Kuni. When he met Uchiha Madara and heard about his project for true peace, he didn't hesitate for a second to join his cause.

On the low table in the center of the room lay a map of the country of Ta No Kuni, and the newcomer to Heiwa pointed to a point north of the country.

"I eliminated a bandit camp at this location, and after interrogating their leader, I discovered the existence of a vast network," explained the gray-eyed brunette.

"Do you have any idea of the extent of this network?" Suzuki inquired, attentive to the shinobi's words.

"More significant than expected, but I'll take care of it, Suzuki-san," the shinobi replied, resuming his speech. "It also seems that there is an outpost further north. I suspect they are using one of Tsubasa's rice storehouses."

"What!" exclaimed Tsubasa, visibly surprised. "Daimyô-sama, I assure you I knew nothing about such activities in one of my properties."

"Is there anything else in that direction?" Matsuo asked, pointing to another point on the map.

"Technically, there is a small village, owned by one of the average rice fields. It should not have more than fifty inhabitants," Tsubasa replied after a moment of reflection. "Daimyô-sama, I assure you..."

"I believe you, Tsubasa," Hashuba interrupted, raising his hand. "Do you need troops to deal with this matter?"

"No... just... do you have enemies from the old days?" Matsuo asked, scrutinizing the Daimyô's face for a response.

"My enemies are no longer in this world," Hashuba replied solemnly. "Including their descendants..."

Despite his pacifist aspirations, Hashuba remained a man of the past, marked by caution. He knew how to show ruthless determination when necessary.

"Well, if you'll excuse me..." Matsuo began but abruptly stopped, raising his head towards the window. His expression hardened, his eyebrows furrowing slightly under the sudden sensation. He was certain that a chakra flare had just occurred.

"Is there a problem?" Suzuki inquired, noticing Matsuo's attention drawn to the window.

"I hope not," Matsuo replied as he got up. "I prefer to check... If you'll excuse me."

Without waiting for a response, he headed towards the exit.

"Well, Tanaka, what's next for the meeting?" Hashuba asked, turning to his scribe.

"Your inventors seem to have developed a new defense system that they describe as revolutionary, and one of them wants to present it to you," Tanaka reported, consulting his notes.

"Guards! Bring him in," Hashuba ordered one of the guards present. He turned on his heel and opened the door, calling someone who hurried in.

Two individuals entered the council chamber. One of them was elderly, resembling Rômaji in appearance, and seemed to struggle in his movements. At his side, a young boy of about ten carried a wooden crate.

"My lords," the man began with a tired voice before addressing the boy. "Place this here, my boy, then leave."

The boy promptly obeyed before quickly leaving the room. The old man knelt down with difficulty, but no one rushed his gesture: respect for elders was customary at that time.

"My lords, I am here at the request of Daiki-sama, who has tasked us with improving your defensive system... and we have succeeded," he explained, pulling out several objects from the crate, as well as models. Toys?

"Define your concept of defense," demanded Suzuki, seeking to know if this invention could inflict damage on the enemy while protecting the city.

"Defense through offense," replied the elder as he assembled two models into one, a response that seemed to suit the assembly.

"We are listening," Hashuba continued.

"Allow me to present the trebuchet," announced the old man, indicating a miniature siege weapon. "With this device, you can defend the city over hundreds of meters, inflicting significant material and human damage."

"Wouldn't it be limited in terms of direction?" Suzuki questioned, stroking his beard.

"We have also thought about this problem. It will suffice to place these devices on rotating platforms, allowing them to pivot in the desired direction," he explained, gently turning the wooden support to show that the machine could be oriented.

"How does it work?" Rômaji intervened.

"You load the projectile, weighing between a hundred and a thousand kilograms, then calculate the trajectory before letting the counterweights act."

"What is the firing rate?"

"Two shots per hour, three with enough manpower. But each projectile will be devastating," concluded the man under the attentive gaze of the council before being abruptly interrupted.

"My lords!" exclaimed a guard, entering without knocking, causing tension among his peers who drew their weapons. But the guard who had just entered immediately knelt in a sign of respect.

"Sorry to interrupt, but new arrivals are here..."

"Yes, and? This isn't the first time newcomers have arrived to us," Hashuba reminded, accustomed to such visits.

"This time it's different, Daimyô-sama... they are over a thousand!" the guard added, causing a shock in the room. Over a thousand? It was colossal, unimaginable. Until now, there had been isolated arrivals, with families, or in small groups... but a thousand!

"Daiki!"

"Yes, father?" his son immediately replied, sensing in his father's voice the gravity of a leader not to be contradicted.

"I charge you with seeing the architects to expand the city in another way and quickly. At this rate, we will have to build several levels of walls. Rômaji, you will collaborate with our guest for the installation of this new invention... Suzuki! With me!" concluded Hashuba Shôta, thus ending the meeting abruptly.

Day 270

"North! An imposing concentration of chakra, and several others more discreet," Madara announced to Sakura.

The two shinobi swiftly moved northward, without bothering to conceal their presence.

At the location they were heading to, a considerable number of Konoha ninjas had met their demise at the hands of a particularly peculiar individual. He stood at the center of a tiny clearing, surrounded by corpses, the ground marked with craters. In his right hand, he gripped the neck of his last opponent, slowly but surely strangling him.

"Why?" his victim weakly demanded, struggling to breathe.

"Hmm?"

"Why attack our borders?" the Anbu continued, sent on a mission to investigate attacks within the Fire Country itself. Despite the ongoing war, numerous incursions were being made on their own territory. "What do you stand to gain from it?"

"You're quite curious, little shinobi," replied the masked man, half of his face concealed, while the tattered upper part of his clothing revealed skin marked with scars. "Fighting such weak shinobi won't earn me much money."

The Anbu captain felt his strength fading as the man's grip tightened around his neck.

"Why?" he whimpered one last time, darkness enveloping him.

Finally, with a swift motion, the man snapped his opponent's neck before letting him drop to the ground. Then, he abruptly turned his head to the right: two immense sources of chakra were approaching.

He barely had time to react before the two individuals landed in the clearing.

"Kakuzu?" exclaimed Madara, completely surprised to see this ninja before him. Memories of their confrontation remained vivid in his mind. Kakuzu had received a contract to kill him, in vain. "Yet I seem to have definitively eliminated you."

Madara was certain; in his memories, Kakuzu had indeed succumbed to his blows, and he had even checked his pulse to be sure.

"Yet it seems that the great Uchiha Madara has also been declared dead," retorted Kakuzu, not expecting such an encounter. He was already contemplating a plan to escape, knowing he wouldn't stand a chance against Madara, especially with an accomplice by his side.

"The times change," Madara retorted, reaching for the hilt of his sword. "But I wonder how you managed to escape the clutches of death. Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that I will ensure you stay dead."

"Wait!" Sakura intervened firmly, placing her arm in front of Madara. It was the first time she had intervened in a conversation involving Madara like this, let alone to order him to stop.

Madara slowly turned his gaze towards the woman he loved, wondering what she was up to. She wasn't the type of person to be trifled with.

"Ohhh, the great Uchiha Madara stopped by a woman," mocked Kakuzu with a smirk beneath his mask. "I never thought I'd see that day."

"If you wish to extend your immortality, you better keep silent, Kakuzu," Sakura retorted, exuding a murderous aura. Kakuzu understood through this surge of chakra that she was just as formidable as Madara. But more importantly, she seemed to know his secret of immortality. No one else in the world knew that he had gained this immortality by stealing a forbidden technique from the Land of Waterfalls.

He narrowed his eyes dangerously at this woman, his breath ragged, his multiple hearts racing. He was eager to end this threat, but found himself disadvantaged in this two-against-one confrontation.

"Who are you?!" Kakuzu spat coldly, feeling more vulnerable than ever. His immortality was his trump card, having saved him numerous times against formidable opponents like Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara. Threads instinctively sprang from his body, a sign of his growing nervousness.

Madara drew his sword with a swift motion while activating his Sharingan. He didn't appreciate the earlier remark, and he couldn't underestimate the man and his threatening actions. However, he continued to observe the exchange between Kakuzu and Sakura.

"Five? Is that so?" Sakura innocently asked, not the least bit impressed by this man. She might have feared him once, back in her teenage years, but she was now a accomplished kunoichi, capable of defeating many enemies.

"I don't like you," Kakuzu grumbled coldly, seeing the young woman expose his weakness.

Sakura lowered her arm and took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them to two meters.

"Kakuzu, you have a reputation for honoring your contracts to the death, don't you?" Sakura stated.

"Yes," Kakuzu replied curtly, on guard. This reputation stemmed from his confrontation with Madara Uchiha in the past. He had been hired to assassinate Madara in his sleep but had underestimated the ninja's sensory abilities.

"How much would your services cost for a lifetime?" Sakura asked bluntly.

This question brought silence to the clearing. After all, it wasn't every day that someone offered you a lifelong contract.

"Explain," the immortal demanded suspiciously.

"A century of your services," the young woman replied.

"Do you even have the means, girl!?" the deserter questioned, disdain evident in his voice and bloodshot gaze.

At this provocation, Sakura conjured a linen bag in her right hand before tossing it at Kakuzu's feet. The bag opened upon hitting the ground, revealing dozens of gold coins that rolled at his feet. Kakuzu's eyes widened, astonished by such a sum, far more than anything he had earned as a shinobi.

"You're looking at the wealthiest person among all the Elemental Nations... and I'll make this offer only once," Sakura explained firmly, while Madara remained silent, his Sharingan ready to cast a Genjutsu. "Take this bag as a token of my goodwill."

"And what would I have to do for a lifetime of service?" Kakuzu asked, not immediately picking up the money.

"Defend the true peace we bring to this rotten world!" Sakura declared before releasing her murderous intent. "For now, continue what you're doing, sow discord on the battlefields, collect your bounties. But from now on, speak of Heiwa, a haven of peace in times of war."

"So it's you," Kakuzu understood at these words. "You're the protagonists they talk about so much."

"Yes, during the war, you're free to go where you please. But once one side wins, join us in Heiwa, and you'll receive your first payment," replied the pink-haired woman.

A heavy silence settled between the three ninjas. The tension was palpable, their energies ready to unleash at the slightest hint of hostility.

"Well," Kakuzu finally let out after a long minute of contemplation.

As Sakura turned to return to Madara's side, she added firmly,

"Oh, one last thing..."

"Yes?"

"If anyone ever puts a contract on our heads: kill them! And remember, I'll always pay more!" Sakura concluded before joining Madara. Barely were they together that they disappeared instantly, out of Kakuzu's sight.

The immortal ninja sighed in relief as he felt the two protagonists move away. He had narrowly avoided a confrontation and still wondered if all of this was real. Gathering the scattered gold coins on the ground, he placed them back into the linen bag: a hundred pieces, a true treasure.

"Heiwa...," Kakuzu murmured, recalling the young woman's words, whose name he didn't even know. He opened a pouch attached to his belt to store his new loot.