At this time, Naruto’s expression turned complicated. It wasn’t because opening the gate was difficult, but because he finally understood why the old Clan Head had looked so conflicted when he took the Gate of the Underworld.
It was a mix of shock and a hint of relief, as if he was both afraid of his descendants going extinct and afraid of them becoming too powerful… especially when the descendant in question was a blonde.
As soon as he started, Naruto realized just how extraordinary the Gate of the Underworld was. It allowed him to freely choose coordinates.
The only downside was that it wasn’t precise, and accidents could still happen.
He first set his coordinates to Konoha, planning to open the gate directly.
But as he glanced around, his eyes caught a glowing sun symbol. Almost as soon as he thought about it, the sun symbol lit up instantly.
Seeing this, Naruto’s eyelid twitched, and he thought to himself.
‘What good thing is this? No, I have to try it.’
At the same time, above Kumogakure, Sunagakure... and all the other Great Shinobi Villages, strange phenomena appeared in the sky. Golden clouds swirled, forming a ring.
It was as if a door had opened in the sky, and something was about to fall from it. This sight immediately alarmed the higher-ups of each village, causing them to drop whatever they were doing.
Kumogakure.
"What is that?" Samui narrowed her eyes and looked at the golden ring that suddenly appeared in the sky, feeling an uneasy premonition.
"No idea. Maybe it’s some kind of omen." Yugito leaned against the window, speaking nonchalantly, "Let’s wait and see. No need to rush."
"I'm not rushing. It’s Raikage-sama who should be worried. My shoulders are so sore." Samui said lazily, rubbing her shoulders.
"Really? If your shoulders are sore, just wear some light underwear and stop complaining." Yugito glanced at her. "After all... we’re all traitors here."
"That’s none of your business. Just worry about yourself." Samui’s expression changed, and she turned to leave.
Sunagakure.
"Temari-sama! There’s a golden ring in the sky outside!" A young girl lying on the office window turned her head to look at Temari and shouted in surprise.
"In the sky?" Temari put down the documents in her hand, rubbed her eyes. She thought it might be another one of the girl’s pranks and didn’t take it seriously, so she just casually glanced out the window.
The windows in the Land of Wind were often covered by sandstorms, but the spot where the girl was looking was clear, obviously cleaned for the purpose of enjoying the view.
It was a special type of glass that could be cleaned from the inside out, only installed in the Kazekage Building. Temari looked out but couldn’t see the strange phenomenon. She smiled and said, "I saw it. It was spectacular."
"It’s real! I’m not lying to you, Temari-sama! Kazekage-sama is coming out!" The girl turned around and shouted anxiously.
"Gaara?" Temari frowned upon hearing that, and immediately stood up and walked quickly to the window, "What’s happening outside?"
Outside the Kazekage Building, Gaara rose into the air on a platform of sand. With his gourd on his back and his arms crossed, he looked solemnly at the golden ring in the sky.
Below him, a sparse group of Sunagakure’s Shinobi had gathered. It was the best they could manage in such a short time. The shrill sound of alarms echoed through the village.
Dammit, what the hell is that thing?" Kankuro muttered, sitting on the rooftop with the scrap puppets he had salvaged from Sasori’s remains. He gritted his teeth.
After Sasori’s death, those puppets had been quickly bought back by Sunagakure. After all, the Shinobi World wasn’t just about fighting, and there was also a lot of politics and negotiation.
Those high-end puppets were useless in anyone else’s hands, so it was better to sell them back to Sunagakure for profit. That way, they could maximize their gains.
Iwagakure.
The future Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi, stood confidently on a high point in the village, her hands on her hips. She looked at the golden ring in the sky with a smirk.
"Is it finally coming? Those scumbags from Kirigakure!"
"Hey! What are you doing?!" The old man, Onoki, was furious with his granddaughter. He looked at the red figure fluttering in the wind and shouted, "Get down from there!"
"Ara, old man, you're too nervous." Kurotsuchi put her hands on her waist and looked back confidently, "Even if there are enemies, I can handle them all!"
"You’re insane! Someone, get her down!"
"Hahaha, old man, you’re too timid. Hey, why don’t you just retire already?"
Kirigakure.
"What... what is that?” Chojuro looked at the golden ring-shaped cloud that appeared in the gray sky and stuttered, "Quick! Inform Mizukage-sama!"
"Chojuro, there’s no need to panic." A sultry voice was heard, and Mei's figure suddenly appeared at the window with a smile on her face.
"Mizukage-sama! That…"
"I see it. It’s just a minor issue, Chojuro. You need to be braver." Mei stared at Chojuro, making him blush and lower his head.
Mei’s eyes narrowed as she smiled.
"This isn’t the era of the Yondaime Mizukage anymore. Kirigakure isn’t as weak as it used to be. Even if enemies invade, as a leader, you need to remain calm."
Konoha.
"Huh? The sky?" Kakashi glanced outside lazily, and his pupil suddenly dilated slightly, "What is that? It looks like... a door?"
Kakashi immediately thought of the gate Jiraiya had mentioned, but then dismissed it as absurd, ‘It was probably just a strange natural phenomenon.’
On the rooftops, all the Anbu’s members looked up in unison, watching the slowly rotating golden ring of clouds.
Meanwhile, in the darkness of the deep valley.
"Naruto! What's wrong?" Seeing that Naruto hadn't moved for a long time, Tenten couldn't help but ask.
"It's okay, I almost forgot how to use this thing just now, but now I remember it." Naruto replied, his expression a mix of excitement and disbelief.
He thought to himself, ‘Holy crap, so this is how the golden sun is used? To locate all the Shinobi Villages? Damn, this is like launching a nuke. The Land of Whirlpools actually planned to take all the villages down with it!’
Naruto kept saying wow in his heart. He thought that Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama, was already the pinnacle of boldness, but he didn't expect there was someone even more daring.
‘Whose idea was this?’
At this time, Naruto finally understood why Ashina had been so hesitant. At the time, Naruto thought Ashina was doubting his lineage, but now it all made sense.
‘Turns out, the old Clan Head had hidden this trick in the Gate of the Underworld. No wonder his expression changed when he heard I was from Konoha… it was like his wife had run off with someone else.’
‘Damn, the old Clan Head’s strategic vision was on par with Tobirama’s idea of targeting Kumogakure with his teleportation device.’ Naruto felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
Now he finally knew where Tobirama got his inspiration.
‘A bunch of war maniacs, each one more daring than the last.’