Konoha: The Man Who Became the Fourth Hokage

The bright moon hung high. Clouds drifted slowly across the night sky.

The wind swept through the forest canopy with a low rustling hum.

Kyūsei looked at his reflection in the river.

His face appeared unchanged—but when his gaze lowered to his neck, he noticed two sharp, blade-like markings stretching along either side.

Feeling something stir within him, he shrugged off his coat and let it fall to the ground. Then he removed his black inner shirt, revealing a well-defined upper body built through relentless training.

But his physique wasn't the focus.

Across his bare chest spread a massive crimson pattern shaped like a radiant sun. The marking covered nearly his entire torso—solemn, imposing, almost sacred.

He scratched his head.

"Hashirama-sensei… is my Sage Mode normal?"

He knew very well that Senju Hashirama had helped him again.

"Hm?" Hashirama's voice echoed from the necklace resting against Kyūsei's collarbone. "What's abnormal about it?"

"Aren't Sage markings usually on the face?" Kyūsei muttered. "Mine looks like a tattoo."

He thought of the known Sage Mode users—

Hashirama.

Jiraiya.

Minato.

Naruto.

All of them bore markings on their faces.

"That's trivial," Hashirama replied lightly. "There's no rule saying Sage patterns must be on the face."

"…Fair enough."

Kyūsei didn't dwell on it. He leapt upward in a single bound, landing effortlessly atop the highest branch of a towering tree.

In Sage Mode, everything around him became crystal clear.

The wind, the leaves, the breathing forest—it felt as though the entire woodland sea was celebrating the birth of another sage.

Natural energy flowed through him, refined into Senjutsu chakra.

He opened his palm.

Golden chakra condensed instantly into a radiant spear.

At first glance it looked identical to the weapon formed by his usual Adamantine Sealing Chains: Wave Might God.

But under Sage Mode—

Its density, hardness, and destructive potential had increased dramatically.

This was Senjutsu.

Sage Art: Adamantine Sealing Chains — Wave Might God.

The spear dissolved into golden light.

Kyūsei kicked off the branch and shot skyward nearly a hundred meters—something impossible in his normal state.

But Sage Mode made it effortless.

This power—

Was his alone.

Unlike Kurama Mode.

This was purely his own strength.

He landed lightly and faced a massive boulder.

Drawing in breath, he punched.

BOOM.

The rock shattered instantly, splitting into countless fragments. Pebbles rained down from the impact center.

His fist remained flawless.

Not even a scrape.

The defensive enhancement of Sage Mode far surpassed his normal state.

Just like Naruto falling hundreds of meters without injury after mastering Sage Mode—

Kyūsei now stood at that same level.

Which meant—

His eyes sharpened.

The gray irises turned crimson, vertical pupils forming.

Golden chakra erupted around him like blazing fire.

Kurama Mode + Sage Mode.

Two overwhelming states merged.

And the result—

Was greater than the sum of its parts.

The sun-like crimson markings on his chest began to glow faintly.

The black patterns of Kurama Mode intertwined with the red Senjutsu design, fusing into a unified symbol of power.

Behind him, the nine golden chains derived from Adamantine Sealing manifested like sacred ornaments, encircling the blazing "sun" on his chest like stars around a sovereign.

Chains wrapped around his forearms clinked with metallic resonance.

He extended his hand.

In an instant—

A massive golden-red longbow materialized.

The drawn string vibrated with a tense, biting hum.

A blazing arrow formed—burning with scarlet-gold flame.

He aimed at the clouds partially veiling the moon.

Release.

A streak of golden light tore through the sky, carving a brilliant arc across the night.

Hashirama had appeared silently at his side, watching.

Then—

Radiance exploded above.

The clouds were torn apart.

The sky churned violently.

Moisture condensed—

And torrential rain began pouring down.

With a single arrow—

He altered the weather.

"Impressive," Hashirama murmured. "You now possess power comparable to Madara."

"Perhaps… even beyond."

Kyūsei's eyes lit up.

"And you, sensei?"

Hashirama laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.

"Hmm… maybe you'd make me a bit disheveled."

Kyūsei's face twitched.

The humblebrag was unreal.

Under Six Paths, the strongest wasn't just a title.

—

Soaked from the rain, Kyūsei returned home casually, clothes slung over his shoulder.

With his physique, a little rain meant nothing.

Before he could open the door, it swung open.

"Kyūsei! Where were you? It's pouring!"

Kaoru pulled him inside, scolding gently while wiping him down with a towel.

"Training," he replied.

"Even so, you come back when it rains."

Her tone was reproachful, but her hands were careful and warm.

His gaze softened.

"Where's Menma?"

Right then, Menma exited the bathroom, ignored them completely, and returned to the study.

"Tch…"

Kyūsei sighed.

Once Kushina arrived, Menma's fate would be decided.

—

Second Parallel Universe

Footsteps echoed through a dim underground prison.

A red-haired middle-aged woman walked through corridors she rarely visited.

After multiple approvals, Uzumaki Kushina, Head of Konoha's Sealing Division, reached the deepest chamber.

There was only one cell.

Inside—

A blond man was bound to a metal chair.

His wrists shackled to the walls.

His ankles welded to iron rings on the floor.

His eyes blindfolded.

His bare torso marked with a powerful chakra-suppressing seal.

Namikaze Minato.

The Yellow Flash.

"Kushina… is that you?" His voice was weak.

She couldn't hold back her tears.

"It's me."

"Don't cry," he said faintly. "This is what I deserve."

"As the man who released Konoha's greatest criminal… I accept this."

"Menma… he—"

"He went to Kyūsei's world?" Minato murmured, distant.

After returning from Kyūsei's world, he had tried to seal the Dragon Vein.

Instead, everything spiraled.

Menma stole the Crimson Moon Book.

Attacked Konoha.

A single Massive Spiraling Ring destroyed the village.

Minato hesitated as a father.

And later—

He released his son from prison.

Used Flying Thunder God to send him away.

"Don't bring him back," Minato suddenly said firmly.

"If he returns… he'll die."

"I'll bear his punishment."

"For our child…"

"Never let Menma come back."

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