Naruto: The Immortal Sage

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"Mount Myōboku has chosen Jiraiya. There's no need to worry. We'll send him home when the time comes."

Manji assured Enma.

"Then I'll leave him in your care." Enma bowed with a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your time, Grand Sage."

"Safe travels."

Manji smiled and nodded, but Enma had barely left the hall when a White Zetsu hurried in.

"GRAND SAGE, MADARA UCHIHA IS TRYING TO SUMMON THE DEMONIC STATUE OF THE OUTER PATH!"

"Interesting... He's awakened the Rinnegan and already figured out how to summon the statue." Manji considered this for a moment. "I can't let him get his hands on the real one. I'll have to make him a copy."

Before he had finished speaking, he vanished and reappeared at the site on Mount Myōboku where he kept the Dragon Veins and the real statue.

"CLICK!" Manji activated his Rinnegan, drew on the Dragon Veins' power, and fashioned a replica.

He then assigned a group of White Zetsu to keep Madara and his companions under close watch.

With everything in place, Manji settled in to see what trouble they would stir up.

........

Deep inside a cave in the Mountains' Graveyard, Madara knelt with his eyes closed and one palm pressed to the ground.

"...?" Tobirama and Izuna stood beside him, looking just as puzzled as he was.

"Strange… I followed the tablet's instructions." Madara frowned, trying to work out what had gone wrong.

"Are you sure you read it correctly?" Tobirama glanced back at the mysterious stone tablet behind them.

"Of course I am. You have no idea what the Rinnegan can do, Tobirama." Madara sounded certain, and Tobirama turned back to study the tablet.

Madara had discovered it during the First Shinobi World War, brought it back to Konoha in secret, and tried to decipher it with his Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Try it one more time, Brother," Izuna suggested.

"All right." Madara formed another set of hand seals and slammed both palms against the ground.

"CLICK!" His Rinnegan flared, and a thunderous rumble shook the cave. Dust billowed into the air as Manji's counterfeit Demonic Statue appeared before them.

Tobirama craned his neck to stare up at it.

Beside him, Izuna could hardly believe his eyes.

"IT'S REAL…"

"Of course it is." Madara chuckled. "The Sage of Six Paths left us that tablet. Did you think it would be wrong?"

Inside the statue, the waiting White Zetsu opened their eyes. Their assignment was to infiltrate Madara's group, conceal their true purpose, and act on the Grand Sage's orders.

........

Back in Konoha, Enma told Hiruzen that Mount Myōboku had chosen Jiraiya.

Hiruzen was delighted. He knew little about the origins of the Three Great Sage Regions, but Konoha's records were clear on one point: those mysterious places were the source of Hashirama Senju's formidable Sage Arts.

"That brat has no idea how lucky he is!" Hiruzen laughed, his pipe tucked between his teeth.

"You can say that again." Sitting across the desk, Enma scratched his head with a furry hand. "That little pervert spends all day chasing girls. I never figured one of the Sage Regions would take an interest in him."

Their laughter still filled the office when an ANBU shinobi hurried in and dropped to one knee. His voice sounded strained behind his mask. "Lord Hokage, Lord Sasuke Sarutobi… has passed away..."

"WHAT??" Hiruzen's smile froze, and his pipe clattered onto the desk. He snatched his Hokage hat from the corner of the room and rushed out.

........

Funeral music drifted through Konoha as the village gathered to mourn.

"Our beloved Lord Sasuke Sarutobi passed away yesterday afternoon at two fifty-five, in the Sarutobi compound…"

Sasuke had survived the slaughter of the Warring States Period and witnessed Konoha's founding.

During the First Shinobi World War, he had helped lead the lightning assault on Iwagakure. Later, he had supported Hiruzen's rise to Hokage. Now his long, eventful life had come to an end.

Hiruzen gave him a funeral with honors second only to a Hokage's. Sasuke had served the village throughout his life and was the last survivor of its founding generation.

For Hiruzen, every tribute carried the added weight of burying his father.

All of Konoha mourned as the village said farewell.

........

At sunset, Hiruzen stood alone before Sasuke's grave, his shoulders slumped. He ran a hand over the headstone and let out a long sigh.

"Rest easy, Dad."

He wiped his eyes as familiar, heavy footsteps approached from behind. "Danzō, I asked you to leave me alone. Give me some time with him."

"I have some intelligence you need to hear right now." Danzō walked up with his hands clasped behind his back and stopped beside him, his shadow stretching across the ground in the evening light.

"Go on." Hiruzen took a deep breath to steady himself, though his voice remained hoarse.

"They've just dug a fresh grave in Iwagakure, too." Danzō looked toward the distant Hidden Stone, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Who died?" Hiruzen turned to him, startled.

"Mū. The Second Tsuchikage." Danzō met his eyes, his smile gone, and Hiruzen stared at him in disbelief.

"I came to offer my condolences, Hiruzen. And my congratulations." Danzō smiled again and held out a hand.

"Ha! Now that's news worth celebrating! I'd let my father die all over again to hear that!" Hiruzen stepped forward and clasped his hand, unable to contain his delight.

"COME ON, DANZŌ. LET'S GET A DRINK!"

"..." Danzō hesitated. How had Hiruzen gone from mourning his father to celebrating that fast?

Still, he answered, "All right!" and the two headed back together, grinning and still holding hands.

"This is perfect! With the Second Tsuchikage dead, Konoha has a lot to gain!" Hiruzen laughed as they clinked cups indoors.

"Now we can take back everything that belongs to Konoha." Danzō's eyes shone at the prospect.

Hiruzen paused with his cup in hand, then smiled.

"Hiruzen, there are things you can't do as Hokage. I can handle them for you. What if we…" Danzō began laying out his proposal for Root.

Hiruzen liked what he heard and approved it on the spot. "All right. But remember, Danzō, don't take it too far."

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