Chapter 85

The Hokage's office was tense. Tsunade, sitting at her desk, had her sharp eyes fixed on the figure standing before her. Ino stood beside her, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on her. Shikamaru, now Tsunade's primary advisor in Kakashi's absence, kept his gaze fixed on the man who had just entered, his expression unreadable. The man was Toshiro Uzumaki—Naruto's grandfather—and he exuded an air of authority and coldness that immediately set the room on edge.

Ino couldn't help but feel a deep sense of unease. She understood Tsunade's caution. The Uzumaki clan was still largely an unknown factor in their dealings with the other villages, especially with their historically hostile stance. But what troubled her most was the unspoken implication that Naruto's family—his bloodline—might not have the same allegiance to him as he did to them. Her heart ached at the thought that they might force Naruto into a position he'd never want. She knew his feelings about power and leadership, especially when it came to ruling others.

"You can go ahead and tell us the purpose of this visit," Tsunade's voice was calm but authoritative, a sharp contrast to the palpable tension in the room. Her eyes never left Toshiro, who remained unfazed.

Ino stood silently at her side, her mind swirling with thoughts of the Uzumaki clan's hidden motives. Shikamaru, ever the strategist, stood in the corner, his gaze sharp and calculating, waiting for Toshiro to speak.

Toshiro's eyes briefly met Ino's, and for a split second, there was a flicker of emotion in his gaze—something softer than his usual cold demeanor. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by the stoic expression of a man who had lived through generations of war and conflict. It was clear from his demeanor that he wasn't here to negotiate, but to deliver a message. A message that could potentially shake the world to its core.

"I won't take long. I've come to deliver a simple message…" Toshiro began, his voice steady and firm. "Please, turn a blind eye to what will happen over the next month. The Uzumaki clan intends to take control of the other lands, to impose uniform leadership across the world. Once Naruto returns, we will make him our leader."

Ino's heart skipped a beat, and before anyone could stop her, her voice broke through the heavy silence. "Wait, are you serious? You already know Naruto doesn't want that! Why are you people so adamant about hurting him?" The words spilled out of her like a nightmare come to life, each one carrying the weight of her frustration and disbelief.

Shikamaru instinctively moved to hold her back, his hand gently gripping her shoulder to steady her. But Tsunade was the one to respond, her voice calm but stern. "We can't allow such a thing. All the other nations are part of an alliance with us, and your war would only cause turmoil and destruction in this world. You don't hold the power Naruto does, to ask for something like this. Your clan might be strong, but it isn't strong enough to conquer everything without bloodshed—even if we allowed it."

Toshiro's eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. "You don't need to worry about our strength. We have plenty. We only wish to avoid causing harm to what Naruto truly treasures."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed further, her anger barely contained. "He cares for the whole world, and your path will only lead to violent confrontation. He won't choose you or your ideals over peace."

Toshiro's voice remained calm, but there was a hint of finality in it. "He will have to choose. And it won't be a difficult choice. We won't harm you. But the world and the people close to him will always be different."

The tension in the room escalated, and Tsunade's gaze grew colder. "It seems you are serious about this, so we can't allow you to leave." Her words were firm, the authority of the Hokage ringing through them. With a swift motion, she looked to Shikamaru, who was already preparing to act. Without hesitation, he spread his shadow across the floor, aiming to restrain Toshiro.

But before anyone could react, something extraordinary happened. The shadow stretched toward Toshiro, only for it to dissipate as if it had never existed. Shikamaru's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Nara clan," Toshiro said, his voice tinged with disappointment. "Not much has changed about you in a hundred years."

Shikamaru stared at him, utterly perplexed. How could the shadow technique have failed? He had never encountered anything that could counter it so easily.

Ino, however, was already preparing to act. Her mind surged with power as she launched a psychic strike at Toshiro, intending to incapacitate him before he could make any further moves. But once again, she was met with an invisible barrier—one that blocked her mental assault effortlessly.

Ino's frustration mounted, but she didn't stop. She reached deeper within herself, tapping into her telekinesis. The force she could generate was immense, strong enough to crush mountains, and she intended to use that force to stop Toshiro in his tracks. She raised her hand, intending to immobilize him completely.

But Toshiro didn't even flinch. In a single, fluid motion, he vanished from sight, leaving Ino's telekinetic grip to fall empty.

"You won't be able to stop us," Toshiro's voice echoed from the empty space where he had stood only moments before. "We were only informing you, even though we knew of your response."

Ino's chest tightened with anger and confusion. No matter what they did, Toshiro had managed to escape without a trace. It was clear that his power was far beyond what anyone had expected, and with his departure, the weight of his message lingered heavily in the room.

Tsunade, her jaw clenched, turned to Shikamaru and Ino. "We can't let them carry out their plans. We need to prepare for what's to come." 

Stepping out of the Hokage Tower, the scene was surreal. As Ino, Shikamaru, and Tsunade watched from the safety of Konoha's heart, the once bustling village now found itself enclosed by an enormous barrier, a dome of twisting, vibrant whirlpools. The swirling chaos seemed almost beautiful, but its menacing nature was undeniable. Above the dome, chains of different colors hovered in midair, pulsating with energy as they powered the barrier's movement.

The entire village was encased, trapped in a force field that radiated an unsettling energy. The air felt heavy with the tension of impending doom. It wasn't just a simple barrier—this was something far more complex and formidable, something that reeked of the Uzumaki clan's ancient power.

Without uttering a word, Ino's eyes glowed with the intense, focused energy of Sage mode. Her body pulsed with raw chakra as she rose from the ground, her form surrounded by an aura of power. The sky above seemed to bend with the strength she exuded, and the earth trembled beneath her as she approached the barrier. She was resolute. This was no time for hesitation.

She quickly formed hand signs, calling forth the arcane magic she had learned from the Immortal Master of Magic, Hecate. A magical circle appeared beneath her feet, spinning rapidly. As the circle spun, more began to appear, stacking on top of one another, growing in layers. A complex array of circles formed, each layer amplifying the next. The air was thick with energy as she completed the spell. Twenty circles, each with ten layers of power, were now suspended in the air around her.

Each magical circle was a multiplier for the spells she had mastered. They weren't just spells; they were engines of destruction, fine-tuned with the power of Sage mode. Ino clenched her fist, and the magic of her creation responded.

"Storm of Chaos."

The incantation was a low whisper, but the impact was explosive. Long, black needles materialized from the magical circles, their tips gleaming like the darkest steel. These needles were no ordinary weapon. They were capable of piercing through barriers and armor, targeting the very essence of life. As they shot toward the barrier, the sheer power of the attack was enough to warp the air around them. The needles sought to break the glass dome and tear through the Uzumaki forces' defenses.

But the barrier didn't waver. The needles simply dissipated into nothingness as if they had struck an immovable force. Ino's face tightened, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. She couldn't understand it at first. Her Storm of Chaos had torn through armies, broken mountains, and shattered the heavens themselves. Yet, here it was, powerless against a barrier that seemed to be crafted from pure space manipulation.

Ino's mind raced. She quickly deduced the nature of the barrier—it wasn't just a defense against physical attacks, but it was fortified with space-type jutsu. The space manipulation was what kept her storm from reaching its target. The chains above the dome seemed to pulse with the energy of the barriers, their colors shifting with the rhythm of space itself. It was clear: this was no ordinary magic. It was something far beyond her current skill.

Her breath came in shallow gasps as she processed the implications of this revelation. She wasn't going to break this barrier with sheer power. Space manipulation was something she had dabbled with, but her expertise was nowhere near that of the barrier's creators. Ino had to think fast.

She communicated what she had discovered to Shikamaru and Tsunade through their mental link. The urgency in her tone was clear. "It's space manipulation. The barrier is reinforced with it. I can't break through it with brute force. We need a different approach."

Tsunade's voice responded quickly, her frustration palpable. "We need a plan, Ino. We can't let this continue. What's the next move?"

Ino sat down in midair, her body surrounded by a shimmering light from the Sage mode, and allowed her mind to clear. There was no time to waste. The only person who could potentially break through this barrier's defenses was Naruto. His unparalleled skills in Fuinjutsu made him the perfect candidate for this task. But where was he? She knew that if they could bring Naruto's mind to the surface, he would be able to analyze and break the barrier's complex seals.

Naruto had always been more than just a fighter. His understanding of seals, his connection to the ancient knowledge of the Uzumaki clan, made him the one person who could deal with this. Ino focused on calling his mind to the surface, praying that he would hear her, that his will would break through the fog of the barrier.

The rest of the village, meanwhile, was still under the threat of the barrier. Time was running out. In the meantime, the Uzumaki clan was pushing forward with their plans. They had already begun advancing toward the other villages—Kumo and Iwa. Their long-held ambition to unite the lands under their rule had finally been set into motion. The consequences of their actions would be far-reaching. If they succeeded, the world as it was known would be irrevocably changed.

Konoha stood as the last line of defense. But with the village trapped under the dome, and the Uzumaki clan moving forward with its invasion, there was no telling how much longer the alliance of nations could hold.

Ino's thoughts were interrupted as the wind around her shifted, a familiar feeling prickling at her senses. Naruto's presence was starting to surface, faintly at first, but gaining strength. She knew that with him, they still had a fighting chance. Now, it was up to her to bring him fully into the fold.

"Hang on, Naruto," Ino muttered to herself, determination hardening her resolve. "We need you now more than ever."