Following the original timeline, Tsunade returned to the Hidden Leaf. However, the village she arrived at was not merely damaged—it was haunted. The sky over Konoha had turned a permanent, sickly violet, a remnant of Aizen's departure.
The inauguration ceremony was somber. As Tsunade stood on the roof of the Hokage Tower, wearing the hat of the Fifth Hokage, she didn't look out at a cheering crowd. She looked out at a village of shinobi who had seen their "destined heroes" turn into gods of the void.
"We are no longer training for war between nations," Tsunade declared, her voice amplified by chakra. "We are training for the survival of the human spirit. From this day forward, every ninja in this village will undergo spiritual resistance training. We will find a way to strike back at Las Noches."
But even as she spoke, the shadows in the corner of the village seemed to laugh. Aizen's influence wasn't gone; it was merely waiting.
The Akatsuki's Resolve: The Hunt for the Three-Tails
In the original history, this period was marked by the search for the remaining Jinchuriki. Pain, realizing that the Nine-Tails was now shielded by Aizen's power, shifted the Akatsuki's focus. If they couldn't have the strongest beast yet, they would consume everything else to fuel their own transcendence.
In the rain-slicked towers of Amegakure, Pain addressed his remaining members: Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, and Sasori.
"The desert god has stolen the Nine-Tails and the One-Tail," Pain's voice boomed. "Our plan for the 'Gedo Mazo' is compromised. We must move faster. Deidara, Sasori—you will head to the Land of Water. Capture the Three-Tails. We need every ounce of chakra to bridge the gap between our world and the Void."
Deidara smirked, his hand-mouths twitching. "A god of the desert, hm? I'll show him that true art is an explosion that even a god can't ignore."
But Itachi stood in the back, silent. He knew what the others didn't. He had felt the weight of Sasuke's "Void-Sharingan." He knew that the Akatsuki were not hunters anymore. They were prey.