Team 7

Eight years passed. Back in Konoha, Team 7 grew into formidable 18-year-old shinobi, but a quiet void remained in their hearts. Naruto and Sasuke missed your laughter and sharp advice. Sakura, watching her teammates clash, often wept in secret, haunted by the memory of how hard you used to try to make her smile. Realizing her true feelings far too late, she mourned the love she never expressed.
​Meanwhile, high in the peaks, you grew into an unstoppable force—moving faster than light, armed with power that dwarfed Kakashi. Wearing a dark mask to conceal your identity, the realm knew you only as a terror. and on one knows who is in behind the mask. Alex, Yuki, and Ruby, now thirteen, were trained by you daily until their skills rivaled elite ANBU. Any shinobi foolish enough to trespass on your territory was brutally repulsed, sparking rumors across the Five Nations that a terrible Demon and his phantom army ruled the mountains.
​The Hokage’s Office — Eve of the Fourth Great Ninja War
​The war room was heavy with tension. Tsunade stood at her desk, map unrolled, looking grimly at the gathered shinobi.
​Tsunade: "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi. You know the threat we face. The Allied Shinobi Forces are mobilizing against Madara Uchiha, but we need every advantage. I want to recruit the Demon of the Northern Peaks."
​Kakashi: Eye narrowing behind his mask "The Demon? Lady Tsunade, that entity has driven off every scouting squad sent near those mountains for eight years."
​Naruto: Grinning, punching his palm "Sounds like a challenge to me! If this guy is as tough as they say, we're gonna need him!"
​Sasuke: Leaning against the wall, eyes cold "If he refuses, we force him."
​Sakura: Looking down, a sudden, strange weight settling in her chest "A masked shadow hiding in the mountains for eight years... Why does that timing feel so familiar?"