Simultaneous Time Travel: What Villain? I'm the Protagonist!

The Iron City, Central Conference Tower. Snowflakes drifted down from the leaden sky, accumulating a thin layer on the steel structure.

Inside the council chamber on the third floor, charcoal crackled in a copper stove, and the aroma of tea wafted through the air.

Hiruzen Sarutobi picked up his teacup, his gaze sweeping over Mifune across from him: "Shogun, what are your thoughts on this meeting?"

Mifune put down the teapot, his samurai face revealing no emotion: "Hokage, the Land of Iron remains neutral. We only provide the venue; we will not participate in the discussion, much less influence the outcome."

"But you can't prevent a potential conflict either, can you?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was calm.

Mifune paused for a moment: "If things get out of control, the samurai of the Land of Iron will maintain order. But until then..." He paused, "we hope that all parties can exercise restraint."

Restraint, Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered the word in his heart, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. But that depended on the other party's consent. Suddenly, he lost all interest in speaking and could only get up to see Mifune off.

He held his teacup and looked out the window at the swirling snow, as if he had returned to the day he retreated with Tobirama from the alliance ceremony. "You are all young inheritors of the Will of Fire to protect the village in the future," he murmured Tobirama's words over and over again, as if he had made a decision. "Teacher, it's my turn this time."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by the window, unable to come to his senses for a long time. The tea in his hand had gone cold. "Ha," he laughed loudly and then drank the cold tea in one gulp before heading to the conference room.

The towering spire pierced the wind and snow. Inside, the circular conference hall was already set up, with five chairs arranged in a circle, each representing a symbol of the highest power in the ninja world.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his Konoha seat, his fingers slowly tapping the armrest.

"Hokage," Mifune said, bowing as he entered the meeting room, "the others have already arrived. Following the order, Lord Onoki of Iwagakure should be arriving soon."

"I understand," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, but his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the observation platform at the highest point of the venue. It should have been empty, but at this moment, he could clearly feel an indescribable pressure descending from above.

Sheng Ren was there, like an audience member, or an actor who might appear at any moment.

Mifune clearly noticed as well; beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he forced himself to remain calm: "Then, I'll go and greet Lord Tsuchikage."

"Go," Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand.

Footsteps echoed in the empty conference hall. After Mifune left, only Hiruzen Sarutobi remained. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

What's meant to come will come.

Half an hour later, the four shadows gathered together.

Onoki floated into the conference hall, while Kyoto and a group of Iwagakure ANBU remained outside. The veteran Kage-level ninja's gaze immediately locked onto Hiruzen Sarutobi upon entering.

"Hiruzen, it's been a long time." Onoki's voice was tinged with the weariness of time. "I never thought that at my age, I would still be running around for this kind of thing."

"Onoki, let's skip the formalities." A's voice came from the doorway as he strode in, followed by Killer Bee and several Cloud Village Jonin. "Let's get straight to the point."

Rasa arrived last, his face still grim, accompanied only by Maki. As the weakest Kazekage, he knew his voice was limited in this meeting, but the survival of Sunagakure depended on it, so he had to come.

Mifune stood in the center, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. The four shadows gathered around him, and the invisible pressure made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

"Gentlemen, as agreed, the meeting is about to begin," Mifune said, forcing himself to speak. "But before the formal discussion, there is one more person... who needs to take their seat."

All eyes turned to the observation deck.

Footsteps sounded.

Unhurried and composed.

Sheng Ren slowly descended the stairs, dressed in a white robe, his face appearing excessively young.

He walked to the only empty seat—a spot specially reserved for the Feathered Immortal Sect, where he sat on equal footing with the Four Shadows.

"Shengren Xingying greets everyone." Shengren smiled slightly and sat down.

The meeting room was eerily quiet.

A clenched his fist, lightning chakra shimmering on his body, but Killer Bee gently pressed it down. Onoki narrowed his eyes, his cunning gaze sweeping over Sheng Ren. Rasa's face paled further, while Hiruzen Sarutobi maintained a calm facade.

"Now that everyone's here, let's begin," Mifune said, wiping his brow. "The topic of this meeting is the changing situation in the ninja world, and... the relationship between the Feathered Immortal Sect and the major ninja villages."

"Relationship?" Ai spoke first, her voice filled with undisguised hostility. "What's there to talk about? We need an explanation for what happened in Kirigakure!"

Sheng Ren looked at Ai, his eyes calm: "What explanation does Lord Raikage want?"

"Why attack Kirigakure? Why start a war and shatter the hard-won peace?" Ai asked in a series of questions, his tone imposing.

"The reason is simple," Sheng Ren replied, "The Blood Mist policy of the Hidden Mist Sect has caused countless people to suffer, and my overthrow of it is in accordance with the will of Heaven and the will of the people."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and continued, "The Blood Mist policy is indeed cruel, but it's an internal affair of Kirigakure. Lord Hoshikage's use of force to interfere in the internal affairs of another country has already disrupted the balance of the ninja world."

Sheng Ren turned to the Third Hokage: "Your Hokage is right, I did break a certain balance. But if this so-called balance exists only to maintain a corrupt order, then what is the point of such a balance?"

"Insolence!" Onoki roared. "The order of the ninja world was bought with the blood of our predecessors! How dare you, a mere junior, question it?"

"It is precisely because this was achieved with blood that change is all the more necessary," Sheng Ren's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable power. "Can't you all see it? The ninja world today appears peaceful on the surface, but is rife with hidden conflicts. Large countries oppress small countries, ninja villages distrust each other, ninjas are reduced to tools of war, and civilians struggle to survive... Is this kind of order truly worth maintaining?"

Rasa suddenly spoke up: "Then what about your visualization method? Allowing ordinary people to cultivate chakra will completely destroy the status of ninjas and cause the entire social system to collapse!"

"Why can't ordinary people have power?" Sheng Ren retorted. "Is it because you were born with chakra that you are superior? Lord Kazekage, you should know better than I how the common people of Sunagakure are doing."

Luo Sha's face stiffened, unable to refute.

Sunagakure is indeed the poorest of the five great ninja villages, and the lives of its common people are extremely difficult.

"Lord Morihito," Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke again, his tone softening, "the ninja world certainly has many problems right now. But reform is not something that can be done overnight, and it certainly cannot be achieved through war and conquest. We can sit down and discuss this slowly..."

"Take your time to discuss it?" Sheng Ren laughed. "Hokage, do you know how many times Madara Uchiha said that to the First Hokage? Do you know how much Hashirama Senju paid for it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent.

"When the one-country-one-village system was established, the First Hokage also had a vision of peace," Sheng Ren continued, "but what was the result? The First Shinobi World War, the Second Shinobi World War, the Third Shinobi World War... the war never stopped, but instead escalated."

He stood up and looked around at the four shadows: "Because the fundamental problems haven't been solved—the monopoly of power, the blockage of information, and the solidification of social classes. As long as these exist, war is inevitable."

"So you want to end the war with war?" Onoki sneered. "That's utterly absurd!"

"If peaceful means cannot bring about change, then war is a necessary evil," Sheng Ren said calmly. "But my war is different from the war you understand."

He raised his hand, palm facing upwards. Golden light condensed in his hand, transforming into a miniature map of the ninja world.

"Look, this is the ninja world now," Sheng Ren said. "The five great nations occupy the most fertile lands, small countries survive in the cracks, ninjas monopolize power, and ordinary people are at the mercy of others."

He tapped his finger, and the map began to change.

"And what I want to build is a completely new ninja world," golden light spread across the map, "without borders, without ninja villages, where everyone can gain power through visualization techniques, and everyone enjoys equal rights and opportunities. Power will no longer be monopolized, knowledge will no longer be blocked, and war will lose its breeding ground."

Ai jumped to his feet, shattering the chair beneath him: "A fool's errand! Who do you think you are? A god?"

"I am not," Sheng Ren looked at Ai with deep eyes, "but it's not impossible."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, I have the ability to do it."

These words brought the atmosphere in the entire conference room to a freezing point.