It actually worked.
Ishiki Kujo stared in disbelief as the colossal turtle beneath him remained in place, unmoving—for now. Relief washed over him. His biggest fear had been that, once summoned, this massive creature would simply ignore him and swim away. But it hadn't.
The enormous turtle slowly lifted its ancient, mountain-sized head and looked around, seemingly trying to figure out where it was. With heavy, deliberate movement, it began to rise.
Below, the Iwa-nin who had started to surround Ishiki were thrown aside like leaves in a storm by the turtle's sudden emergence. For a moment, all fell silent—then the panic began.
"What the hell is that?" one Iwa-nin muttered, his throat dry, staring upward in horror.
"Is that… a summoned beast?" another asked, voice barely audible over the rumble of shifting earth.
"No way... that's Turtle Island! The one from Kumogakure!" shouted a more experienced shinobi, recognizing the creature from aerial intelligence reports.
Turtle Island's existence wasn't exactly a secret. It had floated for years off the coast of the Land of Lightning, far too massive to conceal. Now it was here—in the heart of the Land of Grass.
Signal flares lit up the sky as shock spread.
Why is Kumogakure's Turtle Island here? Is Kumo preparing for war with Iwagakure?
No one dared approach. Against a creature the size of a small country, ordinary shinobi were helpless.
Ishiki, standing atop its head, performed another Summoning Technique. This time, it was The President.
When the Stand materialized mid-air, it blinked—confused to find itself standing precariously on what it thought was a stone cliff.
Then the "cliff" shifted.
The turtle took another step forward.
The direction was clear now—it was heading east, toward the Land of Lightning. Home.
Ishiki tried to communicate, but either the turtle couldn't hear him or simply didn't care. There was no response.
Frustrated, Ishiki's thoughts sparked.
Tairo.
The turtle sage who'd helped him sign the summoning contract. Tairo had once said that Turtle Island was just an "elder of the turtle clan." If anyone could bridge the gap, it was him.
Another bite of the thumb. Another puff of smoke. Tairo appeared, blinking in confusion.
He looked around—and immediately screamed.
"Wha—WHAT—WHAT IS THIS PLACE?!"
"This is Turtle Island," Ishiki said. "Didn't you say it was just a senior member of the turtle clan? Talk to it for me!"
"WHAT? No! It's HUGE!" Tairo stammered, looking absolutely horrified.
Ishiki's expression darkened. "So you lied to me?"
Tairo avoided his gaze.
"I—I didn't mean to! It's just, I've never actually met Turtle Island myself! I only heard about it from the elders on Turtle Hermit Island. They said it might be part of our clan, raised by Kumogakure in the sea…"
Before Ishiki could respond, a deep, slow voice rumbled from below.
"Young one… you know quite a bit."
It was the turtle.
"If someone can summon me," it continued, "then tell that fool Hermit to erase my name from the blood contract. That was our agreement."
Ishiki, Tairo, and The President all stared down.
They couldn't even see the turtle's eyes—just the weathered, earth-like skin beneath their feet.
"And you, little human," the voice boomed again, "I don't care who you are or what village you serve. Don't even think of ordering me. I will not assist you."
Then silence.
Tairo turned to Ishiki, looking like he wanted to cry. "Bro, come on… you really had to summon it?! I was bluffing! I never thought you'd actually do it! You HAVE to come to Turtle Hermit Island with me. I can't explain this without you!"
"I don't have time. We're in a war zone. You explain it to them. I'll come after the war," Ishiki replied, pointing toward the battlefield far below.
Tairo peered over the edge and gulped. "Yeah… okay."
With a sad little noise, he vanished back to Turtle Hermit Island.
Ishiki gazed out from atop the turtle's head. Iwa-nin were closing in from all sides.
Time to go.
He'd confirmed what he needed: yes, he could summon Turtle Island. But no, he couldn't command it. The beast had its own will, its own loyalties—just like Tairo considered himself a "Leaf Turtle," Turtle Island clearly saw itself as Kumo's.
And once its name was erased from the contract… even summoning it again would become impossible.
Before leaving, Ishiki glanced toward the mountain ridges on the turtle's back. If he remembered right, the Falls of Truth were located somewhere here.
Was anyone on Turtle Island when he summoned it? If so… what had happened to them?
Shrugging, Ishiki stepped back into The President's Ruby Realm.
Left alone on the turtle's crown, The President followed—vanishing into the blood-red portal.
—
Far across the ocean near the Land of Lightning, a dozen Kumogakure shinobi fell into the sea.
They thrashed, flailing, screaming in disbelief.
Turtle Island had vanished.
One moment they were meditating or resting. The next, they were drowning.
Kumogakure had known about the island's presence for years. Its disappearance had never happened before.
"GET A MESSAGE TO THE RAIKAGE!" someone screamed.
But even as they shouted, their eyes searched the endless sea in despair. Turtle Island had truly disappeared.
—
Back in the Land of Grass, Iwa-nin had confirmed Turtle Island's appearance the moment it rose from the ground.
It was impossible to miss.
And once they identified it, squadrons began sprinting toward it.
Among the elite, the Falls of Truth were no secret. If Iwagakure could gain access to them—maybe even steal some of the island's latent power—it could change the game. Even create a perfect Jinchūriki of their own.
It was too good an opportunity to ignore.
Leading the border forces was Katsuragi, the demolition expert.
He had immediately sent word to Iwagakure's leadership, then mobilized nearly all stationed troops to move on the turtle.
Compared to the vague rumors about a Konoha squad, or speculation about Jinchūriki movements, this was solid gold.
Even the shinobi left behind weren't building up the base anymore—they were to act as sentries. The moment they spotted Leaf shinobi, they would alert the forward teams instantly.
Katsuragi didn't believe Konoha would sit idly by.
They knew Naruto was still a kid. If Konoha managed to help him master the Tailed Beast's power using Turtle Island… their power would skyrocket.
He was also worried about one thing: How did Turtle Island even get here?
Surely it wasn't summoned?
If it was, and they couldn't identify or capture the summoner… could it happen again?
Could Turtle Island vanish at a moment's notice?
As Iwagakure's troops thundered across the plains, three Leaf shinobi—Inuzuka Ze, Hyūga Tokuma, and Aburame Muta—finally reached the border.
With fewer enemy patrols now that most Iwa-nin were chasing the turtle, the way out had been smoother than expected.
And then, from the ridge, they saw it.
Turtle Island.
They had already witnessed Ishiki summon Reo. Now this?
There was only one possible explanation.
He did it again.
There were few in the shinobi world who could summon something that massive. Each name was legendary.
And soon—Ishiki Kujo's name would join them.
All three turned in unison, the same thought crystallizing in their hearts:
That man is destined to shake the entire shinobi world.