"Hmm?"
The sudden voice behind them made Kakashi, Asuma, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Shikaku Nara, Anko Mitarashi, and several other Konoha Jōnin instinctively turn their heads.
All of them were seasoned shinobi—veterans of countless battles—and yet, they now found themselves inexplicably startled. Every single one of them looked in the same direction: behind them, toward the source of the voice.
What they saw next left them momentarily stunned.
A figure stood casually, as if he had been there all along. He wore a deep black suit layered under Sengoku-style crimson armor. His hands were clad in black gloves, and his waist-length, flowing hair shimmered with a subtle brilliance. He was elegant yet intimidating—a visual contradiction that didn't go unnoticed.
"When…?"
"When did he get here?"
The thought echoed in the minds of all present.
Kakashi's lone Sharingan eye narrowed. He had been fully alert, and yet he hadn't sensed this individual's approach. The same was true for Asuma, Guy, and Kurenai—they were on edge, but none had noticed the arrival of this enigmatic figure. How could someone get this close without triggering a single alarm?
If this stranger had been hostile, he could have launched a deadly attack on any of them before they even had the chance to react. That thought alone sent a chill down their spines.
Their eyes were now fixed on the man, who stood with a calm smile, utterly unfazed by their attention.
"Who is he?"
The mysterious man took a small step forward, still smiling faintly. His movements were graceful, deliberate—even mesmerizing.
"So… mind adding me to your table?"
The request came casually, as if he were asking to join an ordinary lunch, not crashing a gathering of some of the most elite shinobi in the Hidden Leaf.
The man's voice was smooth but held a commanding tone that demanded attention.
Leo. That was his name—though no one present knew it yet.
He wore the red armor like it belonged to him, with the air of someone who had walked through history untouched. When he smiled, it was both charming and dangerous. Even Kurenai, ever composed, found herself briefly captivated. There was something magnetic about him. Even his presence seemed to warp the mood of the area.
"Hey, who are you supposed to be?" Anko Mitarashi was the first to break the tension. She crossed one leg over the other, resting her chin on her palm while sizing up the stranger with a sharp gaze. "We don't just let any stranger walk in and eat for free, you know."
Then she narrowed her eyes further.
"…Wait a second. You… You look oddly familiar."
Her voice now held a thread of suspicion, curiosity twisting her brow.
"I was just thinking the same thing," Kurenai added, frowning slightly. She leaned in closer, trying to place the face. "He reminds me of someone I've seen before, but I can't quite figure out where."
Asuma, Choza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, and the others began murmuring among themselves, nodding in agreement. The sentiment was shared among them all: Leo looked eerily familiar.
The way he stood. The way his armor gleamed under the sun. Even his expression—it stirred a memory in each of them.
They just couldn't put their finger on it.
"Really?" Leo's voice remained calm as he tilted his head slightly, his smile deepening. "Then perhaps fate has brought us together. Maybe we've met in another time… or another life."
His words were enigmatic, almost poetic. But beneath that calm surface, Leo was carefully observing everyone at the table. His eyes flicked from one Jōnin to the next, taking in their postures, the slight tension in their shoulders, their breathing patterns.
'If I defeat all of these Jōnin here, will I get another sign-in reward?' he thought silently.
The power coursing through him made Leo feel as if he were walking above the world, as though no law, rule, or threat could touch him. He didn't just look strong—he was strong, and he knew it.
"Ah!" Anko suddenly clapped her hands as realization struck.
She pointed dramatically at Leo. "That armor you're wearing—it's Sengoku era! It's the exact kind they used during the Warring States period! That explains why you seem so familiar!"
A few others began to nod. That was it. That's where the sense of recognition came from.
"Well, it's not just the armor," Kurenai said after a moment. "Now that I think about it… isn't this the same style of armor worn by Uchiha Madara? The one depicted in the statue at the Valley of the End?"
The moment the name "Madara" was spoken, the atmosphere shifted slightly.
Kakashi's eye widened.
Now that Kurenai had mentioned it, the comparison was undeniable. The long hair. The black gloves. The crimson armor. Even his facial structure bore an uncanny resemblance.
Kakashi had seen that statue many times.
And now that he was really looking—Leo resembled Uchiha Madara to a disturbing degree.
'No… it can't be,' Kakashi thought. His heart pounded slightly harder.
He turned fully to face Leo, his hand drifting closer to his weapons pouch on instinct.
Madara had died. That was a fact. No one could mimic that presence. No one could walk in like this, slip past elite Jōnin undetected, and then casually chat them up—unless they were of that level.
Still, the resemblance was unsettling.
At that moment, Kurenai glanced toward Leo and motioned politely. "Well, I don't think we should have him stand around like a statue in the aisle. Why don't you sit with us?"
Leo's eyes flickered to her and softened.
"Thank you," he said gently.
Asuma, ever the protective one—especially around Kurenai—immediately stood and offered a seat beside himself instead.
"Ahem. My friend, there's a free seat here. Have a seat."
Leo nodded, still smiling. "I appreciate it."
Just as he was about to move forward—
"Wait."
The calm, even voice rang through the air with the weight of a command.
Hatake Kakashi had stood up, eyes wide and serious. His entire demeanor had changed in a flash—from casual to combat-ready.
Everyone at the table froze. Even Leo paused.
"Who are you really?" Kakashi asked, his voice low and dangerous.
A kunai was now subtly ready in his palm. His chakra flared just slightly—not enough to spark panic, but enough that the others could feel it.
The tension exploded in an instant.
Might Guy stood up quickly, surprised by Kakashi's sudden shift in tone.
"Hey, Kakashi, what's with you all of a sudden? He just asked to sit with us."
But even Guy knew—Kakashi wasn't the type to act rashly.
On the other side, Anko raised an eyebrow, confused. "Seriously? You're treating him like a missing-nin over barbecue?"
Asuma exchanged glances with Shikaku and Choza. Something was definitely off.
Kakashi didn't take his eyes off Leo. His mind was racing.
Could it really be?
Could Madara Uchiha—or someone like him—stand here, dressed in crimson armor, looking as youthful and powerful as ever?
"I don't know who you are," Kakashi said slowly, "but people don't sneak up on this many Jōnin without being either an ally… or something much worse."
A silence fell over the group.
And then—Leo chuckled softly.
"My name is Leo," he said, his voice smooth as ever. "And yes… I admire the Sengoku era. Its clarity, its violence, its… simplicity."
He took a slow step forward.
"Kakashi, was it?"
He stopped just within range, smiling coolly.
"What exactly do you see… when you look at me?"
Kakashi's hand tightened around his kunai.
He didn't know. That was the problem.
What he saw before him was a walking contradiction: a man who looked like a ghost from the past, dressed in the armor of a warlord long dead, moving like a shinobi from legend—and yet standing before him in the flesh.
And worst of all, Kakashi didn't sense anything from Leo. No killing intent, no malice—nothing. It was as if the man didn't exist in the same flow of time as the rest of them.
And that was what made him most dangerous.