"The Fifth Hokage… you're the Fifth Hokage!" The aura of a middle-aged ninja from Iwagakure was close to Kage level. He was a quasi-Kage—str
"The Fifth Hokage… you're the Fifth Hokage!"
The aura of a middle-aged ninja from Iwagakure was close to Kage level.
He was a quasi-Kage—stronger than an elite jōnin but not yet a Kage—and the commander of the Iwagakure border station, Suma Hikari.
After recognizing Uchiha Fugaku, he asked angrily:
"The Fifth Hokage, why did you attack Iwagakure's border station?"
"Why?"
Uchiha Fugaku looked at Suma Hikari, sneered, and said:
"Iwagakure sent thirteen shinobi—including the Five-Tails Jinchūriki—to infiltrate the Land of Fire and capture Konoha ninjas as hostages. Today, I attacked Iwagakure's border station to give them a lesson they won't forget."
"Iwagakure sent people to sneak into the Land of Fire to capture Konoha shinobi as hostages?"
Suma Hikari was surprised. He wasn't faking it—he truly had no knowledge of the operation.
Despite being the border station commander, Iwagakure clearly hadn't informed him of such a classified mission.
He frowned and asked, "What happened to Han and the others who infiltrated the Land of Fire?"
"If you dare trespass in the Land of Fire and commit crimes, you won't leave alive. I killed them all."
Uchiha Fugaku's sneer deepened.
"Impossible! Han was with them!"
Suma Hikari's eyes filled with disbelief.
From his perspective, with Han—the Five-Tails Jinchūriki and a Kage-level shinobi—leading the squad, even if the mission failed and they ran into Uchiha Fugaku, they shouldn't have been completely wiped out.
At the very least, Han should've been able to escape.
"Want to see the bodies? They're of no use to me. I'll return them to you."
Uchiha Fugaku chuckled, then unsealed a scroll. Thirteen corpses appeared, piled in a heap like a small hill.
"Han…?"
Suma Hikari looked at one of the bodies in shock.
The corpse wore tattered red armor and had a massive hole clean through its chest. It was Han—the Five-Tails Jinchūriki.
With his trained eyes, Suma Hikari could tell it wasn't a transformation. This was truly Han's body.
"How… how could Han—the Jinchūriki—be dead?"
"Impossible! It's impossible!"
...
The Iwagakure shinobi around them were shaken.
A Jinchūriki was supposed to be the village's greatest weapon, with strength equal to or surpassing a Kage.
How could someone like that be killed?
But the body before them left no room for denial.
"Revenge for Han!"
"Kill him! Avenge Han!"
Several Iwagakure shinobi roared in fury and launched jutsu at Uchiha Fugaku.
Bang, bang, bang!
Numerous jutsu flew toward him from all directions—including underground.
But none of them could breach Susanoo or the Lava Release: Humo Yi cloak surrounding Uchiha Fugaku. They couldn't even scratch him.
Uchiha Fugaku's mouth curled into a cruel smile.
Susanoo's giant hands extended left and right—then swept outward.
Splurt, splurt, splurt!
Dozens of Iwagakure shinobi were flung through the air. The lighter ones coughed blood; the more severely injured died midair.
"Create a swamp under his feet!"
Suma Hikari ordered swiftly.
Although he was stunned by Han's death, the fact remained—Uchiha Fugaku had barged into the border post alone. He was courting death.
There were thousands of Iwagakure shinobi stationed here. Even if it came down to throwing bodies at him, they could kill him.
Even the fearsome Third Raikage had fallen to Iwagakure's overwhelming numbers.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
A shinobi cast a Doton jutsu, forming a mire beneath Uchiha Fugaku's feet.
As he began to sink, his lower body submerged quickly.
But Fugaku's expression remained calm.
Other shinobi might panic, but not him.
"Mayfly Technique."
He activated the underground-traveling jutsu.
Like a fish through water, his body glided effortlessly within the swamp, unaffected by its pull.
The Mayfly Technique allowed him to meld into the terrain—soil, grass, and swamp alike. The mire was useless against him.
Scanning the area, he quickly located several shinobi who had cast the swamp jutsu.
Two colossal Susanoo hands fell from the sky like twin meteors.
Splurt—
Two massive palm prints slammed into the earth, and the enemy shinobi were reduced to pulp beneath the impact.
"Keep your distance and bombard him with jutsu. His defenses are tough, but his chakra can't last forever!"
With the swamp plan a failure, Suma Hikari issued a new command.
Iwagakure shinobi immediately retreated, putting space between them and Uchiha Fugaku.
But no matter how fast they ran, they couldn't outrun Fugaku.
Swish—
He flickered through the retreating shinobi like a phantom, his Susanoo body slamming into groups of them.
"Ughhh! Aaaaagh!"
Dozens of Iwagakure ninjas flew through the air. Many were gravely wounded. Others died instantly.
Hours passed.
By then, Fugaku had killed over a thousand Iwagakure shinobi.
Corpses littered the battlefield. Blood had soaked the ground red.
In the depressions of the terrain, the blood pooled like a lake.
Those who remained looked at Uchiha Fugaku—this god of death ravaging their ranks—with a mix of hatred, dread, and helplessness.
Their jutsu couldn't even touch him. But every move he made was a slaughter.
Now holding a kunai imbued with Wind Release, it shimmered into a glowing blue blade. He slashed several shinobi nearby in half.
Having used too much chakra, he deactivated Susanoo and retained only Lava Release: Humo Yi for protection.
"It's time to retreat."
After surveying the massacre, Fugaku used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat from Iwagakure's border station.
His chakra reserves were nearly depleted. He didn't intend to fight until collapse like the Third Raikage.
"Stop him!"
A shinobi realized Fugaku must be low on chakra and shouted.
But no one could stop his flicker speed.
Slashing down dozens of shinobi in his path, he flickered out of the border station's perimeter.
Another flash, and his figure vanished into the forest.
Several Iwagakure shinobi gave chase.
But before long, they lost all sight of him.
He had used the Mayfly Technique to vanish underground—eliminating all chakra traces.
Left with no options, the pursuing shinobi were forced to give up.
(End of this chapter)