"Clang—!"
The blade of the asauchi pierced through the chest, carrying Aizen's forward momentum, sliding all the way to the hilt, pushing the two of them deep into the ruins, firmly pinning Aburame Shigehira's body to a half-collapsed concrete wall.
"You..."
Blood gushed from Aburame Shigehira's mouth, and his eyes, visible beneath his broken sunglasses, stared fixedly at the man in front of him. He struggled to open his mouth, as if trying to say something more.
However, Aizen Sōsuke merely watched him quietly, slowly twisting the hilt of the blade.
In an instant, Aburame Shigehira's gaze gradually dimmed, and his entire body finally went still.
Everyone present watched this scene in silence, falling into an unspoken stillness.
But then, an overwhelming cheer erupted.
Ninja from afar leaped from rooftops, and civilians in the ruins peeked out from crevices, all wanting to see the man who had killed that monster.
Everyone gathered around him.
Listening to the cheers around him, Aizen Sōsuke merely watched quietly, as always, giving the people a reassuring smile.
"That was truly remarkable, Sōsuke."
"This is truly..." Hiruzen Sarutobi limped out from the crowd, approaching him, his voice filled with emotion.
He asked himself.
Even knowing that the way to defeat that monster was to completely eliminate fear from one's heart, who in the entire Village could truly achieve that?
Even he, the Hokage, had to admit he was inferior.
As for his strength, that was not such a big deal.
From beginning to end, Mr. Aizen's displayed strength never exceeded the Jonin level; only his mental fortitude was extraordinary.
However, Aizen Sōsuke did not rush to celebrate like the others: "Third Hokage."
"Please have someone bring that box here."
He maintained his grip on the sword, fixing Aburame Shigehira's body: "I can feel that he is not completely dead yet."
Aizen Sōsuke turned his head, looking at the pale-skinned body, and explained: "To be precise, his body died long ago, but his soul, driven by some power, acts by devouring people's fear."
"If he is not sealed back immediately, he will likely recover very quickly."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled by these words and quickly gave orders to those around him.
It wasn't until the huge box of ultimate bliss was carried by the crowd to everyone's front, and the surrounding people watched Aizen perform a sealing jutsu to reopen the box and seal Aburame Shigehira's body inside, that Hiruzen Sarutobi finally let out a sigh of relief.
"As expected of you, Sōsuke."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the scene, unable to help but feel emotional: "If we didn't have a soul expert like you here, Konoha would probably have been in danger."
"You flatter me too much."
Aizen retracted the blade in his hand and spoke with a gentle and polite tone.
It was as if he hadn't changed at all due to the people's cheers.
"If it weren't for everyone's strength, even with me present, I would have found it very difficult to discern the monster's patterns of movement."
"This is the credit of everyone in Konoha."
"Whether it's Kakashi-kun, Might Guy, the Anbu members, or your command..."
"This operation itself is the best embodiment of the Will of Fire."
Listening to his flawless speech, Kakashi, who had been helped up by Might Guy, couldn't help but shake his head.
Sōsuke, that guy, was still the same as ever.
This must be the value of being ranked first in the Will of Fire theory class for six consecutive years.
However, Might Guy next to him looked moved to tears, clenching his fists uncontrollably: "Sōsuke is right!"
"This is truly burning youth!"
"Oh oh oh! It's burning!"
"Ten extra laps this morning!"
Kakashi Hatake covered his face; if his leg wasn't injured, he really wouldn't want to stand with him.
Even dogs would shake their heads at this.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood nearby, his face almost splitting into a grin as he listened, yet he still smiled and shook his head, saying solemnly: "No matter what, Konoha will remember your contribution today."
"Sōsuke-kun!"
"And Itachi-kun too."
Evidently, he had a good impression of these two young men who had saved his life, or rather, his grandson's life, at a critical moment.
"Yes, Third Hokage!"
Aizen Sōsuke respectfully bowed his head before the old man's smile.
But unfortunately.
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could enjoy his happiness for long, a hurried footsteps sounded from afar.
As if sensing the identity of the newcomers, the smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face gradually faded. He turned to look in the direction of the footsteps, his expression becoming solemn.
A dense crowd gathered in front of the ruined area. Each of them had special emblems embroidered on their sleeves and the back of their clothing.
Those were Shinobi Clan emblems, representing their clan identity.
Clearly, the newcomers were the Shinobi Clan army.
As if sensing the unusual look in the Third Hokage's eyes, the many Ninja gathered there also turned to look at the crowd that almost surrounded the entire entrance to the ruined area, their expressions gradually becoming more serious. Some even instinctively placed their hands on the Kunai and short swords at their waists.
The festive atmosphere that had just permeated the area cooled down at lightning speed, as everyone silently watched the opposing side.
However, this subtle standoff did not last long.
Soon, several representatives emerged from the Shinobi Clan army.
They were the clan heads.
"Third Hokage."
Nara Shikaku, at the forefront, stepped forward, his expression respectful: "We heard that there were invaders causing chaos in the Village, so the nineteen Shinobi Clans of Konoha have led a force of 1,300 people here."
"Please give your orders, Third Hokage!"
The moment his voice fell, the accompanying Shinobi Clan heads behind him also spoke up: "Please give your orders, Third Hokage!"
This powerful shout suddenly echoed through the silent ruins.
The crowd in front instantly fell silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched these united Shinobi Clan heads, his gaze tinged with scrutiny.
Jonin, especially Jonin with unique skills who were renowned in the Ninja World, were extremely important resources in every Village, and most even held high-ranking positions.
Now, these Shinobi Clans, with just one move, presented more than ten elite Jonin united as one. Even he, the Hokage, couldn't claim he could kill them all before his Chakra ran out.
Nominally, they were coming to help, but in reality, they appeared only after the monster had been dealt with. They were clearly here to make a show of force.
The civilian Ninja were not fools; how could they not understand this? They couldn't help but glare angrily at these guys.
However, the Shinobi Clan Ninja were not to be outdone, returning their glares with equal intensity, staring fixedly at everyone—they had suffered no small amount of grievances during the previous purges, and now that they had a rare opportunity, they practically wished for a fight to break out immediately.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not answer immediately, merely quietly observing the Konoha strategist, Nara Shikaku, who was bowing respectfully before him.
The cooperation between the Sarutobi Clan and the Ino–Shika–Chō trio had been established for many years since the Sengoku period, proving to be enduring.
Unexpectedly, their relationship had instead developed cracks after the Village was established.
"Shikaku-kun, do you know that this box was brought into the Village by a group of Shinobi Clan Ninja attempting to rebel?"
After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly spoke, getting straight to the point.
"It is precisely for this reason that we are here."
Although the Shinobi Clan Ninja behind him were all glaring at the opposing side, Nara Shikaku still spoke with a straight face, without the slightest hesitation: "A small faction of bad individuals within the Shinobi Clans spearheaded this operation, leading to such significant losses for the Village."
"To prove our Shinobi Clans' loyalty to Konoha, we must make our stance clear."
"We, after all, are also Konoha Ninja."
Nara Shikaku's words were coherent and forceful, his tone extremely solemn, as if something as outrageous as releasing the box of ultimate bliss could not possibly have any connection to them.
It was a model of formal politeness.
If the Shinobi Clan Ninja behind him weren't fully armed and solemnly prepared, Hiruzen Sarutobi might have actually believed him.
However, precisely because these Shinobi Clan guys were already at odds with him, whether Hiruzen Sarutobi believed it in his heart or not, he had to believe it at this moment.
They had just fought a major battle against Satoru, the civilians behind them had not yet been appeased, and the surrounding Ninja were all injured. Not to mention quality, they might not even have a numerical advantage.
At a glance, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that the group of Ninja behind him must have been resting and accumulating strength for a long time, just waiting for the command to act immediately.
At such a time, he had to remain calm.
Just as he was about to say something more, he heard a familiar voice suddenly speak from beside him: "You said, prove what loyalty?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Nara Shikaku both froze at these words.
Turning to look, they saw Danzo Shimura, his face full of anger, walking towards them step by step with Hiruko beside him.
As if realizing something, Nara Shikaku looked behind the Shinobi Clan army.
Root Ninja, also gathered in a group, were encircling them further back.
The standoff between the two sides had turned into being surrounded from front and back.
The swift change in the situation caused many present to hold their breath, the atmosphere in the field becoming extremely tense.
Facing such heavy pressure, Nara Shikaku remained calm, his expression unwavering, and he said coolly: "Naturally, loyalty to Konoha!"
"Danzo-sama."
"Then, I presume Clan Head Shikaku will not obstruct us from taking away the culprit's body and this weapon, will he?"
As soon as Danzo Shimura spoke, it caused many Shinobi Clans to tense up.
The bodies of Shinobi Clan Ninja themselves held the greatest secrets of their Bloodline Limits, and under normal circumstances, it was absolutely impossible to hand them over to others.
"Taking away the weapon is naturally appropriate, but interrogating the body should be the affair of the Interrogation Department."
"Furthermore, we Shinobi Clans cannot allow these heinous criminals to be interred in our clan cemeteries; they should all be completely cremated."
"These requests, I presume the Third Hokage would allow, wouldn't he?"
Nara Shikaku's tone was soft, but his attitude was firm, directly rejecting the previous request. He quietly watched Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura.
The silence in the field lasted for a long time, and the tension between the Shinobi Clans and Konoha sides grew increasingly agitated.
After an unknown amount of time, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally relented: "It should be so."
The moment these words fell, a subtle sigh of relief seemed to escape from the crowds of all three factions.
Only Danzo Shimura glared angrily at Hiruzen, letting out a cold snort, but saying nothing.
"Thank you, Third Hokage."
"Since that is the case, we will not disturb you further."
As Nara Shikaku finished speaking, he turned and made way.
Following his movement, the various Shinobi Clans behind him also parted to create a path, quietly watching them slowly carry away the box of ultimate bliss.
Only after all of this was over, and Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others' figures gradually receded, did Nara Shikaku let out a low breath, wiping away the cold sweat that had beaded on his forehead.
"Shikaku?"
Akimichi Choza, beside him, asked in a low voice.
"For a short time, there should be no danger."
"However..."
Nara Shikaku said, shaking his head slightly.
Peace through struggle leads to peace, peace through compromise leads to the death of peace.
They might not have heard this saying, but they all understood this principle.
The Shinobi army behind them had already assembled before the operation began.
If the box of ultimate bliss had successfully destroyed Konoha's core institutions, then they would naturally have surged forward, overthrown the Hokage Building, and had the Shinobi Clans take turns as Hokage.
If it failed, then they would, as now, take advantage of the Hokage faction's temporary period of weakness to immediately confront them, display their strength, and secure a period of peace—at least, they couldn't allow the previous purges to continue.
Judging from the current outcome, Hiruzen Sarutobi clearly still retained his rationality and did not immediately turn against them, so there was still a possibility of salvaging the situation.
However, the conflict between the Shinobi Clans and the Hokage faction had been fully brought into the open, even reaching the point of armed confrontation.
The upcoming period, even if it was a temporary peace, would also be very dangerous.
Nara Shikaku thought this, his gaze, however, resting on the young man beside Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Just now, not only Hiruzen Sarutobi, but they too had personally witnessed the young man eliminate Satoru.
He had only used Jonin-level strength, yet he had effortlessly cut down a monster of that caliber.
At this moment, Hiruko's past warning weighed even more heavily in his heart.
"What a... dangerous fellow."