"..."
"...What did you say? Say it again?" Hashirama blinked in disbelief. "The daimyō has rebelled?"
"That's right," the ninja replied. "They've incapacitated Lord Asuma."
"Under the leadership of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the daimyō's forces have invaded."
"They claim that the Hokage's incompetence led to civil strife among Konoha's top brass, which caused countless innocent civilian deaths."
"Now that the Land of Fire faces threats both inside and out, they say it's in the name of peace and the protection of the people that the daimyō has issued a decree."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen is hereby removed from the office of Hokage. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado are stripped of their elder advisory positions."
"The Twelve Guardian Ninja will temporarily take control of Konoha's defense, and all major village affairs will be administered by the daimyō's court."
"Once stability is restored, a new Hokage will be selected."
"Only then will control be returned."
Upon hearing this, Hashirama's face darkened.
What the hell is this? Has the daimyō lost his mind?
Who gave him the courage to say something so stupid?
The Twelve Guardian Ninja and a bunch of palace guards?
Do they really think Konoha's shinobi are made of paper?!
"Asuma!! Hang in there!!"
Hiruzen's anguished cry echoed through the night. His heart shattered the moment he saw Asuma—limbs severed, barely alive.
"Danzo…! I swear on my life, I will never forgive you!"
"Asuma!"
"Uwaaaaahhhh!"
On the stretcher, Hiruzen wailed in agony, trying to crawl toward his son, but was restrained by medics.
"Someone—sedate the Third! Quickly!"
"Let me go! I'm not crazy!"
"Where are the medics?! Stop the bleeding, now!"
A team of medical-nin rushed to Asuma's side and began emergency treatment.
The moment one of the kunoichi saw his condition, she went pale—almost vomiting.
Asuma's entire body was crawling with ants and maggots.
His hands and feet had been chopped off.
His lower body was caked in blood and filth.
His eyes were glazed. Drool leaked from his mouth.
He looked more like a hollowed-out husk than a man.
"Are you alright, Izumi?" Itachi pulled her close, concern etched on his face.
"I'm fine… but Asuma-senpai…"
Izumi was pale, visibly shaken. Her eyes were full of fear. Clearly, she'd been through hell.
"Neither Naori-senpai nor I even had a chance to react. Asuma… was just taken."
Itachi: "…"
What the hell did my clone do this time…?
"Don't worry," Fugaku said grimly. "We'll avenge Asuma. Konoha won't let this go."
"Danzo must die. And not one of those Twelve Guardian bastards is getting away alive!"
"Anyone who harms Konoha—no matter how far—they will be hunted down and destroyed!"
Everyone nodded in furious agreement.
Moments ago, they had all been happily discussing strategy inside the Hokage building—then a Tailed Beast Bomb had come crashing down on their heads.
If not for the Uchiha's Susanoo defenses, the entire leadership of Konoha might've been wiped out.
Who wouldn't be enraged?!
At Konoha's Front Gate…
"Kazuma-sama," a samurai reported. "Danzo says the Hokage building's been destroyed. The way is clear. We can proceed with the attack."
"Excellent."
Kazuma raised his hand and waved it forward.
From the forest emerged a wave of Fire Country samurai, swords drawn, charging straight for Konoha.
"Charge!"
Their battle cries shook the night. Dozens of samurai, eyes wild, poured into the village.
To Kazuma, the Hokage system was obsolete.
The daimyō should hold true political and military power.
One nation. One voice. Unified government and military—that was the only way to true strength.
He could already envision it: Konoha kneeling before the daimyō, with him—Kazuma—leading the entire Land of Fire, both shinobi and samurai.
With Danzo's Flying Thunder God aiding him, they would strike at the enemy's heart, eliminate leaders with surgical precision, and unify the shinobi world under their banner.
But dreams are one thing.
Reality... is cruel.
The moment the samurai broke through the gate, a massive flood surged forward, sweeping them back like leaves in a storm.
Their agonized screams pierced the night.
The survivors scrambled to their feet, cursing their parents for not giving them more legs. They fled in terror.
Kazuma: "?"
This has to be an illusion.
Shouldn't my forces have stormed the village, crushed all resistance, and captured Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura in one swift strike?
Why are they already retreating?!
This must be a genjutsu.
He shook his head and blinked. When he looked again…
A lineup of towering, multicolored Susanoo figures were marching out of Konoha.
Behind them stood a giant Wooden Golem, casting a shadow over the village.
Kazuma: "???"
Why are there so many Uchiha elites in Konoha?!
How does the Uchiha Clan have this many Mangekyō Sharingan users?!
And wasn't Wood Release extinct? How the hell is Hashirama still alive?!
This has to be genjutsu!
"Genjutsu: Release!"
Kazuma formed the hand seal and forced his chakra to break the illusion.
He opened his eyes—only to see the Susanoo and the Wooden Golem now standing right in front of him.
"…Hah. Impressive genjutsu," Kazuma sneered.
Genjutsu, a Yin Release technique, manipulates the mind by distorting the five senses or chakra flow.
There are two main ways to break genjutsu:
Non-dōjutsu genjutsu: Can be disrupted by disturbing your own chakra flow.
Dōjutsu-based genjutsu: Must be broken by an outside source.
Kazuma had failed to break the illusion with his own chakra—that meant this was Sharingan-based genjutsu.
"Could Danzo have placed a genjutsu on me using his Sharingan before he left?"
"Was he planning to steal the pseudo Nine-Tails jinchūriki—'Sora'—for himself?"
He finally pieced it together.
"Kazuma-sama, run!!"
Three elite jōnin—Fūka, Fudō, and Fuen—grabbed his arms, trying to drag him away.
Their eyes were full of panic.
Danzo had betrayed them.
Hashirama was still alive. So was Madara Uchiha.
"Let go of me! It's just a genjutsu! I won't be fooled!" Kazuma roared, shaking them off and choosing to face the advancing threats head-on.
Fūka, Fudō, and Fuen: "…"
Is Lord Kazuma insane?
He's going to challenge Hashirama and Madara head-on?!
But… on second thought—those two had died long ago.
Even if they were here, maybe it was like Earth Release Reanimation—just puppets.
And if they were puppets, what was there to fear?
If it was genjutsu, running wouldn't help anyway.
So… they stopped too, standing alongside Kazuma to face the approaching threat.
"Are these fools seriously not running? They actually stopped?" Madara blinked. "Do they think they can take us?"
"Maybe he's a high-level opponent," said Hashirama.
"Danzo wouldn't have made him the commander for nothing," Tajima added.
"If he's not running, maybe he's confident. He might have some technique to counter Edo Tensei," Shisui speculated.
"Hmm… yeah. That might be it," the others agreed.
"In that case—no holding back. Go all out!"
"Got it!"
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
"Susanoo: Ninety-Nine!"
"Fire Style—!"
An onslaught of techniques descended on Kazuma's squad.
Chakra surged like a tsunami. Giant trees erupted from the ground. Countless green chakra arrows rained down from above.
Fūka, Fudō, and Fuen: "???"
Kazuma: "???"
As the terrifying chakra bore down on them, all four felt their hearts seize.
BOOM!!!
An explosion ripped through the battlefield.
In their final moments, the only thought in Bufū, Fudō, and Fuen's minds was:
It was real.
This wasn't genjutsu at all.