—
Hearing Danzo's words, Chiriku's expression darkened. "Danzo, what are you trying to say?"
"Heh, what am I trying to say?" sneered the Danzo—actually a physical clone of Uchiha Itachi. He glanced at Chiriku and chuckled. "It's simple: between Konoha and the Land of Fire, I've chosen the righteous side. I stand with the Daimyō.
What now? You, Sarutobi Hiruzen's loyal dog—are you panicking? Ready to prove your loyalty? Or what, exactly?"
"You—you're spouting nonsense!" Chiriku flushed red with anger, hastily defending himself. "I've always been loyal to the Daimyō! Everything I've done is for the Land of Fire! You won't divide us with your lies!"
"Oh?" Danzo turned mockingly toward the Daimyō. "Look at him—he's rattled. That means I hit a nerve."
"You—!" Chiriku pointed at him, nearly shaking with rage, unable to form a retort.
"You claim you're loyal. But words are cheap, just like Sarutobi Hiruzen—always playing the saint, preaching virtue and justice, but in truth, he was a scheming degenerate, a shameless hypocrite.
And you? His lapdog? You're no better."
Danzo's eyes narrowed.
"You take a salary from the Land of Fire, yet serve as Konoha's agent. Instead of solving the Daimyō's problems, you spend all your time defending Sarutobi Hiruzen. And you dare say you're not his man?"
"Danzo…!" Chiriku exploded with fury. "You won't tarnish good people's names!"
"Tarnish good people?" Danzo shrugged indifferently. "Fine. Let's say I am."
"Heh, Danzo, I finally understand now," Chiriku said, pointing at him. "You're nothing but a failure—just trying to manipulate the Daimyō into attacking Konoha. You want to use him to wipe out everything Sarutobi built. You're the one trying to start a war! You devil! I'm telling you now—as long as I live, you won't succeed!"
"Enough!" the Daimyō snapped, his face cold and grim. "Chiriku, you've said enough."
"My lord!" Chiriku pleaded. "Please—you must believe me! My loyalty lies with you! Everything I've done has been for the Land of Fire. Don't fall for Danzo's lies! He just wants to use you to get revenge on Konoha!"
"I've made myself clear, Chiriku. Let me say it again—shut your mouth!"
"My lord—!"
"Are you disobeying me?" the Daimyō interrupted, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes. His voice was ice. "Are you trying to rebel?"
"No! I'm loyal, truly! But working with Danzo is like bargaining with a beast—it will bring nothing but ruin!" Chiriku was nearly in tears now, his desperation spilling out.
Danzo stood by, casually twisting the knife. "Remember where your allegiance lies, Chiriku. You're a soldier of the Land of Fire. You're paid by the Daimyō. Your duty is loyalty to the nation, not to your village.
Crying now—what is that? Trying to win sympathy?
Give it up. The time has come—you have to choose."
"In times of peace, the Daimyō wouldn't mind if you had friends in Konoha, or if your loyalties were complicated. But don't forget—this is no longer an era of peace."
"In times like this, there's no room for ambiguity from people with power."
"The most dangerous kind of person in an age of war... is someone powerful but indecisive—someone without a clear stance."
"Because people like you always find ways to justify your actions. No matter how twisted, you'll convince yourself you're doing the right thing."
"But right now, truth doesn't matter. Justice doesn't matter. What matters is which side you choose."
"Pick the right side, and you live with honor. Pick the wrong one—and you live with regret, or die with it."
"If you truly want this era of chaos to end, then pick a side and walk that path without fear—"
"Fight. Clash. Bleed. That's the only way we'll ever carve out a future of peace."
"No… there has to be another way. A way to avoid war," Chiriku protested. He didn't want to betray the Daimyō—but he didn't want to raise a blade against Konoha, either.
"Maybe… someday," Danzo said quietly. "Maybe there will be a future where different beliefs can coexist. Where both sides can survive."
"But sadly… you and I may never live to see that world."
"That kind of future—it's precisely what we should be striving for. The dream worth dying for."
"So, Chiriku… it's like they've always said: you can't serve both loyalty and justice."
"Now choose. Like I have."
"Konoha, or the Daimyō. The Leaf, or the Land of Fire," Danzo said.
Silence fell. The Twelve Guardian Ninja—Fuka, Fudō, and Fue—and all the samurai present turned to stare at Danzo, their eyes full of shock.
His words had shaken them.
Because… they were true.
As subordinates of the Daimyō, they never really had a choice.
Even the Daimyō himself was stunned. He hadn't expected Danzo to be so eloquent, so persuasive. In just a few sentences, he'd shifted the entire mood of the room.
No wonder Root had followed him so blindly—no wonder they'd fought for him to the last man. The so-called Konoha's "Darkness of the Shinobi" wasn't just dangerous. He was brilliant.
If I could pull him into the Land of Fire's inner circle, our Political Bureau Chief could retire early.
Chiriku and the Lightning Release Four Ninja glared at Danzo, rage in their eyes.
No matter how clever Danzo's speech was, they saw through it. He wanted nothing more than to pit the Land of Fire and Konoha against each other. His ambitions were crystal clear—he wanted to use the Daimyō's hand to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But they wouldn't let that happen. Not while they still breathed.
They wouldn't allow the Land of Fire to be plunged into chaos.
They wouldn't let its people suffer.
Everything they did—was for peace. For the future of the Land of Fire.
That was the path they had chosen.
"Men of letters die by remonstration. Men of arms die in battle!" Chiriku declared, rising to his feet. "My lord, I beg you—stop cooperating with Danzo!"
"We stand with Chiriku!" the Lightning Release Four Ninja echoed, rising with him. "We will fight, if we must!"
"Oh, how touching," the Daimyō sneered, his face darkening. "My own loyal ninja—my personally chosen Twelve Guardian Ninja…"
"I handpicked you. Trained you. Fed you. Clothed you. Housed you. And now I find—five of the eleven have thrown in with Sarutobi Hiruzen?!"
"Hahaha!"
The Daimyō burst out laughing—but his eyes were wet with rage.
"You sit there eating my food, living under my roof, taking my pay. I made you elite jōnin!"
"And this is how you repay me?"
"You call yourselves loyal? You're nothing but spies for Konoha!"
"You think I'm someone to be trifled with?"
"GUARDS! Kill them! Leave no one alive!"
The Daimyō roared, consumed with fury.
Uchiha Izumi's warning had been one thing—but now it was real.
Betrayal.
He could not tolerate it.
He would not tolerate it.
"You're wrong!" Chiriku shouted. "We haven't sided with Hiruzen—we've chosen justice! We want peace! We don't want to see Konoha and the Land of Fire go to war!"
"Everything we've done—it was all for the sake of the Land of Fire!"
But no one was listening anymore.
In a world like this, the only side that mattered... was the one still standing at the end.
Just then, a glimmer of blue—like a butterfly—flashed in Kazuma's eyes.
Uchiha Chiri's genjutsu activated.
"Kill them!" the Daimyō ordered.
And with that single word, the Twelve Guardian Ninja under Kazuma's command clashed with Chiriku's group—brother against brother, comrade against comrade.