At the Five Kage Summit site in the Three Wolf Mountains.
Beneath a sky swirling with snow, the spire-shaped summit hall had its roof torn away. Trees burst through windows, doors, and cracks in the walls, growing wildly. Many warriors of the Land of Iron were trapped within [Tree Creation: Birth from a Divine Tree], their cries for help echoing continuously.
The surrounding ground was littered with broken ruins, leaving a scene of chaos and destruction.
However, as a high-ranking general of the Land of Iron, Musashi had no time to deal with these matters. Clutching the Sword of Kusanagi, he prepared to chase after Heiyan and the others alongside the Four Kages.
Just at that moment—
Whoosh!
A figure burst from the side and cut Musashi off.
It was Mifune.
"Lord Mifune, why?"
Mifune tightened his grip on his sword and stared at Musashi in disbelief, his voice trembling as he asked, "Why have we taken sides with the Four Great Ninja Villages when we are meant to remain neutral? Doesn't this act completely violate the centuries-old principle of neutrality that the samurai have always upheld?"
"Mifune, don't get worked up. Let me explain right now."
Musashi smiled calmly at the man blocking his path and gestured for him to calm down. Then, he revealed a shocking secret:
"The Fire Daimyo himself promised me that once Konoha is destroyed, the Daimyo's Mansion will hire our warrior clan from the Land of Iron to replace Konoha's ninja village."
"What?!"
At this, Mifune stood motionless, utterly stunned.
Musashi was pleased with Mifune's reaction—after all, he himself had been equally shocked when he first heard those words from the Daimyo.
"Mifune, from today forward, the samurai will finally return to the center of the world stage!"
Musashi's eyes burned with ambition as he opened his arms wide toward Mifune, inviting him into this grand vision. "Join me! Together, let's lead this new era and restore the might of the samurai! We shall support the great Daimyo and rule this world forevermore!"
In Musashi's view, the Daimyo and the warrior class were a natural fit—each offering what the other needed.
The warrior class desired honor, status, wealth, and provisions from the Daimyo, while the Daimyo required unwavering loyalty and martial strength from the warriors in order to maintain authority over the Daimyo's Mansion and enforce the rulers' will upon the people.
As for ninja, they were simply lowly beings unworthy of the spotlight, with no concept of honor or righteousness.
Especially Konoha ninja, who not only showed no respect toward the Daimyo but even plotted to overthrow the Daimyo's Mansion and destroy the established social hierarchy—an unforgivable crime.
Yet just as Musashi was lost in dreams of the future, Mifune interrupted with cold words.
"Lord Musashi, are you saying that this Five Kage Summit was a trap from the start? That you've secretly colluded with the Four Ninja Villages long ago, setting up this entire scheme specifically against Konoha?"
Mifune fixed Musashi with a sharp gaze, clenching his fists tightly, his brows furrowed.
"And if it is?"
At this, Musashi also began losing his patience. His own brows furrowed in frustration as he scolded Mifune, "Mifune, watch your tone."
"Don't forget—it was I who nurtured and promoted you. And yet now, you've disappointed me deeply."
To Musashi, this subordinate of his had everything going for him—except for being too rigid and stuck in old ways, refusing to adapt or compromise. Precisely because of that, he hadn't shared the details of this plan with Mifune earlier, fearing the latter might ruin it.
"However, I personally swore to Uzumaki Heiyan before this—that the Land of Iron will never betray its neutral stance, nor abandon the principles and beliefs upon which our nation was founded."
Mifune said quietly while drawing his katana, pointing its cold blade straight at Musashi.
"So, you're actually going to raise your blade against me? Trying to stop me?"
Seeing Mifune's move, Musashi's eyes darkened instantly; a flash of killing intent flickered within them as he spoke.
Next moment—
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Both figures shot forward like lightning bolts, rushing toward each other and clashing their weapons in an instant.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Each time they struck, sparks flew between their colliding blades, accompanied by sharp metallic sounds ringing out across the snowy ruins.
Very soon, however, Mifune began falling behind—he was clearly inferior in both swordsmanship skill and weapon strength compared to Musashi, his superior.
Crack!
With a clear snapping sound, Mifune's katana finally couldn't withstand the force any longer and was severed by Musashi's Sword of Kusanagi.
Startled, Mifune leapt backward quickly to dodge Musashi's follow-up strike.
But Musashi's killer intent had already surged beyond restraint. Anyone daring to block his great cause would be killed without mercy—even if once his most favored subordinate.
So,
A cold smirk emerged on Musashi's face as he suddenly swung his blade midair toward Mifune. Then, something incredible happened—
Swish!
The length of Musashi's Sword of Kusanagi stretched outward dozens of meters in an instant, swinging horizontally toward Mifune under the horrified gaze of the latter.
This slash would have sliced Mifune cleanly at the waist—was this the Sword of Kusanagi's special ability?
At this very moment, Mifune turned pale with despair. There was simply no time left for defense. He could only watch helplessly as this ten-meter-long blade came roaring toward him.
Just then, at the critical moment—
Shhk!
A streak of cold light shot forth from the ruins like lightning, striking heavily against the Sword of Kusanagi with a loud clang.
"Huh?"
Musashi was shocked, immediately feeling an enormous counterforce traveling through his blade and back along its hilt, shaking blood from his palm and nearly numbing half his body.
His grip loosened—the blade nearly slipped from his grasp.
Across the field—
"What is this...?"
Mifune's pupils contracted. Staring wide-eyed at the hovering Murakumo Sword floating directly before him—the weapon that had just saved his life from Musashi's deadly blow.
Attached to the handle of the sword was a Byakugan—an eye whose calm yet solemn gaze locked onto Mifune with unwavering focus.
It's Uzumaki Heiyan.
Mifune realized at once—it was Uzumaki Heiyan remotely controlling the weapon and watching him through the Byakugan.
Under Heiyan's penetrating gaze, Mifune's face flushed with shame. He didn't know how he could face him—Uzumaki Heiyan—ever again.
But just at that moment.
Whoosh!
The Murakumo Sword fell straight down, stabbed into the ground. The Byakugan on its hilt slowly closed as well.
It seemed Heiyan had moved too far away from the sword, breaking the chakra connection. As a result, Heiyan could no longer control it.
Mifune hesitated just a second before charging forward, yanking the Murakumo Sword from the ground and gripping it tightly in both hands.
Musashi saw this and realized he wouldn't be able to kill Mifune anytime soon. He shot him a cold glare, then decided not to waste any more time on the fight.
Swoosh!
He turned sharply and took off in the same direction the others had gone before.
"Stop!"
Mifune shouted loudly, immediately rushing after him without hesitation. No matter if he could beat Musashi or not, Mifune knew one thing for sure—he must return the Murakumo Sword back to Heiyan's hands.
Meanwhile, inside a hidden chamber near the battlefield.
Originally, this location was specially prepared by Musashi to store the weapons and large scroll that Heiyan had handed over. Yet right now, nearly all the warrior guards stationed here were already lying dead on the floor.
However, these warriors weren't killed by Heiyan's controlled Murakumo Sword, but by an unexpected intruder.
Madara Uchiha.
Madara's gaze swept across the hidden room before quickly settling on the massive scroll in the corner. The very next second, he extended one hand, emitting a pulling force from his palm.
[Universal Pull].
The scroll, about three feet tall, flew straight into Madara's grasp.
"The stone tablet left behind by the Sage of Six Paths for the Uchiha clan… is it inside here?"
Madara murmured to himself, instantly unrolling the scroll without hesitation.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The instant the scroll opened up, numerous black ink-like substances sprayed out violently, threatening to swallow Madara entirely.
[Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique]!
"Hmph."
Madara Uchiha let out a cold grunt, showing no fear at all. His Rinnegan suddenly emitted intense ocular power fluctuations, promptly reversing and sealing away the restriction set by Heiyan.
With little effort, he retrieved what lay hidden inside the scroll.
Madara Uchiha had originally hoped once obtaining the stone tablet, he would use his Rinnegan to decipher its final section, following the Sage of Six Paths' guidance to discover the true method of salvation.
However, the next moment, his expression froze.
Because what appeared before him wasn't the Six Paths Stone Tablet—instead, it was a stone statue. Moreover, the statue's shape was particularly unusual—it displayed a single giant middle finger pointed upward…
This was Heiyan's "gift" for Madara.
In the silent hidden chamber, this middle finger silently yet ruthlessly mocked Madara Uchiha.
"Funny."
Rather than becoming angry, Madara started laughing. As he laughed, the middle finger statue exploded into dust with a loud bang under his ocular powers.
...
Southeast of the Three Wolf Mountains.
Midair, Heiyan rode the thunderclouds, guiding the Murakumo Sword from afar until he hit the edge of his control range. While rescuing Mifune, he also read their lips to catch everything Mifune and Musashi had said.
So it seems—the Daimyo has already decided to let the warrior groups replace Konoha.
In other words, even if Konoha surrendered to the Daimyo's Mansion now, the only upside would be fewer lives lost—but the village would definitely be disbanded and disappear from the ninja world.
Heiyan delivered this information to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade beside him.
All three knew there was only one way forward—fight to the bitter end against the Daimyo's Mansion.
Whoosh!
After flying over twenty kilometers, Heiyan and the others landed at an old abandoned house.
This place had been chosen earlier as an evacuation point. Inside the courtyard's well, Heiyan had previously set up a seal formation called Enshinsui that connected directly back to Konoha.
"Heiyan, are we really going to retreat like this? Or should we fight the Four Great Ninja Villages first?"
Tsunade didn't want to run away cowardly but instead showed strong battle intent. At that moment, she had already entered [Sage Mode], her eyes marked with bold lines across her face.
"Just like we originally planned—I'll deal with all the Jinchuriki while you take down the Kage of the Four Great Ninja Villages. How does that sound?" She stared eagerly at Heiyan, waiting for his command.
"Don't forget about me either. Although I'm not as strong as both of you, holding off one or two Kage-level experts is still manageable." Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up voluntarily.
At this moment, he had already taken off his Hokage cloak, revealing the armor worn underneath. In addition, he held a thick golden staff with yellow-and-black coloring, appearing both huge and heavy, as if it weighed several tons.
This Golden Cudgel was actually his summoned beast Enma transformed into weapon form. When combined, their combat power increased dramatically.
However, Heiyan simply shook his head.
"The situation has changed—we must preserve our strength. You two need to leave immediately and return to Konoha to handle things there when the Land of Fire's army arrives. As for me…"
He looked at them and revealed his plan. "I will stay here, block the experts from the Four Great Ninja Villages, and find a way to eliminate them."
"No way!"
As soon as Tsunade heard this, the words slipped out instinctively. Though she believed in Heiyan's strength, leaving him alone to face so many powerful enemies seemed too much for just one person.
"Don't worry. The stone tablet of the Sage of Six Paths remains with me still. Do you honestly think I'd truly hand over such a powerful weapon? With it in my possession, no matter how numerous the enemies, they won't be a real threat."
Seeing Tsunade's concern, Heiyan smiled as he explained and stretched out one hand toward the two of them. On his palm appeared intricate sealing patterns, and at its center was clearly engraved a depiction of the stone tablet.
"Besides," he added upon seeing Tsunade still looked worried, "if things go wrong, I can always escape using the Flying Thunder God technique. You know, if I really want to run away, nobody can stop me."
"Tsunade…" At this, Tsunade took a deep breath before slowly nodding her head.
"Let's do as Heiyan said."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also saw the reason behind the plan and calmly persuaded Tsunade. "His strength doesn't require us two helping hands. If we stay, we might distract him or even become burdens."
"…Alright then."
Finally, Tsunade took a deep breath and slowly nodded.
"We don't have much time."
[Summoning Jutsu]! Heiyan immediately activated it, calling forth Guagua and ordering it to take both people away.
Suddenly.
Under Heiyan's surprised gaze, Tsunade silently stepped forward and threw herself into his arms.
Then, she stretched out her slender arms to wrap around Heiyan's neck, stood on tiptoe, closed her eyes, and gently pressed her moist lips onto his.
One… two… three…
Heiyan felt the warm wetness on his lips. Instinctively, he reached out and wrapped his hands around Tsunade's slim waist.
Watching this scene, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his head away in shock, pretending to look around elsewhere.
After a while.
"You must return safely. Promise me."
Tsunade opened her eyes and stared straight into Heiyan's, demanding a promise.
"I promise you," he gazed back just as intensely, replying softly.
Only then did Tsunade loosen her grip. She nodded toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, and both entered Guagua's body one after another. Then they vanished and reappeared alongside Guagua, returning to Konoha.
After sending them off, Heiyan turned around, gazing out beyond the courtyard.
Less than half a minute passed.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
More than ten figures descended into the abandoned courtyard, their positions forming an airtight net that completely surrounded Heiyan.
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