Konoha's outskirts.
Heiyan hovered hundreds of meters above the ground.
Encased in the Seven-Tails' living armor, his body was armored in a solid shell with a metallic sheen. A pair of gray wings extended from his back, each spanning three meters across. Though they seemed still at first glance, the wings vibrated at an incredibly high frequency, keeping him suspended midair.
Moreover, the armor secreted a layer of scale-like powder that reflected and distorted incoming light from all directions, rendering Heiyan invisible.
Chomei, the Seven-Tails, ranked third among the Nine Tailed Beasts. While its living armor did not grant Heiyan any Kekkei Genkai abilities, its flight and invisibility capabilities made it practically superior to most other Tailed Beast armors.
At this moment, Heiyan had closed his eyes, sensing the six parasitic spores scattered thousands of miles apart throughout the ninja world. Through the Tailed Beast Jinchuriki they controlled, he gathered the latest intelligence from within each hidden village.
In Sunagakure, Chiyo had secretly returned with the Third Kazekage's corpse and the injured monk Bunpuku, immediately convening a top-level confidential meeting while withholding the news of the Kazekage's death from ordinary villagers;
In Kumogakure, the situation was much the same—Burubi quietly retrieved the Third Raikage's body and gathered loyal subordinates to plan their next move;
Iwagakure fared best—Onoki discreetly retrieved the unconscious Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki during Heiyan's battle with Madara, then returned to the village unnoticed;
Compared to them, Kirigakure suffered the worst fate. No one claimed the body of Mizukage Yagura Karatachi, so when Heiyan's real clone self-destructed, the corpse was caught in the blast and instantly turned to ashes.
This was the overwhelming power of the parasitic spores.
All puppets controlled by the spores shared their vision and hearing with Heiyan, enabling him to secretly monitor the actions of the higher-ups in each village.
However, the greatest gain for Heiyan this time was hiding the last two spores behind the Six Paths stone tablet, stealthily delivering them into Madara's lair.
Thus, he had silently and undetectably seized control over the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
This was the ultimate goal behind his elaborate planning and painstaking efforts.
The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path would aid Heiyan's Sage Body in completing its final stage of evolution. The energy it contained surpassed even Hero Water, Star Meteorite, Gruel Stone, or even the Dragon Vein.
After all—it was the shell of the Ten-Tails.
Yet, the Demonic Statue was far more difficult to obtain than any Tailed Beast. Heiyan estimated that within two or three months, the spores inside the four Tailed Beasts would finish turning them into puppets.
As for the Demonic Statue, even after planting two spores within it, optimistically speaking, it would still take no less than three years before it could fully break free from Madara's Rinnegan control and fall entirely under Heiyan's grasp.
During this time, Heiyan needed to wait like a patient hunter, making sure not even a whisper reached Madara.
While waiting, of course, he would continue rigorous cultivation, pushing his Sage Body to its limit, standing at the edge of evolution. Once the timing came, he'd storm into Kirigakure, seize the Demonic Statue, and fuse with it.
Deliver a crushing betrayal right to Madara Uchiha's face.
A short while ago, Heiyan eavesdropped on the conversation between Madara and Danzo through the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"So this is where Danzo's been hiding all along—the Daimyo's Mansion! Well, that explains it all..."
Heiyan mused inwardly. Thinking back, the series of covert operations against Konoha orchestrated by the Daimyo's Mansion were most likely masterminded by Danzo himself.
However, compared to Danzo, Heiyan was more concerned about Madara's movements—given how obvious it was, even for a child to tell, he could easily guess that the latter had certainly come to stir up trouble in Konoha.
Thinking about this, Heiyan looked down at the Leaf Village.
From midair, the view below was pitch black with people everywhere—Konoha was completely encircled by hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Land of Fire, not even a bird could escape.
Yet, the army hadn't managed to crush Konoha because towering Wood Release walls had risen around the village, each exceeding thirty meters in height.
At this moment, atop the city walls.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing armor and gripping the Adamantine Staff, was personally leading from the front lines atop the wall, coldly overseeing enemy forces outside with a piercing gaze.
Beside him, on the main defensive wall facing Konoha, Tsunade, Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuga stood in a line spaced a hundred meters apart, each commanding their own squad of ninja to guard the top of the wall, forming a tightly coordinated defensive chain.
As for the defense on the side walls and behind the village, Orochimaru, Sakumo Hatake, Jiraiya, and others led the remaining ninjas to defend those areas.
The majority of the Land of Fire's army concentrated right before the main face of Konoha, launching several charges over the past day.
Among these troops were numerous ninja enlisted from across the Land of Fire, all eager to earn merits and receive commendation from the Daimyo. These individuals formed suicide squads, vowing to scale the walls and breach Konoha.
However, all attacks so far had failed.
Needless to say, Hiruzen's power was unquestionable—he and the Anbu squads under his command alone could withstand more than ten times their number in enemy ninja forces.
What surprised the enemy most was that aside from the Hokage, the younger generation from Konoha proved just as capable—if not more so.
In Sage Mode, Tsunade first erected walls around the entire village. Then she activated the secret jutsu [Flower Forest: Tree Creation – Birth from a Divine Tree], instantly conjuring a deadly forest stretching for miles beyond the village.
Within this forest, countless trees and vines lashed out menacingly, while giant flowers emitted lethal poisons, annihilating an entire enemy legion—over ten thousand soldiers perished within its grasp.
On another front, Fugaku's Susanoo was equally overwhelming—a thirty-meter-tall armored giant wielding a forty-meter-long greatsword, charging into enemy encirclements seven times over, cutting a chaotic swathe through enemy ranks.
Meanwhile, Hiashi soared high into the sky, unleashing a storm of arrows from his massive silver bow, single-handedly obliterating the enemy's archer corps.
Then, demonstrating his terrifying marksmanship once more, he struck down several enemy commanders from kilometers away in broad daylight, throwing the opposing forces into chaos and disarray.
Given the situation, the Daimyo commanding the battle remotely had no choice but to grit his teeth and alter strategies, calling off further attacks and ordering a full siege from several miles away.
Despite Konoha's string of consecutive victories in defense, they had remained entirely on the defensive, never initiating any counterattacks.
After all, compared to the enemy forces, the number of Konoha ninja was still at an absolute disadvantage. To protect the numerous ordinary villagers and infrastructure within the village, launching reckless offensives wasn't advisable.
For now, both sides had fallen into a deadlock.
But both parties understood: this war wouldn't turn into a prolonged conflict. The Fire Country army couldn't possibly surround Konoha for months or even years until it starved; likewise, Konoha wouldn't passively wait for death either. Given time, they would surely gather strength and seize the opportunity when the enemy became fatigued, launching a decisive counterattack to crush the main enemy force.
They were all waiting.
Whether at the Daimyo's Mansion or among Konoha's high-ranking elders, everyone anxiously awaited news from the Land of Iron.
Because although Konoha appeared powerful in this war, it was only considered the secondary battlefield. The true main battlefield was actually in the Land of Iron—this fact was perfectly clear to both sides.
"As long as Uzumaki Heiyan defeats those experts from the Four Great Ninja Villages and thwarts the Daimyo's plot, once he returns to Konoha, the Fire Country's encirclement will immediately collapse."
This was the thought on every Konoha ninja's mind.
Yet, a full day had already passed without any word from Uzumaki Heiyan. This made Tsunade and others increasingly uneasy.
Just then,
In the distance, the enemy army suddenly moved again, step by step advancing closer toward Konoha's city wall.
Was another assault about to begin?
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and issued orders immediately, commanding all units to prepare for battle.
Unexpectedly,
As they reached the city walls, the Fire Country Army halted their advance. Then, many soldiers pushed forward several pieces of equipment and set up a giant screen directly before Konoha's wall.
What kind of performance was this?
The enemy quickly provided the answer.
Zzzzzt—
After a burst of static, the screen crackled and came to life, showing a man with a fan-like ornament stuck atop his head.
It was the Fire Country's Daimyo himself.
"Lord Daimyo!"
Seeing the Daimyo appear on the screen, many soldiers within the enemy ranks excitedly cheered out loud, noticeably boosting their morale.
"Hmm, start the playback,"
On the screen, the Daimyo covered his mouth elegantly with one hand and gave instructions to someone beside him with a couple of soft coughs.
Immediately, the scene on the screen changed again, displaying a pre-recorded video segment.
"It's Uzumaki Heiyan!"
Seeing Uzumaki Heiyan appear on the screen, the Konoha forces gasped loudly in unison.
The screen showed clear footage of Uzumaki Heiyan's previous fierce battles against the elite fighters from the Four Great Villages. From effortlessly defeating the Mizukage, Raikage, and Kazekage one after another, to unleashing [the Law of Heavenly Transformation], transforming into the War God Xingtian, single-handedly crushing the four Tailed Beasts—one breathtaking scene after another had been secretly recorded and now presented vividly before both warring sides.
"Uzumaki Heiyan from the Uzumaki clan actually beheaded three Kage from the Four Great Ninja Villages like cutting chickens!"
"That hundred-meter-tall headless giant... Is that also one of Uzumaki Heiyan's techniques? How could something so terrifying exist in this world?"
"..."
The moment Fire Country soldiers saw those images on the giant screen, everyone's face darkened. The slight morale boost brought by the Daimyo's appearance instantly collapsed completely, sending their troops' spirits plummeting drastically.
To these soldiers, if Uzumaki Heiyan returned and summoned War God Xingtian once more, not even an army of millions would stand a chance against him.
At this moment, the entire world of shinobi once again witnessed Heiyan's power.
Back at Leaf Village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and others initially felt joy after watching the scenes on the screen, but soon became wary again.
Why would the Fire Daimyo publicly release those scenes? Unless he was a fool, he wouldn't do something so clearly damaging to his own morale.
Indeed—
These scenes were merely a prelude.
Next, the screen displayed Uchiha Madara fighting against Heiyan. The heart-stopping battle left everyone speechless until finally a massive mushroom cloud rose from the snow-covered plain, and then the video feed cut off.
Could Heiyan have died?
The Leaf ninja who witnessed Heiyan's final [Self-Destruction] were frozen in stunned disbelief. For a moment, they couldn't wrap their minds around what they had just seen.
And right at this time, the Fire Daimyo reappeared on the screen.
This man whose distinctive fan-shaped adornment adorned his forehead glared down at the Leaf ninja standing atop the city walls like a triumphant victor. With contempt in his eyes, he officially announced:
"Heiyan is dead! The one who killed him is the mysterious guardian who has protected our Daimyo's Mansion through generations—a great protective god of the Land of Fire!"
His words fell like a stone into water, creating ripples throughout the village behind the walls and spreading through every corner of the hundreds of thousands-strong army.
Of course, this so-called "Protective God" story was nonsense. It was actually Danzo's fabrication for Madara. But upon hearing it, the Fire Daimyo's eyes lit up instantly and he immediately adopted this explanation.
After all, with such a formidable expert who could defeat Uzumaki Heiyan on their side, who would dare invade the Land of Fire again?
In fact, the Fire Daimyo had already instructed Danzo to find this powerful expert at all costs because he truly intended to bestow the title of "Protective God," award them medals, and invite them to reside permanently at the Daimyo Mansion.
Heiyan is dead!
This shocking news caused completely different reactions inside and outside the walls.
The Fire Army naturally erupted into celebration. After all, the deceased was the hero of Leaf Village—the famed leader among the legendary Sannin and strongest ninja in Konoha. And the one who killed Heiyan was none other than the Guardian God of the Fire Daimyo's Mansion!
Inside the Hidden Leaf Village, however, gloom hung thick in the air. Many people turned pale as though feeling the sky itself was about to collapse.
On the screen.
To further prove Heiyan's death, the Fire Daimyo ordered someone to bring forth the Murakumo Sword.
"What a magnificent treasure sword indeed."
The Daimyo gently caressed the blade with his palm while smirking slightly. Then, addressing the hundreds of thousands of soldiers gathered before him, he declared:
"My soldiers! Whosoever breaches Konoha first shall receive this legendary weapon once wielded by Uzumaki Heiyan as reward, and I shall confer upon him nobility status within the Land of Fire."
As soon as these words left his mouth, the entire army exploded with excitement. The soldiers howled like wolves, eyes bloodshot with eagerness to charge the walls immediately.
By comparison, the faces of the Leaf ninja turned grim and hollow.
"No, it's impossible... Heiyan promised me he would come back..."
Tsunade murmured, her eyes distant as she clenched her fists hard, her nails digging into her palms until they bled without her even noticing.
The image of Heiyan's [Self-Destruction] replayed repeatedly in her mind, pushing her toward the edge of despair and breakdown.
"Heiyan can't be dead!"
Fugaku and Hiashi spoke in unison, their voices firm. Even if their enemy was the legendary Madara Uchiha, they still believed in Heiyan just as always, firmly convinced he wouldn't lose to his opponent.
"The Rinnegan is too terrifying; I never expected even Heiyan would..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply, a deep vertical crease forming between his brows.
As the Third Hokage, he had to remain level-headed and rational among the people of Konoha, facing the reality head-on. Although emotionally he refused to believe it, logically he knew: Heiyan really was dead, killed by Madara Uchiha's hands.
"Third Hokage!"
At this moment, the Daimyo on the screen decided the timing was right, calling out to Hiruzen:
"The outcome is already clear. Stop resisting—it's over! As Fire Daimyo of the Land of Fire, from my sovereign heart of mercy, I do not wish to see unnecessary bloodshed in Konoha."
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