In the Land of Earth — Iwagakure, Tsuchikage's Office
Inside the Tsuchikage's office, tension hung in the air as Iwagakure's top brass pored over a battlefield map. The ongoing skirmishes with Kumogakure had yielded no decisive victories, and frustration was mounting. The strategy meeting had grown heated—until the doors burst open with a loud crash.
A breathless jonin dashed in, face pale with urgency.
"Lord Tsuchikage! Urgent intel from the Land of Fire!"
Everyone in the room turned sharply.
The jonin didn't wait.
"There's been civil strife in Konoha! Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen has been defeated—by the Uchiha clan. Four of Konoha's ruling clans have been expelled."
Murmurs of disbelief rippled across the room as the jonin approached Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, and handed him a sealed scroll. The diminutive leader floated up effortlessly with his Light-Weight Rock Technique to meet the messenger eye to eye.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Ōnoki snapped, eyes narrowing. "Hand it over."
He tore open the scroll and scanned the content. His expression twisted from skepticism to shock.
"Defeated…? Driven out…? Hiruzen lost to the Uchiha?" he muttered.
Ōnoki looked up sharply. "Is this confirmed?"
The jonin nodded firmly.
"We sent scouts. It's real. Sarutobi's face on the Hokage Rock has been destroyed. His clan compound is in ruins. Shimura Danzo is missing, presumed dead. The Uchiha now control Konoha's Anbu."
The room went silent for a moment before erupting into laughter.
"Hah! That old monkey, dethroned in his own village!" one of the senior jonin barked.
"Poetic justice," Ōnoki chuckled coldly. "So much for the Will of Fire."
But amidst the amusement, others remained cautious.
"Lord Tsuchikage," a sharp-eyed strategist interjected, "this could still be a ploy. What if it's misdirection to lure us into a war?"
"Risking your own Hokage for a trap? Even the Leaf wouldn't go that far," another countered.
"Still, it's not impossible…"
"Enough!" Ōnoki cut in, floating higher to assert dominance. "Whether it's real or not, the balance of power has shifted. The Fire Daimyō won't be able to act quickly, and without Sarutobi, their coordination will be fractured."
His eyes gleamed beneath heavy brows.
"We strike now."
The room stiffened.
"Ten thousand shinobi," Ōnoki continued. "We mobilize everyone."
The reaction was immediate.
"All of them!?"
"Lord Tsuchikage, that's our entire fighting force—"
"We'll be exposed if this backfires!"
Ōnoki's voice thundered.
"We won't get a second chance like this. Konoha is wounded. Their clans are fractured. The Senju are shadows of the past. And if the Uchiha are ruling, they'll be isolated politically."
He floated downward, finishing with a grim smile.
"Prepare for war. The Fire Nation's fertile lands will finally belong to Iwagakure."
"With such a massive army, even if this is a trap set by Konoha, we have nothing to fear!"
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, declared with unwavering confidence.
Indeed, this was the strategy he had devised to deal with what might be Konoha's ploy—mobilize the entirety of Iwagakure's combat force.
Rather than wasting time second-guessing Konoha's intentions, he would respond with overwhelming military might.
Even if Konoha's civil unrest was a ruse, could mere schemes stop the full might of Iwagakure?
More importantly, the internal conflict in Konoha presented a once-in-a-generation opportunity. The Land of Fire was vulnerable, and Ōnoki intended to strike decisively.
With that, the Third Tsuchikage gathered Iwagakure's shinobi, leading a force of ten thousand toward Konoha.
Meanwhile, at the Uchiha Clan Headquarters…
Ever since Byakuya had defeated Sarutobi Hiruzen and expelled the Sarutobi, Utatane, and Mitokado clans from Konoha, he had been continuously absorbing vast amounts of negative energy—born of hatred, fear, and unrest.
Now, the accumulation had reached a critical threshold.
"System," Byakuya said coldly, "complete the transformation—give me the perfect Sage Body."
[Ding! Negative energy consumed. Immortal Body—complete.]
[Congratulations, host: you have awakened the Perfect Sage Body.]
The moment the message resounded in his mind, Byakuya felt a sweeping change surge through his body.
A terrifyingly potent vitality erupted from within him, radiating outward in waves.
The earth around him reacted instantly—tiny sprouts broke through the soil, growing at an impossible rate. Within seconds, they towered as full-grown trees, forming a new forest in the Uchiha training grounds.
"This is the power… of the Sage Body," Byakuya murmured, his eyes gleaming.
"Unbelievable…"
The transformation was more than physical. His chakra reserves had surged beyond Kage-level—now rivaling even Hashirama Senju's.
And like the First Hokage, Byakuya could now wield Wood Release with ease, rooted in the same overwhelming life force granted by the body of the Sage.
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