With the acquisition of the Perfect Sage Body, Byakuya's strength had once again soared to a new level.
Unlike Uchiha Madara, who had forcibly obtained Hashirama Senju's cells to awaken the Sage Body, Byakuya had achieved something far more complete — a perfect immortal body granted by the system. It wasn't a crude fusion, but a flawless integration.
In terms of raw physical vitality and chakra quality, Byakuya's Sage Body now exceeded that of Uchiha Madara.
Currently, with both the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and the Perfect Sage Body, Byakuya essentially possessed the powers of both Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama — the two strongest shinobi of their time.
If he wished, he could likely manifest a hybrid form of Susanoo fused with Wood Release, a power even Madara barely mastered at his peak.
But Byakuya was not content.
He understood there existed a power beyond even Wood Release and the Eternal Mangekyō — the Rinnegan, the eyes of the Sage of Six Paths.
To awaken the Rinnegan, one needed to perfectly fuse the Yin energy of the Sharingan (the eyes of the Sage) with the Eng energy of the Sage Body (the body of the Sage). This fusion was incredibly difficult, as the two chakra polarities inherently repelled one another.
Even Madara, despite obtaining Hashirama's cells and Wood Release, only awakened the Rinnegan decades later, shortly before his death — a testament to how complex the process truly was.
But Byakuya was different.
He was a reincarnator — a traveler from another world — with a unique negative energy system. As long as he accumulated enough negative energy, he could directly boost and evolve any power.
"System, how much negative energy is needed to open the Rinnegan?"
[Ding! To unlock the Rinnegan, 100 million negative energy points are required.]
"One hundred million…!? That much!?"
Byakuya frowned. That was no small number. Gathering so much negative energy would take time, even for him.
Just then, Uchiha En approached from a distance.
"Lord Byakuya, Lady Tsunade has summoned you for a high-level meeting."
"A meeting? What's going on?"
"I don't know the details. But I heard she summoned all the clan heads."
Byakuya's expression hardened. For Tsunade to call a full clan meeting, something serious must've happened.
He stood up without hesitation and made his way toward the Hokage Building.
Behind him, Uchiha En lingered for a moment, staring at the thick trees that had suddenly sprouted nearby.
"Strange… weren't there no trees here yesterday?"
But he quickly shook off the thought and moved on.
—
At the Hokage conference room, the atmosphere was heavy when Byakuya arrived. All the major clan heads were present — their expressions grim and focused.
"Tsunade, what's going on?" he asked directly.
"You're just in time, Byakuya." Tsunade handed him a scroll. "We've just received this intelligence…"
"Iwagakure and Kumogakure have simultaneously declared war on Konoha."
"Their joint vanguard is already advancing into the Land of Fire."
Byakuya narrowed his eyes and immediately scanned the scroll.
The room erupted with alarmed voices from the other clan heads.
"How could this be!?"
"Cloud and Rock are working together!?"
"We ensured news of Konoha's internal shifts was sealed — who leaked it!?"
"This is a coordinated invasion… they're trying to take advantage of our transition!"
Each clan head understood the gravity of the situation.
Both Kumogakure and Iwagakure were formidable forces. On their own, Konoha had the strength to fight either village and win. But facing both at once — a two-front war — was a much greater challenge, especially so soon after the political and military upheaval caused by the Uchiha's rise to power.
Even with Byakuya's presence, this was no longer a simple conflict. This was war — and the very fate of Konoha now hung in the balance.
The Cloud Village and the Iwagakure Village hadn't declared war during previous periods of peace, so why now—why at this exact moment, when Konoha was facing internal turmoil?
Konoha had completely sealed off all information regarding its internal situation. By all logic, no other village should know about the upheaval happening within.
And yet, both Kumogakure and Iwagakure declared war at the same time.
Such perfect timing couldn't be a coincidence.
"They must have known," Byakuya muttered, eyes narrowing as he read through the intelligence scroll in his hand. "Only someone with insider knowledge could've leaked this."
"There's only one person who fits that profile…" he continued coldly. "Sarutobi Hiruzen. He must have leaked the intel after fleeing Konoha!"
"Damn that old man!" one elder spat.
"That bastard just can't leave Konoha in peace, even after being overthrown."
"I sometimes wonder—did the Second Hokage really choose him willingly as his successor?" another grumbled. "Maybe it was Sarutobi who set up the ambush that killed Lord Tobirama."
"Wouldn't be surprising!" someone else snapped. "Everything that man touches turns into decay…"
One by one, the council members and clan heads began to vent their anger. No one in the room felt even a shred of nostalgia or loyalty toward the former Hokage.
In contrast, Tsunade Senju had earned their trust quickly. She allocated village resources fairly and restored balance among the clans—unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen, who hoarded power within his faction.
The evidence now pointed toward him as the traitor responsible for Konoha's current peril.
But as tempers flared, Tsunade raised her voice.
"Enough!"
The room fell silent.
"This is not the time to curse Sarutobi Hiruzen," Tsunade said sternly. "Right now, Kumogakure and Iwagakure are preparing to strike. If we waste time pointing fingers, we'll be crushed before the first battle even begins."
A heavy silence settled as the weight of reality sank in. Konoha was facing a two-front war, and no one in the room yet had a clear solution.
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