Chapter 121: The Second Hokage? Kicked Away!
In the northern part of the Land of Fire, there was a city known as Iron Wall City. Sword slashes still marked the city walls, and the air was thick with the faint scent of blood and scorched earth. The rebellion had ended.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the city wall. Behind him, shinobi from the Sarutobi clan were methodically assisting the daimyo's samurai in capturing prisoners and clearing the battlefield. The entire process was swift. The 300 elite ninja led by Hiruzen Sarutobi had easily broken through the rebel defenses. The Sarutobi clan's elites displayed an overwhelming strength, and coupled with the samurai's charge, the rebellion was quelled in just 2 days.
A samurai general, wearing splendid armor and with sweat beading under his helmet, quickly walked up behind Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Lord Hiruzen! All rebel leaders have been captured, and the city is fully under control."
"Very good," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was old and authoritative. "Behead all the principal offenders on the spot and hang their heads on the city gates."
"Yes!" The samurai general hesitated for a moment, then spoke again. "Lord Hiruzen, should we return immediately to report to His Highness the Daimyo?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly turned around. "There's no hurry." He glanced at the sky. "Although the rebels have been suppressed, their remnants are not yet cleared, and the people in the north are unstable. I have decided to station here for 3 days to thoroughly stabilize the situation and prevent a resurgence."
"This..." The samurai general was hesitant, as this seemed to exceed the daimyo's orders. But when he met Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, all his doubts vanished. This former Hokage, even after being removed from his position, still possessed a prestige that made people unable to look him directly in the eye. "Everything will be according to Lord Hiruzen's arrangements!"
Night began to shroud the land. A hundred miles from Iron Wall City was a rugged valley known as "Howling Valley." It earned its name because its narrow entrance and wide interior funneled strong winds, which passed over jagged rocks to produce a mournful sound like ghosts wailing and wolves howling. It was a natural chokepoint, easy to defend and difficult to attack.
At this moment, this land of death was illuminated as bright as day by countless flickering torches. 5,000 shinobi were densely spread across every corner and on every cliff of the valley. Their breathing merged with the sound of the wind, and a murderous aura filled the entire valley.
On the highest cliff, Senju Tobirama stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his silver hair dancing in the night wind, his expression as cold as ice. "Monkey, are you sure he will really come? Even if an Uchiha brat is arrogant, he wouldn't be so foolish as to step into such an obvious trap alone, would he?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood beside Tobirama, letting the night wind blow his robes. "He will definitely come, Teacher. This daimyo's order was not for me to quell the rebellion. Rather, it was Uchiha Akira himself who chose this burial ground for me. He wanted me to leave Konoha, to be far from the village, so he could eliminate me here without any scruples."
Danzo, standing nearby, chimed in. "Teacher! Hiruzen is right! I was ambushed and killed by that little beast right inside Konoha! He doesn't follow any rules at all! And my Root! I spent my entire life bearing the darkness for the village, cultivating those foundations to protect Konoha, and he uprooted them all, leaving none behind! He eradicates all voices that disobey him with cruel methods! Hiruzen is just too soft-hearted! If he had listened to me earlier, how could Konoha have fallen into the clutches of the Uchiha!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze turned to the two other silent figures, Uchiha Kagami and Sakumo Hatake. Uchiha Kagami's face was filled with pain and struggle. On one side were his respected teacher and former teammates, and on the other, his family's junior.
"Kagami," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice became a bit gentler. "Look up, look around you. These shinobi, they are all gathered here to protect the Will of Fire. Now think about the current Uchiha; is this still the Uchiha you once upheld, the one that was integrated with the village? What we are doing tonight is not to destroy the Uchiha, but to save the Uchiha from the hands of Uchiha Akira!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi then looked at Sakumo Hatake. "Sakumo, your son Kakashi is currently under his command. For Kakashi, and for Konoha to no longer be shrouded in darkness, we must end this mistake here."
Sakumo Hatake's eyes flickered slightly, and he tightened his grip on the short sword behind his back. It must be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi's ability to twist black into white was unrivaled. With just a few words, he persuaded the two wavering individuals.
On the other side, Senju Tobirama was facing his troubled older brother. "Tobirama... do we really have to go this far? Another battle..."
"Big Brother!" Senju Tobirama sharply cut him off. "It's your pointless compassion that gave Uchiha Madara an opportunity! Now, another Uchiha is following Madara's old path! Do you think this is a battle? No! To preserve the great tree of Konoha, we must cut off these rotten branches! This is the responsibility of a Hokage!"
Senju Hashirama fell silent. Was it really like that? The wind in the valley seemed even colder.
Just then, a figure appeared on the cliff, kneeling on one knee. "Report!"
Senju Tobirama's gaze instantly sharpened. "Target sighted! He... he has already entered the valley entrance!"
"How many people came?" The sensory ninja swallowed, his voice trembling slightly. "Only... only 1 person. He came alone. And... he just... just walked in... like he was taking a stroll under the moonlight."
The mountain wind swept through Howling Valley, making a whimpering sound. The light of the torches flickered, illuminating the murderous faces of countless shinobi.
A figure, unhurriedly, walked out of the darkness. Uchiha Akira. He had arrived.
He stopped, his gaze sweeping over the dense, yet deliberately hidden figures on the cliffs on both sides of the valley. It was as if he was watching a group of clowns performing diligently.
"Uchiha Akira," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was carried far by the mountain wind, carrying a sense of condescending judgment. "Today, it ends."
Uchiha Akira looked up at Hiruzen Sarutobi, suddenly feeling a bit bored. Even, amused. "By you? Or by these hidden, insignificant figures?"
His words were undoubtedly a great insult. On the cliff, countless ninja showed angry expressions, their hands gripping their kunai, veins bulging. Hiruzen Sarutobi's face instantly darkened.
Just then, a silver-white electric light, without any warning, bloomed behind Uchiha Akira! Fast! Extremely fast! It was a speed that surpassed sound, surpassing the limits of human vision!
The Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama!
He didn't waste a single word, launching his most prized assassination technique at the instant Akira was confronting Hiruzen, when his mind was most likely to be distracted!
Flying Thunder God Slash!
The kunai, wreathed in lightning, pierced straight towards Akira's back with a sharpness that seemed to tear space itself! This was a decisive kill that could determine the outcome of a war! A glint of triumph flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. It's done! No one could escape Teacher Tobirama's Flying Thunder God Slash!
However, the kunai, which should have pierced a heart, struck empty air. Uchiha Akira's figure, like a popped bubble, vanished from its spot. Senju Tobirama's pupils abruptly constricted. Not good! A sense of danger came from behind him. Without thinking, he tried to use Flying Thunder God to transfer again.
But it was too late. Uchiha Akira's Flying Thunder God was activated with a mere thought. It had already surpassed the Second Hokage's reaction limit. A foot, light as a feather, landed on his back.
"Thud!" A dull thud.
Senju Tobirama was sent flying forward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into the opposite mountain wall!
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