[Rear Mountain Stone Prison]
The heavy stone door was firmly locked by three layers of sealing talismans. Two elite disciples took turns standing guard outside, with their chakra perception constantly covering the entire cell.
Senju Akira was pinned to the cold stone floor, his wrists and ankles wrapped in specially made chakra-sealing chains.
The sealing patterns on the inside of the chains constantly released faint paralyzing currents, making even lifting his hands feel difficult.
He had been here for three days.
For three days, no one had come to interrogate him, and no one had come to mock him.
Every day, at a fixed time, they only brought him a simple meal, three meat dishes and one vegetable dish.
When the guards changed shifts, they did not say even a single unnecessary word.
Yet during these three days, Senju Akira had barely been able to relax for even a moment.
He leaned against the stone wall, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat.
The confidence and scheming he had possessed after crossing over had already shattered completely the moment he was truly pinned down, chained up, and had his chakra completely cut off.
"How did this... how did it become like this..."
Senju Akira muttered under his breath, his voice trembling.
All he had wanted was to stop the split, pull the Uchiha back together, and fulfill the wish Asura Grandpa had left unfinished.
But why... why had he suddenly been branded with the crime of "threatening the Ninshu," pinned to the ground by fully armed disciples, and dragged in here like a dog?
Wood Release.
He remembered how pleased with himself he had been after awakening Wood Release.
But now?
The sealing chains held him down tightly, and he could not even produce the simplest sprout of wood.
Every attempt to circulate his chakra only brought him unbearable numbness and pain.
"Sarutobi... that sinister bastard..."
"I've read so many fanfictions. I should've known long ago that neither the Shimura nor Sarutobi clans could be trusted!"
Senju Akira gritted his teeth, but his eyes uncontrollably reddened.
He suddenly remembered all those conspiracy theories he had seen in his previous life.
The Sarutobi clan was vicious, and the Shimura clan was ruthless.
But he had clearly been careful already. So why had he still ended up here?
What frightened him even more was what would happen next.
The struggle within the Ninshu was a fight to the death. What was he going to do?
Be confined for life? Live out the rest of his days as a wealthy man.
Senju Akira did not think he would die, though, because of the bloodline he carried. He was Asura's grandson.
"Someone is helping him... someone must be helping him..."
"Why didn't any of the elders object?!"
Senju Akira hugged his cold body, his teeth lightly chattering.
For the first time, he truly felt fear and despair.
He was afraid that, as a transmigrator, he would be completely buried in this gap in history before he had even had the chance to change anything.
"I don't want to die... I haven't... I haven't brought the Uchiha back yet..."
Senju Akira curled up in the corner, his voice growing quieter and quieter, carrying clear panic and helplessness.
———
[Ninshu Main Hall, Grand Elder's Council Chamber]
Sarutobi sat alone in the seat of honor, the oil lamp before him casting his profile in half-light and half-shadow.
Over the past few days, he had appeared decisive and ruthless on the surface, disbanding Senju Akira's faction, strengthening the border defenses, and completely cutting off all channels of contact with the Uchiha.
Everything was progressing according to the direction pointed out by that mysterious existence.
But late at night, when all was quiet, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became.
Senju Akira was far too young compared to him.
The bloodline of Asura's direct-line eldest grandson, combined with the Wood Release that had suddenly erupted in the council chamber that day...
Sarutobi clearly remembered the chill that had swept through his heart for that brief moment when those thick branches burst from the ground.
That was not an ordinary ninjutsu.
It was a Kekkei Akirakai.
And an extremely high-level Kekkei Akirakai at that.
"He's only twenty-eight... and his foundation is so good... If we keep him locked up, who knows if he'll one day break through the seal himself?"
Sarutobi slowly clenched his fists.
He remembered what that mysterious existence had said, "History needs war, not unification."
But that person had never said that Senju Akira had to stay alive.
"Keeping him alive means keeping a seed that could explode at any moment."
Sarutobi muttered under his breath, his gaze gradually turning gloomy.
"He's younger than me, his bloodline is nobler than mine, and he's awakened that terrifying power... If he escapes one day, or if someone from the peace faction rescues him, everything I'm doing now will come back to bite me."
The more he thought about it, the heavier his killing intent became.
In the end, Sarutobi raised his head and summoned his trusted subordinate.
"Go to the rear mountain stone prison."
"Tonight, deal with Senju Akira."
The subordinate froze. "Grand Elder, he is still Lord Asura's eldest grandson..."
"That is precisely why it has to be done cleanly."
Sarutobi's voice was cold.
"No loose ends, no traces. Just say he tried to forcibly activate Wood Release in prison and died from chakra backlash."
"As for the real cause of death, strangulation. Leave no chakra fluctuations and no wounds. Clean and simple."
The subordinate fell silent for a moment before finally lowering his head and accepting the order.
———
[Late At Night]
Inside the rear mountain stone prison, the oil lamp had burned down to its final flickering flame.
Senju Akira was still curled up in the corner, his face pale and his breathing ragged.
He tried once more to activate that faint trace of Wood Release, but all it brought was an even more violent backlash of numbness from the chains.
Just then, extremely light footsteps came from outside the stone door.
Three disciples dressed in black silently walked in.
The leader held a specially made thin cord in his hand, wrapped with sealing threads that isolated chakra.
Senju Akira suddenly raised his head, his pupils shrinking.
"W-what are you doing...?"
His voice trembled. He instinctively backed away, but the chains held him firmly in place, leaving him unable even to stand.
"The Grand Elder has given an order." The leading disciple's tone was flat. "We're sending you on your way."
"No! Wait! I'm Senju Akira! I'm Lord Asura's eldest grandson! You can't kill me! That old bastard Sarutobi...!"
Senju Akira completely panicked.
He struggled desperately, the chains clattering as a hoarse cry came from his throat. "Let me go! I'm still useful! I can help you! The Uchiha... the Sharingan... the Rinnegan... I know everything! You can't kill me...!"
Before he could finish, the thin cord had already tightened firmly around his neck.
His eyes widened as he futilely clawed at the rope strangling him, but under the suppression of the sealing chains, he could not circulate even the slightest bit of chakra.
His oxyAkira was quickly cut off.
His face rapidly flushed red, then gradually turned purple. His legs weakly kicked against the ground, making desperate scraping sounds.
"Cough... uh... Sarutobi... you'll... regret..."
The last few words were almost impossible to force out.
The thin cord tightened further and further.
Senju Akira's struggles grew weaker and weaker, the panic and unwillingness in his eyes gradually fading.
In the end, his body went completely limp, his head hanging weakly.
The leading disciple released his grip and only after confirming that his breathing and heartbeat had both stopped did he give the order in a low voice, "Clean up the scene. Tell the outside world that he forcibly activated Wood Release and died from chakra backlash."
The three quickly dealt with the traces, extinguished the oil lamp, locked the stone door again, and silently left.
The stone prison fell back into complete silence.
Only the body in the corner remained, already completely cold.
———
[Beyond Earth]
Arisu stood with his hands behind his back, everything that had just happened in the stone prison reflected in the light screen.
When he saw the moment Senju Akira completely stopped breathing, his eyebrows lifted slightly.
"He's dead?"
Arisu muttered softly, a trace of surprise in his voice, but no anger.
"Sarutobi is more decisive than I expected... and more ruthless, too."
"But he actually stole my kill. I was originally planning to deal with him myself, but whatever."
"It's fine. A transmigrator without a system who is too impatient would have easily become troublesome anyway. Dying here at least means he won't interfere with the main storyline later."