Somewhere in the Land of Fire.
At this moment, a white-haired man wearing a bamboo hat and holding a monk's staff stood on a mountaintop, staring blankly in the direction of Konoha.
Beside him, a young boy with bound hands and feet was struggling incessantly on the ground.
"Who exactly are you, and what do you want?" Sora gave up struggling and asked, looking at him.
The man didn't answer but simply turned his head to look at him, revealing a cruel smile. "I originally wanted to wait until you were a bit older and could control the Nine-Tails Chakra within you before taking action, but this opportunity is just too good."
"The Daimyo of the five great nations are gathered in Konoha. If they can all be wiped out, Konoha will become a target for everyone, and for the Daimyo, there will no longer be a need for its existence."
Sora's pupils constricted upon hearing this; he hadn't expected the other party to know about his situation, let alone plan an attack on Konoha.
"Damn it, I'd rather die than let you use me!" Sora immediately began to struggle again.
Bang—
Kazuma directly knocked him unconscious.
Originally, his plan was to slowly stir up the hatred in Sora's heart and have him go to Konoha for revenge, but he hadn't expected the opportunity to come so soon.
He hadn't intended to move against Konoha so quickly, but the grand 'Fire Festival' presented an opportunity.
With the Daimyo and nobles of various nations gathered, as long as a slight accident occurred, the great nations would unite to tear Konoha apart.
At that time, the Land of Fire would become a unitary state where the Lord Daimyo has the final say, rather than having this current dual system.
The existence of the Hokage is the greatest obstacle to the Land of Fire.
Moreover, Sora had left the Fire Temple alone at a young age out of guilt for a past rampage; it had taken Kazuma two months to find him. Now, there was no time for anything else but to release the Nine-Tails Chakra within him in Konoha.
As for Sora, although he was his son, he could only apologize to him; whether he survived would depend on his luck.
Everything is for the holy war.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Three figures appeared beside him.
"Leader, everything is ready," said the tall Fudo, stepping forward.
"But, is this really okay? After all, the Lord Daimyo is also in Konoha."
They were subordinates trained by Kazuma, indoctrinated from a young age with the ideology that the Land of Fire must completely obey the Daimyo.
This operation was very likely to harm the Daimyo.
Kazuma's face immediately darkened, and after a long while, a look of determination appeared in his eyes.
"All sacrifices are necessary. The Daimyo has descendants; we can just support the First Prince's ascension when the time comes."
"The Daimyo will surely understand. After all, we are dealing with his most troublesome enemy. Afterward, the Daimyo will be the heaven of the Land of Fire, and no one will be able to restrain him anymore."
Speaking of this, Kazuma showed a fanatical expression. "The Land of Fire will enter a new era."
At this moment, the red-haired Fuka showed a worried expression. "But, shouldn't we scout first? Konoha was just attacked during the day, so the defense should be very tight now."
"And there are many experts in Konoha. I don't know the strength of the Kirin of Konoha, who has become famous in the Ninja World recently."
Kazuma looked at them solemnly. "There's no time. I didn't expect Sora to leave the Fire Temple; it was quite a struggle to find him."
As he spoke, Kazuma kicked Sora, who was lying on the ground, his face full of disdain.
Then he broke into a sinister smile. "So what if Konoha has experts? I will release the Nine-Tails Chakra from Sora's body. By then, all of Konoha's attention will be drawn to him."
"You haven't seen the horror of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. That world-destroying power might not even be stopped by the legendary First Hokage."
Kazuma had witnessed the Nine-Tails and was nearly killed by the aftershocks of a Tailed Beast Ball; he still felt a lingering fear.
Therefore, he was very confident in the Nine-Tails Chakra he had collected, believing it would cause massive destruction to Konoha.
He then looked at the three people before him. They were subordinates he had meticulously trained for over a decade, and their strength was sufficient to become members of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi.
Of course, Kazuma also had his trump card: as long as they successfully launched 'Lightning Release: Limelight', Konoha would instantly be reduced to ruins.
Immediately, Kazuma took a deep breath, mobilized all his Chakra, and slowly formed hand seals. Because the technique was very complex, it took him more than a minute.
"Earth Release: Resurrection Jutsu!"
Rumble—
Suddenly, four coffins rose from the ground.
Four people stepped out, who were also members of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi and all Lightning Release users: Kitane, Seito, Nauma, and Touu.
Kazuma didn't reminisce with them; after all, he had summoned them once before. He said directly:
"Konoha was raided by the Sky Ninja Village during the day, so they are on high alert now. Sensory Ninja should have already covered the entire village."
"The possibility of us sneaking in is slim. Although the 'Lightning Release: Limelight' performed by the four of you around Konoha will be weakened by their barrier, it will still be enough to give them a hard time."
The four nodded upon hearing this and instantly vanished from the spot.
Kazuma looked at his three subordinates and smiled, the scar on his face appearing even more hideous.
"Let's go, to realize our great ideal."
In Konoha, Aoki Yoru, who was standing on a rooftop, was stunned for a moment. He saw several familiar figures in the distance.
Although dressed as a merchant, there was no doubt it was him, the radical of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi—Kazuma.
Aoki Yoru showed a look of surprise; he hadn't expected him to be drawn here as well.
He hadn't paid much attention initially, as his main focus was inside Konoha, but the Nine-Tails Chakra on Sora's back was too conspicuous.
It seems the 'Fire Festival' has truly attracted all sorts of characters.
If he remembered correctly, Kazuma, like Shinnō, had been accumulating strength in the shadows, waiting for the most certain moment to strike.
Now, the opportunity of the 'Fire Festival' forced him to act early.
"The child he's carrying is Sora, right? It seems he's preparing to release it in Konoha."
However, Aoki Yoru would not underestimate him. In the original work, Asuma mentioned that he had a technique capable of destroying Konoha, so he couldn't be careless.
Boom, boom—
A series of crimson fireworks exploded over Konoha, nearly illuminating the entire night sky.
Seeing the fireworks as they approached Konoha, the faces of Kazuma and his three companions immediately changed.
From the fireworks during the day, they knew this was Konoha's warning signal, representing the presence of an enemy.
Although they didn't know how they were exposed, they couldn't just comfort themselves by thinking someone else was invading; it was too much of a coincidence.
"Fuen, do it."
A mature and glamorous woman quickly formed hand seals and, before the Konoha Ninja could rush out, pressed her hands heavily onto the ground.
"Barrier Gate Sealing Jutsu: Eight Gates Closing!"
As Fuen's voice fell, she slammed her palms onto the ground, and four scrolls painted with the patterns of the Four Sacred Beasts unfurled, pinning themselves to the ground around Konoha.
Rumble—!
Eight bronze gates, dozens of meters high, rose from the ground with a roar. Two gates at each cardinal direction—east, west, south, and north—closed simultaneously, and a pale blue hemispherical barrier instantly enveloped all of Konoha.