161-165

*Chapter 161: Order of the Daimyo? Pffft!*

Konan didn’t say anything; she simply gave Itsuki a hug, holding him tightly in her arms.

She pampered Itsuki like this, to the point where he missed her intensely if he didn't see her for a while.

To Konan, life had always been tough since childhood.

She only had three loved ones in her entire life.

Yahiko died.

Jiraiya was half an enemy—she couldn't afford to get too close to him.

Nagato, on the other hand, was always lost in darkness. Although they were family, something always felt missing.

Itsuki was different!

He had truly entered Konan's world.

With two lifetimes to his name, even though his combat skills were lacking in the first one, when it came to dealing with women, it was as if he were fighting on an entirely different level.

Because of this...

Itsuki was now Konan's hope in life.

He took up 90% of her life!

The last 10% was reserved for Nagato, her family member—she had to leave a bit for him.

Itsuki thought, "I do mind, though. Gotta find a time to deal with him!"

…

The person stopping Itsuki from leaving and demanding to see him immediately was an ordinary person.

But!

He looked at the people of Hidden Fire Village with arrogance, like he was above them all.

Strangely enough, even people like Fugaku showed an attitude of complete deference.

The person snorted and said, "Shinobi these days are losing all sense of propriety."

Itsuki looked at the man, a bit helpless.

Here we go!

Another absurdity of the shinobi world.

This guy was just an ordinary person, so why was he acting so high and mighty?

Because he was a daimyo's emissary.

He represented the daimyo.

Yes, the daimyo of the human nobility.

Honestly, Itsuki couldn’t understand it.

Why did the shinobi of the shinobi world hold the daimyo in such high regard?

They completely acted as if they were the daimyo's subordinates.

Not just Sarutobi Hiruzen, even Senju Hashirama had great respect for the daimyo.

Why?

Wasn’t he just an ordinary person?

Or could it be, as the legends said, that the nobility had the bloodline of the gods?

I honestly can’t see it.

To me, it just looks like I could punch them out with a single hit!

If I had Susano'o, I'd even be careful not to step on them by accident.

And don’t give me that "funding" nonsense.

Yes!

War costs a lot for shinobi, and funding is needed from each country.

Itsuki wanted to ask, "If I demanded it, would they dare not to fund me?"

If they could just be tools, why make them masters?

So!

Itsuki tilted his head, thoroughly examining the daimyo’s emissary from head to toe.

The emissary looked uncomfortable under Itsuki's gaze and yelled, "What are you looking at?"

"Oh, just seeing if there's anything special about you."

Itsuki replied casually.

And then he felt something was off.

"Did you just yell at me?"

Itsuki pointed to his own nose, staring at the emissary in disbelief.

Uchiha Itsuki was used to being yelled at.

Be it from the Uchiha clan, Konoha, or other shinobi villages—many people yelled at him.

But those people, to be fair, had been provoked by him.

Who the heck are you?

"Screw this!"

Bang!

Without thinking, Itsuki threw a punch.

It landed squarely on the guy’s nose.

“Ugh!”

The emissary flew several meters back, landing like a rag doll on the ground, stunned, with blood gushing out.

Everyone else was also dumbfounded.

"Stop!"

Fugaku quickly shouted, "Lord Mokukage, what are you doing?"

"Beating him up!" Itsuki said unhappily. "Can't you all see? Are you blind!?"

"You, you..." Fugaku was stunned. "How could you hit the daimyo’s emissary? He represents the daimyo!"

"So what if he represents the daimyo?"

Itsuki sneered, "The daimyo is just an ordinary person. If he dares yell at me, I’ll hit him too! Damn, does he think he's Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara?"

"This is outrageous, outrageous!"

The daimyo's emissary, having come to his senses, clutched his nose and trembled in fury, as if utterly humiliated, "Are you trying to rebel!?"

"When was I ever under the daimyo’s command? I wasn't aware of it."

Itsuki squinted his eyes, saying, "I’m an Uchiha, one of the founders of Hidden Fire Village. What does this have to do with the daimyo?"

The emissary said, "The land beneath your feet is the land of the Land of Fire."

"The land beneath my feet is the land of Hidden Fire Village!"

Itsuki said disdainfully, "If I say it’s mine, then it’s mine. Not convinced? Then send troops and fight me!"

"Mokukage!!"

The emissary shouted, "Do you intend to declare war on the Land of Fire!?"

"Yes!"

Itsuki gave a cold smile, "I'm declaring war on the Land of Fire. Tomorrow, I'll take a thousand shinobi to attack the Land of Fire—get ready."

Everyone present was stunned.

Fugaku swallowed, "Lord Mokukage, are you serious?"

"Of course!"

Itsuki sneered, "Dare to act arrogant in front of me? Damn it, do I owe them something? All of them, need a good beating!"

"You, you..." The emissary was furious, "How dare you disrespect the daimyo?"

"Lord Mokukage!"

Fugaku and others tried to reason with him.

Itsuki was puzzled, "I just don’t get it—he's just an ordinary person, no, not even as good as an ordinary person, so why are you all acting so subservient?"

Those nobles of the Land of Fire were all weakened by indulgence; they really were no better than ordinary people. Why were Fugaku and the others so afraid?

"This, this... he's the daimyo, he, he..."

Fugaku and the others couldn’t explain.

It seemed like, from the very beginning, respecting the daimyo was instinctual, just natural.

Looking at the trembling emissary, Itsuki sneered.

"Get lost. Tomorrow, I’ll personally lead the shinobi and attack your Land of Fire. I’ll take down a city, and all the nobles will be executed."

"You dare!"

The emissary yelled, "We are nobility."

Itsuki looked at him, smiling kindly, "You think I don't dare? Get out!"

Two Anbu members appeared and dragged the emissary away.

Itsuki turned to Fugaku, "Gather a thousand shinobi. I’m going to the Land of Fire’s capital for a visit."

"Lord Mokukage, are you serious?"

"Do I look like I’m joking?"

Itsuki's voice rose sharply.

At the same time, an astonishing aura emanated from him, scaring Fugaku into silence.

Although Itsuki still didn’t act seriously...

He was the Mokukage!

No matter how awkward that title was, it put him on par with the Kage of the Five Great Nations.

He was the supreme leader of Hidden Fire Village.

To question or provoke him was to seek death.

"As you command!"

Fugaku bowed slightly, "But please allow me to explain the pros and cons of this."

"No need!"

Itsuki waved his hand dismissively, "I'll kill the Land of Fire’s daimyo and have his son take over. Hidden Fire Village is in need of a lot of supplies anyway. I think he’ll provide them for me."

Who would say no to more money?

"This, this..."

Fugaku and the others were dumbstruck once again.

Is this really how it's done?

Setsuna quietly asked, "What if his son refuses?"

"Then I’ll keep killing! I hear the daimyo has quite a few sons."

Itsuki said casually, "Someone's bound to be willing to listen, right?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 162: Distrust and Panic!

In the world of shinobi, the founding of the Hidden Leaf Village was centered around the Senju and Uchiha clans.

This led to the creation of the "One Village, One Nation" system!

Other countries and shinobi villages soon followed suit.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated...

The power dynamic became clear:

The Kage, as the village leader, controlled the shinobi and military forces.

The Daimyo, in an exalted position, controlled the finances.

Thus, during a Shinobi World War, the shinobi village needed funding from the Daimyo.

To Itsuki, this was utterly ridiculous.

"I put the money in my own pocket; I can use it anytime, right?

Why do I need to ask someone else for it?

It's like taking off your pants to fart!"

Moreover:

"Who gave these ordinary people the courage to place themselves above shinobi?

The nobles?

In Itsuki's view, the only good noble is a dead noble."

And so!

Under Itsuki's orders, the Fire Shadow Village began moving swiftly.

Before the other shinobi villages had time to react, Itsuki had already led his shinobi into action.

Their target: The Land of Fire!

The capital!

Upon confirming this information, the other shinobi villages and the human nobles preparing to confront the Fire Shadow Village were all dumbfounded.

"Unbelievable!

What is Fire Shadow Village trying to do?

Are they rebelling?

They're even daring to attack nobles!

Don't forget, they just defeated the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Cloud Village before this.

These are the number one and two ranked shinobi villages."

...

"They've rebelled, they've rebelled, they've rebelled!"

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, a somewhat effeminate man, was shouting repeatedly.

He banged his fist on the table, making a loud clattering noise.

When Fire Shadow Village was first established, he didn't pay it much attention.

Although he was somewhat dissatisfied because they hadn't reported to him,

when the "One Village, One Nation" system was formed, there was an agreement between both sides.

The Daimyo wouldn't interfere in shinobi matters.

If the Daimyo had any issues, he would directly contact the Kage.

The Kage was not supposed to meddle in the affairs between the Daimyo and the nobles.

Also:

Whenever a new Kage was appointed, they were required to visit the Daimyo and officially recognize him as their superior.

And so!

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire had been waiting!

Waiting for the Uchiha to come and pay their respects.

After all, even if Fire Shadow Village was established by the Uchiha, it was still situated in the Land of Fire, making it naturally their shinobi village.

The "Mokukage"? Well:

It should be up to him to confer the title.

From that point onward, the village would also be under his command.

But who knew!

Two years had passed, and there was no sign of any contact from them.

Seeing that the Hidden Leaf had invited Fire Shadow Village to participate in the Chunin Exams,

the Daimyo decided to take action.

He sent his emissary to establish formal relations with Fire Shadow Village before their influence grew.

And what happened?

His emissary was thrown out by the village.

They even threatened to start a war.

Outrageous.

The Daimyo turned to one of his advisors and said, "Have the Hokage deal with them."

The advisor quickly replied, "The Hokage is currently busy with the Chunin Exam preparations and might not have time to handle them."

"Hmph!"

The Daimyo snorted coldly, "Fine, let them deal with it once they have some free time."

The advisor carefully asked, "What about Fire Shadow Village? They said they're preparing for war. Should we make any preparations?"

The Daimyo responded with a mocking expression, "Do you really believe that?

Do you actually think these lowly shinobi tools would dare raise a hand against the nobles?

Hmph, they're only worthy of being our tools!"

The advisor said no more.

The Daimyo waved his hand, "Continue."

The dancing girls, who had been silently standing in the hall, resumed their dance.

The nobles sipped their wine, making comments and jokes, and eventually left with companions on their arms.

The next day.

A rapid knocking on the door woke the still-sleeping Daimyo.

He got up in a fit of rage, pushing aside the concubine beside him, and snapped, "What's going on?"

"It's bad news."

The advisor, looking flustered, said, "Fire Shadow Village has taken over Red Merchant City and hanged all the nobles."

"What did you say?"

The Daimyo's voice turned shrill, almost unbearable to hear.

...

"Look, look!!!"

Itsuki pointed at the gold and resources that had just been taken from the noble estates, clicking his tongue.

"It's piled as high as a mountain!"

"Well? Didn't I use that idiom correctly?"

The shinobi of Fire Shadow Village looked at him, feeling helpless.

He really did go through with it.

Except for the concubines and children,

everyone else was killed.

Including the elderly.

In Itsuki's words, "The malice in the eyes of these old fools was unhidden. As expected of old nobles, let's deal with them quickly. Otherwise, they'll just die of old age."

The Anbu, who served as Itsuki's bodyguards, showed no mercy.

They strictly carried out the orders of the Mokage.

The Anbu of Fire Shadow Village had only been established a year prior.

Led by Hayate Gekkō, there were about thirty members in total.

But their strength was anything but weak.

Itsuki had helped Hayate Gekkō improve his strength multiple times, and now he might not even lose against Kakashi.

Just moments ago, at Itsuki's command, they had lifted their blades without hesitation.

Even a child who had insulted Itsuki was instantly decapitated by Hayate Gekkō.

The Mokage's will was absolute.

Yet:

Seeing the mountain of money and resources, the shinobi had mixed feelings.

"Behind the crimson gate, wine and meat rot; along the road, bones of the starving freeze."

There were still many people in this city who couldn't get enough to eat, and each year, people starved to death, while the nobles lived in decadence and luxury.

Truly despicable.

With such thoughts in mind, the shinobi began moving the supplies swiftly.

The Mokage-sama had just said that everyone would get a share when they returned!

The amount of resources provided by the nobles in this one city was astonishing.

It was more than what the Hidden Leaf had sent Fire Shadow Village in two consecutive years.

Itsuki grew excited.

After organizing everything, he headed towards the next city without hesitation.

...

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, trembling, looked at the man before him.

He was a samurai.

A samurai who had just escaped from Red Merchant City.

Itsuki had little interest in ordinary samurai, and didn't mind if they ran away.

Even the nobles could run, as long as they left their wealth behind.

"Say that again!"

The Daimyo's voice was on the edge of losing control.

"Fire Shadow Village shinobi, led by the Mokage, arrived at Red Merchant City. Without saying a word, they attacked. Within minutes, they breached the city walls, and then stormed the city, killing everyone who resisted."

"Afterwards, they captured all the nobles and publicly hanged them."

"All the elder nobles were also killed."

"Only the concubines and children were spared!"

Hearing this, the Daimyo fell silent.

The surrounding nobles also fell silent.

How many years had it been!

Even during the Warring States Period, such a thing had never happened.

A large-scale massacre of nobles!

Unprecedented!

"What are they trying to do, those from Fire Shadow Village?"

Finally, one of the nobles couldn't hold back anymore.

He stood up and roared in anger, "This is a betrayal of the entire shinobi world! They deserve to die!"

His words carried overwhelming fury.

But!

Beneath the surface, there was also a hint of unmistakable fear.

Death had never been so close to them!

These nobles, aside from dying of old age or accidents, never imagined they could be killed.

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 163: A Cry for Help*

The nobles were in chaos.

In the face of death, everyone is equal.

Now, it was their turn to face death. They were terrified, panicking, screaming…

They were even worse than ordinary people.

"Enough!"

The daimyo (feudal lord) couldn't hold it in any longer and shouted, "What's the point of you all arguing? Wouldn't it be better to come up with a plan?"

A plan?

What kind of plan could there be?

A bunch of decaying nobles trying to deal with the rising stars of the shinobi world—could that really be an easy task?

It wasn't a fair fight at all!

One noble shouted, "Konoha! We have to ask Konoha!"

"Yes, yes!"

"Let the ninjas fight ninjas!"

"We are nobles; we aren’t good at combat!"

"That’s what the ninjas are for, and that’s Konoha’s responsibility!"

Listening to the nobles' shouting, the daimyo felt stifled.

In truth, he wasn’t satisfied just managing finances. He also wanted to have control over the ninjas, so for years, he had been secretly gathering his own group of them.

At this moment, he did have a small force of ninjas.

But he couldn’t use them.

They were for his last line of defense.

Of course, he also didn’t dare offend so many nobles.

Since he was part of this circle, he had to follow the rules of this circle.

Unless, of course, he had absolute power to break free from it.

A thought suddenly flashed through the daimyo’s mind: Uchiha Itsuki—his actions were so reckless. Could it be that he already had the strength to break free from this circle?

…

Konoha!

Sarutobi Hiruzen was still in power.

This was the era of the Third Hokage!

Sometimes, even Itsuki, who had read the original story, couldn’t understand what Sarutobi Hiruzen was thinking.

Several times, he had clearly decided to step down, but at the critical moment, he backed out.

Konoha still only had him as the Hokage.

It’s not like there were no successors!

Jiraiya had stayed in Konoha for a long time.

And also, Tsunade!

Itsuki knew how to find her. So, do you mean to tell me Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn’t find her?

Couldn’t he?

Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were more than capable of becoming the Fifth Hokage, yet neither did.

In the end, it was all about not wanting to let go of power.

But!

Even if he didn’t want to let go, others were not happy about it.

Under the leadership of Nara Shikaku, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio formally split off and established a rival faction.

Originally, Sarutobi Hiruzen planned to use force to take control of Konoha.

But first, Itsuki caused trouble, and later, Jiraiya returned, giving Nara Shikaku more time.

With the full support of the Ino-Shika-Cho, even Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura didn’t dare act rashly.

After all!

There was still Uchiha Itsuki outside the village, and both Kumogakure and Iwagakure were eyeing them hungrily.

If internal conflict erupted, external enemies would certainly take advantage.

Konoha was now divided into three factions.

The first and strongest was the Hokage faction led by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The second was the Ino-Shika-Cho faction, with the Aburame clan and the Inuzuka clan subtly supporting them.

The third was the neutral faction, who didn’t care who became Hokage.

This faction was led by the Hyuga clan.

Yes!

Once second only to the Uchiha, the Hyuga clan had now fallen to the bottom of Konoha’s power struggle.

In the Hyuga clan's meeting room, Hyuga Hiashi sat quietly, surrounded by clan elders who were angrily arguing and slamming their fists on the table from time to time.

Hyuga Hiashi was used to it, his expression calm.

They argued every day.

At first, he would shout back a few times or try to mediate.

But eventually, he became numb.

What was the point?

Other than hearing it themselves, no one outside cared.

"Clan leader, why aren’t you saying anything?"

One elder shouted angrily, "Aren’t you furious about Jinichi and the others betraying us?"

"I’m very angry!" Hyuga Hiashi nodded indifferently.

His calm demeanor only made the elders even more dissatisfied.

"Hiashi, as the clan leader, you must take responsibility for Jinichi and the others betraying the clan."

"I’ll take responsibility!" Hiashi nodded again.

"You—"

Bang!

Suddenly, Hiashi flipped the table in front of him.

If the two elders hadn’t jumped back quickly, they would have been crushed by it.

"Hiashi, what are you doing?"

One elder’s voice trembled with both anger and fear.

"All you do is argue, day in and day out!"

Hiashi roared, "Is arguing going to help? Do you even realize what time it is, and you’re still arguing?"

His outburst was so unexpected that the elders were stunned.

Hiashi had always been a well-mannered, obedient, and agreeable clan leader, exactly the kind the elders liked.

They had never imagined that Hiashi could lose his temper like this—let alone flip a table!

The elders’ momentum faltered.

One of them cautiously asked, "What do you mean, ‘what time’?"

"It’s the time when the Hyuga clan could face extermination!"

"No way, absolutely no way!"

As soon as Hiashi said this, the elders shook their heads in denial.

"Hiashi, do you even realize what you’re saying? We are the ancient Hyuga clan!"

Hiashi coldly replied, "Why did the Uchiha flee? If they hadn’t fled, they might have been wiped out too. Do you think the Hyuga are stronger than them?"

"We…"

"Don’t say anything foolish! You’ll just make people laugh."

Hiashi’s voice was cold as he said, "This is a matter of life and death for the Hyuga clan. Who here dares to spout nonsense?"

The elder blushed and fell silent.

The truth was, the Hyuga clan had about the same number of jounin as the Uchiha, but their strength was much weaker.

Two Hyuga couldn’t even defeat one Uchiha!

"The Hyuga clan no longer has an advantage!" Hiashi said earnestly. "Our prized Byakugan is no longer unique. Even the Village Hidden in the Fire has it now—do you understand?"

The secret that the Hyuga’s Byakugan had leaked was no longer a mystery.

The shinobi world already knew.

The Hyuga had confirmed that many of their clan members, previously thought dead, had appeared in the Village Hidden in the Fire.

Over thirty of them.

What did that mean?

It meant the Village Hidden in the Fire had its own Hyuga clan!

Given a few decades to develop, they might surpass Konoha’s Hyuga and become a large shinobi clan.

"Especially because!"

Hiashi lowered his voice, "They even have members of the main branch!"

Fear flickered in the elders' eyes.

The defection of branch members was worrisome.

But it was the main branch’s betrayal that would seal their fate.

Though the branch family had broken the curse of the Caged Bird, they didn’t know many of the Hyuga clan's secret techniques.

They weren't even sure if the defectors' Byakugan had retained its full power.

But the main branch was different!

The main branch was the true heir to the Hyuga legacy.

If the Village Hidden in the Fire had even one main branch member, it meant they could build a complete Hyuga clan.

Hiashi said coldly, "I remember that Hyuga Ryumaru is an exceptionally talented young man. He’s learned almost all of the main branch’s techniques. Even if he hasn’t mastered them, he must have memorized them."

"Kill him!"

"We must kill him!"

The elders shouted in panic, "We are the Hyuga clan, the one and only!"

"So stop arguing!" Hiashi said, trying to reason with them. "What we need to do now is eliminate the Hyuga in the Village Hidden in the Fire!"

"Hiashi, do you have a plan?"

The elders looked at him with hope in their eyes.

"I do!"

A cold glint flashed across Hiashi’s face as he said, "I heard the daimyo has already asked Konoha for help. The Village Hidden in the Fire is attacking them..."

The Village Hidden in the Fire wants the Byakugan, the Hyuga’s legacy. But can they really bite off more than they can chew?

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 164: Greed Stirs the Heart*

"Good, very good!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the intelligence report in front of him, a smile appearing on his aging face.

Ever since the Uchiha clan became independent and founded Fire Hidden Village, Hiruzen had rarely smiled.

Moreover, because of Fire Hidden Village, both Cloud Village and Stone Village had given up their plans to attack the Leaf Village.

With this thought, Hiruzen became more and more sullen.

Uchiha Itsuki!

Uchiha Itsuki!

Uchiha Itsuki!

If only it were possible, Hiruzen Sarutobi would go back in time.

He wanted to strangle Uchiha Itsuki with his own hands!

How had he not realized back then that Itsuki was a curse in the making?

Was it possible that he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, lacked the foresight that Danzo had?

Impossible!

Even his teacher acknowledged him.

He was the best.

Danzo? Just a small fry!

Danzo's feud with Uchiha Itsuki was personal.

But he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, always acted for the greater good!

At that time, it wasn't appropriate to eliminate Uchiha Itsuki.

Yes! That was it!

He couldn't let personal grudges affect the bigger picture.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, and then…

"Bang!"

He kicked the table in front of him with great force.

To hell with the "bigger picture."

Uchiha Itsuki—if I ever get the chance, I'll scatter your ashes to the winds.

However, Hiruzen's kick had been a little too forceful, and he pulled something… painful.

"Hissss!"

He sucked in a sharp breath, trying to ease the pain.

"Hokage-sama!"

An ANBU member entered and, seeing Hiruzen’s expression, frowned. "Father, did you hurt yourself again?"

"Get out!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke sighed, "Father, you need to control your temper. It's been two years, and that injury of yours still hasn't healed. Even the medical-nin are at their wit's end."

He was utterly exasperated.

After the surgery, Hiruzen Sarutobi had lost one of his testicles.

As a result, he was easily provoked and frequently lashed out in anger, often reinjuring himself in the process.

The wound, barely healed, would be torn open again.

Two years. Two years, and the wound still hadn’t fully healed. Can you believe it?

Sarutobi Shinnosuke thought, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it either.

Unbelievable!

"Medical-nin!"

He shouted.

Immediately, the medical-nin stationed in the Hokage Building rushed in. Without needing any words, they spread Hiruzen’s legs and reached toward the affected area.

Of course, their hands glowed with healing chakra.

After three minutes, Hiruzen twitched slightly.

The medical-nin packed up their supplies and left.

Routine, at this point.

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh. "You don’t understand. I did it on purpose."

"You sure have some… unique hobbies," Sarutobi Shinnosuke muttered.

"Hmph!" Hiruzen snorted coldly. "It’s to remind myself of the humiliation Uchiha Itsuki inflicted on me."

"...You're something else."

"Is everyone gathered?" Hiruzen asked.

"They’re ready."

"Let’s go!"

Hiruzen led Shinnosuke into the conference room in the office building.

Dozens of people were already waiting.

"Everyone," Hiruzen started, getting straight to the point, "We’re mobilizing against Fire Hidden Village."

No one seemed surprised.

Everyone had their own sources of information.

The fact that Fire Hidden Village had made a move against the Daimyo wasn’t exactly a secret.

To fight a ninja, only a ninja would suffice.

The Daimyo would surely ask for their help.

And they couldn’t avoid deploying troops.

Shikaku Nara frowned. "Can’t we resolve this through negotiations?"

Hiruzen replied indifferently, "Shikaku has a good suggestion. Why don't you go? I’m sure Uchiha would love to see you."

When the Uchiha defected, the Third Hokage had sent Shikaku to pursue them.

Shikaku hadn’t even come close to catching a single one.

The Third Hokage still held a grudge about that.

Shikaku remained calm. "I don’t object to protecting the Daimyo and the nobles. I’m just reminding you, Hokage-sama, that Stone Village and Cloud Village are watching us closely. Are you sure they won’t interfere while we’re fighting Fire Hidden Village?"

"And!"

"Don’t forget, Hokage-sama, Uchiha Itsuki is a Flying Thunder God user. Can you deal with that technique?"

"Also, that woman last time—she dropped millions of explosive tags on us. Do you think that was all she had? What if she does it again? What’s our plan then?"

As Shikaku spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face grew darker and darker.

Damn it!

How hadn’t he realized the Flying Thunder God was so powerful when Minato was still around?

If Minato had Itsuki’s skillset, I might’ve unified the entire ninja world with just one push.

Then I would’ve become the third legendary ninja, alongside Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

Hiruzen took a deep breath and said coldly, "That’s why, this time, we’re going all out. We’ll break through Fire Hidden Village as quickly as possible."

"All out!?"

"Yes!"

Hiruzen said icily, "The Leaf will gather ten thousand ninja to flatten Fire Hidden Village. I don’t believe Uchiha Itsuki can escape."

"Are you insane?"

Shikaku stood up, furious. "Ten thousand ninja? If the Leaf loses that many, do you think Cloud and Stone will just stand by and do nothing?"

Hiruzen stared coldly at him. "Which is why we need the perfect timing."

As he spoke, Shikaku’s eyes widened in shock.

"This… This…"

"It’s too risky!"

Shikaku breathed heavily. "If word gets out, the Leaf will be doomed."

"Then don’t let it get out!"

Hiruzen felt a sharp pain below, his face growing even colder. He spoke in a chilling tone. "Everyone here is a pillar of the Leaf. I trust you all. And I know you won’t let me down."

Everyone exchanged glances, remaining silent.

"What about the Daimyo?"

"Send five thousand ninja to Fire Hidden Village and force Uchiha Itsuki back! If he doesn’t return, we’ll take down the village."

Hiruzen made the decision without hesitation.

Everyone was stunned once again.

Not because Hiruzen’s plan was bad—in fact, it was quite sound.

But!

Was this really Hiruzen Sarutobi?

Even Danzo looked at him in shock.

When did my old friend become so decisive?

To make such a firm decision so quickly?

Something’s off!

Could it be that losing a testicle has sent him back to his prime from thirty years ago?

I lost one too—why didn’t it happen to me?

Or perhaps, Hiruzen lost more than just one?

…

Dragon’s Treasure City!

This was a large city in the Land of Fire, rich in resources and heavily populated.

At this moment, Itsuki had already taken control of it.

The usual procedure followed: all the nobles were hanged, and their wealth and resources were taken for Itsuki’s own use.

"Mokage-sama!"

Hayate Gekkō approached Itsuki and whispered, "Other ninja and nations have learned about our actions against the Land of Fire. They’ve sent spies into this city. Everything we’ve done here..."

The enemy had quite a few spies.

Some were even skilled in secret techniques.

Everything the Fire Hidden Village ninjas had done was essentially under the enemy's watchful eye.

And the amount of wealth they had accumulated...

Greed stirs the heart!

"Don’t worry. Let them watch. Let them spread the news across the entire ninja world!"

But Itsuki only smiled and waved his hand. "That’s exactly what I want."

"Huh?"

Hayate Gekkō was puzzled.

What does he mean by that?

(Chapter End)

Chapter 165: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

What are nobles?

Just ordinary people!

They aren't the bloodline of some deity.

Haven’t the ninjas realized this yet?

It's just that long-standing habits have bound them.

Breaking those chains requires a little push.

Money!

That’s the biggest push!

When other ninjas, especially the Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages, see that Itsuki robbed two cities and gained a huge amount of money, will they really be able to stay calm?

If they can, great! That means all the money from those cities will go straight into Itsuki’s pocket.

With that money, the development of Fire Hidden Village will skyrocket.

But!

Itsuki estimates that these Kage won’t be able to sit still.

They’re not fools.

Money is essential for development.

There’s no way they’ll just stand by and watch Fire Hidden Village grow stronger.

Take Fire Hidden Village for example.

With money, they won’t need to work anymore. All they have to do is focus on having more children and training their ninja skills—simple!

In their spare time, they can make a few explosive tags and blow away their enemies during battle!

But without money, they’ll have to figure out how to survive first.

They’ll have to think about how many children they can afford and which ninjutsu is worth training, while also considering the cost-effectiveness of every tool they use.

This is true no matter the world.

Rich people can do whatever they want!

Poor people, however, have to calculate every move!

So...

Konan, the undeniable richest woman in the ninja world.

Six trillion explosive tags!

Who needs to fight when you could practically buy out all five Great Ninja Villages with that?

And that’s exactly what happened!

When Fire Hidden Village gained a massive amount of wealth from Fire City, all the ninja villages were shaken.

Konoha immediately sent a messenger to condemn and threaten Fire Hidden Village, demanding an immediate retreat.

But unfortunately!

That messenger didn’t even get to meet Itsuki.

So, Sarutobi Hiruzen decisively dispatched 5,000 ninjas to march on Fire Hidden Village.

"If you don’t retreat, I’ll force you to!"

In just two years, Konoha had undergone significant changes.

Although the Sarutobi clan didn’t fully control Konoha, they had stepped out of the shadows and officially became one of the major clans in Konoha.

Their true strength hadn’t been fully exposed, but they had already revealed over a thousand ninjas, replacing the Uchiha's former position after their departure.

This time, after Sarutobi Hiruzen discussed it with Nara Shikaku, both the Hokage faction and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio each sent a thousand ninjas.

The rest were mostly neutral ninjas.

But being neutral also meant being unstable.

If you don’t step up now, then who will?

Do you really think being neutral is that easy?

Not taking sides might seem risk-free, but in reality, it's the greatest risk of all.

To everyone’s surprise, the Hyuga clan dispatched 20 Jonin and over 300 elite ninjas this time.

Even during the great ninja wars, they hadn’t mobilized this many people.

Even Hyuga Hiashi personally took action.

Shimura Danzo was appointed as the leader of the ninja army!

Yes!

Sarutobi Hiruzen’s most trusted ally, once again, stepped forward.

With one eye, Danzo swept across the group.

"Move out!"

With Danzo’s cold grunt, the 5,000 ninjas set off.

...

Nara Clan.

Shikaku rubbed his temples, feeling the headache.

"I’m telling you…"

The massive Choji hesitated, "What is the Hyuga clan thinking? Even Hiashi is personally involved."

"There’s a new Hyuga family in Fire Hidden Village. They couldn’t sit still. They likely want to go to war and wipe out the Hyuga clan in Fire Hidden Village. Too bad, Danzo might not let them have their way," Nara Shikaku replied casually.

"Sigh!"

Yamanaka Inoichi sighed, "Shikaku, you need to take care of yourself. You’ve been looking awful lately."

"There's just too much going on," Shikaku replied with a wry smile. "The Hokage faction, the Hyuga, even the Aburame and Inuzuka clans… Then there’s the upcoming Chunin exams, and don’t forget about Fire Hidden Village and the Daimyo..."

"My mind can’t handle all of this."

Choji grumbled, "What is the Third Hokage thinking? Jiraiya already returned, yet he refuses to step down. Now Jiraiya’s gone again, and he seems happy about it."

"When will Konoha finally get its Fifth Hokage?"

After handling the Itsuki situation, Jiraiya stayed in Konoha for a while to help with rebuilding efforts before leaving to resume his travels.

"Once you grasp power, it’s not easy to let it go. Besides, if I’m already worrying about all this, imagine how much more Hiruzen must be concerned," Shikaku said sarcastically. "He’s secretly built up the ninja clans to their current strength. He must want to protect them even more now."

"There’s too much uncertainty with Jiraiya becoming Hokage."

"Maybe Hiruzen even doubts Jiraiya, since he and Uchiha Itsuki seem to have a decent relationship."

Ino-Shika-Cho fell silent.

"So what do we do? Just keep fighting against this?" Choji fumed. "The village is splitting into three factions. Just look at what’s become of it!"

"I know," Shikaku sighed deeply. "But I’m more worried about the safety of our families. Do you realize they’re genuinely prepared to take over Konoha by force?"

"One wrong move, and Ino-Shika-Cho could become a thing of the past."

Sarutobi Hiruzen probably thinks the same, which is why he won’t relinquish his power.

Both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Nara Shikaku are now caught at the top, unable to step down.

They both fear that if they retreat, their families might be destroyed.

...

Fire Hidden Village!

The pre-battle mobilization had begun.

Although Itsuki had made arrangements before leaving, Shisui hadn’t expected Sarutobi Hiruzen to make his move so quickly.

Fire Hidden Village had barely issued its announcement when the opposing forces already set out.

It had all been prepared in advance.

"Don't be afraid," Shisui sighed deeply, his Mangekyo Sharingan glowing.

… As long as these eyes remain, I can protect the village.

"Shisui, don’t be nervous!"

An elderly voice suddenly spoke, "We old bones are still here. Besides, my eyes can still be used once more."

The old man revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan.

He could still unleash the Mangekyo one final time and use Susanoo in battle.

If used well, it could absolutely turn the tide of battle.

Touji, standing nearby, coldly remarked, "Even though I don’t have the Mangekyo, I’m still willing to fight to the death."

"Thank you, elders," Shisui exhaled, a relaxed smile on his face. "Honestly, we’re not in such a tough spot."

"Fire Hidden Village still has over a thousand ninjas, and with Itachi and me both possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan, plus the Two-Tails here, we’ve got nothing to worry about."

"It’s good to see you think that way, Shisui!"

The two elders chuckled, got up, and left.

"Sigh!"

Shisui sighed again.

"What’s wrong?" Itachi appeared before Shisui.

"Itachi, wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to fight?"

"Just be ready," Itachi said, shaking his head. "If you’ve got time to think like that, it means you’re not busy enough. I’ll assign the Chunin exams to you too. With more work, you won’t have time to daydream."

Shisui’s mouth twitched. "Thanks, Itachi. You’re really too kind."

(End of Chapter)