Under Namikaze Mirai's command, Konoha began its pre-war mobilization.
A vast number of ninja assembled before the great gates of the village, standing in orderly formations that stretched across the open plain. Armor gleamed, flak jackets rustled, banners fluttered. The air was charged with an invisible tension — the kind that came before history turned its page.
Namikaze Mirai stood at the front, cloak rippling slightly in the breeze, ready to give the signal for departure—
When a lone figure appeared before the assembled ranks, blocking their path.
The murmur that ran through the crowd was immediate.
"Third Hokage?!"
"Why is he here?"
"Still the same old expression…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood at the entrance of the village, his aged body straight, his eyes fierce. His face, lined and gray, carried a grim determination that silenced even the whispers of the wind.
Mirai's expression didn't change. It was as if he had already foreseen this moment.
"Fifth Hokage," Hiruzen began, his tone tight with restrained fury, "where are you leading Konoha?"
He did not use Mirai's name — only his title, to remind him of the weight it carried.
"Third Hokage." Mirai replied evenly, "I think you already know."
"I do know." Hiruzen said, breathing out slowly. His eyes hardened. "And that is exactly why I cannot tolerate it. Killing the Daimyō? Overthrowing the system the First Hokage built? Do you realize what that means? What chaos this will bring?"
Mirai's tone remained calm, utterly steady. "Times have changed, Third Hokage. A man who clings to the past will only become a casualty of the era. Even if I do not reshape the world, one day someone else will. So why not me?"
Hiruzen's heart sank. He could feel it — words would not move this man.
'He's already gone beyond the reach of persuasion.' Hiruzen thought bitterly.
But he had to try something. Even if it meant using the only language left to him — battle.
He inhaled deeply. His gaze sharpened, his spine straightened, and his hand moved to bite his thumb.
"The words have been said." he declared. "As the Third Hokage, I cannot and will not allow you to drag Konoha into ruin!"
He slammed his palm onto the ground.
With a bang! of white smoke, Enma appeared, hulking and muscular, with fur like dark iron.
"Hey!" the Monkey King barked in disbelief, scanning the field of armed shinobi. "Sarutobi, what the hell are you doing?! Aren't these all Konoha ninja? Why do they look ready to kill each other?!"
A flicker of pain crossed Hiruzen's face. "To be precise," he said quietly, "this is… a clash of ideals."
"Ideals?!" Enma's voice rose, half in confusion, half in frustration. "You Konoha people… I'll never understand you! What kind of 'ideal' needs a Hokage to fight his own village?!"
"Enough talking," Hiruzen said solemnly. "Transform."
"Fine, fine! But don't regret it!"
With a puff of smoke, Enma transformed into a massive black staff — the Adamantine Staff.
Gripping it tightly, Hiruzen felt strength return to his trembling arms. The weight in his hands reignited the flame that once burned in his heart.
He pointed the staff toward Mirai, his voice booming with what little remained of his old might.
"Come, Fifth Hokage! If you truly intend to kill the Daimyō, then you'll have to step over my corpse first!"
For the first time in many years, his blood ran hot again. The years melted away, and for a fleeting moment, he felt like the young man who once fought side by side with legends.
This was the duty of a Hokage — to stand against what he believed would destroy the village, even if it meant his life.
A flash of blue flickered before his eyes.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Mirai was in front of him. His movement was too fast — even the air seemed to tear with his arrival.
'So fast!'
All that burning resolve evaporated in an instant, replaced by sheer terror.
Hiruzen instinctively raised the staff to block.
Clang!
Mirai's palm met the Adamantine Staff with a thunderous strike.
"Arghh! It hurts! Sarutobi, what are you doing?!" Enma's voice screamed through the staff, his tone twisted in agony.
Hiruzen had no strength to reply. The shockwave sent him flying backward, his arms trembling violently, his wrist cracking under the force.
He hit the ground hard, gasping, but before he could recover — Mirai was already upon him again.
"Wait! I was wrong! I—"
Mirai's hand closed around his throat, cutting off his words. His feet left the ground as Mirai lifted him effortlessly, one-handed, like a child holding a doll.
The old man's face turned red, veins bulging as he clawed weakly at Mirai's wrist.
Utter defeat.
It wasn't even a battle. It was an execution.
The entire confrontation had lasted less than five seconds.
Behind Mirai, some of the younger Konoha ninja struggled to contain laughter. Others merely looked away in discomfort, ashamed on Hiruzen's behalf.
One murmured under his breath, "The harder they boast before battle, the faster they fall."
Among the older generation watching from afar, heads turned away, faces pale.
They had hoped the Third Hokage might rekindle their dignity — show that age still carried weight.
But now, they could only look at the ground.
The man once called "The Professor", the "Strongest Hokage", hung helplessly in the grip of his successor, feet dangling like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
"This is… this is a joke." one elder muttered, slamming his window shut. "Let these fools destroy themselves if they want. I've seen enough."
Hiruzen could hear the faint creak of his own neck under Mirai's fingers. His vision darkened at the edges.
Just a little more pressure, and his life would end.
Enma, still in staff form, panicked. He tried to twist free to help.
"Damn it, Sarutobi!" he shouted in desperation. "Why did you have to provoke this guy? Are you senile?!"
A massive hand seized him midair.
Bang!
Mirai crushed the staff with a single squeeze. Enma howled in pain as he was forced out of his transformation, exploding into white smoke before vanishing entirely.
"Sarutobi, I can't save you." his fading voice echoed faintly. "You're on your own, old man."
The words struck Hiruzen like a blade.
'It's over,' he thought bitterly. 'So this is how I die…'
To be strangled by the hand of a Hokage two generations after him, in front of his own village — a humiliation no other Kage had ever suffered.
*****
Support me on my Ko-fi page to keep me motivated to continue uploading chapters.
https://ko fi.com/rroy28 (put a "-" between "ko" and "fi")
I have added Uncensored NSFW Illustrations in my Discord server, available only to paid members.
I am working on the following projects:
✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]