The outskirts of Konoha.
Over a thousand Takigakure ninjas hid behind trees, their expressions tense and excited.
"Konoha hasn't noticed us even though we're this close. It seems Konoha really is just an empty shell now." A high-ranking Takigakure official said excitedly.
The last time Takigakure was this close to one of the Five Great Ninja Villages was when they were allocated Seven-Tails.
"Don't be careless." Takigakure Leader Shibuki, who looked to be in his early twenties, had a very solemn expression.
"According to intelligence, Konoha is controlled by the Hyuga Second Elder, and the inauguration ceremony for the Sixth Hokage is currently being held."
He turned to look at the slender girl with mint-green hair next to him and said, "Fü, your goal is to kill the Hyuga Second Elder."
Fū, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, nodded with a serious expression.
Immediately after, four pairs of butterfly wings emerged from behind her waist, flapping at a high frequency, causing her to hover in the air. Then, she rushed in alone and disappeared from sight.
—
Konoha.
Thousands of villagers cheered on the scene, creating a great deal of excitement. The scene was as boiling with energy as the celebration after the Fourth Great Ninja War.
The Hyuga Second Elder wore the white Hokage robe over a red ninja outfit and the Hokage hat. The smile on his face was extremely bright.
He watched the people around him dancing and jumping, and listened to the cheers and applause.
The Hyuga Clan finally has a Hokage!
And he had checked, Konoha's foundation hadn't diminished at all. This was a complete and intact Konoha.
Although Nine-Tails had been taken away, he planned to send someone to demand it back from the Uchiha a few days after taking office.
Nine-Tails also belonged to Konoha!
Would a single clan dare to contend with a whole village?
However, he, the Sixth Hokage, was magnanimous. As long as the Uchiha returned Nine-Tails, he wouldn't hold this fault against them.
"Congratulations, Sixth Hokage!"
"From today on, Konoha will welcome a new life!"
"Congratulations, Sixth Hokage!"
Many people shouted and cheered for their promotions, for their raises, and for their beautiful futures.
Hearing these words, the Hyuga Second Elder laughed loudly. "Hahahahahaha..."
Before he could finish laughing, he heard someone shout, "Who's there!"
As soon as the voice fell, a scream followed immediately.
"Ahhhh!"
The dull thud of a body hitting the ground made the scene fall silent.
Konoha villagers and ninjas turned to look and quickly discovered Fū flying at a low altitude.
"It's someone from Takigakure!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
The scene fell into chaos.
Konoha ninjas hurriedly responded.
The villagers were terrified and screamed as they hid.
Yet no one stood in front of the Hyuga Second Elder to protect him.
The people behind the Hyuga Second Elder shouted while running to his front, "Protect Hokage-sama!"
The Hyuga Second Elder revealed a smile.
Some Konoha ninjas' eyes flickered as they rushed in front of the Hyuga Second Elder, shouting, "Protect Hokage-sama!"
The smile on the Hyuga Second Elder's face grew even more brilliant.
Over a dozen ninjas blocked Fū, who was only at Genin level.
Other ninjas immediately ran over, acting as if they too were ninjas "protecting Hokage-sama."
These dozens of ninjas surrounded Fū, who was only a Genin, their expressions full of disdain.
At this moment, Fū, the Jinchuriki of Seven-Tails, seemed like a lamb to the slaughter.
"Is it just you?"
"Where are the people who came with you?"
The Konoha ninjas sneered.
But in the next second, they froze.
A dense, blackish-red Chakra surfaced on Fu's body. It was as if they were facing a terrifying Tailed Beast.
"W-What is this?"
"Jinchuriki! She's a Jinchuriki!"
"Retreat! Retreat now!"
The Konoha ninjas were struck with panic and scrambled to flee, ignoring the "protecting Hokage-sama" they had just shouted.
Only a few people remained in front of the Hyuga Second Elder, all of whom were his personal guards. However, the legs of these guards were shaking violently, and their hands holding their short swords trembled non-stop. They couldn't stand straight or hold their weapons firmly, looking incredibly fragile.
"So weak." The semi-Tailed Beastified Fū muttered before charging forward with sharp killing intent.
The ninjas standing before the Hyuga Second Elder simply couldn't withstand such terrifying pressure. They turned and fled in a panic, leaving the Hyuga Second Elder directly exposed to Fū.
Fu's killing intent was aimed straight at the Hyuga Second Elder.
The Hyuga Second Elder's heart pounded wildly, his entire body trembling.
"No... no... I am the Hokage! The Hokage of Konoha, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages! You can't kill me! You can't..."
The blackish-red tail behind Fu flashed by.
Swish!
A spray of fresh blood splattered onto the ground.
The Hyuga Second Elder's head hit the ground, his expression blank. In the moment before his consciousness faded, a flicker of hatred appeared in his eyes.
If only the Uchiha hadn't left Konoha...
Fū looked at the Hyuga Second Elder's corpse with disgust, and then at the Konoha ninjas who were surrounded and being slaughtered by Takigakure, feeling even more disdain.
"So weak."
She felt a bit bored. She wanted to help, but she didn't want to kill people.
But seeing the other side, where Konoha villagers were being sought out and rapidly massacred...
"..."
Fū felt it was better to go kill Konoha ninjas instead.
Blood stained Konoha red.
"Uchiha!"
A villager's hate-filled scream before death quickly resonated with the remaining Konoha villagers and ninjas.
"If only the Uchiha hadn't left Konoha..."
"If it wasn't for the Uchiha..."
"If it wasn't for..."
The Konoha villagers and ninjas, suffering from the Takigakure massacre, channeled their pain into hatred directed straight at the Uchiha clan.
It's all because of them!
If they hadn't left Konoha, how could we have ended up like this!
"Uchiha!!!"
Their towering hatred even made the Takigakure ninjas feel a bit baffled.
"We are the ones killing you, yet you don't hate us and instead hate the Uchiha?"
"Fine by us. Killing has never been this fun, Hahahahaha!"
Smiles of amusement appeared on the faces of the Takigakure ninjas. They slowed their slaughter, as if enjoying the entertainment.
Among the Konoha ninjas, an old man carrying a large iron pot on his back swung his short sword without saying a word. The Takigakure ninjas found him difficult to deal with.
"What's with this old guy!"
"Is he an Elite Jonin?"
"No, this guy is just a Genin!"
"Damn it!"
The old man remained silent.
Leaf-Style Willow!
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!
Before him, Takigakure ninjas fell one after another.
The helpless Konoha ninjas saw a glimmer of hope.
"Follow Maruboshi Kosuke!"
"Gather together!"
"Quick!"
The Takigakure ninjas sneered.
We'll destroy your last hope right now!
Shiboku shouted, "Fū!"
Against the semi-Tailed Beastified Fū, this strange old man would definitely be no match.
"Com..."
Fū's "ing" got stuck before it could leave her mouth.
She sensed something was wrong.
So hot!
Why did it suddenly get so hot?
And why was she so uneasy?
The moment she paused, others noticed as well, looking around in suspicion and uncertainty.
Surrounding Konoha, volcanoes erupted one by one, encircling them. Golden-yellow pillars of magma shot into the sky with violent turbulence. The surrounding temperature rose rapidly, causing sweat to pour and anxiety to spread.
The Konoha villagers and ninjas had all heard of such a scene before. At the time, they thought the Uchiha clan was exaggerating, but they never expected it to be so incredibly realistic.
God of Magma! Lord of Volcanoes!
Countless people were struck with awe. And it wasn't just the people of Konoha, even Takigakure had heard rumors of the "God of Magma." Previously, they also thought it was ridiculous.
"Fine, the Uchiha can hype up a seven-year-old kid, but you, Konoha, actually helped them hype it?"
"Are the Five Great Nations this shameless?"
"Do they really think everyone in the world is a fool?"
"If it weren't for Shisui and the others protecting him, that seven-year-old would have been wiped out long ago."
Some of them had even fantasized about encountering Hiromi and then getting rich overnight.
Now, they could only stare blankly at the volcanoes emitting terrifyingly high heat, the volcanic ash filling the sky and blotting out the sun. The bright, sunny day had now turned into a gloomy and oppressive gloom.
The air was filled with terrifying heat that curled their hair.
At the same time, it evaporated the moisture in the air. It didn't even spare the moisture inside their bodies, making them feel extremely uncomfortable and parched.
The sound of their hearts beating even more frantically became increasingly obvious.
At this moment, everyone present sensed the approach of a special existence that was devoid of both sorrow and joy. They all turned their heads together, stiffly and cautiously.
They saw a young boy.
That cold and terrifying aura made everyone panic, and they hurriedly lowered their heads.