Blood-Soaked Ceremony, the Enemy Has Taken the Bait

The plaza instantly turned into a living hell!

People fled in terror, shoving one another as trampling broke out without end.

The celebration and solemnity of moments ago were torn apart by the sudden assassination attempt.

"Protect Lord Daimyo!"

The City Guard nearest the raised platform reacted first. They formed a wall with their bodies, raising spears and shields as they roared and charged toward the desperadoes emerging from the smoke.

Blades collided with spearpoints, spraying dazzling sparks and scalding blood.

"Minato!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi shot to his feet, cracks appearing in the pipe clenched in his hand.

Minato Namikaze's blond hair fluttered as his figure flashed, about to rush out.

Konoha's ninja rose one after another, killing intent spilling from them as they prepared to lend support.

But at the very instant they moved.

A whistling sound cut through the air!

More than ten dark figures appeared soundlessly before them, blocking their path.

They wore Daimyo Manor guard uniforms, yet an eerie aura emanated from them, along with a stench of blood that struck them head-on.

"Everyone, please remain calm."

The leading shadow spoke in a hoarse voice. Without turning around, he merely raised a hand clad in a black glove and made a stopping gesture.

Minato Namikaze's charging body came to an abrupt halt, his golden eyes filled with astonishment.

Even he had failed to notice these people's concealment technique!

In that brief delay, the assassins broke through the City Guard's defensive line and, grinning viciously, prepared to storm the raised platform.

And at that moment!

Another series of whistling sounds came through the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

From beneath the platform's shadows, behind the hall's pillars, and even from gaps between the bricks, more than thirty dark figures shot out.

They moved without a sound, carrying chilling killing intent as they formed a vast net that firmly blocked the raised platform.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A dense barrage of clashing weapons suddenly rang out.

The battle atop the raised platform instantly descended into a deadlock.

More than thirty Hidden Guards tied down every assassin, driving them all off the platform amid flashing blades and swords.

This left Chiba Xiu and Saionji Takashi, who were hiding among the crowd, frantic with anxiety.

According to the plan, this should have been a thunderous strike.

The outer guards had already begun to encircle them again, cold spearpoints closing in from every direction.

If they delayed any longer, it would all be over!

Under the immense pressure, Chiba Xiu's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

Looking utterly deranged, he fixed his bloodshot eyes on the viewing platform and roared with all his strength.

"Lord Danzo! Shimura Danzō!!"

"You promised me! Where are your men?! Move already!!"

That howl brought the entire plaza to a standstill.

On the viewing platform, the envoys from the four nations wore stunned expressions, while the people of Konoha could not hide their shock.

"Move!"

A sharp shout came from behind the Konoha group.

After that brief silence, nearly thirty figures wearing pure white masks burst forth from among the fleeing civilians in the plaza.

Root!

They moved swiftly and in perfect coordination, ignoring the guards trying to stop them. Their short blades carved arcs of death as they charged straight toward the raised platform.

This sudden turn of events instantly shattered the balance atop the platform.

The Root ninja joined forces with the desperadoes and charged fiercely onto the raised platform with unstoppable momentum!

Above the platform, blades flashed, flesh and blood flew, and killing intent lurked everywhere.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

A Root ninja took a deep breath, then several rapidly spinning air bullets blasted toward a Hidden Guard like cannonballs!

Yet the Hidden Guard neither dodged nor retreated. Forming hand seals, he raised a thick earthen wall from the ground!

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Air blasts exploded against the earthen wall, blasting out a string of craters as shattered stone flew everywhere, yet they ultimately failed to break through!

At that moment, another Root ninja appeared behind him like a ghost, a poisoned short blade silently thrusting toward his back!

However, a katana coated in pale green Chakra precisely blocked it from the side. The instant the blades collided, wind-nature Chakra erupted, sending the Root ninja flying backward!

"Water Style: Water Colliding Wave!" Elsewhere, a Hidden Guard spat out a torrential stream of water, knocking two desperadoes off their feet.

Severed limbs kept flying through the air, lives continued to vanish, and blood dyed the raised platform red!

From afar, Chiba Ran looked like a lone boat that could capsize at any moment amid raging waves!

"Danzō! You..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shuddered from head to toe and suddenly turned around, his eyes practically spitting fire as he glared fiercely at his old friend.

Minato Namikaze looked bewildered. Instinctively, he looked at Shimura Danzō, then at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Fugaku Uchiha's Sharingan abruptly appeared, its three tomoe spinning rapidly before vanishing again.

Shikaku Nara shut his eyes in pain and squeezed out a curse through gritted teeth. "That idiot..."

On the other side, after their initial shock, the Four Nations Delegation displayed a colorful range of reactions.

The Land of Lightning's envoy threw back his head and laughed, his face filled with undisguised mockery.

The Land of Earth's envoy stroked his beard, squinting as he calculated how much this internal strife in the Land of Fire could benefit the Land of Earth.

"We have to go support him!"

Seeing the daimyo trapped in danger, Minato Namikaze was frantic and prepared to move again.

But the Hidden Guards blocking their path still refused to yield even a single step.

The leading Hidden Guard slowly turned his head, his voice devoid of any emotion. "Lord Fourth Hokage, there is no need for you to interfere in the farce on the platform."

"Konoha's problem is not here."

He looked past Minato Namikaze and directly at the one-eyed old man standing behind him, his face livid and his right eye wrapped in bandages.

"What you should be doing now is apprehending the traitor who intended to assassinate the sovereign—Shimura Danzō."

"Outrageous!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's furious roar rang out almost at the same time as the Hidden Guard's words.

He trembled with rage, pointing at the Hidden Guard Leader as he shouted, "The daimyo's safety is the top priority! Why aren't you hurrying to rescue him?! What are you stopping us here for?!"

If the ruler of the Land of Fire were killed before his eyes, that would truly be the sky falling.

He, the Third Hokage, would become a sinner of the Land of Fire.

Minato Namikaze also said urgently, "That's right! Save the daimyo first! Everything else can wait!"

Yet no matter what Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze said, the Hidden Guard Leader remained silent and continued to block them firmly, leaving them anxiously pacing in circles.

The others from Konoha, however, all had their own thoughts.

Fugaku Uchiha's eyes flickered as he quietly gestured to his clansmen beside him, telling them to continue watching.

In his view, this might be an opportunity.

The New Daimyo was far too forceful and had suppressed Konoha at every turn.

If he died and that useless Chiba Xiu, whom Danzō supported, took the throne, it might not be a bad thing for the Uchiha clan—or for Konoha as a whole.

A weak daimyo was far more aligned with Konoha's interests than a powerful one.

Hyuga Hiashi's face was as still as water. He seemed to be observing something with his Byakugan, and he likewise did not move.

Shikaku Nara was even pressing a hand to his forehead in frustration, muttering to himself.

He had already seen through the game behind this assassination.

The daimyo.

The rebels.

Danzō.

Konoha's higher-ups...

One wrong move, and there would be no return.

The people of Konoha were all wavering in their thoughts. Not a single one of them could make an immediate decision.

On the raised platform, the bloody battle grew ever more intense, and the cries of combat shook the heavens.