Lord Brahman!

With a single finger, Uchiha Shisui's life force began to fade rapidly. His heart stopped beating, and he began slipping into a near-death state.

After waiting a while, once he was sure Uchiha Shisui's life had reached its absolute lowest point and he was about to die completely, Uchiha Brahman took out a golden fruit and placed it on Shisui's forehead.

Then he looked at Danzo, who was struggling behind him. To stop the old bastard from yelling, the chakra chains did more than just bind him to the ground. They also sealed Danzo's chakra and tightened around his throat to keep him quiet.

"Danzo, it's your turn!"

Uchiha Brahman casually beckoned, and a kunai made of chakra appeared in his hand. He drove it into Danzo's skin and began slowly dragging it across.

Crimson blood flowed from the wound. Danzo let out angry, pained cries. Gradually, the old bastard's expression shifted from anger to fear—until at last, the effect of Izanagi wore off.

"Wretched commoner!"

Brahman spat the words, then slammed a fist into the center of Danzo's back.

Thump! Thump!

Danzo's heart stopped beating, and he began to die. Seeing this, Uchiha Brahman grinned and took out a Seed of Blessing, placing it on Danzo's head. As the Seed of Blessing melted, the old bastard successfully became one of Uchiha Brahman's followers.

"Greetings, great Lord Brahman!"

Uchiha Shisui came up behind Brahman, knelt reverently, and kowtowed as he spoke with utmost devotion.

"Hahahaha..."

Brahman turned to look at Uchiha Shisui and burst out laughing.

Nearby, after receiving a Seed of Blessing, Danzo opened his eyes.

Brahman snapped his fingers, and the chakra chains binding Danzo vanished. Danzo climbed to his feet and knelt on the ground.

"Shimura Danzo greets great Lord Brahman! The Shinobi World will eventually belong to the great Brahman!"

Danzo kowtowed reverently.

"Hahahahahaha!!!"

Uchiha Brahman laughed heartily, then lowered his head.

"Good. Go back and carry on with your duties!"

Uchiha Brahman grinned, formed a hand seal, and disappeared.

"Yes, great Lord Brahman!" *2

The two bowed toward the spot where Brahman had been, then thanked him. Afterward, they began clearing away the corpses of the Root ninjas as if nothing had happened.

Praise Brahman!

Elsewhere, at the Daimyo Palace.

The daimyo, who had been drinking tea, suddenly put down his cup.

"Guards! We leave for Konoha tomorrow! It's time to replace the Hokage!"

"Yes, Daimyo!"

"No one in Konoha can match me now. It's time to reclaim what's mine. Damn old Sarutobi! The Hokage seat should have been mine, Brahman's, from the start!"

Inside his fish shop, Uchiha Brahman closed the door and looked toward the Hokage's office in the distance, grinning.

At that moment, no one knew that a major upheaval was about to unfold.

That night, Sarutobi Hiruzen received word that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire would be coming to Konoha. He also learned the purpose of the visit: to replace the Hokage.

"...Has the daimyo lost his mind?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, looking out at the night. Although the daimyo was the nominal ruler of the Land of Fire and the ultimate superior of the shinobi, appointing the Hokage was not actually within his power. No—it wasn't that he had no authority at all, but that he couldn't appoint someone to become a Kage by himself.

Hiruzen had no idea what had gone wrong in the daimyo's head. Was he so old that he'd gone senile?

The next afternoon.

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire arrived in Konoha with a group of guards.

"Daimyo..."

A crowd of villagers respectfully watched the old man surrounded by guards. Meanwhile, some of Konoha's shinobi had received the Hokage's orders and were carefully protecting the daimyo.

After arriving in Konoha, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire didn't go to see Sarutobi Hiruzen right away.

Instead, he headed straight for the fish shop where Uchiha Brahman lived.

The many shinobi and civilians couldn't understand what the daimyo was thinking, so they could only follow along.

Inside the fish shop, Uchiha Brahman lounged in a chair. In his arms, he held a gray-skinned rat about the size of a cat.

Just then, a commotion arose outside the shop.

"So he's here? Hehehe!"

Uchiha Brahman casually tossed the huge rat onto the floor, stretched, and waited.

Outside the shop.

"..."

The daimyo stood excitedly at the entrance. As the people around him watched in confusion, he slowly approached the door as if on a pilgrimage.

Several guards followed behind him.

Soon, the daimyo entered the fish shop.

"You've come!"

Brahman looked at the old man coldly. The next moment, the old man dropped to his knees with utmost devotion.

"Wretched commoner, I pay my respects to great Lord Brahman!"

The daimyo knelt on the ground, kowtowing and bowing to Brahman with utter reverence.

"My lord!"

The guards beside him were stunned. No, had the ruler of an entire country really knelt and kowtowed to an ordinary fishmonger? Was this a genjutsu? When had it happened?!

The guards immediately turned to look at Brahman.

"You bastard, what have you done to our lord?!"

Their angry cries rang out, and the guards moved to attack.

"Stop! Do not show disrespect to my lord!"

The daimyo roared, trying to stop them. Unfortunately, the guards had already decided that he'd been controlled. After hesitating briefly, they immediately tried to perform ninjutsu and attack Brahman.

"Honestly, what a useless lot. You can't even control your own subordinates!"

Seeing this, Brahman shook his head helplessly. The next moment, a pair of scarlet eyes appeared and filled the guards' vision.

A short while later.

Brahman followed the daimyo outside, with the guards standing respectfully behind him.

"What's going on? Who is he? Did the daimyo come here just to see this person?"

Some civilians stared at Brahman in surprise. Anyone could see that the daimyo had come here for a reason, and that the old man treated the boy with great respect.

"I know him! He's a fishmonger, and he's from the Uchiha Clan. I often come here to buy fish!"

Some of the civilians spoke up. Everyone was astonished that an ordinary boy who sold fish had received such treatment from the daimyo—and that the daimyo had gone to his shop as soon as he arrived in Konoha.

The Uchiha Clan?

Some Anbu shinobi in the crowd heard what the civilians were saying. After committing Uchiha Brahman's appearance to memory, they left at once.