Escape!

The world was changing too fast, and many people still hadn't processed it: how could the esteemed Third Hokage, the pillar of Konoha, suddenly become a rogue ninja who had betrayed the Land of Fire?

A sense of absurdity surged through the hearts of the gathered ninjas, and the next moment, a large number of Root operatives appeared, watching the crowd with vigilant eyes.

"Impossible! How could the Third Hokage attack the Daimyo? How could he betray the village? What reason could the Third Hokage possibly have for doing such a thing!"

At that moment, a ninja fiercely loyal to the Third jumped out, shouting loudly, and immediately tried to rush forward to assist him.

"Stop! Are you attempting treason? Are you betraying Konoha? From this moment on, Sarutobi Hiruzen is no longer the Hokage; he is a traitor and a rogue ninja. Whoever dares to help him is betraying Konoha and betraying the Land of Fire!"

Seeing this scene, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire shouted sternly.

"That's right. Although I don't know what madness has taken hold of that man Sarutobi, the fact that he has become a rogue ninja is now reality. He has lost his mind!"

Beside him, Shimura Danzō nodded.

The ninjas looked at Danzō, and especially at the Daimyo. Some who lacked deep loyalty to the Third fell silent; although they didn't know what had driven him mad, the Daimyo had confirmed it. The Third had betrayed Konoha and the Land of Fire.

It seemed the heavens of Konoha were about to change.

Some ninjas, suspecting the Daimyo had been controlled, quietly used various methods to observe him, only to find with sorrow that there wasn't a trace of foreign chakra or any abnormality on him. He wasn't being controlled by genjutsu; it was real. The Daimyo was speaking the truth.

However, there were still ninjas who refused to believe it, feeling that there must be some hidden story behind all this.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! The Third Hokage would never betray the Land of Fire. There must be some hidden reason for this, Lord Daimyo!"

Several ninjas rushed over and knelt before the Daimyo.

"Hmph, a hidden reason? What hidden reason could there be? If I hadn't been lucky, I would have already been killed by that animal Sarutobi Hiruzen. Don't talk to me about hidden reasons!"

The Daimyo gave a contemptuous smile. Just then, some people rushed out from the crowd, intending to rescue the Third, but they were immediately seized by the surrounding ninjas.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had lost the hearts of the people. Now, he was a rogue ninja, a traitor, and he had lost the legitimacy to serve as Hokage.

There was no helping it; while a ninja village was a country's military institution, it was not the country's governing body. Perhaps a Kage could easily kill a Daimyo, but what would that achieve?

As long as they remained part of a nation and were subject to the jurisdiction of even a nominal ruler, they lacked legitimacy within that country if that ruler did not recognize their status.

No matter how powerful they were, without ruling the country and holding actual power, they were nothing more than a group of powerful bandits.

Especially now, since Sarutobi Hiruzen's power could not crush Uchiha Brahman, it gave the latter the opportunity to turn black into white—or rather, to set things right and reclaim the position that rightfully belonged to Uchiha Brahman.

Buzz, buzz~

After the sharp Chainsaw Sword hacked the Adamantine Staff into two pieces, it continued its momentum toward Sarutobi Hiruzen. Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately retreated, but it was too late. The sharp blade grazed his left arm, mincing the limb into a bloody pulp.

"How truly weak! Hahahaha!"

Uchiha Brahman laughed wildly, then swung the Chainsaw Sword in his hand, slashing toward Sarutobi Hiruzen again.

Just as this strike was about to engulf him, several figures suddenly appeared. A few Anbu members threw themselves directly in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen, only to be torn into shreds by the chainsaw like watermelons. At the same time, another figure grabbed Sarutobi Hiruzen's arm and pulled him away, then ran toward the outside of the village like a madman.

"Oh?"

Uchiha Brahman tilted his head, watching that figure.

"Itachi Uchiha, are you trying to betray Konoha?"

Uchiha Brahman looked at Itachi Uchiha, who was fleeing frantically with Sarutobi Hiruzen, and spoke in a cold tone.

"..."

Itachi Uchiha gritted his teeth, offering no reply. As clever as he was, he had sensed something wrong as early as yesterday. Now, his suspicions had been confirmed: this group of people actually wanted to subvert Konoha and destroy the unity of the village!

Only the Will of Fire held by the Third could lead the village toward greater strength, not this person who had suddenly appeared and, through unknown means, controlled the Daimyo and Danzō.

Was this the hidden power of the clan?

Damn it, he never expected that such a thing would happen in the end. He never thought the clan would hide such terrifying power, but this behavior was unacceptable. These people didn't understand the Will of Fire at all. Without the Third, the village would surely fall apart, and the Land of Fire would inevitably be invaded by other nations.

Itachi Uchiha felt immense anger in his heart, thinking that the Uchiha clan members were truly unreasonable. Did they really have to stage a coup?

And to control such a noble person as the Daimyo—it was simply defying the natural order. Why couldn't they just try to live in peace with the village?

"Want to run? Interesting!"

Watching Itachi Uchiha flee with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Brahman raised the Chainsaw Sword in his hand and swung it forward. A massive blade of energy flew out, engulfing both of their bodies.

"Did they escape?"

In the end, Uchiha Brahman looked at the empty sky and smiled. They were just two ants; if they ran, they ran.

"Now, it is time to reign over my Konoha!"

Uchiha Brahman controlled the Susanoo to turn around, looking indifferently at the ninjas in the distance.

"Greetings, Lord Brahman!"

The Daimyo and Danzō stood before Uchiha Brahman, speaking with utmost respect.

"From this day forward, Lord Brahman is the new Hokage. Who is in favor, and who is against?"

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire turned his head to look at the ninjas behind him.

"I am in favor. Sarutobi Hiruzen went too far, actually daring to attack the Daimyo. If Lord Brahman hadn't intervened, I wouldn't even dare to imagine what would have happened. I believe that only Lord Brahman is qualified to serve as the new Hokage. Only the great Lord Brahman can lead Konoha to glory once again!"

Shimura Danzō nodded, then looked respectfully at Uchiha Brahman.

"I don't..."

A ninja raised his hand, but the next moment, a figure appeared before him and slammed a fist into his chest. In an instant, his bones shattered, and he collapsed powerlessly to the ground.

"From today on, I am the new Hokage! Who approves, and who opposes?"

Uchiha Brahman glared with a pair of scarlet eyes, looked at the ninjas present, and spoke in a gentle tone.