Escape!

Worlds had changed too quickly. Even now, many people still hadn't caught up. How had the good old Hokage, Lord Third, suddenly become a missing-nin—and even betrayed the Land of Fire?!

A sense of absurdity rose in the hearts of the shinobi present. The next moment, a large number of Root shinobi appeared, warily watching them.

"Impossible! How could Lord Third attack the Daimyo? How could he betray the village? What reason would Lord Third have to do this?!"

At that moment, a shinobi who was utterly loyal to the Third stepped forward and shouted. He immediately tried to rush over and help him.

"Stop! Are you trying to commit treason? To betray Konoha? From this moment on, Sarutobi Hiruzen is no longer the Hokage. He's a traitor, a missing-nin. Anyone who dares help him is betraying Konoha and the Land of Fire!"

Seeing this, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire barked furiously.

"That's right. I don't know what got into Sarutobi, but he's become a missing-nin. That's a fact now. He's gone mad!"

Shimura Danzō nodded beside him.

The shinobi looked at Danzō, and especially at the Daimyo. Some of those who weren't particularly loyal to the Third fell silent. They didn't know what had driven the Third mad, but the Daimyo himself had confirmed that the Third had betrayed Konoha and the Land of Fire.

It seemed Konoha was about to undergo a change of leadership.

Some shinobi suspected the Daimyo had been controlled. They quietly used various methods to examine him, only to discover, to their dismay, that there wasn't a trace of foreign chakra or anything unusual about him. He hadn't been manipulated by genjutsu. The Daimyo was telling the truth.

Even so, some shinobi still refused to believe it. They were sure there had to be some hidden reason behind all this.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Lord Third would never betray the Land of Fire! There must be some hidden reason, Your Highness!"

Several shinobi rushed over and knelt before the Daimyo.

"Hmph, a hidden reason? What hidden reason could there be? If I hadn't been lucky, that beast Sarutobi Hiruzen would have killed me by now. And you're talking about hidden reasons?"

The Daimyo gave a contemptuous smile. At that moment, some people burst out of the crowd and tried to go to the Third's aid, but the shinobi around them seized them.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had lost the people's support. Now, he was a missing-nin, a traitor. He had lost any legitimate claim to being Hokage.

It couldn't be helped. A shinobi village was only a country's military institution, not its governing authority. Perhaps a Kage could easily kill the Daimyo, but what would that accomplish?

As long as they remained part of a country and were subject—even to a ruler in name only—to his authority, they would lose their legitimacy in that country if he refused to recognize them, no matter how easily they could kill him.

No matter how powerful they were, unless they ruled the country and held real power, they were nothing more than a gang of powerful bandits.

Especially now, when Sarutobi Hiruzen's strength wasn't enough to overwhelm Uchiha Brahman. That gave him the chance to turn black into white—or rather, to set things right and reclaim the position that had always belonged to Uchiha Brahman.

Bzzzz—

After slicing the Adamantine Staff in two, the sharp Chainsaw Sword kept going, slashing toward Sarutobi Hiruzen. Seeing this, he immediately retreated, but it was already too late. The blade grazed his left arm, turning it into a bloody pulp.

"How weak! Ahahaha!"

Uchiha Brahman laughed wildly. Then he swung the Chainsaw Sword in his hand toward Sarutobi Hiruzen again.

Just as the blow was about to engulf him, several figures suddenly appeared. A few Anbu immediately moved in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen and were torn to pieces by the chainsaw like watermelons. At the same time, another figure grabbed Sarutobi Hiruzen by the arm and pulled him away. Then, that figure ran like mad toward the outskirts of the village.

"Oh?"

Uchiha Brahman tilted his head as he watched the figure.

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

Uchiha Brahman spoke coldly as he watched Itachi Uchiha flee with Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"..."

Itachi gritted his teeth and said nothing. Clever as he was, he'd sensed that something was wrong as early as yesterday. Now, his suspicions had been confirmed. These people actually wanted to overthrow Konoha and destroy the village's unity!

Only Lord Third's Will of Fire could lead the village to greater heights—not this man who had suddenly appeared and somehow gained control of the Daimyo and Lord Danzō.

Was this the power his clan had kept hidden?

Damn it! He hadn't expected things to end up like this. He hadn't known his clan had such tremendous power hidden away. But this was wrong. These people didn't understand the Will of Fire at all. Without Lord Third, the village would surely fall apart, and then the other countries would invade the Land of Fire.

Itachi was furious. He thought the Uchiha Clan was as unreasonable as ever. Did they really have to stage a coup?

And they had even taken control of such a noble person as the Daimyo. It was utterly backward. Why couldn't they just try to get along peacefully with the village?

"Trying to run? How interesting!"

Watching Itachi flee with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Uchiha Brahman raised the Chainsaw Sword and swung it forward. A massive energy blade shot out and engulfed them both.

"Did they get away?"

In the end, Uchiha Brahman looked at the empty sky and smiled. They were nothing but ants. If they'd escaped, so be it.

"Now, it's time for me to rule my Konoha!"

Uchiha Brahman turned the Susanoo around and gazed coldly at the shinobi in the distance.

"Greetings, Lord Brahman!"

The Daimyo and Danzō stood before Uchiha Brahman and spoke with utmost reverence.

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

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire turned to look at the shinobi behind him.

"I'm in favor. Sarutobi Hiruzen went too far—he actually dared attack the Daimyo. If Lord Brahman hadn't stepped in, I can't imagine what might have happened. I believe only Lord Brahman is qualified to be the new Hokage. Only the great Lord Brahman can lead Konoha to glory once more!"

Shimura Danzō nodded, then gazed reverently at Uchiha Brahman.

"I don't—"

A shinobi raised his hand. The next moment, a figure appeared in front of him and punched him in the chest. His bones shattered, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

"Starting today, I'm the new Hokage! Who's in favor, and who's against?"

Uchiha Brahman stared at the shinobi present with a pair of crimson eyes, speaking in a gentle voice.