The Collapse of Uchiha Kazuto's Dao Heart

"Lord Kazuto!"

Seeing Uchiha Kazuto collapse to the ground, Uchiha Inaho immediately caught him in a panic, his face filled with immense grief.

"Lord Kazuto, you have to pull yourself together! Who could have imagined that the mastermind behind it all would be our great Lord Hokage!"

At that moment, inside the Hokage's office.

"What's going on?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at the rioting villagers outside, completely baffled as to what had happened. Things had been calm and uneventful for days—nothing seemed wrong—so why had it suddenly turned into this?

Suddenly, an Anbu approached and threw a villager to the ground.

"Lord Hokage, we've investigated!"

The Anbu looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a strange expression. The admiration he once held for Hiruzen had vanished from his eyes, replaced by a deep-seated contempt lurking in their depths—if what these villagers were saying was true.

If so, then the Third Hokage he had always revered was nothing but a fame-seeking hypocrite, a complete beast, and moreover, the murderer of the Second Hokage.

If it weren't for the ingrained habits of his long service in the Anbu, and the possibility that there might be some hidden circumstances...

He would have already made a move against this so-called Lord Hokage.

"What's going on? Speak!"

Hiruzen frowned, staring at the Anbu. He was starting to feel that something was seriously wrong.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, you beast! You think killing the Second Hokage and stealing the Hokage's seat was flawless? I'm telling you, we already know! And those beastly deeds you had Shimura Danzō do—experimenting on our own village comrades! Quack! I'll tear you apart! Waaah, my little brother was killed by you beasts!"

The Konoha villager lying on the ground roared, squirming and crawling toward Hiruzen Sarutobi. Even if he had to bite, he would tear a chunk of flesh from that beast Hiruzen Sarutobi.

In Konoha, some villagers who had learned the truth harbored a deep hatred for Hiruzen Sarutobi and his ilk. They had thought their loved ones were merely missing, only to find out they had been captured by Root and turned into test subjects.

Beasts! Absolute beasts!

What? What do you mean I killed the Second Hokage? What do you mean I ordered Shimura Danzō to conduct human experiments? Well, yes, there were some, but they stopped later!

What are you all talking about?

Hearing the villager's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned for a moment, then he realized—rumors. Someone was spreading rumors.

"Nonsense! How could I have killed my teacher? My teacher was murdered by Kumogakure!"

Hiruzen shook his head and said sternly.

Forget it, no matter what, he would first quell the riot in Konoha, then explain himself.

"Where's Uchiha Kazuto? Go notify Uchiha Kazuto immediately to suppress the riot! And have all Anbu mobilize to calm the unrest in Konoha!"

Hiruzen turned around and waved his hand.

"Lord Hokage, Lord Kazuto is already leading the Military Police Force to suppress the riot!"

The Anbu lowered his head and said. As he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, the reverence that once filled his heart had completely vanished. Clearly, he no longer believed the claim that the Second Hokage had been killed by Kumogakure.

He used to believe it, but that was in the past.

Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi—you and your Hokage Guard Platoon, the ones who should have died back then were you!

Your duty was to give your all, to sacrifice your lives to protect the Second Hokage! Not for you to survive while the Second Hokage died protecting you!

If it were before, you could say that, and everyone would believe it. But now...

Heh!

Pfft!

Uchiha Kazuto bit down on the blood pack he had prepared in advance, spitting a mouthful of blood from his lips. He clutched his chest, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. His heart was filled with immense sorrow, as if his faith had crumbled in that moment.

Why!

Lord Hokage, I admired you so much, revered you so deeply, but how did you repay me?

Lord Hokage, you have betrayed the Will of Fire! You have betrayed the village!

Why did it have to be like this! Lord Hokage!

Uchiha Kazuto's lips trembled, his face a mask of grief and pain, as if he had never suffered so deeply before. Anyone who saw him would feel a pang in their heart—such a loyal, upstanding citizen of Konoha, and now his faith had collapsed.

"Lord Kazuto, you have to pull yourself together! Konoha still needs you to hold it together! You can't fall!"

At that moment, several members of the Military Police Force approached, their faces pained and sorrowful as they supported Uchiha Kazuto, constantly comforting him. No one in all of Konoha was more loyal to Lord Hokage than Lord Kazuto.

Some said Lord Kazuto was nothing but Hiruzen Sarutobi's dog.

Now, Lord Kazuto's heart must be filled with such grief, such pain.

Damn Hiruzen Sarutobi, that innate evil old ghost! To betray Lord Kazuto's trust like this—he's worse than a pig or a dog!

Uchiha Kazuto wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly stood up, his face silent and sorrowful. His lips trembled as he took a deep breath, steadying his grieving heart.

"The First Hokage once said: no matter who it is, if they dare to harm the village or damage its interests, even if it's Hashirama Senju himself, he would kill them without hesitation. That is the great Will of Fire!"

Uchiha Kazuto's expression gradually calmed—a terrifying calm. This was the kind of expression only someone utterly despairing could make.

"First Unit, assemble!"

"Second Unit, assemble!"

"..."

"Ninth Unit, assemble!"

"Yes, sir!"

In no time, a large group of shinobi appeared before Uchiha Kazuto. Some stood on rooftops, others on the streets, but every single one looked at him with eyes full of reverence and admiration.

"Ninth Unit, go guide everyone in the village to the plaza. Eighth Unit, go notify the major clans. The remaining units, follow me to the Hokage's office. Loyalty!"

Uchiha Kazuto issued his orders swiftly.

"Loyalty!"

"Loyalty!"

"Loyalty!"

Soon, a surge of loyalty soared into the sky.

At the same time, Uchiha Kazuto fully activated all nine units.

The dojutsu power he had accumulated over this period began to drain rapidly.

Once activated, the key members within these units had their Chakra reserves, physical strength, and reaction speed all elevated to the Jonin level. Meanwhile, the Genin-level shinobi had their overall strength directly raised to Chunin, approaching the level of Jonin.