Danzo Applies Pressure

The dry sound of a Shuriken striking something rang out.

But it was not the sound of piercing flesh.

"Earth Release destroyed, Fire Release neutralized, Water Release inferior in proficiency. If all methods fail—"

A massive shadow was born.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen heard Diejian's words and looked up at the sky.

"Rejoice. You are the first to witness this technique."

At this moment, the reason Diejian was called the "Rising Dragon" descended.

Emerging from the mist was a dragon with brown skin.

It was a Wood Dragon.

The swirling mist was swept away by the lashing tail of the dragon, revealing its full form.

The Kirigakure ninja looked up in astonishment.

Atop the dragon's head, Kojian knelt on one knee, looking down at the Kirigakure ninja.

"This is the trump card of the Konoha Rising Dragon—the First Hokage's Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique."

"Wrong. This is 'my' dragon. Not the old man's."

Perched on the Wood Dragon's head, Diejian frowned in displeasure and closed his eyes.

"Fuguki. Your great sword is called Samehada, right? That thing—it seems to have terrible synergy with someone like me, who excels at long-range suppression via ninjutsu. It's difficult to think of a way to break through using the techniques I have on hand. One might say it is the natural enemy of all ninjutsu users. For a ninja of equal strength, it is hard to overcome its unique abilities. Unless, of course, one possesses a unique skill like the Second Hokage or White Fang, or the ability to see through and suppress taijutsu like the Uchiha or Hyuga—so then, Fuguki."

With his eyes closed, Kojian looked down with a disdainful gaze, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

"Tell me—how will you defend against a physical, saturation-style attack?"

Kojian, sitting on the Wood Dragon, suddenly raised his arm.

In synchronization, the Wood Dragon opened its mouth to the limit.

Growing from within its maw were not fangs.

They were countless, razor-sharp branches.

"Come, dance! Wood Release: Cutting Technique!"

Diejian swung his arm down.

Simultaneously, countless sharp branches were unleashed from the Wood Dragon's mouth.

This was the tentacle-like annihilation attack that Kakuzu had once used against Kojian.

It was less effective against opponents with high defensive capabilities, but for ninja who specialized in close-quarters techniques, it was a lethal and highly effective move.

If Kojian hadn't possessed a sturdy shield made of Wood Release, he likely wouldn't have been able to defend against that rain of death.

Polished to a sharp point and pouring down with astonishing momentum, the branches were no different from spears.

The Kirigakure ninja swung their swords frantically, desperately batting away the raining branches of the Cutting Technique.

"But, it's not over yet!"

Watching this scene, Diejian began to weave hand signs slowly, as if showing off.

The sign was the Tiger.

Diejian filled his lungs with air, then exhaled violently.

The air, fused with chakra in Diejian's lungs, rapidly heated the moment it left his mouth, transforming into a hellfire capable of burning wood to ash.

"Fire Release: Hellfire Gravel Technique!"

The flames spat out by Diejian struck the branches released by the Wood Dragon, setting them ablaze.

Transformed into flaming spears, they forced the Kirigakure ninja into an even more desperate defense.

But unlike the dual-wielding swordsmen with their myriad techniques, or the great sword user who could protect himself with his massive blade, Fuguki—who wielded Samehada and lacked both diverse techniques and a blade long enough for defense—made a mistake in his response.

A flaming arrow pierced Fuguki's shoulder.

Fuguki groaned in pain.

Once that happened, collapse was the only path forward.

The follow-up attack was about to strike Fuguki—"Release: Hiramekarei!"

The great sword Hiramekarei transformed into a massive blade large enough to cover three Kirigakure ninja.

A colossal chakra shield deflected all the flaming arrows.

"So that's called Hiramekarei. Infusing it with chakra to change its shape—it can become that large in an instant. There is likely no sword more terrifying in close-quarters combat."

One might think they have gauged the length of the blade and maintained their distance, only to find themselves sliced in half before they even realized it.

Facing Hiramekarei, close-quarters combat was a taboo.

Perhaps that was exactly why it could form a three-man squad with Samehada, which could completely shut down long-range ninjutsu.

The Samehada, a ninja-killing greatsword that devours chakra.

The Hiramekarei, a taijutsu-killing weapon capable of instantaneous shape-shifting.

What troublesome ninja tools, Kojian frowned in disgust.

Still, it is a good thing to have obtained intelligence here.

Originally, if I could have resolved this here—

"——They're coming again!"

Diejian's train of thought was interrupted.

Kojian leaped off the top of the Wood Dragon in an instant.

The reason was a surprise attack from a newly appeared assailant.

Immediately following, the head of the Wood Dragon where Kojian had just been standing exploded.

Watching the head get blown away, the Wood Dragon, forced to abort its Wood Branch Technique, collapsed powerlessly to the ground as Diejian landed.

"——!?"

He was swallowed by the maw of a Water Dragon that had closed in before his eyes.

Drifting within the water pressure, struggling even to breathe, Kojian curled his body to minimize the surface area exposed to the pressure while simultaneously exerting his full strength to manifest his Domain.

He pushed back and ultimately dispelled the Water Dragon by force, but he could not fully negate the momentum; his body was slammed heavily into the ground and rolled several times before he finally adjusted his posture and landed on his feet.

Although his feet sank into the sand, the soft beach could not absorb the force of the impact.

Kojian slid backward in a crouch, carving furrows into the sand, and only came to a stop after a few moments.

Soaked to the bone, Diejian was panting heavily, his stamina severely depleted from the massive chakra expenditure, holding his breath inside the Water Dragon, and the physical exertion required to regain his footing.

During the sequence of movements, the inside of his mouth seemed to have been injured by the impact.

A trickle of blood ran down the corner of Diejian's mouth.

Kojian spat out the blood in his mouth and wiped the stain from his chin.

"That just now was—"

The newly appeared assailant he had glimpsed in the instant before the explosion.

A strange, massive greatsword with a giant scroll attached to its blade.

That was likely a Mist ninja sword as well—which meant, without a doubt, it was the newly formed Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

"To use more than half of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen just for me?"

He had been targeted for his life several times before.

However, this was the first time Kojian had encountered a team so clearly assembled for the sole purpose of killing him.

"The enemy is playing for keeps, then."

During his lifetime, the Second Hokage had warned Kojian many times about the significance carried by the Senju Clan and Kojian's own position.

In his youth, he had turned a deaf ear and only resisted, even taking a Fist or two, but Diejian now understood the true concern held by Hashirama and Tobirama.

Ever since Kojian could remember, Konoha had repeatedly suffered damage due to the interference of other villages.

Kojian thought that the reason the successive Hokage had not taken hardline measures was to protect the young saplings.

Suppose Konoha had taken hardline measures and suffered retaliation as a result; if the children of noble families were targeted—at the very least, Kojian, before he had mastered the Sharingan and various other techniques, would not have had the ability to survive the offensive and defensive battle he had just endured.

"Assuming the Second Hokage-level figures are all monsters of the same caliber—that would mean Iwagakure and Kirigakure each have two more master-level monsters—and beneath them are the next-generation Third Hokage candidates—equivalent to the elite level Konoha had during the Kumogakure incident—ah, how annoying. I should have asked Sakumo to accompany me for training."

He let out a sigh.

"—Truly miserable."

He scanned his surroundings.

The enemy's presence had already vanished.

It seemed they had retreated.

He stood up and brushed the sand and dust from his kimono.

Before Diejian's eyes lay a coastline that had been rendered unrecognizable.

The once pure white beach was covered in filthy mud and sand, uneven from the scouring of the water, and the flames spreading across the discarded driftwood reflected the scene in a world that was gradually growing dark.

The remains of the Uzushio ninja who had committed suicide—whether they had vanished in the battle or been taken by the Mist ninja, they could no longer be found.

The Uzumaki Clan was a lineage that inherited physical Kekkei Genkai; they must have been of great research value to other villages.

In that place, there was no such thing as camaraderie for a fellow countryman who acted as an inside agent.

Even if one committed suicide for the sake of another village, they would only be used, and used again, until they were exhausted; such is the world of the ninja.

Kojian immediately returned to Uzushiogakure and left with Nawaki.

He did not want to linger in a place that might be enemy territory.

Several days later, based on the possibility suggested by Senju Kojian regarding Uzushiogakure's betrayal and collusion with the Mist ninja, Shimura Danzō proposed a re-examination of the alliance with Uzushiogakure.

At the same time, Uzushio Village ordered Senju Rujian to come and explain the situation, citing his alleged "kidnapping of Uzushio ninja" as the reason.

The Third Hokage attempted to defend Uzushio Village, an ally since the time of the First Hokage, but Danzo criticized this stance.

He advised the Third Hokage that if Kojian were to travel to Uzushio Village again, he might be killed by the combined forces of Kirigakure and Uzushio, and thus this order should be ignored.

Utatane Koharu and Senju Kojian shifted to Danzo's faction, while Mitokado Homura remained neutral.

Furthermore, with Akimichi Torifu, who was close to the Third Hokage, being dispatched to the front lines alongside White Fang, the support for the Third was insufficient.

In addition, Diejian, who possessed the Uzumaki bloodline, made the decision to abandon his second home for the sake of Konoha.

Danzo emphasized this point and pressured the Third Hokage, which became the decisive blow; the Third Hokage made his resolution to protect Konoha.

Just like that, the relationship between Konoha and Uzushio gradually cooled and became distant.

Because a rift had formed between Konohagakure and Uzushio Village, a dispute arose among the upper echelons of Konoha regarding the future treatment of Kushina Uzumaki, who hailed from Uzushio Village.

Various arguments flew back and forth regarding how to treat Kushina Uzumaki in the future.

Examples included strengthening the surveillance system, which had previously been the sole responsibility of Senju Diejian, and forcing her to convert to the faith of Konoha under the leadership of Danzo's "Root."

If Uzushio Village had been grooming Kushina as a spy, then Kushina, who would eventually become the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, would inevitably bring disaster upon Konohagakure with her immense power.

Danzo was concerned about this and argued that in order to protect Konoha, this unstable factor had to be eliminated.

The person who stood up to defend the Third Hokage against this opinion was the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Mito Uzumaki, who had remained silent on the matter of Uzushio Village until then.

Mito was able to control and cloak herself in the power of the Nine-Tails.

The Chakra of the Nine-Tails granted the wearer the ability to perceive the malice of others. Mito claimed that when she used this power to investigate Kushina, she felt absolutely no malice toward Konoha from her, and she directly appealed to the upper echelons of Konoha to stop the deterioration of Kushina's treatment.

Mito strongly argued about the terrifying and dangerous "nature of hatred" inherent in the Nine-Tails' Chakra.

Forced mental tampering would inevitably plant the seeds of hatred in the depths of Kushina's heart.

And when Kushina would eventually house the Nine-Tails in her body, these seeds of hatred would become an opportunity for the Nine-Tails to seize, causing it to burn violently.

She argued that they should now forget the relationship between the villages, accept the young Kushina as a "ninja of Konoha," and cherish and nurture her as a "child living in Konoha"—this was the true meaning of protecting the future of Konoha.

At the same time, she also explained that "cherishing and nurturing children" was exactly the "true village" that the First Hokage and Second Hokage had pursued, and the path that Konohagakure, as the founding village, should follow.

These words, spoken by Mito—who had remained politically silent since the death of the First Hokage and throughout the era of the Second Hokage—deeply shook the current upper echelons of Konoha, who had all received great grace from the First and Second Hokage.

At the same time, Mito declared that she would never interfere with how Konoha handled Uzushio Village, tacitly accepting the status quo between Konoha and Uzushio.

The Third Hokage accepted Mito's opinion and requested that all upper-level members put forward further suggestions.

He stated that regarding the treatment of Kushina Uzumaki, he would decide how to respond after hearing all opinions.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who had once trained hard under the First Hokage alongside Sarutobi Hiruzen, indicated that they were shifting to support the Third Hokage's faction regarding the issue of Kushina Uzumaki.

Her grandson Kojian, worried that his judgment might be affected by familial ties, clearly stated his neutrality.

After several meetings, Danzo finally stated that if it was for the benefit of Konoha, then it could not be helped, and he withdrew the hardline strategy he had previously advocated.

Subsequently, time passed.

Not long after the relationship between Uzushio Village and Konoha Village began to cool, Sunagakure, impatient with the small-scale conflicts with Konohagakure, organized a large army and committed it to friction with smaller nations.

In this battle, Akimichi Torifu, leading a four-man squad, stayed behind alone to fight dozens of enemies so that his companions could escape, ultimately dying in battle.

Another man who had followed in the footsteps of the Second Hokage had departed from this world.

Konohagakure lodged a protest, while Sunagakure declared war on Konoha under the pretext of "fair territorial expansion."

With this, the war between the two nations of Sunagakure and Konoha began.

Akimichi Chōza, a contemporary of Diejian, was enraged by the death of the beloved Torifu and volunteered to be the vanguard of the war.

The Third Hokage, sensing the anger of the entire Akimichi Clan, approved this request.

At the same time, the anger of the Akimichi Clan's allies, the Yamanaka Clan and the Nara Clan, was also extremely intense, so it was decided to send ninja from the Yamanaka and Nara clans who were contemporaries of Diejian as reinforcements; the Yamanaka clan contemporary of Diejian referred to was Yamanaka Ina.

The Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clans had deep connections that transcended clan boundaries.

Ina had also loved and respected Torifu like an older brother since she was a child, and she felt the same intense anger over his death, having no objections to participating in the war.

The upper echelons led by Danzo weighed the value of Ina as an intelligence officer and as a medical ninja, deemed that sending her to the front lines was of high value, and expressed their approval.

The only one who raised an objection was Diejian, who was worried about Ina's safety.

But that was clearly an objection born of personal feelings.

Although the Third Hokage expressed a certain understanding of Diejian's feelings, he did not adopt his opinion.

No one noticed the gears that had begun to slip out of alignment.

Some time after the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was sent to the front lines, the worried Diejian received some good news: Hatake Sakumo was getting married.