From Now On, My Will Is the Will of Fire!

The next morning, the sunlight was painfully bright.

Konoha awoke in silence, but the bloodstains and scorched ground that lingered in the air bore witness to the turmoil of the previous night.

Villagers gathered in twos and threes on the streets and in the alleys, murmuring among themselves.

"That giant last night was terrifying..."

"I saw it clearly. It first appeared in the Uchiha Clan Compound, then somehow showed up at the Hokage Building! It was like a nightmare."

"That's not all! Go look down the street. There's still blood on the ground, and they haven't even cleared away all the remains..."

A villager was speaking animatedly when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a group of shinobi in Anbu uniforms approaching. Hyuga Hiashi was at their head.

His expression changed. He immediately stopped talking, lowered his head, and walked away as if nothing had happened.

Hyuga Hiashi surveyed the surroundings with a solemn gaze while the Anbu remained on guard, keeping an eye on passersby.

"Uchiha Yoru had his fill of killing last night, but the whole mess he left behind has fallen on us."

Hyuga Hiashi sighed inwardly.

Although Uchiha Yoru had ordered them to maintain order in the village, he had given no other instructions.

Hiashi had assumed that Uchiha Yoru would take further steps to control public opinion, at the very least ordering a news blackout.

But he hadn't.

The villagers' chatter was growing louder, and fear and speculation were spreading unchecked. There was no sign of it letting up.

Without an order from Uchiha Yoru, Hiashi could only keep patrolling with his men, preventing anyone from taking advantage of the chaos.

As for the villagers whispering among themselves...

"They haven't disrupted Konoha's order. How can we punish them just for talking?"

Hyuga Hiashi felt utterly helpless.

Just then, a shadow flashed by. A shinobi in an Anbu uniform appeared silently beside him and dropped to one knee.

"Clan Head Hyuga, the Fifth Hokage summons you."

Hyuga Hiashi froze for a moment, a complicated emotion flickering in his eyes.

"Is he finally going to put his new policies into effect?"

Uchiha Yoru's slaughter the previous night had shaken all of Konoha. In a single night, the entire situation had been transformed. Now, only one voice remained in Konoha.

But strangely...

"Kage Rock?"

Upon hearing where he was being summoned, Hyuga Hiashi furrowed his brow.

"Why Kage Rock instead of the Hokage Building?"

"Oh, the Hokage Building was blown up yesterday..."

Hiashi asked himself the question and answered it in turn. He waved for the Anbu to continue their patrol, then pushed off and sped toward Kage Rock, leaving a blur in his wake.

Atop Kage Rock

The statues that symbolized Konoha stood silently in the morning light, yet the atmosphere was more oppressive than ever.

The Fourth Hokage's statue glimmered in the rising sun, as if watching over the village's future.

The leaders of the various shinobi clans had already gathered on Kage Rock, each wearing a different expression.

The representatives of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans stood among the crowd with their heads bowed. The leaders of all three clans had been killed the previous night, and they had been powerless to resist Uchiha Yoru's force. To protect their clansmen, they had no choice but to submit and quickly appoint new representatives to attend and follow orders.

The leaders of the Aburame Clan and the Inuzuka Clan wore complicated expressions. Though they hadn't taken part in the fighting the previous night, they knew all too well that Konoha's balance of power had changed completely.

Without exception, everyone's gaze turned toward the top of Kage Rock.

There, Uchiha Yoru stood quietly atop the statue of Second Hokage Tobirama Senju.

He looked down over Konoha, his gaze deep and inscrutable, as if surveying the entire village.

Sunlight fell upon him, and his black hair fluttered in the breeze. His crimson Sharingan looked even more uncanny in the light.

His face was sharply defined. High cheekbones and deep-set eyes formed striking lines; his nose was straight, and his jaw was clean-cut. A youthful air blended with a mature bearing.

He was a presence that inspired fear and could not be ignored.

Yet if they hadn't witnessed the slaughter the previous night, no one would have imagined that this sixteen-year-old boy was a terrifying figure who killed without batting an eye—and even crushed his victims' bodies afterward.

But now, as he stood atop Kage Rock, a faint smile played on his lips.

"What is a true dream?"

Uchiha Yoru murmured softly, as if speaking to himself, yet also as if asking a question.

Just then, he sensed movement behind him. He turned his head slightly, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

Hyuga Hiashi and the other clan leaders arrived one after another. Without exception, they stopped a short distance from him.

They said little and voiced no objections. Not one of them dared even to look at him askance.

When Uchiha Yoru turned around and swept his gaze over them, everyone lowered their heads almost instinctively.

"Lord Hokage."

At the sound of their voices, perfectly in unison, everyone bowed.

Uchiha Yoru's lips curved into a slight smile, a hint of amusement in it.

"Good. It seems you all know your place."

He stood with his hands behind his back. His gaze was as cold as if he were looking down at ants, yet his voice carried a force that seemed to seize the heart.

"After last night, Konoha's order has been reshaped. I want you to understand—"

"The Hokage is no longer a symbol, and certainly not the so-called 'Will of Fire passed down through the generations' you old geezers keep talking about."

"From now on, my will is the Will of Fire!"

As he spoke, Uchiha Yoru's Sharingan slowly spun, its bloody light flashing and pressing down on everyone present with an indescribable weight.

"First."

Uchiha Yoru raised a hand slightly. His voice was calm, but left no room for argument.

"From today onward, the Anbu will be under the Hokage's direct control. The former Hokage's personal Anbu will be disbanded, and all its members reassigned."

"As for those who refuse—"

"Treat them as rogue ninja and kill them without mercy."

Everyone below shuddered, and no one dared to object.

"Second."

Uchiha Yoru looked around, pausing briefly on Hyuga Hiashi.

"From now on, the Hyuga Clan will help maintain public order in Konoha."

Hyuga Hiashi drew a deep breath and bowed. "We will obey your orders, Lord Hokage."

"Third."

Uchiha Yoru's gaze swept over the representatives of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans, his voice cold as a blade.

"The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans performed poorly in last night's rebellion. But since you didn't actively rebel, I've decided to give you a chance."

"Starting today, the three clans must provide their elite members to assist the Anbu unconditionally, until I decide you've atoned for your crimes."

"The Nara Clan leader will serve as a Konoha advisor and assist the Hokage."

The representatives of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans didn't dare protest. They simply lowered their heads and acknowledged the order.

"Finally."

Uchiha Yoru's lips curved into a meaningful smile.

"Regarding Konoha's next steps..."

He raised his hand and pointed toward the Hokage Building in the distance, his gaze sharp.

"Those rotten systems are no longer fit for purpose. I'm going to build a truly powerful Konoha."

"No more being constrained by the so-called Council of Elders."

"No more letting those self-proclaimed righteous people manipulate public opinion."

"Strength is the only thing that gives anyone a say."

Uchiha Yoru's voice rang out over Kage Rock, shaking everyone to the core.

They lowered their heads in silence as an irresistible pressure bore down on them.