Kyoto Prefecture's Wild Jubilation and Zetsu's Desperate Countdown in the Water Mirror

Land of Fire, Kyoto Prefecture.

Inside the lavish bedchamber, incense curled through the air. The golden-thread nanmu floor gleamed like a mirror, reflecting the twisted face of Hojo Tokugawa, the chief elder, warped by extreme anxiety.

Like a beast trapped in a cage, he paced back and forth restlessly.

His silk kimono had long been soaked through with cold sweat, clinging tightly to his obese body and bringing wave after wave of clammy, nauseating discomfort.

Fear.

Unprecedented fear gripped his heart like countless icy hands, making every breath feel suffocatingly difficult.

That young man called Baishi... that newly appointed Fifth Hokage was a complete madman! A monster!

Not only had he purged Root, placed the two elder advisors under house arrest, but he had even... even sent Yoshikawa Shin, tortured beyond recognition, back to Kyoto as openly as if he were a piece of trash!

The bloody evidence carved into Yoshikawa Shin's chest with a blade—every word burned into Hojo Tokugawa's eyes like a branding iron, scorching his nerves day and night.

He was finished.

Once the Daimyo saw that evidence, saw the filthy dealings between himself, Danzo, and Orochimaru, the Hojo family's century-old foundation would be reduced to ashes overnight!

"Trash! You're all useless trash!"

Hojo Tokugawa suddenly grabbed a priceless celadon vase from the table and smashed it viciously onto the floor.

"The remnants of the Twelve Guardian Ninja are useless! Those money-grubbing killers from the black market are useless too! Five billion ryo! A bounty of five whole billion ryo, and they couldn't even harm a single hair on that brat's head!"

Panting heavily, he collapsed into his chair, his eyes filled with nothing but utter despair.

Just then, a faint, nearly imperceptible sound of air being cut rang out.

A ninja dressed in black, wearing a