On the northern border of the Land of Fire stood a city called Iron Wall City.
The city walls still bore the marks of blades and swords, while the air was thick with the faint stench of blood mingled with scorched earth.
The rebellion had ended.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood atop the walls. Behind him, Sarutobi Clan ninja efficiently assisted the Daimyo's Mansion samurai in rounding up prisoners and clearing the battlefield.
The entire process had been unbelievably swift.
The three hundred elite ninja led by Hiruzen Sarutobi had effortlessly torn through the rebel army's defenses.
The Sarutobi Clan's elites had displayed terrifying strength sufficient to crush their enemies.
Working alongside the samurai's charge, they had completely crushed the rebellion in just two days.
A samurai commander clad in ornate armor, sweat covering his face beneath his helmet, hurried over to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Lord Hiruzen!"
"All rebel leaders have been captured, and the city is fully under control."
"Good."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was aged yet imposing.
"Behead all the chief culprits on the spot, and hang their heads from the city gates."
"Yes!"
The samurai commander hesitated, then spoke again.
"Lord Hiruzen, should we return at once to report to His Highness the Daimyo?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly turned around.
"No hurry."
He glanced at the sky.
"Though the rebellion has been suppressed, its remnants have yet to be purged, and the north remains unsettled."
"I have decided to station our forces here for three days and stabilize the situation completely, lest the ashes reignite."
"This..."
The samurai commander hesitated. This seemed to exceed the scope of the Daimyo's written order.
Yet when he met Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, every word of objection stuck in his throat.
Even stripped of his title, the former Hokage's authority still made others afraid to meet his