Settling Old Scores! The Advisors' Last Stand

"It's time these two old bastards went down to join their old friends!"

As Chiya's murderous words fell, Konoha's political order collapsed completely.

Konoha's administrative district, the Advisor Residence.

Located behind the Hokage Building, this heavily guarded estate was one of the restricted grounds that symbolized Konoha's highest seat of power. Though the two advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, had long since stopped taking missions, their political authority could, in some respects, even keep the Hokage in check.

But tonight, that peace was shattered.

"Quick! Surround it!"

"Don't let so much as a fly escape!"

With the tacit approval of Hyuga Hiashi, Shikaku Nara, and the other clan heads, hundreds of Anbu ninja poured into the restricted grounds like a black tide.

"Insolence! Utter insolence!"

A shrill, furious cry rang out from the estate's entrance.

Utatane Koharu stood there leaning on a cane, her wrinkled face filled with incredulous fury. Beside her, Mitokado Homura looked equally livid, his cloudy eyes flashing with the authority of someone long accustomed to power.

"Which Anbu division are you from? Who gave you the nerve to surround the Advisor Residence?"

"Where's Hiruzen? Tell that monkey Hiruzen Sarutobi to get out here and face me!"

Surrounded by the Anbu, these two elders, both more than half a century old, showed no fear. Instead, they acted as though they were scolding their juniors.

To them, this was merely a case of subordinates misunderstanding orders, or perhaps some kind of drill. They were the personal disciples of the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, living relics of Konoha! Apart from the Hokage, who in this village would dare lay a hand on them?

Cold sweat beaded on the forehead of the Anbu squad leader in charge.

These were the advisors!

They were important figures before whom the Anbu ordinarily had to kneel and bow. Though Chiya had ordered their arrest, decades of ingrained deference left the Anbu afraid to advance.

"Stand down at once!"

Seeing their hesitation, Mitokado Homura grew even more confident. "Is the Uchiha Clan causing trouble again?" he snapped. "Hmph, I've said it all along. That evil clan should never have been allowed to remain! Once Hiruzen arrives, I'll make him order a complete purge..."

But then.

Before he could finish, a suffocating wave of heat suddenly descended without warning.

The cool night breeze turned into scalding steam in an instant. The precious plants in the surrounding flower beds yellowed, curled, and blackened before their eyes.

"Purge the Uchiha?"

"Mitokado Homura, your mouth stinks worse than your feet."

An indifferent voice seemed to drift up from the depths of hell, reaching every person present with perfect clarity.

Whoosh!

Golden fire flashed.

A tall, slender figure appeared out of thin air between the advisors and the Anbu.

He wore a slightly tattered Uchiha clan uniform and held the still-unsheathed Ryūjin Jakka. Its tip angled toward the ground. Though not a drop of blood stained the blade, the overwhelming reek of slaughter surrounding him plunged both advisors into icy terror.

"Chiya... Uchiha?"

Utatane Koharu recognized the young man. Her brows immediately knitted, and she barked, "What is a mere Chunin like you doing here? Were you the one who made those insolent remarks? Where's Hiruzen? Tell him to come control his subordinate!"

Even now, these two old bastards, who spent their days sheltered in their offices drinking tea and reading newspapers, still had no idea what had happened outside.

They thought this was nothing more than an ordinary mutiny.

Chiya looked at the two old fools hiding behind their seniority, undisguised disgust flashing in his eyes.

It was people like these.

Under the banner of "for Konoha," they latched onto the village and sucked it dry. They had neither Danzo's ruthlessness nor the Third Hokage's strength. All they possessed was endless greed and an obsession with power.

"Hiruzen?"

A cruel smile curled Chiya's lips. He slowly raised his left hand and pointed toward the still-smoking ruins behind him.

"You mean that pile of ash? No, sorry. That lump of charcoal."

"He's been waiting down there for you for quite a while."

"W-what?!"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu jolted, their aged eyes widening.

"Y-you're talking nonsense! Hiruzen is the Hokage! The Shinobi Hero! How could he possibly..."

"Nothing's impossible."

Chiya could not be bothered wasting words on people about to die. His reiatsu erupted, and a terrifying pressure powerful enough to crush stone bore directly down on the two frail elders.

Thud! Thud!

There was never any doubt.

The two advisors, so arrogant a moment earlier, buckled at the knees and slammed into the ground. The cracks of their shattering kneecaps rang out crisp and clear.

"Aah!"

"My legs!"

After decades of pampered living, when had they ever endured suffering like this? They immediately screamed like pigs being slaughtered.

"Chiya Uchiha! You dare lay a hand on us?!"

Sprawled on the ground, Mitokado Homura continued to bluster through his fear. "We are the Second Hokage's disciples! We have served Konoha with distinction! Killing us is a betrayal of Konoha! The daimyo won't let you get away with this! Neither will the other ninja villages!"

"Distinguished service? Betrayal?"

Chiya sneered and slowly raised Ryūjin Jakka.

Golden flames began dancing merrily along the blade, as though eager to devour sinful souls.

"Suppressing the Senju Clan until Tsunade lost all hope and left the village-is that your distinguished service?"

"Ostracizing Hatake Sakumo and driving Konoha's White Fang to his death, weakening our forces in the Third Shinobi World War-is that your distinguished service?"

"Working with Danzo to isolate the Uchiha after the Nine-Tails' Rampage and sow division within the village-is that your distinguished service?"

With every sentence, the blade in Chiya's hand shone brighter.

"You two old bastards did nothing but vote yes or no at conference tables and rush to the front whenever there were spoils to divide. Have you ever shed a single drop of blood for Konoha?"

"If the Second Hokage knew he'd raised useless disciples who did nothing but stir up infighting, he'd probably climb out of his coffin in a rage and blast each of you with a Water Dragon Bullet!"

"S-shut up!" Chiya had struck a nerve. Utatane Koharu turned deathly pale and trembled all over. "We did it for balance! For stability! Young man, you don't understand politics at all!"

"No, I don't understand politics."

Chiya swung his blade down.

"But I understand taking out the trash."

"Ryūjin Jakka: Flame Incineration!"

Boom!!!

It was not an earthshaking explosion, but a precise, overwhelming torrent of fire that instantly swallowed the two kneeling elders.

Even the luxurious estate behind them, a symbol of their power and status, was completely engulfed in golden flames by that single slash.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Their agonized screams lasted less than two seconds in the sea of fire.

The two elders who had controlled Konoha's government for decades did not even have time to form hand seals for ninjutsu before becoming a pair of burning torches.

Their bodies rapidly charred and crumbled in the intense heat, finally turning into two worthless handfuls of dust.

"Go plot with Danzo in the underworld."

Chiya sheathed his sword and watched the raging flames, his gaze cold as ice.

"The new Konoha has no use for parasites."

The surrounding Anbu ninja stared blankly at the scene.

Their fear of imperial authority... no, of the advisors' authority, burned away completely in that fire.

In its place came absolute awe of the man before them.

If killing the Third Hokage and Danzo had demonstrated overwhelming strength, then killing these two advisors had utterly shattered old Konoha's political shackles!

From this moment onward, Konoha's world had changed completely.

At last, the first light of dawn pierced the darkness on the horizon and spilled over the devastated village of Konoha.

The rooftop of the Hokage Building.

This was where generations of Hokage had received the villagers' cheers, the finest vantage point from which to overlook all of Konoha.

Now, Chiya sat casually on the railing at the rooftop's edge.

The morning breeze stirred the torn edges of his clothes. Ryūjin Jakka, the sword that struck terror into the entire Shinobi World, rested carelessly against his leg.

Behind him.

Hyuga Hiashi, Shikaku Nara, Akimichi Chōza, Shibi Aburame... every prominent clan head in Konoha, along with the Anbu division captains, knelt on one knee in orderly rows.

No one spoke.

No one dared raise their head.

The rooftop was so quiet that only the wind and the distant bustle of villagers waking, unaware of the truth, could be heard.

Chiya looked down at the village beneath him.

He watched cooking smoke rise in the morning light and the streets slowly awaken.

This was Konoha.

The most prosperous and powerful ninja village in the Shinobi World.

Now, it belonged to him.

"Shikaku."

Chiya called quietly without turning around.

"Yes, Lord Chiya!"

Shikaku Nara shuddered and immediately lowered his head in response. The title "Lord" rolled off his tongue without the slightest hesitation.

A wise man knew when to bow to circumstances, and the Nara Clan had always understood how to survive.

"Count the casualties and reassure the villagers."

Chiya's voice was calm and authoritative, as though he were giving an entirely routine order. "Come up with a palatable story about last night and release it."

"Say... Danzo conspired with foreign enemies to stage a coup. The Third Hokage died fighting to protect the village, and the two advisors tragically lost their lives."

"And the Uchiha Clan assisted the Hokage in putting down the rebellion. They rendered outstanding service."

Shikaku Nara abruptly looked up, shock flashing in his eyes before giving way to profound admiration.

Brilliant!

Absolutely brilliant!

By dumping all the blame on the dead, Chiya preserved the village's outward stability, cleared the Uchiha Clan's name, and established himself as the "hero who quelled the rebellion" in the process.

Though the clans' leaders all knew the truth, this was the perfect explanation for ordinary villagers and outsiders.

"Understood! I'll see to it at once!" Shikaku Nara immediately accepted the order.

"Hiashi."

"At your command!" Hyuga Hiashi immediately stepped forward, even more respectful than Shikaku. After all, he had personally seen the "plan to break the Caged Bird Seal." To protect the Hyuga, he had already become a supporter of Chiya.

"The Hyuga Clan will take over the Konoha Military Police Force and work with the Anbu to maintain order. Anyone who exploits the chaos to cause trouble is to be killed without mercy."

"Yes!"

With everything arranged, Chiya slowly stood.

He stretched, the Super Kage Level power within him, a fusion of Wood Release and Indra's Chakra, flowing joyfully in the morning light.

Last night's slaughter had not exhausted him. Instead, he felt more refreshed than ever.

"Now, what comes next..."

Chiya's gaze passed through Konoha's gates toward the wider Shinobi World.

Out there lay Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure.

And that Masked Man hiding in the shadows, imagining himself the one moving the pieces.

System, open the panel.

Chiya gave the command silently.

Looking at his astronomical kill points and the progress bar for the still-locked [Zanka no Tachi], Chiya's smile grew increasingly wild.

"Konoha is only the beginning."

"Since I've come to this Shinobi World, if I don't tear a hole in the sky, if I don't make everything in this world tremble beneath my flames..."

"Wouldn't that be far too boring?"

Just then.

An Uchiha clansman assigned to guard the bodies stored in the Uchiha Clan Compound stumbled onto the rooftop.

"L-Lord Chiya! Something's wrong!"

"What happened?" Chiya frowned slightly.

"Itachi... Uchiha Itachi's body... a strange spatial vortex appeared there! Someone's trying to steal his body!"

At those words, Chiya's calm gaze instantly sharpened like a blade.

Stealing a body?

A spatial vortex?

Heh.

Chiya sneered, and Ryūjin Jakka instantly hummed in his hand.

"Finally couldn't help yourself, Obito?"

"You even dare touch my spoils..."

"Looks like you're in a hurry to reach the Pure Land and reunite with Rin."