Under the night sky, Konoha Gate-the enormous red torii that symbolized the prestige of the Shinobi World's foremost village-looked especially sinister in the moonlight.
"A dog never stops eating shit."
As Chiya's words fell, the red skeletal hand formed by Susanoo abruptly tightened.
"Ugh... cough, cough..."
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, the two advisors who normally stood above everyone else, now looked like old chicks gripped by the neck. Their feet dangled in the air, kicking helplessly. Their well-maintained faces turned purple from suffocation, their eyes bulged, and their throats wheezed like broken bellows.
"How... dare you..."
Mitokado Homura barely forced the words out, desperately trying to pry apart the enormous skeletal hand of chakra. But how could these two elderly people, already nearing the ends of their lives, resist a force capable of crushing rock?
"Chiya! What are you doing?!"
Below, Shikaku Nara's eyes nearly split with fury. He had thought that once they escaped the secret passage, they would be free to go anywhere. He had never imagined that Chiya had already seen through everything and was waiting at the exit like a cat toying with mice.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
Without hesitation, Shikaku formed hand seals. The shadow beneath his feet shot toward Chiya atop the torii like a black sword.
At the same time, the three hundred elite ninja behind him sprang into action.
"Mind Body Switch Technique!" "Multi-Size Technique: Human Bullet Tank!" "Insect Sphere!"
The coordinated assault of the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans, combined with the Aburame Clan's sea of insects, unleashed enough power in an instant to destroy a small army. This was the last of Konoha's strength, their final desperate gamble to survive and preserve the old order!
And yet.
Facing that overwhelming bombardment of ninjutsu, Chiya, seated on the torii's crossbeam, did not even shift his backside.
He merely swallowed his last mouthful of apple, then casually tossed away the core.
"Boring."
Vrrr-!!!
A terrifying, invisible pulse erupted without warning, with Chiya at its center!
This was no release of chakra. It was pure pressure from the soul itself-super Kage level reiatsu!
Boom!
In that instant, the air seemed to turn into heavy mercury.
Shikaku Nara's shadow had barely extended halfway when it struck what seemed to be an invisible wall and instantly collapsed.
Akimichi Chōza's enormous Human Bullet Tank, spinning at high speed, seemed to be pinned down by a giant invisible hand. It stopped dead, then slammed into the ground under the immense pressure, throwing up clouds of dust.
"Urgh!"
The weaker chunin and special jōnin did not even have a chance to react. They spat blood, their knees buckled, and they dropped to the ground in perfect unison!
"What... what is this..."
Shikaku Nara knelt on one knee, both hands braced hard against the ground. Veins bulged on his forehead, and cold sweat poured down his face. He felt as though a mountain rested on his back. Even lifting a finger had become agonizingly difficult.
No hand seals.
No drawn blade.
A mere look, an aura, had subdued three hundred of Konoha's elite!
Was he even human?!
"You want to fight? Are you worthy?"
Chiya slowly rose, looking down on the bedraggled "rebels."
Controlling Susanoo's arm, he carried the two advisors like bags of trash and walked down from the torii, step by step. Though he walked through the air, every step seemed to land on a solid stair, producing a dull thud.
"Shikaku, I never intended to take things this far."
Chiya walked up to Shikaku Nara and regarded him coldly with his crimson Mangekyō Sharingan.
"But you insisted on forcing my hand."
"Since you like the gate so much, since you're so eager to leave Konoha..."
Chiya looked up at the enormous red torii, a cruel smile curling his lips.
"Then this is the perfect place to send you off."
"Wake up, Konoha!"
Chiya suddenly drew a deep breath and used chakra to carry his voice throughout the village.
"Everyone still alive, get out here! Come see how your beloved advisors finally leave this village!"
Boom!
It rolled like thunder.
That roar instantly woke all of sleeping Konoha.
Countless terrified villagers scrambled out of bed and opened their windows. Countless surviving ninja peered out from every corner. They saw flames soaring into the sky in the direction of Konoha Gate, and a figure who looked like a demonic god.
"Wh-what happened?"
"Is that Lord Chiya? And... the advisors?"
People began gathering toward the gate. Though afraid, their human instincts drove them to discover the truth.
Soon, a crowd packed the area around the gate.
They witnessed a sight they would never forget-
The two advisors who normally stood above everyone, commanding even greater authority than the Hokage, now hung in midair like dead dogs. The three hundred ninja who had attempted a coup knelt on the ground, trembling.
"Is everyone here? Good."
Watching the growing crowd, Chiya nodded in satisfaction.
"Villagers and ninja of Konoha."
"Tonight, I'll treat you to a show. A grand performance of 'betrayal' and 'judgment.'"
Chiya snapped his fingers.
Crack! Crack!
The earth suddenly split open.
Several enormously thick Wood Release Vines grew out of the ground like living creatures. They climbed the pillars of Konoha Gate, rapidly weaving themselves into two enormous crosses.
"Off you go."
Susanoo's arm swung.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were hurled onto the crosses. The vines immediately tightened, wrapping firmly around their limbs and securing them to the crossbeams.
"Let me go! Chiya Uchiha! You can't do this!"
"We are the Second Hokage's disciples! We are Konoha's elders! This is a crime!"
Her hair disheveled, Utatane Koharu screamed hysterically. Being humiliated before the entire village was worse than death to her.
"A crime?"
Chiya sneered. His body slowly rose into the air until he hovered before the two advisors, his back to the villagers. His voice carried clearly to every corner:
"You're hardly fit to speak of crimes."
"Come, let's count your offenses."
Chiya raised one finger:
"First, clinging to power and suppressing anyone who opposed you. Who drove Konoha's White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, that hero of his time, to his death? You old bastards, stirring things up behind the scenes!"
In the crowd, Kakashi trembled slightly, a flicker of emotion crossing his dead-fish eyes.
"Second, persecuting your fellow villagers and driving Tsunade away. Why did Princess Tsunade, one of the Sannin, leave the village? Because she saw through the cold blood and hypocrisy of you higher-ups! You even schemed against the Senju Clan's last surviving bloodline. How could you face the Second Hokage?"
"Third!"
Chiya's voice suddenly rose, filled with boundless killing intent:
"Colluding with Danzo to orchestrate a clan massacre! The Uchiha Clan's tragedy, the Hyuga Clan's forced submission-which of those happened without your approval? Your hands are soaked in the blood of your own people!"
"And now!"
Chiya pointed at the three hundred ninja below, then at Shikaku Nara:
"At the village's darkest hour, with powerful enemies closing in, you actually planned to flee with Konoha's last elite forces and the Daimyō's seal?"
"Is this your will of fire?"
"Is this what you call acting for Konoha's sake?!"
Uproar-!
The entire crowd erupted.
The villagers might not understand politics, but they understood the word "flee."
When the village needed protection most, these leaders who normally lorded it over everyone had actually planned to pack up and leave?
"Unforgivable..."
"So they were the ones who killed Lord White Fang?"
"This is outrageous! And I respected them so much!"
Anger spread through the crowd. Their fear of Chiya now turned into hatred for the advisors.
"No! That's not what happened!"
Mitokado Homura panicked. Seeing the furious eyes below, he shook his head desperately. "We were going to seek help! We were going to ask the Daimyō to send troops to eliminate this traitor! Don't listen to his nonsense!"
"Seek help?"
Chiya looked as though he had heard a joke.
"Mitokado Homura, have you gone senile?"
"The Land of Fire's Daimyō? That fat man who only knows how to play with a fan and doesn't even have chakra?"
Chiya slowly drew Ryūjin Jakka from his waist.
The blade scraped against its sheath with a clear, dragonlike ring.
"You think he can save you?"
"Or do you think I'd be afraid of him?"
Mitokado Homura stared fixedly at Chiya, madness flashing in his eyes. "Chiya! You dare kill us? If you do, the Daimyō will never let you get away with it! He'll cut off Konoha's funding and unite all the great nations against you!"
"Then Konoha will be destroyed because of your rashness!"
"If you've really got the guts, let us meet the Daimyō! Let him judge who's right!"
Even with death staring him in the face, the advisor still tried to use the Daimyō, the Shinobi World's highest symbol of political authority, to cow Chiya.
Unfortunately, he had encountered a madman who refused to play by the rules.
"You want to meet the Daimyō?"
Ryūjin Jakka slid completely free of its sheath in Chiya's hand.
Golden flames instantly ignited along the blade, scorching the surrounding air with sharp crackles.
"Fine. I'll grant your wish."
Chiya looked at the two elderly advisors bound to the crosses before him, without a trace of pity in his eyes.
"But you won't need to trouble yourselves with the journey."
"I'll send the Daimyō..."
Chiya snapped his fingers.
Snap!
"...down to join you."
Boom!!!
With that snap, the flames on Ryūjin Jakka seemed to come alive. They became two golden fire snakes that shot along Chiya's fingers and instantly coiled around the Wood Release Vines binding the advisors.
"Wood feeds fire."
"Burn a little brighter. Consider it your final contribution to Konoha-serving as firewood."
Sssss-!
The vines caught fire instantly.
These were no ordinary flames. They were the flames of a Zanpakuto, infused with reiatsu!
Searing heat erupted in an instant!
"Aaaaaaah!!!!"
"It burns! It burns!! Kill me! Hurry and kill me!!"
Piercing screams instantly tore through the night sky.
Before the eyes of tens of thousands of villagers, upon the sacred symbol of Konoha Gate.
The two advisors who had once wielded overwhelming power writhed and struggled like burning candles in the raging flames.
Flesh blackened, fat dripped, and bones cracked apart.
The sight made Shikaku Nara, still kneeling below, close his eyes in utter despair.
It was over.
Completely over.
This was not merely the killing of two people. It was the burning of old Konoha's authority, its legitimacy, and its reverence for the Daimyō into ashes!
The screams continued for a full minute.
At last, the two charred skeletons fell apart in the wind, becoming black dust that drifted through the sky.
A deathly silence settled before Konoha Gate.
Chiya sheathed his blade.
He turned, his back to the two piles of ashes that no longer bore any human shape, and faced the village's ninja and civilians.
The firelight shone on his face, making him look both like a savior and a demon who would destroy the world.
"Anyone else?"
Chiya's voice was soft, yet it struck heavily against every heart.
"Anyone else want to go find the Daimyō? Anyone else want to run?"
No one spoke.
Even the sound of breathing vanished.
Chiya nodded in satisfaction. He walked up to Shikaku Nara, who was still kneeling, reached out, and gently patted the strategist's shoulder.
"Shikaku."
"This is what happens when you defy me."
"Now, take your people and get the hell back to work."
"This is your last chance."
"Next time, the ones hanging up there..."
Chiya pointed at the still-smoking Wood Release cross.
"Will be your entire clan."
Shikaku Nara shuddered. He slowly raised his head and looked at the impossibly young man before him, the last glimmer of defiance in his eyes dying out completely.
He kowtowed hard, his forehead striking the ground with a dull, resounding thud.
"Yes... Lord Chiya."
"From this day forward, the Nara Clan... will follow your every command."
With Shikaku's complete submission, the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans behind him, along with the three hundred elite ninja, bowed their heads in unison.
"We will follow Lord Chiya's every command!"
Their cries shook the heavens, ringing through the skies.
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