Shut up! Sending the daimyo's envoy flying!

Inside the office in the Hokage Building.

Shikaku Nara was helping Gengetsu handle paperwork.

It had to be said that with someone as intelligent as Shikaku Nara helping him, Gengetsu's workload had dropped considerably.

Many problems that had originally been tangled and complicated could be solved in just a few words once Shikaku Nara had sorted them out.

Gengetsu sat in the Hokage's spacious chair, listening to Shikaku's report and nodding in satisfaction.

Just then,

a ninja from the Uchiha Clan strode into the office and dropped to one knee.

"Lord Fifth, we've just received urgent news!"

"The Land of Fire's daimyo's envoy, Fujiwara Takuya, has arrived in Konoha! He's now heading toward the Hokage Building with his men, looking aggressive!"

Hearing this report, Gengetsu frowned and asked in confusion.

"The daimyo's envoy has arrived? Why wasn't I informed of something this important?"

Standing beside him, Shikaku Nara considered this for a moment before speaking.

"Lord Fifth, Lord Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, must have secretly suppressed the news."

"Hiruzen Sarutobi was Hokage for so many years, after all. Although you've stripped him of his actual authority, he spent decades painstakingly building his influence..."

"He has people in every corner of the village, even among the gate guards!"

"It would still be very easy for him to deliberately keep us in the dark and suppress news of the daimyo's envoy arriving."

After hearing Shikaku's analysis, Gengetsu spoke with disdain.

"That old fox Hiruzen Sarutobi again... All he knows are these disgusting little tricks behind people's backs."

Shikaku Nara stepped forward and lowered his voice in warning. "Lord Fifth, you must be careful how you handle this..."

"The daimyo's envoy suddenly arriving at a time like this, with Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly assisting him-he certainly hasn't come with good intentions..."

Unlike the worried Shikaku Nara, Gengetsu spoke with utter disdain. "Just a bunch of clowns. Let's see what tricks they can pull."

The instant Gengetsu finished speaking.

Bang!

With a tremendous crash, someone roughly threw open the Hokage's office door.

The tremendous force slammed the door into the wall, producing a deafening crash.

Then the daimyo's envoy, Fujiwara Takuya, stormed inside.

Fujiwara Takuya first swept an extremely arrogant, contemptuous gaze around the office before finally fixing his eyes on Gengetsu in the Hokage's seat.

"So you're that so-called Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Gengetsu?!"

Fujiwara Takuya looked at Gengetsu and began berating him.

"Outrageous! You have absolutely no manners! I came to Konoha in person as the daimyo's representative, yet a brat like you dared not kneel at the village entrance to welcome me? Do you have no regard for the daimyo at all?"

Behind Fujiwara Takuya, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were not idle either. They also began lecturing Gengetsu.

"Gengetsu! The daimyo's envoy has honored us with his presence! Do you realize how important this is? How dare you treat him so negligently! Stand up at once, bow to the envoy, and apologize!"

Mitokado Homura immediately put on a stern expression and began harshly reprimanding him.

"Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable! How rude!"

"If you anger the daimyo's envoy and he cuts off Konoha's reconstruction funding, can you shoulder that responsibility? Hurry up and apologize!"

The two echoed each other. On the surface, they were defending the daimyo's dignity, but in reality, they were ruthlessly suppressing Gengetsu and forcing him to bow his head.

Yet faced with the daimyo's foul-mouthed envoy and the two advisers' stern reprimands, Gengetsu responded in a way that stunned everyone present.

"You're so noisy!"

Gengetsu's eyes suddenly widened in a glare.

Boom!

An immensely powerful chakra shock wave instantly erupted from Gengetsu's body and struck at the three before him.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were ninja. They reacted very quickly and swiftly steadied themselves.

Fujiwara Takuya, however, was not so fortunate. He was merely an ordinary person.

"Aah!"

Fujiwara Takuya had no time even to react before he was sent flying backward.

He traced an arc through the air, then slammed into the office's hard wall with a dull thud.

"Urgh!"

The tremendous impact made Fujiwara Takuya spit out a mouthful of blood.

Like a heap of sludge, he slid down the wall to the floor, wailing in pain.

Gengetsu truly could not understand where this so-called daimyo's envoy had found the nerve to act so arrogantly before him.

Put plainly, the ninja world was a world where strength reigned supreme.

Yet this daimyo's envoy, a mere ordinary person, actually dared spout such nonsense in front of him. What was that if not courting death?

Seeing Gengetsu attack at the slightest disagreement and send the daimyo's envoy flying, everyone present went pale with shock.

The air in the office seemed to freeze completely at that moment.

Shikaku Nara's eyes flew wide, and he sucked in a cold breath.

Although he knew Gengetsu was arrogant, he had never expected him to dare strike the daimyo's representative with lethal force.

"Protect Lord Fujiwara!"

Fujiwara Takuya's three guards finally reacted. They immediately shielded him, each drawing a weapon and watching Gengetsu warily.

Once Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura recovered as well, they immediately pointed at Gengetsu and shouted themselves hoarse.

"Uchiha Gengetsu! Have you lost your mind?!"

"He's the daimyo's envoy! How dare you attack him! You're bringing utter destruction upon Konoha! Apologize at once! Kneel and beg the envoy for mercy!"

While everyone was reeling in shock, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood to one side without the slightest concern on his face. Instead, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a smile of a successful scheme.

Gengetsu really is a young man-arrogant, conceited, and unable to keep his composure!

The daimyo's envoy represents the Land of Fire's highest authority. You actually dared beat him in public. The daimyo will never formally appoint you Hokage now...

Clearly, in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, Gengetsu's assault on the daimyo's envoy had violated a grave taboo in shinobi politics. His path as Hokage had reached its end.

At that moment, Fujiwara Takuya finally caught his breath in the corner. He struggled to his feet and roared at Gengetsu, his face contorted.

"Bastard! You lowly ninja! How dare you hit me!"

"Someone as crude and arrogant as you has no business being Hokage! I'll report this to the daimyo immediately! Not only will I have you stripped of your eligibility to become Hokage, I'll also have Konoha's funding drastically reduced!..."

"I'll make everyone in Konoha starve to death!"

Faced with Fujiwara Takuya's hysterical abuse, Gengetsu's gaze turned utterly cold.

"You really do talk too much."

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

Gengetsu raised his right hand and lightly pointed his index finger at the still-cursing Fujiwara Takuya.

Thanks to the ability to perform ninjutsu without hand seals that the system had rewarded him with, Gengetsu had no need for cumbersome hand seals to unleash his techniques.

Whoosh!

An extremely sharp, translucent wind blade, almost impossible to follow with the naked eye, appeared out of thin air and slashed straight at Fujiwara Takuya's mouth.

Gengetsu's attacks were simply too fast!

So fast that no one around him could react-not even the three guards standing in front of the daimyo's envoy.

Slash!

A tearing sound rang out.

The tongue inside the still-cursing Fujiwara Takuya's mouth was instantly severed.

"Mmph... aaah!!!"

With his tongue gone, Fujiwara Takuya let out indistinct yet utterly agonized cries.

He clamped both hands over his mouth as blood gushed relentlessly between his fingers, rolling frantically on the floor in pain.

"Lord Fujiwara!"

"Damn you! How dare you attack Lord Fujiwara! Die!"

Seeing Gengetsu attack Fujiwara Takuya, the three guards were shocked as well. Then, without the slightest hesitation, they charged straight at Gengetsu.

"Hmph. You're the ones who should die!"

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"

Seeing the three guards charging at him, Gengetsu unleashed another ninjutsu.

Raging wind rapidly condensed into three spheres and shot toward the three like bullets.

"Aah... aah... aah..."

Three agonized screams rang out as all three guards were sent flying backward.

A large hole appeared in each of their bodies, and copious amounts of blood gushed out.

Seeing the scene before them, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Hiruzen Sarutobi were all utterly shocked.

Although they had long known that, given the Uchiha Clan's arrogant disposition, Gengetsu would never speak politely to the daimyo's envoy.

Even in their dreams, they had never imagined Gengetsu would be this unhinged and attack outright.

He had not only severed the daimyo's envoy's tongue but also killed his three guards.

This was simply too unhinged, too brazen.

But after their shock passed, what the three felt even more was excitement.

Gengetsu had injured the daimyo's envoy and killed his guards. If the Land of Fire's daimyo learned of this, he would certainly be furious.

In that case, Gengetsu could never become Hokage in his lifetime, and power over Konoha would soon return to their hands!

Outwardly, however, they still had to put on a show of bitter anguish.

"Gengetsu! Do you even know what you're doing? How could you attack the daimyo's people?!"

Utatane Koharu loudly accused him, her face full of anger.

"Gengetsu, do you have any idea what a disaster you're bringing upon Konoha?!" Mitokado Homura roared as well.

"Gengetsu, you're too impulsive! Without the Land of Fire's daimyo's support, without his formal appointment, you aren't truly Hokage at all!..."

"Lay down your weapons immediately, surrender, and come with me to beg the daimyo's forgiveness. You might still keep your life!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi also spoke with an expression of bitter anguish.

"..."

Faced with these three old men's frenzied accusations and questioning, Gengetsu spoke with utter disdain:

"I'm the Hokage. Do I need to answer to that so-called daimyo for anything I do?"

With that, Gengetsu completely ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two and walked straight up to Fujiwara Takuya.

Seeing Gengetsu approach, Fujiwara Takuya trembled all over in terror.

He wanted to shout, but with his tongue cut off, he could not get a cry out. All he could make were muffled whimpers.

Gengetsu looked at the shivering Fujiwara Takuya and said sharply:

"Get back there and tell your daimyo."

"Send me every last bit of Konoha's reconstruction money immediately."

"Otherwise, there will be no need for the Land of Fire's daimyo to continue existing in this world."