After ripping off his Konoha forehead protector, Kenya casually tossed it into the rubble at his feet.
The crisp clang of metal sounded especially piercing in the silent courtyard.
"From today on, I'm done playing your games."
Kenya dusted off his hands, ignoring the Root ninja around him who looked as though they were facing a formidable enemy.
He turned around and swaggered out through the gates of the old Senju estate.
The Root ninja exchanged looks, ninja blades in hand, yet not one of them dared step forward to stop him.
After all, even Lord Danzo had been sent flying with a slap. Going up against him would just be feeding kills.
Kenya strolled along Konoha's streets just like that.
As though he were not a criminal who had just delivered a resounding slap to Konoha High Command.
But an ordinary villager taking a walk after a meal.
The villagers along the way all cast sidelong glances at this swaggering young man without a forehead protector.
But no one realized that Konoha's world was about to change.
Before he knew it, Kenya had strolled all the way to Konoha's heart-the Hokage Building.
By now, the atmosphere around the Hokage Building had grown unbearably tense.
Countless Anbu ninja wearing animal masks surrounded the entire building like a black tide, sealing it off completely.
They hid beneath the eaves and behind large trees, gripping kunai and short blades tightly.
Their cold gazes were all fixed on Kenya as he climbed the stairs.
Yet Kenya acted as though he had not seen any of these Anbu.
He pulled a strawberry-flavored doughnut out of nowhere and walked onto the Hokage Building's rooftop, taking bites as he went.
The wind was rather strong on the rooftop.
Konoha's Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood at the edge with his hands behind his back and a grave expression.
He wore his ceremonial robes and the Hokage's hat.
His signature white jade pipe rested between his lips, its swirling smoke obscuring the complicated emotions in his eyes.
Hearing footsteps behind him, the Third Hokage slowly turned around.
He looked at Kenya, who was chewing a large mouthful of doughnut, and sighed deeply.
"Kenya, you were far too impulsive."
The Third Hokage's voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying an elder's anguish over a younger generation.
"Danzo's methods were indeed somewhat extreme, but it was all for the village's future."
"As a descendant of the Senju Clan, how could you commit such an act of betrayal against the village?"
The Third tried to bring the situation under control first with a gentle tone.
Kenya swallowed the doughnut in his mouth and rolled his eyes hard.
"Old man, stop dodging the issue."
"That old dog Danzo was about to slice me up for research. Don't tell me you didn't know."
"You call that extreme? That's fucking murder, all right?"
The Third Hokage's gaze flickered evasively, but he quickly regained his composure.
He removed his pipe from his mouth and began the kind of speech he excelled at.
"Kenya, you're still young. You don't understand the village's difficulties."
"In this cruel Shinobi World, Konoha is like a great tree. It needs people in the sunlight, and it also needs people in the darkness."
"For that great tree to flourish, a few sacrifices are inevitable."
The Third Hokage drew a deep breath, his gaze becoming utterly resolute.
"Where leaves dance, fire burns unceasingly."
"The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and allow new leaves to sprout."
"This is the Will of Fire, and it was also Lord First's original intention in founding this village."
The Third spoke with great feeling, his tone filled with solemnity and persuasive force.
In the past, whenever he brought out this speech, even the most troublesome ninja would be moved to tears.
Yet when he looked expectantly at Kenya, he discovered that Kenya had not been listening at all.
Kenya had his head down, concentrating on the last bite of doughnut in his hand.
He even stuck out his tongue and licked the icing from the corner of his mouth.
"Old man, what did you just say?"
Kenya yawned, looking half asleep.
"Leaves, whatever. This doughnut tastes pretty good. Want one?"
As he spoke, Kenya actually pulled a squashed doughnut from his pocket and held it out to the Third.
The corners of the Third Hokage's eyes twitched violently twice.
He felt as though his impassioned speech had been a punch thrown into cotton.
The frustration of being completely ignored nearly left him unable to catch his breath.
"Senju Kenya!"
The Third Hokage's voice finally carried a trace of anger.
"I'm discussing the village's future with you. What kind of attitude is this?"
"Have you already forgotten Lord First Hokage's teachings?"
Hearing the words "First Hokage," Kenya withdrew the doughnut in his hand.
The indifference on his face gradually vanished, replaced by an intensely mocking sneer.
"The First's teachings?"
Kenya stepped forward and looked the Third Hokage straight in the eye. His voice was quiet, but every word cut deep.
"Old man, you still have the nerve to mention the First?"
"You keep talking about the Will of Fire, about letting new leaves sprout."
"Then let me ask you: where are our Senju Clan's leaves?"
Kenya abruptly swept out a hand, pointing toward the old Senju estate not far away.
"How prosperous was the Senju Clan when Konoha was founded!"
"But now? In this entire village, I'm the only Senju left!"
"You call that burning unceasingly? That's fucking near extinction!"
Kenya's words left the Third Hokage choking, his face flushing red.
He opened his mouth, only to find he had no answer at all.
The Senju Clan's decline had indeed been partly caused by the high command's deliberate suppression and fragmentation of the clan.
"This Will of Fire you keep talking about is nothing but a fig leaf you use to purge dissenters and consolidate your power."
Kenya scoffed, his eyes full of disdain.
"Having the Senju Clan blend into the civilian population? What an idea you came up with."
"With all the filthy dealings that old dog Danzo has carried out in secret, did you, the Hokage, really know nothing?"
"Drop the act, old man. One of you is a hypocrite, and the other is an outright scoundrel. Neither of you has any right to call the other dirty."
The Third Hokage's face went pale, and even the hand holding his pipe trembled slightly.
He had never imagined that this Senju orphan, who usually seemed so meek and submissive, could see things so clearly.
"Enough!"
The Third Hokage slammed the Adamantine Staff down, and an overwhelming pressure of chakra instantly enveloped the entire rooftop.
"Regardless, it is a fact that you assaulted a member of the high command and caused havoc in Konoha."
"As Hokage, I absolutely cannot allow you to leave the village!"
Hearing the Third's signal, the surrounding Anbu ninja tightened their grips on their weapons, ready to strike at any moment.
Faced with layers of encirclement, Kenya showed not the slightest panic.
"You want to keep me here?"
Kenya threw back his head and laughed without restraint.
"Today, I'm fucking done playing your games!"
"The Will of Fire, Konoha High Command-none of it is worth a damn to me!"
"I'm defecting. Let's see which of you can stop me!"
Before his words had faded.
Kenya drew a deep breath, abruptly spread his legs slightly, and sank into a horse stance as steady as a mountain.
An utterly terrifying physical strength began gathering wildly in his arms.
Even the air seemed to freeze at that moment.
Immediately afterward, an exceptionally deep shade of black spread across both his fists in an instant, like ink.
It was Armament Haki, denser and purer than before.
He abruptly turned around and aimed his ink-black fists at Hokage Rock not far away.