Judgment Descends Upon the Naruto World

On the road to the Land of Fire's Daimyō's residence…

Besides Nara Shikaku, Chiyu had also dispatched the Uchiha elder, Uchiha Yashiro, to accompany him.

Elder Yashiro was rich in experience, leadership ability, analytical skill, and decisiveness. Chiyu assigned him to this mission intentionally, wanting him to transition from being an "Uchiha Clan elder" to serving as an "Elder" for the entire Konoha.

Nara Shikaku naturally understood:

Nara Shikaku: "Elder Yashiro, what is your opinion of the Daimyō of the Land of Fire?"

Uchiha Yashiro laughed.

Uchiha Yashiro: "Didn't you already spell it out clearly in the Hokage meeting? I quite agree with your perspective."

"So-called 'Daimyō's authority' isn't something we couldn't replace—it's just that there's no need. In this shinobi world, power is the only true authority. In the eyes of truly powerful shinobi and factions, the notion of a 'country' and its 'Daimyō' is essentially just one department enabling them to grow and develop…"

Nara Shikaku smiled in return.

Nara Shikaku: "Indeed, you clearly have been influenced by the Hokage-sama's rather extreme decisiveness and boldness… Not everyone dares to speak so bluntly."

Uchiha Yashiro sighed.

Uchiha Yashiro: "The Hokage-sama truly has changed the entire Uchiha Clan. He also changed me. Previously, whether it was me or Fugaku-sama, we'd think too much, do too little, and were too timid to act. Of course we'd use 'lack of power' as the excuse.

"But the Hokage-sama, even back before he became this strong, always upheld that extreme style—acting in the name of absolute justice, never compromising his convictions. That kind of innate resolve is truly remarkable…"

Nara Shikaku nodded thoughtfully.

Nara Shikaku: "Indeed… A person who can faithfully carry out his beliefs, never losing sight of his ideals, regardless of external power constraints—that is a truly rare gift… I myself could never consistently manage it."

Uchiha Yashiro chuckled.

Uchiha Yashiro: "Hence, we're just who we are—while Hokage-sama is Hokage-sama."

Nara Shikaku gave a wry smile.

Nara Shikaku: "So it is…"

As the two chatted back and forth, quite candidly, they finally arrived at the Land of Fire's capital.

Indeed, it was bustling and prosperous, easily ten times larger than the Konoha, if not more. Though it had a military force, most were samurai. Proper ninja were quite few.

And… lurking beneath all that apparent grandeur and wealth, the two faintly perceived a deep-seated rot.

After reporting to the hosting officials, Shikaku and Yashiro temporarily stayed at a guest house. But just as they settled in, they sensed an imposing chakra aura approaching.

Nara Shikaku: "…?"

They rose to their feet. The door was pushed open. In came a figure both familiar and strange.

"It's you?! You—!"

The newcomer was none other than… Sarutobi Asuma!

He was the younger son of Sarutobi Hiruzen (the late Sarutobi Shinnosuke's younger brother), now one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja serving the Daimyō of the Land of Fire. Behind him were a monk-like man and several others, about seven or eight in total.

At the sight of Nara Shikaku and Uchiha Yashiro, Asuma clenched his fists, eyes brimming with grief and anger—especially when he looked at Yashiro!

Nara Shikaku could tell exactly what Asuma was feeling.

Nara Shikaku: "Asuma, what are you trying to do?"

Sarutobi Asuma looked at him grimly.

Sarutobi Asuma: "Shikaku-sama, the Sarutobi and the Ino-Shika-Chō have been close for generations. Our three clans' heads even exchanged tokens of alliance back in the day—my father personally witnessed it!"

"And yet, how could you stand by and let them kill him?!"

Nara Shikaku sighed.

Nara Shikaku: "Asuma… I sympathize with your anger and sorrow. But you should know better than anyone that the one who launched this war was not the Uchiha—rather, it was your father. You've seen the accusations against him. Hokage-sama has revealed them all publicly. You must have heard by now—know the truth."

"Besides, I recall you were always at odds with Hiruzen, to the point of leaving home and nearly severing ties with him…"

Sarutobi Asuma said bitterly,

"Even so… he's still my father! Not to mention my elder brother, my entire Sarutobi Clan… They're all wiped out! How can I possibly bear it?!"

Uchiha Yashiro spoke calmly:

"I can understand your feelings. But do recall: if not for the Hokage-sama, it would have been our Uchiha Clan that got wiped out. Or have you forgotten what your father intended?

"Moreover, you only see how your clan was exterminated, but have you considered the fate of the Senju Clan? They too vanished from history—who would stand up for their justice, if not our Hokage-sama?"

Asuma's whole body shook, face pale. The monk behind him patted him on the shoulder, attempting to console him.

Just then, another man among Asuma's group spoke coldly:

"So I was right. This Land of Fire ought to be ruled by the Daimyō alone. We can't allow the Konoha, or a Hokage, or any shinobi dictatorship to run rampant!"

"Asuma, you opposed me, calling my views extreme. But just look at the reality now—what say you? Will you join me, overthrow the Konoha, end the ninja system?"

Nara Shikaku's face darkened. He recognized that man as Kazuma, a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja with radical ideas, wanting to remove the Hokage and centralize everything under the Daimyō alone.

Sarutobi Asuma hesitated. Kazuma sneered:

"You see it now, right? These people are untrustworthy. They butchered your father, wiped out your clan. Join me, and we'll reshape the Land of Fire!"

Asuma slackened his fists:

"Kazuma… I still don't agree with you entirely. But maybe… we can cooperate on some things…"

Nara Shikaku gave a final warning:

"Asuma, for the sake of the Sarutobi–Ino–Shika–Chō bond, I advise you—this is a path of self-destruction."

Sarutobi Asuma forced a wry smile:

"Too late, Shikaku-sama… far too late."

He turned away; Kazuma shot a mocking grin at Shikaku and Yashiro, then followed Asuma out. The monk named Chiriku stayed behind.

Chiriku (the monk): "Within the Twelve Guardian Ninja, there have long been rival factions—Kazuma's 'Daimyō Faction' and Asuma's 'Hokage Faction.'

"But now it seems Asuma's changing his stance as well…

"I understand his grief. Yet I fear in his anger, he'll do something rash. As a friend, I'll try to dissuade him, though I doubt I'll succeed."

Chiriku sighed:

"Come, I'll take you to meet the Daimyō."

Nara Shikaku and Uchiha Yashiro exchanged a glance, nodding in unison:

"Alright."

Meeting with the Daimyō was merely a formality.

Shikaku and Yashiro explained Sarutobi Hiruzen's crimes and the new Hokage, Uchiha Chiyu's policy. Although the Daimyō and his officials were astonished, they accepted the outcome readily enough.

After that, Chiriku turned to them:

"Kazuma has under him quite a few formidable fighters—men like Fuka, Fudo, Fuen, etc. And… rumor has it that he has a son named Sora, who supposedly holds the power of the Nine-Tails…

"In short, Kazuma is extremely dangerous. Now that Asuma has allied with him, the result could be disastrous. Please stay on your guard."

Nara Shikaku thanked him, promising to report this to Hokage-sama.

Chiriku sighed:

"Seems the Twelve Guardian Ninja are at their end. If I fail to reason with Asuma, I'll return to the Fire Temple to continue my practice."

With that, he left.

In the following days, Shikaku and Yashiro lingered for a bit, sending word back to Konoha first. They soon heard explosive news:

The Twelve Guardian Ninja had erupted into internal strife.

Asuma's "Hokage Faction" was annihilated—even the famed "Limelight" all perished.

Kazuma emerged victorious. Asuma joined forces with him, and they publicly quit the Guardian Ninja, leaving the Daimyō's service altogether.

Evidently, they intended to strike at Konoha and the Hokage.

Learning this, Nara Shikaku and Yashiro finally set off home.

Nara Shikaku: "Elder Yashiro, your thoughts?"

Uchiha Yashiro: "Sarutobi Asuma is overestimating himself. Perhaps he imagines rebuilding the Sarutobi Clan… ironically guaranteeing its full extermination."

Nara Shikaku: "… I hate to admit it, but yes…"

…

Meanwhile, regarding negotiations with the Raikage, Chiyu formally nullified all previous unequal treaties Sarutobi Hiruzen had attempted to sign, along with whatever concessions. On the contrary, Chiyu demanded that everything Hiruzen had lost be restored in full!

Naturally, the Fourth Raikage was furious and refused. Ultimately, they agreed to meet face to face for "talks" in the Land of Frost, with the Land of Iron's samurai acting as observers—a pretense of fairness.

Basically a small-scale "Five Kage meeting." By the agreement, both sides could bring only two bodyguards.

Chiyu abided fully, bringing only two people:

Hatake Kakashi

Might Guy

That was quite sufficient.

…

Land of Lightning, Kumogakure

The Fourth Raikage was raging like thunder!

Sarutobi Hiruzen's sudden downfall had shattered Cloud's plans. Even more infuriating: stepping up to power was that Uchiha Chiyu—slayer of the Cloud envoy and foiler of their attempt to seize the Byakugan. It was intolerable.

Plus, Chiyu's stance in negotiations was more forceful than ever, rejecting past deals and demanding additional compensation.

If not for Elder Dodai's persistent counsel, the Raikage might have declared war right away. Dodai at length convinced him to hold a meeting with Hokage Chiyu, to be witnessed by the Land of Iron, each side allowed only two escort shinobi.

Although the Fourth Raikage planned to bring Dodai and Darui, Dodai insisted:

"Raikage-sama, if the foe is that Uchiha Chiyu, then unless we also involve the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki Bee in some way… even you alone may not suffice!"

Faced with such words, the Raikage could only storm about in vexation…

~~~

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