"Damn it… how does Uchiha Su dare?"
Danzo Shimura paced back and forth inside the Hokage's office, his expression tense, his movements restless. Beneath his agitation lay something deeper—fear. Not long ago, he had secretly transplanted Uchiha Kagami's eye into himself. If Uchiha Su were to discover the truth, Danzo could not even begin to imagine what kind of fate awaited him.
"We must gather our forces and intercept Uchiha Su. We cannot allow him to enter Konoha in such a grand and unchallenged manner!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat quietly, taking a slow drag from his pipe. Smoke curled upward as he exhaled, his expression calm but heavy with thought. After a moment, he spoke.
"I want to see… just how much my disciple has grown over these past ten years."
"Hiruzen, it would be best not to fight."
Utatane Koharu spoke firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"Konoha's military strength has already dropped to a terrifying level. If we suffer another devastating loss now, the village itself may cease to exist."
Homura Mitokado nodded, his voice low and solemn.
"There are barely three thousand ninja left… and even among them, many are injured, aged, or weakened. We simply do not have the strength to wage another war. Even if we somehow achieve victory, the cost would be far too great."
A heavy silence filled the room.
The long years of war had hollowed Konoha out. Once, the village could mobilize twelve thousand elite ninja at a moment's notice. It had been unmatched in both numbers and quality, with countless powerful figures leading its forces.
But now?
Those powerhouses were gone.
Dead… all of them.
What remained was only a shadow of its former glory—three thousand at best, perhaps barely two thousand in reality.
Nine years of relentless war had drained everything.
And unlike other nations, Konoha had never sought expansion or conquest. It had simply endured.
Hiruzen exhaled slowly.
"Summon the major ninja clans. Have them contribute their members to form an army. This is a matter of life and death for the village. Everyone must stand together."
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances. Their eyes briefly flickered toward Danzo, as if silently considering whether handing him over might appease Uchiha Su's anger.
Even now, they believed Uchiha Su's arrival was tied to Uchiha Kagami's death.
But they were wrong.
To Uchiha Su, Kagami's death held no emotional weight. When he had left Konoha years ago, he had already made his stance clear: from that moment on, the Uchiha of Konoha and those of the Hidden Mist were strangers.
"Also… ban the weekly publication run by the Uchiha in Konoha," Hiruzen added irritably.
He frowned.
"What exactly are they publishing? 'The Invincible Mizukage and Seii Taishōgun arrives at his loyal Konoha today'? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"I will handle it immediately," Koharu replied with a nod. "Media should remain under the village's control."
May 2nd, Year 29 of Konoha
Outside the village walls, banners stretched across the horizon, blotting out the sun. Armor gleamed like rolling clouds beneath the light.
At the forefront stood Uchiha Su.
Behind him gathered a formidable lineup—Uchiha Hikari, Uchiha Setsuna, Yagura Karatachi, Kaguya Takuma, and many other elite shinobi.
Now sixteen, Uchiha Su stood tall and imposing. He wore black armor, and a crimson cloak billowed behind him in the wind. One hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword as his gaze fixed on the village ahead.
Inside Konoha, unease spread like wildfire.
No one had expected Uchiha Su to arrive so swiftly… or so overwhelmingly.
This was Konoha at its weakest.
There had been no chance to intercept him.
Hiruzen's earlier command—to have the clans contribute elite ninja—had been quietly ignored.
The clans had reached a silent understanding.
Even the Second Hokage had once made such a request, and they had refused then.
Now, a newly appointed Hokage expected compliance?
Ridiculous.
If pressed too far, they had other means of resistance—questions, for instance. Questions about how Hiruzen himself had become Hokage.
Wasn't it supposed to be an election?
When did it become an appointment?
Did he truly think the great clans would simply accept such authority?
Hiruzen stood atop the village wall, his gaze fixed on the approaching army.
Behind him stood only a small force—around a hundred Sarutobi clan members, along with a handful from the Ino–Shika–Chō alliance who still supported him.
Danzo stood nearby with his own followers, though they numbered only a few dozen. The Shimura clan had always been small.
Koharu and Homura stood alone. As common-born ninja, they had no clans to support them.
This… was all Hiruzen had.
Yes, he could still mobilize thousands.
But what difference would it make?
It would only increase casualties.
Nearby, the heads of the major clans had gathered—but they stood apart, observing.
They had no intention of intervening.
To them, this was not an invasion.
After all… the Uchiha had once been part of Konoha.
"Lady Mito…"
Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly as Uzumaki Mito approached, accompanied by Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
He had not summoned her.
"I simply do not wish to see the village my husband built destroyed," Mito said gently. "I have lived here for nearly thirty years. This place is my life."
She smiled softly.
"As the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki and a master of sealing techniques… I should still be considered a top-tier combatant, shouldn't I?"
Hiruzen's lips trembled, but he could not find words. He simply bowed.
Tsunade stepped forward.
"Even if I am friends with Uchiha Su… if he intends to destroy Konoha, I will not stand by."
Orochimaru's eyes gleamed faintly.
"I am also part of this village."
Jiraiya grinned confidently.
"Don't worry! I'll drive that bastard away. I'm the great Jiraiya, after all! And I can summon Bunta—he won't stand a chance!"
Not far away, Sakumo Hatake stood in silence.
He did not want to fight.
Not against Uchiha Su.
"Uchiha Su!"
Hiruzen's voice rang out, amplified by chakra.
"What is your purpose in coming to Konoha? Do you intend to start another war?"
Uchiha Su raised three fingers.
"Not war," he replied calmly. "Three matters."
"First—Senju Tobirama once declared that the Hokage should be chosen by the people. That is why my uncle, Uchiha Madara, lost, and Tobirama became the Second Hokage."
His gaze sharpened.
"And yet—you were appointed directly. No vote. No consensus. This violates the very principles Konoha was built upon."
His voice grew colder.
"So I have come… to question that legitimacy."
Outrage erupted.
"Outrageous!"
"Insolence!"
Koharu and Homura shouted in anger.
"Silence," Hiruzen said, raising a hand.
"And the other two matters?"
"They are one and the same," Uchiha Su replied. "I have come to pay my respects—to Uchiha Shū and to Senju Tobirama. Despite everything, I acknowledge their strength."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
"So… you wish to question my legitimacy and pay your respects?"
"Exactly," Uchiha Su said with a faint smile. "So tell me—may I enter the village? After all… it has been ten years. I find that I miss it."
"Hiruzen, you cannot allow this!" Danzo hissed.
"We cannot stop him," Hiruzen replied quietly. "Not now."
"Then you will regret this!"
"Danzo… I am the Hokage."
Danzo fell silent, his expression dark.
"I will bring three hundred men with me," Uchiha Su continued. "The rest will remain outside."
"Agreed," Danzo snapped, speaking in Hiruzen's place.
Soon, three hundred elite shinobi stepped forward.
And together, they entered Konoha.
The sound of boots echoed against stone.
Clack… clack… clack…
Uchiha Su walked at the front.
His eyes settled on Danzo.
"I don't recall you wearing bandages before," he said lightly. "Was your face injured while protecting the Second Hokage?"
Danzo's expression darkened.
"That is none of your concern."
"Is that so?" Uchiha Su smiled faintly. "Strange… I heard that Uchiha Kagami visited you before his death. And afterward… your eye was wrapped."
Before Danzo could respond—
A massive golden arm appeared.
The Susanoo seized him, lifting him into the air.
"Harming a comrade… stealing a Sharingan," Uchiha Su said coldly. "You truly are Tobirama's disciple."
"Hiruzen—this is a misunderstanding—"
"Enough."
With a sharp motion, Uchiha Su tore away Danzo's bandages.
A crimson Sharingan spun into view.
Silence fell.
Hiruzen said nothing.
He could say nothing.
Facts needed no defense.
Uchiha Su's gaze hardened.
"You knew… and you allowed it."
The accusation struck deeper than any blade.
In the end, Uchiha Su slammed Danzo into the ground.
Bone cracked.
Then—without hesitation—he reached forward and tore the Sharingan from Danzo's eye.
Danzo's body trembled with pain, but he made no sound.
His remaining eye burned with hatred.
"I like that look," Uchiha Su said coldly. "Keep it. I won't kill you… not yet."
He crushed the eye in his hand.
Then stepped on Danzo's face.
Moments later, Danzo lost consciousness.
The entire village stood in stunned silence.
And no one dared to speak.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)