Chapter 79N

Chapter 79N

2-in-1 chapter

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Akimichi Torifu arrived quickly but was still a step too late. Just before entering the secret prison, he received a report: Shimura Danzō had been beheaded.

“Danzō is dead?”

Upon hearing the news,

Torifu didn’t even lift an eyebrow. He merely scratched at his forehead. “So the intruder came to kill? Did he not know Danzō had already been sentenced to death?” From Danzō’s death, a lot could be inferred. The intruder wasn’t here to rescue anyone. That likely meant he wasn’t a leftover from Root, but rather someone from a clan or family that had wanted Danzō dead.

“Maybe… a personal grudge.”

Nara Shikaku gave his answer, then fixed his gaze on the Hyūga clan’s guard captain present at the scene. “Still no confirmation on the intruder’s identity?”

“Apologies, Hokage-sama. The enemy used Water Clones and Transformation Jutsu to disrupt the Byakugan’s vision. I can’t confirm his true identity, and his chakra signature isn’t someone I recognize.” The Hyūga clan’s captain bowed respectfully toward Akimichi Torifu as he explained.

The primary wardens of the secret prison were drawn from the Uchiha, Hyūga, and Aburame clans. Due to ties with the Sarutobi, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio had not provided personnel. Torifu had instead pulled in a batch of clean-background ANBU recruits to assist.

Thus,

When the Hyūga and Aburame turned a blind eye—selectively—Torifu truly had no idea who the intruder was.

At that moment,

All present sensory ninja instinctively turned their heads east and southeast, where two powerful chakra signatures were rapidly approaching.

“It’s the Uchiha Clan Head and the Hyūga Clan Head.”

Yamanaka Inoichi whispered this to Torifu.

“They’re fast.”

Torifu’s brows twitched slightly.

Just three or four seconds later, Uchiha Rēn and Hyūga Hiashi appeared in full view. They weren’t alone—several attendants followed them. No clan head would roam the village entirely unaccompanied.

“Hokage-sama, you’re looking quite spirited today.”

The two of them greeted Torifu in unison, offering pleasantries.

“Cut it out—you’re flattering me so much I can’t even hear bad news anymore.” Torifu chuckled as he bantered with the two, the mood light and casual.

They exchanged a few more lines,

When Aburame Shibi arrived as well.

With that, the new core of Konoha’s leadership—reformed after the village’s recent upheaval—was complete.

The Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Uchiha, Hyūga, and Aburame clans now represented the village’s strongest factions and had naturally become the new leadership circle. Torifu hadn’t, like Sarutobi Hiruzen, excluded the Uchiha from the center of power.

Whether it was because he wouldn’t or couldn’t didn’t matter.

What mattered— was that the Uchiha had indeed entered the village’s power center. They now had the right to place pieces on the board, not just be pieces others played with.

“Alright, enough small talk.”

Seeing that the people he had been waiting for had arrived, Torifu clapped his hands and got to the point: “Everyone, Shimura Danzō has already been killed by the intruder and the perpetrator is currently heading toward the prison where Sarutobi Hiruzen is being held… thoughts?”

Yamanaka Inoichi blinked beside Shikaku. He was somewhat confused.

He didn’t understand why Torifu was asking such a strange question.

Shouldn’t their top priority be capturing the intruder?

“What about the intruder’s identity? Still unknown?” Rēn asked.

The Uchiha’s Sharingan was nearly equal to the Byakugan in precision, but in large-scale and long-range detection, it lagged behind both the Byakugan and the Aburame clan’s insects. So just like Torifu, he had no idea who the intruder was.

“Still unknown,” Torifu shook his head.

“…Danzō is dead, and we still haven’t identified the intruder?” Rēn’s eyes took on a strange look. So he wasn’t the only one planning something… Could the intruder have been sent by the Hyūga or Aburame?

However, that seemed unlikely.

The Hyūga and Aburame clan’s grievances with the Sarutobi and the older faction weren’t serious enough to warrant this kind of cleanup. And with the Uchiha serving as the biggest lightning rod, it would be foolish for them to share the risk. The Uchiha were the ones most eager to ensure Hiruzen never rose again.

So then… were Hiashi and Shibi deliberately letting the intruder operate freely? That intruder must have quite the backstory.

The next moment, Rēn’s suspicions were confirmed.

“Hokage-sama, how about we check the site where Danzō was killed? We might find some clues to identify the intruder,” Hiashi suggested.

“If it’s someone I’ve encountered before, my insects can identify the chakra,” Shibi added, supporting the idea.

“No objections from me.”

Rēn was more than happy with Hiashi and Shibi’s proposal. The longer they stalled here, the greater the chance Biwa Jūzō’s operation would succeed—provided that the mystery intruder didn’t interfere.

“Then let’s head to the scene.”

Torifu agreed without resistance.

And so, a bizarre situation took shape.

While the intruder advanced toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, the acting Fifth Hokage and the top clan heads calmly headed to investigate the spot where Danzō had died. Even the prison guards followed, citing the Hokage’s safety, leaving massive gaps in the village’s defenses.

"The explosions… they’re getting closer, aren’t they?"

Sarutobi Asuma stood outside the cell, visibly uneasy.

"Something’s wrong."

Sarutobi Hiruzen—the old professor—had far sharper instincts than his son. The explosions drawing nearer were one thing, but the guards who had been stationed along the corridor to watch them had mysteriously vanished. This corridor only ever held one prisoner: him. There were no others.

And now, with the guards gone, the place felt cold and deserted.

"Asuma, something’s not right. Leave here immediately."

Hiruzen made a swift decision. His instincts as a seasoned shinobi told him trouble was coming. Though he didn’t think Akimichi Torifu and the others would dare outright kill him, as a former Hokage, he knew better than to believe in absolutes. There were always loopholes. The only question was whether someone had found one.

"Leave?"

Asuma was no longer a naive child.

After two years among the Twelve Guardian Ninja, he had witnessed the power struggles in the daimyō’s court. He immediately understood what "leave" really meant.

"Old man… you’re saying someone would actually…"

He had called him “father” at first, but the rebel in him quickly reverted to “old man.”

"I underestimated their ruthlessness."

Hiruzen sighed lightly.

He truly was old—not just physically, but mentally as well. The title of former Hokage wasn’t the shield he thought it was. What seemed like a banner for a return to power was, in truth, a death sentence.

Those who ousted him would never allow the risk of his comeback.

What stops a man from rising again?

Only a corpse lies quietly in its coffin.

However—

"Kakashi? Who sent you?"

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes at the figure appearing at the corridor’s end—Hatake Kakashi.

"No one. I came of my own accord," Kakashi said, walking forward, holding a short blade.

"You came… on your own?"

Hiruzen’s confusion deepened.

He believed he knew Kakashi well—around Asuma’s age, yet far more talented. But ever since his father’s suicide, Kakashi had been emotionally shut down. After losing teammates and his sensei, he buried himself in missions to numb the pain.

Someone like Kakashi never acted without a mission or an order.

"I came for revenge. For my father."

Kakashi’s words were slow and deliberate.

"Revenge?"

Hiruzen’s brows furrowed.

"Kakashi, I don’t know who told you what, but listen to me—Sakumo’s suicide was the last thing I ever wanted. His death was an immeasurable loss to the village."

"But you didn’t punish Shimura Danzō, did you, Third Hokage?"

Kakashi’s eyes, one crimson and one black, locked onto Hiruzen, glowing with a blade-sharp fury. "I don’t know if you ever truly regretted my father’s death, but I know this much—you never once tried to give him justice."

"And I saw it—with my own eyes. The mission report hidden in Danzō’s private archives. The one with your signature. I’m guessing you ordered him to destroy it. Unfortunately for you, Danzō kept it as leverage."

Kakashi raised his short blade into a ready stance.

"Danzō…"

Hiruzen’s face darkened, though he remained calm.

"Kakashi, just because you saw something doesn’t make it true. If you believe Danzō is treacherous, then how can you be sure that report wasn’t forged?"

"Don’t treat me like some fool who can be tricked by lies!"

Lightning crackled—

Kakashi’s figure blurred as he appeared mid-air outside the cell. His short blade, crackling with thunder, was raised high and then swung down with fierce precision.

CLANG!

The strike was intercepted by a chunk of metal.

Wind Release chakra, spinning like a chainsaw, was wrapped around a piece of iron bar. Exploiting wind’s natural advantage over lightning, the blow was blocked. But judging by the sweat on Sarutobi Asuma’s forehead, it was clear he was taking a huge risk.

After all, he hadn’t brought his usual chakra blades. In a hurry, he had broken off part of the cell’s bars to use as a weapon. Whether or not he could actually stop Kakashi’s blade was uncertain.

Fortunately, it had worked even if barely.

"Kakashi."

Asuma steadied himself, locking eyes with his peer.

They had been classmates once. But Kakashi had graduated at five, made chunin at six and finally jonin at age 12—he was distant from all his peers. Calling them acquaintances was too generous. They were names he recognized and faces he had seen, nothing more.

"You plan to protect your father?"

"Kakashi! Do you realize what you’re doing? Attempting to assassinate a former Hokage—is this how you betray the village?" Asuma gripped the iron bar, drenched in sweat, shouting at Kakashi while feeling a deep anxiety inside.

They didn’t even need to fight long.

That one brief exchange was enough for Asuma to understand why Kakashi had been considered the top genius of their generation.

That blade was fast, precise and ruthless.

Even with wind restraining lightning, Asuma knew he could only block so many strikes.

"You protect your father. I only want justice for mine. Don’t throw empty phrases like ‘betraying the village’ at me—it’s disgusting!" With those words, Kakashi’s killing intent surged again, and he slashed forward, clashing with Asuma.

Hiruzen remained inside the cell, unmoving.

His gaze, however, was not fixed on Kakashi.

Because he sensed another presence—another wave of killing intent. Even more intense than Kakashi’s. Maybe not as strong, but without question the kind of person who had killed many.

Asuma might not match Kakashi, but he could buy time.

In that window of time, Hiruzen had to deal with the real threat hiding in the shadows.

This enemy was no amateur. Their concealment skills were top-tier. Though the killing intent was palpable, the exact location couldn’t be determined.

Hiruzen didn’t hesitate.

Waiting for death wasn’t in his nature.

No matter who it was—Kakashi or anyone else—they wouldn’t take his life so easily.

Ninja Art: Monster Strength.

Even with just a bit of chakra, the resulting shockwave shattered the wall. The sealing shackles on his wrists exploded. Tools like that only worked on average ninja. For someone like Hiruzen, they were meaningless.

Truthfully, he could’ve broken out any time.

The problem was, what would that accomplish?

In Konoha’s current state, even if he escaped this secret prison, it wouldn’t change anything. He had stayed put, hoping to find a way to reverse the situation. But he hadn’t expected an assassination attempt this soon.

"So then… let’s see who’s trying to kill me. Uchiha? Hyūga? Aburame? Or... Torifu?"

His chakra now free, Hiruzen weaved hand seals faster than the eye could follow and shouted: Barrier: Canopy Formation! A transparent, spherical barrier expanded from him in all directions, detecting every chakra fluctuation inside.

Two seconds passed—

"Found you!"

Hiruzen snapped his head upward to a rock ledge.

He wove seals again:

Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!

He spat dozens of fireballs upward—not falling like rain, but rising toward the ceiling.

"No wonder they called you the Shinobi Professor!!!"

A voice full of admiration rang out.

Before the fireballs struck, the hidden intruder revealed himself. Wielding a broad-bladed sword, he smashed the flames apart with brute strength. Standing upside-down on the stone wall, he gazed down at the broken cell door and the man stepping out.

"A Mist Ninja? One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen... Biwa Jūzō?"

Hiruzen froze, stunned to see Biwa Jūzō on the ledge. His mind reeled. Why would a Mist ninja come to assassinate a deposed Hokage? What kind of plan was this?

And—

This was deep in Konoha’s heart.

How had this damned Mist ninja infiltrated so far?

The supposed rumors about Mist ninja spies had just been an excuse—but now they were real?

"Biwa Jūzō. Who sent you to kill me?"

Hiruzen demanded coldly.

"That question... I’ll gladly answer—after I take your head." Jūzō grinned with bloodlust. Even as he spoke, he quietly finished weaving seals. "Now then... let’s have some fun. Hiding in Mist Technique!"

Thick mist began to flood the underground prison.