Tomiko's face burned red from embarrassment.
Not due to defeat—
But from how it had happened.
Her fingers dug into the ground as she forced her head up.
"You shameless brat…" Her voice trembled—not weak, but tight with rage. "Who taught you to fight like that?"
Her body refused to rise.
Nearby, Shinnosuke had seen everything.
And the silence around him snapped.
Fire Release: Burning Ash (Haisekishō)
Smoke spread low across the ground, seeping outward before rising in thick waves.
He stepped forward, placing himself beside Tomiko as she struggled to stand.
"Uchiha bastard," he said, voice cold, "is this what your clan calls combat?"
Toyama looked at them.
Then smiled.
Lazy. Unbothered.
"If you had just stood still," he said, "this wouldn't have been necessary."
Behind him, Suki leaned slightly toward Raizen, her voice barely contained.
"…Uncle… did he really just—"
Raizen didn't answer immediately.
His eyes were still on Tomiko.
She avoided every gaze.
"…Yeah," he muttered at last.
A brief silence followed.
No one laughed.
No one spoke.
Because everyone understood—
That hadn't been a mistake.
That had been intentional.
Behind Toyama—
Flame appeared with a kunai.
—but before his attack could land—
Blink.
Space twisted.
Shinnosuke appeared in Toyama's place—
—and the blade drove straight into his shoulder.
"—ah!"
Blood spilled.
Flame staggered back instantly.
"Captain—! I—"
Blink.
Toyama returned.
His counter was immediate—
clean—
decisive.
Flame's arm split open under the strike.
"AAAHHH—!"
He collapsed, voice breaking into curses.
Toyama didn't even look at him.
His gaze shifted back to Shinnosuke.
Then, slowly—
Shinnosuke's hand dropped.
The ANBU mask slipped from his face.
For a moment—
No one spoke.
Then Raizen's eyes narrowed.
"…Shinnosuke Sarutobi."
Toyama glanced at him.
"Uncle, you know him?"
Raizen gave a small smile with contempt.
"The eldest son of Hiruzen Sarutobi."
At that—
Something shifted in Toyama's expression.
Then—
His lips curved.
"…I see."
His gaze returned to Shinnosuke.
"So the Hokage's son…"
He took a step forward, unhurried.
"A backstabbing bastard who stabs his own men the moment their backs are turned."
Shinnosuke didn't answer.
Didn't move.
Toyama's smile widened, just a fraction.
"I don't know what explanation the Uchiha will give after detaining you," he said lightly, "but I'm sure the villagers would be very interested…"
A brief pause.
"…in why an ANBU died by his captain's hand."
The air tightened.
Toyama tilted his head slightly.
"And why did Hokage's eldest son choose to run from battle?"
Shinnosuke's face had gone pale as the blood flowed from his shoulder. Pain tightened every line of his face.
But his eyes—those hadn't broken yet, they carried mockery toward Toyoma.
For a moment, he just stared at Toyama.
Then—
He laughed.
A dry, cracked sound.
"Ha… you bastard. Do you think the village will believe the words of a Uchiha bastard?"
The laugh lingered, uneven, but his gaze stayed sharp.
"For Konoha, your words are nothing but a clown's attempt to seek attention… a pathetic display."
His breath hitched slightly—pain from his shoulder—but he didn't stop.
"What? Do you really think you can disgrace my father's name with this? Even if you tell the whole village, it doesn't matter to me."
A faint smile pulled at his lips.
Not pride.
but with confidence.
"I can simply apologise in front of the entire village and say that we were forced to retreat because we faced the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist—an opponent we couldn't handle. Retreating with intel was the best option."
He exhaled slowly, as if the conclusion had already settled in his favour.
Tomiko's eyes shifted.
The hesitation from before—
was gone.
In its place, something steadier.
Approval.
That… was the best move, her worries now about their mission failure and has gone.
Across from them, Suki's grip tightened around her sword.
Raizen and Genzo stood silent, but their expressions darkened as they listened to Shinosuke.
They understood his words clearly.
But the audacity of his, made them grit their teeth in anger.
Shinosuke looked at the grim faces of Uchiha after hearing him as he gave them a mocking smile and continued.
"I will only lose my position as ANBU captain… but I won't let you Uchiha walk away with your heads held high. I'll make sure every villager knows how you interfered with ANBU operations… and how those who could have retreated died because of you."
He looked straight at Toyama as he said it.
Like a man already rewriting the outcome.
Suki took a step forward.
Her voice snapped through the tension.
"Bastard! You killed this ANBU yourself—and the rest died at the hands of the Mist swordsmen! How are we involved in this?"
Shinnosuke turned his head toward her.
And laughed again.
This time louder.
Unstable laughter full of contempt.
"Hahaha… who would believe that? Yes, some died by the Mist swordsmen… but the majority died because of you bastards… hahaha—"
That was enough.
Suki's restraint broke.
Steel flashed in her hand as she surged forward.
"You bastard, I'll kill you!"
—but before she could reach him—
Raizen's hand caught her arm—
tight.
Suki jerked against it, fury burning in her eyes.
"Let me go, Uncle Raizen. It's better to kill this bastard right here."
Her gaze stayed locked on Shinnosuke, murderous, unblinking.
Shinnosuke watched her with a mocking gaze.
Raizen still didn't release her.
Toyama, who was listening to Shinosuke till now, finally replied.
Almost amused by his plan, which he told.
"It's a good plan, I can give you that", he said, tilting his head slightly and raising his one finger. "But there's one small mistake in it."
Pausing as he looked at Shinosuke's eyes.
Then, when Shinosuke looked at him in confusion—
"Do you really think there are no witnesses… who saw you running from the battlefield?"
Shinnosuke's expression flickered at hearing this.
"What do you mean?" he said sharply. "What witnesses?"
Inside, his thoughts raced.
As if those Mist bastards would leave anyone alive…
He knew their methods.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist never leave survivors.
Last time they moved openly—
The Land of Whirlpools was wiped clean.
Even the Uzumaki Clan elites were slaughtered like nothing.
No witnesses.
Just corpses.
So any anbu ninja being alive there has literally no chance—
Toyama smiled.
Just enough to irritate him.
"The Eternal Genin," he said, a title.
"The one you left behind to die."
The words dropped—
and stayed.
"He's stronger than all of them put together."
A step forward toward Shinosuke.
"And the mist swordman present here?" Toyama's eyes narrowed slightly. "Already known… to us. To the village."
Another pause.
Let it sink.
"So go on," he continued, voice light, almost mocking. "Tell your little story."
His smile sharpened.
"Let's see how far it gets you."
Shinnosuke's jaw tightened.
Toyama didn't stop.
"In the end," he said, "you'll still be known for what you are."
A beat.
"—a coward who runs when the second things get real."
The word landed like a slap.
Toyama let out a short breath of laughter.
"Actually… no, I think this might be the fighting style of your clan."
He tilted his head, as if reconsidering.
"First, that hokage father of yours who ran when faced with the cloud shinobi, leaving the second hokage."
Then Toyoma glanced at Shinosuke.
That did it.
Shinnosuke's teeth clenched hard enough to show.
Toyama stepped closer.
"Now you… doing the same thing."
His gaze flicked to the blood on Shinnosuke's shoulder.
"Leaving your own men behind like they were disposable."
"Cowardice isn't just a habit for your clan… "Toyama said, "It's bred into your blood.."
A quiet laugh followed.
Raizen let out a short laugh.
Not loud—
but edged with open disdain.
"What else can you expect from the Sarutobi?" he said, the mockery plain in his voice. "Tell me… do they even have anything to their name? No bloodline limit. No true secret techniques."
He turned his head slightly, glancing toward Genzo.
"Is there anyone in Konoha who actually expects anything from them? Other than treating them like a burden, the village has to carry?"
Genzo didn't hesitate.
He gave a slow nod, his expression cold.
"That much is obvious," he said. "That clan survives on reputation alone. Strip away the Hokage's name, and they'd have been wiped out in the last war without anyone even noticing."
The words settled heavily in the air.
No one interrupted.
No one denied it.
Toyama listened quietly.
Then exhaled—almost amused.
"Honestly…" he said, voice thoughtful.
His gaze shifted.
Locked onto Shinnosuke.
" I always wondered why the hell Hiruzen Sarutobi's ass is so damn glued to that Hokage seat—like he'd die if he ever let go."
A pause.
Then his lips curved faintly.
"…but looking at you now, I think I understand."
Shinnosuke didn't respond.
But the tension in his jaw tightened visibly.
Toyama took a step closer.
Unhurried.
Measured.
"Other than the Third Hokage," he continued, "I don't see a single Sarutobi worthy of even being a genin."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Afraid to fight. Afraid to die."
Each word landed with deliberate weight.
"So what do they do instead?"
A faint, humourless smile appeared.
"They scheme. They cling to power. They make sure they're never the ones standing on the battlefield when it matters."
Tomiko's expression darkened.
Flame, still on the ground, clenched his teeth through the pain.
And Shinnosuke—
said nothing.
But his eyes burned.
Red with anger.
Red with something deeper.
Toyama stopped in front of him.
Close enough now that the distance itself felt like pressure.
"That way," he said quietly, "no one can question them."
A brief pause.
Then—
His voice lowered just a fraction.
"…for not being there when it counts."
Silence followed.
Thick.
Suffocating.
Toyama tilted his head slightly.
"Am I wrong…"
His gaze locked onto Shinnosuke's.
Unblinking.
"…Mr. Sarutobi Shinnosuke?"
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Author note:
Hello everyone, hear_tteeth here.
This chapter was more focused on tension and character clash rather than action. The fight itself is not the main point here — it's about reputation, narrative, and how easily truth can be twisted depending on who controls the story.
Toyama and Shinnosuke both represent two very different ways of fighting — one through control and pressure, the other through manipulation and survival.
Also, yes… Toyama is a bit ruthless here. But in this world, hesitation is just another way of losing.
Things will escalate from here.
Thank you for reading.
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