The blood-red sunset bathed the towering walls of the capital in a tragic crimson glow.
Uchiha Yakumi stood atop the battlements, his three-tomoe Sharingan slowly spinning as he gazed coldly at the boiling battlefield not far away.
Flesh and blood scattered.
Ninjutsu erupted.
Flames and lightning tore across the sky—
Every scream marking the end of a life.
Yet in his eyes…
There was no difference between the two sides.
Kumogakure were enemies.
So too were the direct forces of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
When the will of the Uchiha had been completely unified under Uchiha Anlan…
When they had seen clearly that the path controlled by the Senju faction led only to suppression, injustice—
And ultimately, a dead end—
Their stance toward "Konoha" had already been decided.
The enemy…
Was in the Hokage Tower.
Yakumi, once aligned with the clan head faction, now stood firmly with the unified will of the Uchiha.
His thoughts churned.
And the memory of that decisive court assembly resurfaced vividly in his mind.
Sunlight filtered through tall windows, sliced into precise patterns by lattice frames, falling across polished floors.
The air carried the faint scent of expensive incense—
Blended with something heavier.
Authority.
Pressure.
On both sides stood the highest-ranking nobles of the Land of Fire.
Their luxurious robes could not hide their tension.
Or their calculations.
As the full representative of Mugen Castle and the Uchiha clan—
Yakumi stood below the steps.
Straight-backed.
Unyielding.
Beside him stood several noble heads closely tied to Mugen Castle.
To outsiders, they were merely a façade—
Masking the true rulers of the east.
The Uchiha.
Upon the throne sat the daimyō.
Draped in elaborate robes, his face half-hidden behind a folding fan.
To Yakumi—
He looked like a bloated pig seated in court.
This was the daimyō?
Untouchable?
Heh.
"Greetings, Your Excellency."
Yakumi bowed slightly.
The daimyō studied him with narrowed eyes before speaking slowly:
"…Recent reports indicate unrest along the eastern seas. Kirigakure runs rampant—invading our lands, slaughtering our people."
"Konoha, despite receiving the nation's resources, has failed in its duty—allowing the enemy to penetrate deep, threatening the very foundation of the state."
He paused.
His gaze swept across the hall.
Then—
His tone shifted.
"At this critical juncture, the Uchiha clan has shown courage and loyalty, turning the tide in the east."
"Their achievements are undeniable."
"They are worthy of recognition."
"A pillar of the nation."
"Therefore—by my decree—"
"Uchiha Anlan is hereby appointed Eastern Pillar General of the Land of Fire."
"With full authority over all military and administrative affairs in the east."
"He may establish governance from Mugen Castle—appoint officials—and act with full discretion."
"Let this secure the eastern frontier!"
Silence.
Then—
Shock.
"Eastern Pillar General?!"
"Mugen Castle… a shogunate?!"
The nobles stared in disbelief.
This was not a reward.
This was division.
A formal grant of land.
Power.
Authority.
The eastern territories—
Military.
Administration.
All placed—
Openly.
Legally.
In the hands of the Uchiha.
Mugen Castle was no longer a mere stronghold.
It had become—
A political entity.
A Shogunate.
Yakumi felt the suppressed excitement from allied nobles.
He heard sharp inhalations—
Especially from those aligned with Konoha.
A storm was coming.
In Konoha.
Across the shinobi world.
The Uchiha fan—
Would no longer belong to the clan alone.
It would be carved into the structure of power itself.
"Your Excellency!"
An elderly noble stepped forward, trembling.
"This… this cannot be!"
"This is unprecedented! It is equivalent to dividing the nation!"
"Granting such authority—establishing a shogunate—what of Konoha?! What of the one-country-one-village system?! This will lead to—"
He stopped.
He dared not say it.
Civil war.
The hall froze.
Yakumi watched closely.
Something…
Was wrong.
Then—
A calm female voice spoke.
"That is incorrect."
All eyes turned.
A woman stepped forward.
Blonde hair.
Gentle, composed demeanor.
Yakushi Nono.
She bowed slightly.
"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken."
"The one-country-one-village system exists to protect the nation."
"But when that system fails—when land is lost, when the people suffer, when the ruler is threatened—"
"Must we cling to outdated structures?"
Her gaze swept across the hall.
"The appointment of the Eastern Pillar General—"
"And the establishment of the Mugen Castle Shogunate—"
"Are not acts of division."
"They are acts of integration."
"To legitimize a force that has already stabilized the east."
"To strengthen the nation—not weaken it."
"As for Konoha—"
Her voice softened.
"Kumogakure stands at our gates."
"Where is Konoha's duty now?"
"If the east falls—who will defend it?"
Silence.
No one could answer.
"The decree stands."
The daimyō's voice settled everything.
The memory faded.
Yakumi's gaze sharpened.
"What is that—?!"
On Konoha's flank—
A breach had been torn open.
Bodies lay scattered.
Then—
A terrifying surge of chakra erupted.
Like a volcano breaking free after millennia.
At its center—
Might Dai.
His green jumpsuit was soaked in blood.
His shoulder torn open.
Bone exposed.
Yet—
He stood.
Unmoving.
Staring at the fallen.
Comrades.
Children.
'Not enough…'
'Still not enough…'
'Too weak…'
Guilt.
Rage.
Despair.
Everything exploded.
Hiruzen's voice echoed—
"Youth… I can see it."
But now—
He could protect no one.
Something broke.
Something beyond limits.
Deep within—
The Gates opened.
One after another.
Until—
The Seventh Gate.
"BOOM—!!!"
Blue vapor erupted like a raging dragon.
The ground shattered beneath him.
Pain—
Unimaginable.
Yet—
His expression…
Was sacred.
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
His roar drowned the battlefield.
Shockwaves spread.
Enemies staggered.
Even Raikage turned.
Might Dai raised his head.
His eyes—
Pure white.
Burning.
"Konoha's Blue Beast…"
"Has arrived."
He vanished.
Gone.
Too fast.
"Daytime Tiger!"
A compressed air blast—
Shaped like a roaring tiger—
Exploded forward.
No resistance.
No scream.
Only—
Destruction.
The jōnin—
Gone.
Hundreds more—
Erased.
Silence.
The battlefield froze.
All eyes—
On him.
Wrapped in blue vapor.
Like a god.
Might Dai lowered his fist.
His blazing gaze swept the battlefield.
Enemies stepped back.
He smiled.
Bright.
Pure.
Burning.
"My youth…"
"Burns here—without regret!"
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