With One Blade, Overturning Konoha!

A mere speck of sand, not even half my worth!

Far away, Ōnoki shuddered at the sight of Susanoo shattering. The thought he'd just entertained—of using Orochimaru's summoned power to resist—vanished almost instantly. That was Madara Uchiha. And he'd been forced back by a single strike!

Calm down! Must calm down. Seems watching from the sidelines is the wisest choice for now.

“Who is he?”

Standing firm, Madara frowned at Obito. As expected. Obito was right. Compared to the previous question, this one held far greater priority.

“His name is Hakken Yoru.”

Taking a deep breath, Obito spoke slowly.

“But more people remember him by his title: Konoha’s Kenpachi.”

“What that title truly signifies, I don't know.”

“But whoever holds this title can exercise authority equal to the Hokage. In other words, he is also Konoha's Hokage.”

After a brief pause, Obito looked at Madara. Still as unruffled as ever? But what he was about to say would likely astonish even Madara.

“Exercise authority equal to the Hokage?”

Not far away, Tobirama Senju frowned.

“Saru, did you establish this system?”

“This is outrageous! A village having two supreme commanders is a massive problem. What were you thinking?”

“Setting aside who makes decisions during routine matters, what happens in emergencies if the two disagree?”

"You've disappointed me, Saru!"

One village, two leaders sharing power. Unheard of.

But what baffled Tobirama Senju most was that when he voiced this, Sarutobi merely shook his head. The surrounding ANBU ninja, the Night Owl Team, and even the dashing man in the distance wearing the Fourth Hokage's cloak all shot him the same look. Their gazes conveyed only one meaning. That he was overreacting to something trivial. It felt like a group watching a fool complain.

“What? Is there a problem with what I said?”

Tobirama Senju frowned, his tone and pitch unchanged, though his presence seemed slightly diminished.

“Ahem, well... this matter requires some background.” Thıs content belongs to novęlfire.net

Minato suddenly stepped forward with a smile. “Second Hokage, this policy was personally established by me and these twenty-seven Fourth Hokage.”

“Explaining the underlying reasons would be rather complicated, but broadly speaking, it's because the rewards for the Hakken's service to Konoha have become utterly unnecessary.”

“That's quite the boast.”

Tobirama Senju paused, then spoke solemnly, “I'd like to know exactly what you mean by ‘merits.’”

“Tobirama-sensei.”

Seeing the Second's expression, Sarutobi sighed and interrupted, “Truthfully, I have no objection to this matter. In fact, I don't find it excessive at all.”

“After all, he achieved what no previous Hokage ever accomplished.”

"For instance, expanding Konoha's territory and extending its borders."

Expanding Konoha's territory. The Second suddenly fell silent. He had never considered such a thing, or perhaps never believed it possible. The Five Great Shinobi Villages, the Five Great Nations. Smaller nations scattered between them. This structure seemed, to him, utterly unchangeable. Moreover, the idea of forcing others to cede land felt utterly unrealistic.

“What else?”

It was Madara beside Obito who suddenly perked up, casting a meaningful glance at the Eight Swords before urging Obito to continue.

Expanding Konoha's territory, enlarging its borders? This was news even to Madara. Yet there was an inexplicable thrill in it—as if that kid had accomplished something Madara himself had once yearned to achieve.

“He's only talking about the surface achievements.”

Obito gave a bitter smile. “And that old man was right—if you added up all his accomplishments, the people of Konoha would be justified in worshipping him as a god. He graduated early from the Ninja Academy, then went deep behind enemy lines in the Land of Lightning to capture the Two-Tails and severely wound the Eight-Tails. Even before that, when I fought him, he forced me back with a single strike.

“But that's nothing compared to the reforms he implemented after returning to the village. He transformed the ANBU—that obscure department hidden deep within the village, one people scarcely noticed—into a symbol of glory. That's how Konoha's Wall of Honor came to be.”

“Only those who contributed to Konoha earned a place on that wall. What the Third Hokage just mentioned were merely the recorded feats etched there.”

“But beyond those, there are countless untold deeds. Like capturing the Raikage alive, forcing the Land of Lightning to ultimately cede territory.”

“Or thwarting my attempt to unleash the Nine-Tails Chaos to exact revenge on Konoha—trifles, really.”

Obito narrowed his eyes, staring intently at Kaguya in the distance. “Now comes the crucial part.”

“After consolidating the ANBU, he led ANBU ninja and his personal Night Owl Team to infiltrate Kirigakure. In a single night, he seized control of the village's government! He eliminated the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and installed the Fifth Mizukage, Terumi, into power!”

“According to my intelligence, Kirigakure is now effectively a vassal state of Konoha. The entire Land of Water is under Konoha's control!”

The entire Land of Water under Konoha's control? At that moment, everyone present was utterly stunned. Whether they were the Kage of the major ninja villages or leaders of other ninja villages, they stared at Terumi in shock, seemingly trying to discern the situation from her reaction. Had it been exposed?

Terumi shrugged helplessly at Yatsuhashi, unsure how Obito had learned of this. After all, the so-called Blood Mist Policy was Obito's means of retaliating against Kirigakure. She had no knowledge of Yagura being controlled.

As if to declare her stance, Terumi stepped forward and leaned obediently against Hakken's shoulder. This gesture implicitly confirmed Obito's words as truth!

Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages! Was it truly a subordinate of Konohagakure?! Unacceptable. Did that mean the Five Great Shinobi Villages were now effectively only four?

This sudden revelation silenced everyone. Even the faces of the First and Second Hokage, summoned through Edo Tensei, froze. What an incredible achievement!

“If that's all it was, it wouldn't be anything special.” Obito remained as composed as ever, yet the hint of envy in his words was unmistakable to anyone. He truly was envious. Sometimes he even fantasized about what it would be like if he were the one receiving such reverence.

“After all, the Kirigakure government was already fragile back then. Supporting the Fifth Mizukage's rise to power was merely opportunistic.”

“His true display of power came when he led the ANBU into the Land of Earth.”

“With just over two hundred ANBU ninja, he turned the Land of Earth upside down, nearly destroying the entire Iwa Village.”

“In the end, he even forced the Kage of Iwagakure and Sunagakure to come to Konoha, bowing before that Wall of Honor and Merit. He made them pay tribute to Konoha annually, transporting vast supplies and resources.”

“If those actions demonstrated strength, then what followed truly revealed his ambition.”

After a pause, Obito continued, “Subjugating the four major ninja villages and controlling Kirigakure was not enough to satisfy his ambition. Starting several years ago, Konoha began extending its reach to smaller ninja villages. To my knowledge, over eighty percent of the smaller and medium-sized ninja villages and nations across the entire Ninja World are now under Konoha's control!”

“It’s foreseeable that he will do something utterly unimaginable in the future.”

Having spoken in one breath, Obito adjusted his mask. Only he knew how much sweat was seeping from his face at that moment.

In short, he's a tough opponent, and the Eye of the Moon Plan had to be called off because of him.

The Rain Village, where the Akatsuki was based, had already been completely destroyed in a single strike by the person you gave the Rinnegan to.

That guy is still lying there, unconscious.

Obito stepped closer to Madara and deliberately lowered his voice.

"I'm no match for him, but one thing is certain: his sword can strike at a person's very soul."

"My guess is that Edo Tensei summons the spirits of the dead, but his sword specifically targets the soul. So, I think it's better if you are resurrected in your true form, or else you might not be able to defeat him."

"Right now, the Nine-Tails, Two-Tails, and One-Tail are down there, along with the Kage from each village—"

Shh.

Obito tried to continue, but Madara raised a hand to his lips, signaling for silence.

He patted Obito's shoulder, his expression suddenly turning wild.

"After all these years, Obito—"

"You've accomplished nothing."

"Just as I thought—you’re utterly useless. No value whatsoever."

Madara glanced sideways at Obito before turning his gaze back to Black Zetsu and nodding. At the signal, Black Zetsu melted into the earth.

Turning his attention to Hakken Yoru, Madara slapped his forehead.

His voice rose from a low rumble to a sharp pitch, and his body began to tremble.

He was laughing.

He was ecstatic!

"Hahahaha!"

"Ha, did you see that? What I once told you—your descendant actually accomplished it!"

"Unify the world through force and bring peace to the world."

"When I proposed this idea to you, you rejected it without reason. Yet now, that kid has done exactly what I did!"

"Do you agree?"

No, it wasn’t about agreeing.

It was a feeling of pure satisfaction.

Finally, someone had the same vision—this was the same grand design!

The same way to end the war!

"But true peace doesn’t come like this, kid." His manic laughter ceased, and Madara Uchiha crossed his arms as he walked up to Hakken.

"From what I’ve seen, you’re strong."

"Well, at least stronger than that useless Obito Uchiha."

"In that case, I’ll give you a chance."

He extended his hand, and Hakken’s face showed a slight hint of approval. "After all, you're the only one who ever thought the same way I did."

"Not even the people from Konoha, or those useless Uchiha, ever came up with this idea."

"You deserve my recognition. So, what do you say—are you interested in ruling this world together?"

Cooperate?

The people in the area were stunned.

That proud Madara Uchiha was actually offering a hand to a junior.

No, wait!

He was inviting Hakken Yoru to join some plan!

This is bad.

If these two teamed up...

They could likely sweep through the entire Ninja World!

The Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages and the leaders of the smaller villages looked at Hakken Yoru with tense expressions.

“Eye of the Moon Plan.”

“Also known as the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan.”

“Collect the nine Tailed Beasts and seal them within the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Then revive the Ten-Tails. Using the Rinnegan, control the Ten-Tails and transform it into the God Tree. Wait for the God Tree to blossom and bear fruit, consuming the chakra fruit. Alternatively, absorb the Ten-Tails to become the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki.”

“Finally, unleash the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the moon, plunging all of humanity into a beautiful Genjutsu to achieve unification and peace.”

Instead of accepting Madara Uchiha’s outstretched hand, Hakken chose to explain the process of the Infinite Tsukuyomi in front of everyone.

“Seems like you’ve gathered quite a bit of information from that useless Obito,” Madara remarked, retracting his hand and crossing his arms calmly.

“And what’s your answer? Do you want to rule this world with me?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Hakken-sama, don’t be deceived!”

“Exactly! What kind of nonsense peace is that? An illusion? Illusions only bring destruction!”

“...”

At the same time, the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, along with the two Senju brothers resurrected via Edo Tensei, spoke up in protest.

Even the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, had moved forward, ready to intervene.

“Enough noise.”

Hum!

Madara whipped around, his aura surging like a tidal wave, instantly silencing the loudmouths.

“Mind if I clear things up?”

His Susanoo shimmered around him. In its three-headed, six-armed form, he seemed to recall an amusing jutsu.

“If I use Susanoo to hand seal it, the raindrops should be much larger, right?”

Madara suddenly thought to himself.

Why not name this technique Tengai Shinsei?

The Rinnegan’s Dōjutsu seemed like it would be used for the first time.

It should be magnificent.

“Who exactly are you talking about smashing?” Hakken suddenly spoke up, extending his hand toward Madara.

“By the way, I have absolutely no interest in what you just said. That ‘Infinite Tsukuyomi’ is nothing but child's play. You could call it ‘Black Zetsu Saves Mother’s Tale.’ It has nothing to do with peace.”

Black Zetsu Saves Mother’s Tale?

Underground, Black Zetsu, slowly approaching Nagato’s body, jolted violently and broke out in a cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Kaguya in Hakken’s spiritual realm couldn’t help but snicker.

Black Zetsu Saves Mother? How vivid.

But Madara clearly didn’t grasp the meaning.

Under his miniature Susanoo, the Rinnegan’s patterns began to swirl in his eyes.

“Looks like you’re planning to refuse?”

“That’s rather unfortunate.”

Madara sighed. “I finally find a young man whose ideas aligned with mine, but now it seems he’s as stubborn as Hashirama.”

It was a bit puzzling. Why extend a hand when the boy had clearly refused?

“Never mind, that’s not important.”

“It’s you, Mr. Madara.”

A warm, benevolent smile spread across Hakken’s face. At that moment, he looked like an old father gazing at his unfilial son. “Join Konoha. After all, the name carved on the Wall of Honor was written by my own hand.”

What the hell?

The crowd was in chaos again.

Hakken Yoru was actually inviting a madman bent on destroying the world to join Konoha?

What was going on?

“Hey, kid, you have no right to do this!”

Tobirama Senju frowned and immediately intervened.

Swish.

A blade swept toward Tobirama, Hakken’s gaze cold.

“The truth is, those from the old era have no right to interfere in Konoha’s affairs.”

“Though you, as the Second Hokage, handled political matters well and made Konoha prosperous… but given how you marginalized the Uchiha Clan during your tenure, nearly leading them astray, I can’t approve of you. As a Kage, failing to separate your personal feelings from the village’s honor is unacceptable. You dare call yourself Hokage?”

“You’re allowed to speak only because you’re Tsunade’s great-uncle, and Tsunade is my subordinate. I’m giving her face.”

“That’s it!”

“And you over there, ‘God of Ninjas,’ be quiet while I handle things.”

“The historical issues you two left behind have been resolved by me. You have no right to speak much in front of me, especially not to me…”

“The Fifth Hokage of Konoha, Yagami Hakken, calling the shots!”

The Fifth Hokage of Konoha!

At that moment, Minato’s breathing quickened.

His disciple had finally acknowledged this identity and intended to use it to handle matters?

“And you lot!”

The blade’s glint swept across the room as Hakken locked eyes with all the Kage and village leaders.

“I’ve said everything I needed to.”

“But there’s still one crucial matter that needs to be made clear.”

With a thunderous cry, Hakken’s face lit up with fervor and excitement. His spiritual pressure soared as golden skulls roared and howled.

“At this moment, I, representing Konoha, declare the war of unification. The Fourth Shinobi World War is about to begin!”

“Those who refuse to submit…”

“Will be slaughtered without mercy!”