With One Blade, Overturning Konoha!

Present.

What is he saying?

Silence.

Dead silence.

Even below, the people organizing the Chūnin Exams stopped what they were doing.

That voice—both loud and resolute—could only belong to Hakken Yoru.

As the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, he declared war on all rebels!

This war will be the Fourth Shinobi World War!

A war for peace!

The Five Kage Summit?

The Edo Tensei Army?

What need do we have for them?

Everyone who should be here is present.

The former Kage, the leaders of the great ninja villages, and their elite guards.

And the shadowy figures hiding in the dark corners of the ninja world.

Even those in Konoha, the old and young alike, who were watching Hakken Yoru’s back!

Hakken had expected those he wanted to be here to arrive, driven by Orochimaru’s unexpected push and the Chūnin Exams providing the perfect backdrop.

Now, Hakken’s power was more than enough to say what he wanted to say.

This ninja world.

Ultimately, under his overwhelming force, it would be pacified and return to the peace it was meant to have.

Ending this age of chaos.

These were the words Hakken Yoru had once spoken.

This path would be filled with death and bloodshed, but when light finally came, it would bring an extraordinary warmth.

Though night still covered the world,

the one standing above it all was the newly born sun, the only sun shining across the land!

Without a doubt.

Hakken Yoru!

He was the one who would bring light to the ninja world!

Shadows darted.

Team Yoru-Shou landed in perfect unison behind Hakken.

Itachi Uchiha, Uchiha Shisui, Kakashi Hatake, Jiraiya, Might Guy.

A five-person team, yet capable of unleashing tremendous power.

Behind them, Konoha’s ANBU ninjas stood, their fiery eyes glowing in the darkness, watching everyone in front of them.

Minato nodded quietly, taking off his Hokage cloak and hat before slowly walking toward Hakken.

“Truthfully, as your sensei, I had hoped to give you the Hokage hat in a more formal ceremony. But it seems now is the right time.”

He draped the cloak over Hakken’s shoulders, his face showing nothing but satisfaction.

He’s grown up.

He’s truly grown up.

Watching this child grow had felt like watching his own son.

Though Hakken had never addressed him by that title, Minato believed the bond was already understood in Hakken’s heart.

This was the inheritance of the Will of Fire!

But declaring war was only the beginning.

As Konoha stood against Madara and the other great ninja villages, the opposition was becoming clearer.

“A new way to build peace?”

Hashirama Senju slowly regained his composure, still in shock, before speaking.

He felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief.

For the first time, truly for the first time, he sensed that peace was finally within reach.

But.

This method of building peace felt fundamentally flawed.

Unifying through force, consolidating all factions.

In the short term, yes, the conflicts would likely cease.

But when the Konoha ninjas, the ones who suppressed everything, began to fade away, what would happen then?

“Aniki, this is tyranny, not peace.”

Tobirama Senju's expression turned serious. “I feel Konoha has changed. The ninja in that once united and progressive village seem to have been brainwashed into worshipping power.”

“Tobirama-sensei.”

What surprised both Senju Tobirama and Senju Hashirama was that the person stepping forward to challenge them was someone they had once taught—a Hokage who seemed like a failure.

“Honestly, I’d like to show you the Konoha of today.”

“The village’s transformation isn’t what you think it is.”

“Especially when that man spoke during the negotiations with the Hidden Cloud Village—his words convinced me beyond a doubt that he is the true inheritor of the Will of Fire.”

Sarutobi appeared somewhat nostalgic, his eyes filled with admiration.

“He said, ‘As long as I stand here, Konohagakure remains the undisputed top ninja village.’”

“In the past, I dismissed it as just boastful nonsense. But now, Konoha controls every region except the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Wind.”

“According to your words, such a world power should have already come to pass. But what I see is the exact opposite.”

“Villagers, ninjas, bonds.”

“Mutual trust has completely transformed Konoha. Beyond its expansion, even a sinner like me finds a place under its fair system.”

“The establishment of administrative departments has lightened the Hokage’s workload. Even the governance of Konoha and its affiliated villages is now being efficiently handled.”

“This is what peace should look like.”

This is what peace should look like.

Sarutobi’s eyes welled up with tears.

This present Konoha is the village of my ideals!

“Is that so?”

Hashirama Senju nodded thoughtfully.

He didn’t dwell on Hakken’s earlier attitude.

Instead, one thing bothered him.

“Saru, you mentioned he inscribed Madara Uchiha’s name on that Wall of Honor, correct?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Hashirama seemed to recall something and asked.

“Yes, just like yours. The Wall of Honor records that he founded Konoha alongside you.”

Sarutobi nodded.

“Oh, I see.”

Hashirama understood, then casually walked toward Madara, who was still holding a small Susanoo hand seal to summon a meteorite.

As he passed by Madara, he glanced at Orochimaru, flashing a mischievous grin as Orochimaru tried to tighten his control.

“Well, if you think you can control Senju Hashirama with Senju Hashirama’s cells, then go ahead and keep controlling this Edo Tensei. I’ll cooperate with you as best I can.”

Using Senju Hashirama’s cells to control Senju Hashirama.

Orochimaru seemed to take offense.

Insulted by his own words!

He regretted it immediately.

Of the three summoned by Edo Tensei, two were beyond his control!

How was he supposed to handle this?

Huh?

Did it really need to be this embarrassing?

Only Tobirama Senju remained. Together with himself, he wondered if they could face off against Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Damn, it seemed the situation had escalated from a simple disagreement with Sarutobi-sensei to something much bigger—war!

With a wary look in his eyes, Orochimaru turned toward his former teacher.

“Madara, stop this.”

Hashirama reached Madara and, without hesitation, sat on the protruding structure of the central tower. He then extended his hand toward Madara.

“What are you talking about, Hashirama?”

Madara's expression remained calm. After briefly glancing at his old rival, he shifted his gaze to Hakken Yoru.

“Kid, you know what?”

“You just said everything I was going to say.”

Declare war?

Wasn’t that supposed to be my line?

Madara fixed his gaze on Hakken Yoru.

This kid, who intrigued him at every turn, had accomplished everything Madara himself had once sought.

And peace seemed so close.

If only he could suppress the backlash after declaring war, perhaps the world could truly be unified.

Peace would come.

But that peace would never be permanent.

People would die.

And once the dead were gone, war would erupt again.

Only the Infinite Tsukuyomi was the ultimate path to peace!

The genjutsu that brings an eternal dream.

“Hold on, Madara.” New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on novèlfire.net

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with me to see your name engraved on the Wall of Honor in Central Plaza?”

Hashirama Senju didn’t give up.

“I still remember how we dreamed of peace together at the Naka River.”

“Everything happening now is a step toward peace. Why would you destroy it?”

“I don’t want you to do this.”

“Back then, you couldn’t even beat me at skipping stones or peeing into the river—you were no match for me in anything. But our hearts were the same.”

Hashirama paused, letting out a wistful sigh.

“Give it up, Madara. Just like you once put aside your hatred and built Konoha with me.”

“I know you’ve always strived for peace, but I’ve chosen to entrust that dream to the next generation.”

“Everything is so beautiful now. You shouldn’t still be so volatile.”

“You know nothing.”

Madara shot a cold glare at Hashirama.

It was this man’s mercy that had kept him from completing his grand vision. Now, the man standing there had become nothing more than a child.

He couldn’t accept such an outcome.

As for the names on the Wall of Honor?

He probably didn’t care anymore.

“Hey! You there, Orochimaru.”

Madara suddenly whipped around, his expression twisting into a savage grimace.

“You wanted to see my peak combat power, right?”

“As you wish!”

“From the Uchiha—the power of the gods!”

Boom!

Chakra erupted violently.

The frenzied energy gathered around Susanoo, and even the arms extending from it began forming hand seals.

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.

Unconsciously, everyone looked up at the sky. A portion of the previously clear sky had suddenly turned pure black.

As the blackness spread.

The already uneasy leaders of the ninja villages froze in place.

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“Impossible…”

“Their power isn’t even on the same level…”

Hum!

Something seemed to fall from the sky.

That massive force was suddenly within reach!

From Madara Uchiha—the power of a god!

Tengai Shinsei!

“I gave you your chance. But after our final showdown, I still plan to clean up these minions.”

Arms crossed, Madara shot a taunting glance at Hakken Yoru before sneering at Orochimaru.

“This power… you didn’t create it.”

Tengai Shinsei, huh?

Hakken looked up at the night sky.

The light from the crescent moon illuminated what was up there.

A dōjutsu from the Rinnegan, requiring Susanoo to form the hand seals.

Its destructive power was immense, so much so that even the caster could be killed by it.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

Amid the stillness of the night, a figure suddenly stepped forward.

Ōnoki.

Die here?

No. He never intended to.

This moment wasn’t about analyzing resistance to Konoha’s unification war anymore. It was about the very fate of the Ninja World!

If they all perished here…

This world might truly fall under the control of the Infinite Tsukuyomi—into a genjutsu hell!

“Calm down, Tsuchikage.”

Minato flashed a sunny smile at Ōnoki. “This is Konoha.”

“No one can destroy this village before the Eight Swords, before us.”

“Otherwise, why would Konohagakure be the First Shinobi Village?”

No one could destroy this village before him?

Ōnoki’s expression darkened.

Once, his own village had been destroyed right before his eyes by Hakken Yoru, and he had been powerless to stop it.

Is this the gap?

“Lord Hokage.”

He suddenly waved at Minato.

Ōnoki seemed to have made a difficult decision.

“Those two over there.”

“Both desire world peace, but it’s clear that Madara Uchiha’s path has narrowed.”

“And for some reason, I have this feeling that even he, Madara Uchiha, might not be a match for Hakken Yoru.”

“Therefore, it seems the only choice left for us is to submit to Konoha.”

Having spoken this harsh truth, Ōnoki’s face seemed to grow even older.

“Then I wish to ask you this: if I agree to submit, can you spare the ninja of Iwagakure and the people of the Land of Earth?”

“If that’s possible, I’ll gladly accept my death!”

“If not, I will fight to the death! Even if the final outcome is death!”

Staring blankly at the Tsuchikage before him, Minato seemed as though he were seeing the man for the first time.

Is this the Stone Will of Iwagakure?

Clap.

A hand rested on his shoulder, and Minato’s smile grew even brighter.

“There’s no need for you to die, nor will anyone from Iwa perish.”

“All you must do is accept Konoha’s policies. I guarantee, as the Fourth Hokage, that Iwagakure’s days will only get brighter.”

“Don’t underestimate Hakken’s intellect. He only resorts to violent suppression when met with resistance.”

“The Mizukage can attest to this.”

Minato’s glance toward Terumi made his meaning clear.

“Well, the Hokage-sama speaks the truth. In reality, the coup in Kirigakure claimed only dozens of lives—all resisters, mind you.”

“And if you saw the current progress of Kirigakure, you’d likely be astonished.”

Terumi shrugged. “I haven’t witnessed the ‘violence’ you speak of.”

“Just follow Konoha’s lead.”

Is that so?

Ōnoki lowered his head.

“Hey, Master.”

Just then, Hakken, lazily pulling out a stool and sitting down, waved at Minato, draped in the Hokage cloak.

“Can this meteorite be moved? Toss it over to the Valley of the End.”

Flying Thunder God Technique.

“Flying Thunder God? It’s a bit tricky with such a large object. We’ll need to borrow some power from the Nine-Tails.” A flash of golden light erupted from his body. The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode nodded at Hakken. The process of borrowing power went surprisingly smoothly.

Whoosh!

Golden light shot skyward. The next moment, the massive meteorite was transported far away, slowly descending.

“Flying Thunder God Technique?”

Madara watched the golden light coldly. “What about the other one? What will you do with that?”

“Just keep moving it.”

Minato’s answer made Madara pause.

“Oh, right.”

Just as he was about to continue working, Minato suddenly patted his stomach sheepishly.

“Lord Nine-Tails asked me to tell you—it said seeing your face while eating made it happy. It lent me a bit too much chakra, so you might want to toss a few more meteorites.”

Swish! His figure vanished once more.

Meanwhile, Madara Uchiha’s expression began to twist!

Finally, accompanied by two distant tremors…

The Tengai Shinsei, hailed as divine power, vanished from above.

“After all, this Flying Thunder God Technique was created by this old man.”

In the distance, the proud and tsundere Senju Tobirama exhaled in relief, then patted his chest with a hint of pride.

Yeah, he created it. No doubt about it.

“Ken-san.”

Just as everyone was savoring their narrow escape, Itachi suddenly ran up to Hakken, his voice strained.

“Something’s off, Ken-san. An attack this weak should have been easily shattered into fragments by your power, or those two puny meteors should have vaporized outright.”

“Why did you insist on having Minato-sensei divert them?”

Yes.

Even the other members of the Night Owl Team were puzzled.

“It’s true, Owl. I don’t understand either. It was just an attack of this level.”

Kakashi frowned.

“Oh, remember when I suggested building a dedicated Konoha attraction at the Valley of the End? But the plan stalled due to a lack of soil—after all, our village doesn’t have many Earth Release ninja.”

“So look at this meteorite—it’s natural earth, right? Have Yamato construct it according to the blueprints. Set the admission fee at 100 Konoha coins for now. I reckon we’ll rake in quite a profit.”

Hakken stated matter-of-factly.

No sooner had the words left his mouth.

A killing intent surged skyward.

Madara’s eyes blazed crimson.

The transfer of Tengai Shinsei was no big deal.

But what did these people just imply?

【Weakling Attack】

【Shattering a feeble meteorite into fragments】

【Is merely this level of attack!】

Insults were one thing, but wasn’t the Valley of the End statue mine?

Die!

Instantly charging before Hakken, Madara’s fist slammed toward him!

“Kid!”

“You wanna dance too?”

Bam!

Unbelievably powerful.

Catching Madara’s fist, Hakken gradually tightened his grip with one hand, glaring into Madara’s eyes. The pale blue cosmos within his pupils slowly rotated, responding with a single word: “Army.”

“This world is too small. Barely big enough for one person to mess with.”

“But clearly, the one messing with this world can only be me!”

Snap!

Instantly crushing Madara’s fist, the Edo Tensei fist shattered under Hakken’s grip!

Rising to his feet, the ferocious demon smacked Madara Uchiha across the face, sending a gust of wind in its wake.

“I even fucking wanna dance!”

“Come on! Fight me!”