Chapter 47
Shisui Uchiha, a prodigy from the Uchiha clan, knelt before the young Fire Daimyo in the training grounds. The honor of being selected for the Guardian Twelve, the elite group protecting the leader of the Fire Country, was undeniable. Yet, a recent revelation gnawed at him. The strained relationship between Konohagakure, his village, and the capital, underscored by the treasonous act of the esteemed elder Danzo Shimura, cast a shadow on this relationship.
The actions of the late elder had caused a chasm, one that he had been tasked to help bridge, by acting as a bridge between the village and the current daimyo.
The Fire Daimyo, surprisingly youthful for his position, exuded a quiet confidence. He assured Shisui that the situation with Danzo was under control, but Shisui couldn't help but feel a new conflict brewing within him – a conflict that threatened to tear him apart. How could he reconcile his unwavering loyalty to Konoha with his sworn duty to the Daimyo?
"It is good to finally see you, Shisui Uchiha," the Daimyo greeted him, his voice warm.
"The honor is mine, Daimyo-sama," Shisui replied, rising to his feet. He'd anticipated a seasoned leader, but the Daimyo's youthful demeanor was unexpected. Most nobles, in his experience, fell into one of two categories: portly and aged, or brash and detached from reality. This Daimyo, however, seemed to defy both stereotypes. He possessed an air of confidence, yet remained polite and amicable. Most importantly, Shisui sensed a wellspring of chakra within him, potent and refined, suggesting a level nearing that of a seasoned Jonin, despite his apparent youth.
"Now, as you might know," the Daimyo began, "there's a bit of tradition in the Guardian Twelve of assessing a new recruit." Shisui vaguely recalled a retired Guardian mentioning this during their pre-capital meeting.
"Though, between you and me," the Daimyo continued, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "it's mostly just for hazing. After all, to even be nominated, one must meet stringent criteria."
Suddenly, the Daimyo stiffened, his senses sharpening. Shisui, mirroring the Daimyo's reaction, felt a surge of chakra as several figures materialized around them.
"And since you were nominated, you must have…" the Daimyo's voice trailed off as Shisui blurred into action. Chakra surged through his feet, propelling him towards the Daimyo. Three senbon needles aimed at the Daimyo's neck were deflected with a practiced flick of his tanto. Activating his Sharingan, the world seemed to slow down, allowing him to precisely land a kick that sent the attacker hidden below ground sprawling.
The ground cracked with the impact. Standing protectively in front of the Daimyo, Shisui surveyed the scene. Eleven figures emerged from the shadows, one of whom he recognized – Chiryū, the leader of the Guardians and a revered monk from the Fire Temple. According to the retired Guardian, Chiryū possessed power rivaling a Kage.
"I told you, didn't I, Chiryū," the Daimyo's voice boomed, a hint of amusement lacing it. "He would do just fine." He placed a placating hand on Shisui's shoulder, calming the Uchiha's tense posture.
Chiryū, unfazed by the Sharingan's ominous glow, bowed his head in acceptance. "He is young, but his potential is undeniable. My apologies for doubting you, Daimyo-sama."
The Daimyo smiled gently. "No need for that. You were simply doing your duty. Now, would you mind vacating the area? I believe it's time we finished Shisui-san's initiation."
With a murmured assent, the Guardians dispersed, clearing the training ground.
"Now that little exercise is done," the Daimyo, Akihito-sama as Shisui now learned, addressed him, "shall we get on with it?"
Shisui, unfazed by the sudden challenge, stepped forward. If they wished to test his resolve, he would meet it head-on. "Who would I be facing?"
Akihito-sama chuckled. "Shisui-san, you're looking in the wrong direction."
Turning back, Shisui saw the Daimyo draw his blade, a confident smile playing on his lips. As the blade slid from its sheath, Shisui felt a surge of power, a testament to Akihito-sama's exceptional chakra control. This wasn't mere hazing – this was a true test.
"You see..." Akihito-sama announced, his voice resonating with power, "...you'll be facing me."
0000
THE DAIMYO OF LIGHTNING COUNTRY- SHINSO KAMINARI
Of the five great Nations and their subsequent hidden villages, three were truly consequential. Konoha has massive lands and history, Iwa has its Will of Stone, and Kumo has its elite shinobi forces.
The others would need to make an alliance with one of these three. Suna had allied itself with Konoha while Kiri had initially often joined Iwa and Kumo, though in the Third Great Ninja War, Kiri had been frequently sidelined by its own civil war.
It had been this way for quite some time. Konoha, with its various clans and vast lands, was a behemoth that could only be contained by both Iwa and Kumo acting together. Alone, they would pose a threat but not near enough to bring Konoha to heel, for Konoha had a penchant for producing several prodigies in a generation who would be willing to tear down enemy villages single-handedly for their village.
The Senju brothers, joined by the accursed Madara Uchiha, had been the first. Then had come Hiruzen and his squad members, alongside the infamous White Fang, and then the Sanin and now the damned Yellow Flash. In addition to that, the various clans, each with their own secret techniques and well-established forces, merged into the village structure and turned Konoha into an absolute behemoth.
The heavens truly blessed Konoha, yet Kumo and Iwa kept them at bay. Madara, the Uchiha monster, would be slain by Hashirama himself, and the latter would die a few years later under mysterious circumstances.
Tobirama would fall to Kumo's Kinkaku forces, yet would make way for his team to escape, and though Konoha stood alone during the First Massive conflict since the inception of Hidden Villages, it would survive it despite its circumstances with the infamous Professor, Sarutobi Hiruzen leading the Village.
They would decline for some time, suffer massive losses, loose their most steadfast allies in the form Uzushio, and just as the massive behemoth began to look human the Sanin would arrive, Hiruzen's students and they began playing catch up once more. And just as they felt themselves closing the gap once more, the Yellow Flash unleashed himself on the Iwa forces near the end of the war, decimating Iwa's infamous bomber brigade and turning the tides of the conflict.
Kumo had also pulled back, choosing to conserve its strength, an act which was looking increasingly like a mistake as time went on. For Konoha the Fire country seemed to be going from strength to strength.
"Konoha is intervening in Amegakure," Ay, the Fourth Raikage, grunted as he read the missive they had received from their informants. The death of his father and predecessor had hurt Kumo a lot. The Third Raikage was a force of nature and, in his own opinion, a great equaliser for Kumo, bringing them closer to Konoha's level.
Yet the man had sacrificed himself to save thousands of Kumo nin when their forces had found themselves trapped in an ambush near the beginning of the war. And though thousands had survived, he felt no shame in saying that he would have preferred that the Third had chosen to save himself on that fateful day, even if it had cost Kumo those thousand shinobi.
"Not Konoha, the fire country," he corrected, making the man look up and frown as he questioned. His son was nearly as powerful as him, yet he was not him. And though he had full confidence in Ay and his leadership, he was not blind to the fact that he was not his father, and though he was powerful ion his own right, he was not the monster that was the Third Raikage.
"What difference does it make!" Ay grunted, oblivious to the implications behind this little detail.
"Because this way, Konoha would accept Ame as a province, a whole entity along with its shinobi forces, allowing Ame to define its borders as an independent nation. This is a big move," he added and saw Ay frown. Despite his appearance, he was an astute person, and no one would become a Raikage if they weren't.
"What are we to do?" he questioned.
"We need to push back and make preparations," he announced, surprising Ay.
"You cannot mean," and he nodded.
"We must prepare for war once again."
0000
Back in Ame, the three leaders of Akatsuki huffed in exhaustion as they faced the infamous Snake Sanin. All three were highly skilled shinobi, yet despite their skill set and their superior numbers, they were still outclassed by the man standing opposite them.
"What do you want?" Yahiko asked as he raised his kunai.
"Ohh, now would I tell that to you?" the man said with a smirk before he suddenly vanished and appeared between their formation.
"KONAN! NAGATO!" Yahiko spoke, yet he was too late as he was sent barrelling into a building, his back hitting the concrete and knocking the air out of him.
"ARGHHH!" he coughed up blood as he fell to the ground with a blurry vision, his chakra reserves long exhausted as he saw Konan entangled in a cacoon of snakes.
"NO!" he tried to get up, yet his body failed him as the Snake Sanin gripped Nagato's neck and lifted him off his feet.
And then he felt it. Another presence, a massive charka presence, rushed towards them, and they hoped that it might be helpful.
Perhaps Hanzo-sama had gotten wind of this and had come to their aid, an unlikely scenario, but he had to hope. He had to.
"It seems that I must end this," he heard the Snake sanin whisper as Nagato continued to struggle in his arms. He fought through the pain and sheer exhaustion to bring together his hands as he cycled through a set of handseals, feeling his chakra drain out completely as he finished making the seal and used the last of his strength to use one final jutsu.
"Suiton: Water Ball." He uttered as he used the last of his chakra to throw a water ball at the Snake Sanin to distract him.
"ARGH!" he heard Nagato scream as his vision blurred, and darkness began to envelop his senses before a loud explosion shook the whole ground, and he saw a glimpse of red appear infront of him.
"It's been quite some time...."
"...Old Friend!"
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