---
After easily killing the four Kirigakure Anbu ninjas, Senju Takuya followed Kurenai, Shizune, and Rin into the Mizukage Building.
Upon reaching the second floor, the trio looked at each other before carefully opening the office door.
With a creak, the door slowly swung open, revealing an old man with a wrinkled face, clad in a gray-brown robe. His mouth was sunken due to missing teeth, and sparse white hairs adorned his bald head. It was none other than the current Fifth Mizukage.
"Mizukage-sama!" Kurenai and the others bowed respectfully upon seeing the familiar figure.
"Konoha ninjas, do you know your guilt? How dare you attack our Kirigakure Anbu," The elder's old voice rang out.
"Mizukage-sama, we had no choice. We just want to know what happened in Kirigakure," Kurenai explained.
"Nothing happened. I won't argue with you about this matter. Leave Kirigakure as soon as possible," The elder snorted softly.
His indifference puzzled Kurenai and the others. Not only had they seen blood on their way here, but they had also just killed four Anbu ninjas from Kirigakure, and the Mizukage didn't seem to care. His behavior was very strange.
"Something's wrong," Rin whispered. She sensed that the Fifth Mizukage physical condition wasn't right, as if he were under some kind of genjutsu. Kurenai and Shizune felt the same way, but they couldn't dispel it.
In the end, they turned to Takuya for help. Seeing their pleading eyes, Takuya smiled and raised two fingers. "Release!" he commanded.
A terrifying surge of chakra burst forth, and elder's eyes gradually cleared.
"Wha...? Konoha ninjas? No... you... Senju Takuya-sama?!" The elder exclaimed upon recognizing them.
"Mizukage-sama, you were being controlled by a genjutsu," Takuya said calmly.
After hearing Takuya's words, memories flooded back to the elder. "Sharingan! It was an Uchiha!"
A few months ago, a mysterious man with a robe and a pair of scarlet Sharingan eyes appeared before him. What happened next was a blur.
"Sharingan?" Kurenai and the others were shocked. Could this be related to the Uchiha clan? Takuya frowned. Because of his interference, Uchiha Obito had not been used by Uchiha Madara as in the original story. There were no members of the Uchiha clan who had mysteriously disappeared, and despite the Fifth Mizukage age, his strength was not to be underestimated. Someone who could pull him into a genjutsu with a glance must have very powerful eyes.
After much thought, there was only one possibility: the mysterious man the Fifth Mizukage mentioned was likely Uchiha Madara.
"Takuya-sama, please save Kirigakure! Someone is trying to stage a coup," the Mizukage suddenly pleaded.
"Mizukage-sama, please tell us what happened," Kurenai urged.
"Here's the thing. A few months ago, I received a tip. Because Kirigakure lost the war, we overturned the Blood Mist policy. The militant Kaguya clan, dissatisfied, began preparing for a coup. I wanted to report this to Konoha, but that night, the mysterious man appeared. I don't remember anything after that," the Mizukage explained with shame. As the leader of a village, being controlled by genjutsu was a disgrace.
"It seems the bloodstains we saw on our way here were left by ninjas loyal to the Fifth Mizukage," Kurenai analyzed. During the Mizukage time under genjutsu, the Kaguya clan might have started their coup. Kirigakure was likely under their control now.
"What should we do now, Lord Hokage?" Kurenai and the others looked at Takuya, knowing the situation was beyond their capability.
"Don't worry. Leave everything to me," Takuya said calmly. This was an opportunity to remove Kirigakure's name and unify the entire ninja world.
As they spoke, a commotion erupted outside. Soon, countless Kirigakure ninjas surrounded the Mizukage Building.
"There are assassins! Protect Mizukage-sama!" a ninja outside shouted.
"What should we do?" the Mizukage asked anxiously. The Kaguya clan members were bloodthirsty and powerful, making escape seem impossible.
"Why are you afraid? Come outside with me," Takuya snorted, leading the way out. Kurenai, Rin, Shizune, and Gengetsu followed closely.
Outside, thousands of Kirigakure ninjas, led by Kaguya Kotaro, surrounded them.
"Kaguya Kotaro, are you rebelling? Disperse your men immediately," the Mizukage commanded.
"Snort! Mizukage-sama is under genjutsu and is unconscious. Everyone, obey my orders," Kotaro retorted, ignoring the Mizukage.
"I am the Hokage of Konoha Village, Senju Takuya. According to the agreement, I have the right to intervene in Kirigakure's affairs. Lay down your weapons now, and you might still have a chance," Takuya said calmly, as if the thousands of elite ninjas before him were nothing but insects.
"Senju Takuya?" The name sent shockwaves through the crowd, including Kotaro. How did Senju Takuya end up here?
---
After hearing what Senju Takuya said, all the ninjas in Kirigakure couldn't help but let out cries of surprise. After all, Senju Takuya's name had already resounded throughout the ninja world. Although he hadn't been active for several years, as the man who unified the entire ninja world, his name was still known to many.
Even the bloodthirsty Kaguya clan showed horrified looks after hearing his name.
"Patriarch, what should we do now?" a member of the Kaguya clan asked Kaguya Kotaro.
Originally, they thought it was just a few ordinary Leaf ninjas who had broken into Kirigakure. They didn't expect Senju Takuya to come in person.
"Hmph! This guy is probably lying to us. Besides, even if it is the real Senju Takuya, so what? With so many of us, are we still afraid of him?" Kotaro scoffed.
During the Ninja World War, he hadn't seen Senju Takuya in action, so he had no awe for him. To Kotaro, Takuya's reputation was just an excuse for losers to explain their failures. Ninjas were human. No matter how strong one was, there was a limit. And this time, Kotaro came prepared. With the power of a Kage-level ninja and the forces at his disposal, even killing Senju Takuya shouldn't be difficult. Not to mention, all of Kirigakure was under his control.
After hearing Kotaro's words, the ninjas in Kirigakure gradually calmed down. Senju Takuya hadn't been active in the ninja world for a long time, and the fears from back then had long been forgotten by many.
"It seems you are not going to listen to reason," Takuya said calmly.
"Hokage, I'll take this opportunity to get rid of you today," Kotaro sneered. Immediately, sharp bone spurs appeared in his palm—the unique kekkei genkai of the Kaguya clan, Shikotsumyaku. He could control bone growth and density, instantly creating extremely hard bones anywhere in his body.
"You guys stand back," Takuya warned Kurenai and the others.
"Hokage-sama, please be careful."
"Yes, prioritize your own safety."
"If there's any danger, please leave us. Breaking out first is the most correct decision," Kurenai, Shizune, and Rin warned with concern.
Though confident in Takuya's power, they couldn't help but worry about facing thousands of elite ninjas.
"Don't worry, this battle will be resolved soon," Takuya said calmly.
Kurenai and the others looked at each other and retreated to the Mizukage Building. Seeing this, Kotaro sneered.
"What a touching scene. But your fate is already sealed. It's just a matter of dying early or dying later."
With that, Kotaro disappeared. "Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Clematis!" Bone spurs erupted from his body, entangling Takuya. His right arm transformed into a thick spear—the hardest bone he could produce, his ultimate killing move. Despite his confidence, Kotaro didn't dare to be careless against Takuya.
"Die!" he roared, thrusting the bone spear at Takuya.
Boom! Thick smoke billowed. As a crisp sound echoed, Kotaro's expression changed drastically. He quickly pulled back, seeing his bone spear cracked.
Takuya's figure appeared as the smoke cleared, standing in the same spot, unscathed. His eyes had turned into the Rinnegan, glowing faintly in the dark. Next to him was a dark black shell, clearly blocking Kotaro's attack.
"What is that? And those eyes... are they some new dōjutsu?"
"Lord Kotaro's full-force attack was said to penetrate everything, yet it was blocked?"
"More than that, haven't you noticed Lord Kotaro's bone spear has shattered?"
"Hiss! What terrifying power, such powerful defense!"
All the ninjas in Kirigakure exclaimed, especially the Kaguya clan members who knew Kotaro's strength. They felt even more unbelievable.
"Is this... Susanoo?" Kotaro muttered, recognizing the technique. The once-called "power only gods can possess" had such outrageous defense. Moreover, Takuya's mysterious eyes made him uneasy. His intuition told him those eyes were dangerous.
"A swarm of bugs," Takuya said disdainfully. It was just Susanoo's first stage, and they were already shocked. Boring.
He looked at Kotaro coldly. "Not good!" Kotaro was alarmed, sensing imminent death. The next second, his right arm was severed.
"How is this possible?" Kotaro looked at his severed arm in horror but found nothing. "It's those eyes!" he realized, stepping back. For the first time, the bloodthirsty madman felt fear.
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