Boom!
The air itself seemed to shatter. An unnatural silence fell over the entire village of Konoha, replacing the usual sounds of life with a thick, suffocating dread. Every villager, from civilians to shinobi, was frozen in a state of terrifying shock.
For years, the village had been led by the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. While his Hokage Office secretly pulled strings and the sinister Shimura Danzo operated from the shadows, Hiruzen's public image was respectable. To most of Konoha's citizens and even many of its ninja, he was seen as a capable and benevolent leader.
But now, that image was about to be torn apart. No one could have ever imagined that such a revered Hokage would face a public interrogation by the legendary divine being, Tsukihiko.
Worse still, due to the careful revision of history by Hiruzen and his allies, a younger generation of Konoha's people didn't even know who Tsukihiko was. They only saw a mysterious figure in the sky, whose presence alone was enough to bring the village to its knees.
However, the older, more knowledgeable factions knew the truth. The leaders of the great clans—the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi, collectively known as the Ino-Shika-Cho—exchanged looks of pure horror.
"This is a complete disaster," one clan head muttered, his voice trembling. "It's no exaggeration to say that everything has changed. A conflict with the Uchiha clan would have been an internal problem for Konoha, something we could manage. But if Lord Tsukihiko himself is intervening…"
The Ino-Shika-Cho clans were the pillars that supported Konoha and the foundation of Hiruzen's power. They, more than anyone, understood the weight of Tsukihiko's name in the Shinobi World. He was a being of immense power, an entity that even the two legendary founders of Konoha, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, could not defeat.
Once a man like that decided to interfere in Konoha's affairs, there was no escape. They knew that all their strategies, schemes, and political maneuvers would be utterly meaningless against him. In fact, Tsukihiko probably wouldn't even need to act himself. His followers, the Twelve Divine Moons, possessed enough power to flatten not just Konoha, but the entire Land of Fire. The thought was simply terrifying.
…
"I never expected Lord Tsukihiko to move so quickly," Uchiha Fugaku said, his voice a low rumble. "It seems our actions were not in vain."
"That's right," another clan elder agreed. "Now, we just have to wait for the next three days to pass. But anything could happen in that time."
"Don't worry," Fugaku declared, his eyes sharp. "I've already given the order. Everything that happens in Konoha from this moment on will be broadcast to the entire Shinobi World."
At that moment, the elites of the Uchiha clan were gathered in their ancestral lands, with their leader, Uchiha Fugaku, at the center. They knew that Tsukihiko was their greatest advantage, but they couldn't rely on him alone. Simply sitting back and waiting for a savior was not the Uchiha way.
From the moment Fugaku had united his clan and commanded his younger son, Sasuke, to execute the traitor Itachi, he had already made his decision. He was betting everything on this moment. After his brief encounter with Tsukihiko, Fugaku had reached a bold and dangerous conclusion.
The seemingly untouchable divine being was not without ambition. He desired to unify the entire Shinobi World. If he didn't, he never would have responded to their plea, even with the divine moon token they presented. A being like Tsukihiko never needed to explain his actions to mortals. He was acting now not because they had convinced him, but because they had given him the perfect justification to intervene—they had handed him the executioner's sword.
But there was no point in dwelling on that now. Tsukihiko's methods were beyond their comprehension. The only thing the Uchiha could do was strengthen their clan as much as possible in the short time they had. Only then could they hope to keep pace with Tsukihiko and prove themselves worthy allies, not disposable pawns. This was the Uchiha clan's greatest, and perhaps last, chance to rise again.
"Send the order," Fugaku commanded. "We will now form an alliance with the Hyuga clan. They have also suffered under the Third Hokage's oppression for far too long."
…
As Konoha's factions—the Hokage's office, the great clans, the Hyuga, and the Uchiha—began to move, a different scene was unfolding in a dark alley elsewhere in the village.
A man lay crumpled on the ground, his body covered in injuries. He looked up in disbelief at the figure standing over him.
"Kakashi Hatake… do you… do you know what you're doing!?" Sarutobi Asuma choked out, his voice filled with pain and confusion.
The man before him, Kakashi Hatake, showed no emotion on his face as he slowly walked closer. Asuma's mind reeled. He couldn't believe that Kakashi, who had always been fiercely loyal to Konoha and the Third Hokage, would betray them. And now, he had turned his blade on him, the Hokage's own son.
"Heh. It looks like the Sarutobi clan's young master is completely in the dark," Kakashi said, his voice chillingly calm.
"What… What do you mean?" Asuma's heart pounded in his chest. He knew he was no match for Kakashi. While Asuma was skilled, Kakashi was a true prodigy who had earned his place in the Anbu through sheer talent. With Obito's Sharingan, Kakashi's combat power was on another level entirely.
Normally, Asuma could have called for help from the Anbu or other shinobi. But it was impossible. Every person in the village was completely mesmerized by the two mysterious figures in the sky. Even his own father, the Third Hokage, was powerless to do anything but watch. Kakashi had chosen the perfect moment to strike.
…
"Hmph. Not long ago, your older brother, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the so-called head of the Hokage's direct Anbu, was killed," Kakashi stated coldly, his gaze falling on the pathetic man before him. "The one who killed him was my father, Hatake Sakumo—the White Fang, who was cast aside by this corrupt village."
What!?
The words struck Asuma like a bolt of lightning. His face went pale with shock. He had been in such a rush to find his father that he hadn't heard the news about his brother. But more importantly, Hatake Sakumo… he had committed suicide out of guilt years ago. How could he possibly be alive?
For a moment, Asuma's world stopped. He could only stare, utterly bewildered and lost.
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