At the gates of the Sarutobi and Shimura compounds, a cluster of guards stood firm, blocking the entry path. Despite the growing crowd and the clear tension, their posture was defiant—after all, this was the land of the Third Hokage and the former Hokage Advisor.
Even if Kaizen Arashi was the current Fourth Hokage, surely he couldn't just march into their clan grounds unchecked.
One of the guards stepped forward smugly.
"This is clan territory, Lord Fourth. We request that you show restraint."
Kaizen raised an eyebrow and laughed softly.
"I don't know why…" he said, voice calm and chilling, "but seeing all of you posturing like this today… is strangely cute."
A silence followed.
Then—
SWISH!
THUD! THUD! THUD!
"AAAGH!!!"
"Elder?!"
"No—!"
Screams rang out as several heads flew into the air.
In the blink of an eye, the front line of guards was wiped out, blood spraying across the stone pavement.
All eyes turned to the silver-haired man behind Kaizen—Hatake Sakumo, the White Fang of Konoha—casually sliding his blade back into its sheath, expression unreadable.
He swept his cold gaze over the remaining guards.
"Who dares disrespect the Hokage again," Sakumo said quietly, "will meet the same end."
The stunned silence was absolute.
No one moved. No one spoke.
Even the crowd outside the clan grounds held their breath.
Then—
"Ahem…"
A smug voice broke through the air, trying to regain the momentum.
"Fourth Hokage," came the voice, "you've gone too far."
Two figures emerged from the compound, the crowd parting around them like a wave.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, still wearing the robes of Hokage, stepped forward alongside Shimura Danzo, who wore his usual concealing cloak.
Kaizen narrowed his eyes.
"Oh? Still clinging to the Hokage robes?" he said with a sarcastic smirk. "Didn't I strip you of that title already? Or are you just too sentimental?"
Hiruzen chuckled shamelessly. "Hahaha. I suppose… old men like me do enjoy clinging to the past."
He waved his sleeve lazily. "I heard you were coming, so I rushed out without changing. But before that, Fourth, don't you owe us an explanation?"
He pointed to the headless corpses now lying on the ground, his voice laced with false indignation.
Kaizen could read his emotions easily—Hiruzen wasn't outraged over the deaths. He was furious at the loss of power. This old man had spent decades building his influence… and now, everything was slipping away.
Danzo stepped forward next, his eyes burning with malice.
"You're out of line, Fourth!" he spat. "How dare you let your subordinate murder loyal comrades in broad daylight?! You must be punished for this!"
Kaizen didn't even bother replying.
Instead, he turned slightly toward Namikaze Minato and gave a simple nod.
Minato immediately raised his hand, signaling the Anbu waiting nearby.
"Begin."
The shinobi quickly formed seals. Moments later, a massive crimson barrier surged upward—Four Red Yang Formation, a technique Kaizen had modified to serve a new purpose.
A glowing curtain of chakra shimmered into place, visible across the entire village. Inside, the chakra began to swirl, forming a translucent screen in the sky.
Hiruzen's expression shifted.
Danzo's face paled.
"You…!" Hiruzen snarled. "You're using that again?!"
The last time Kaizen activated this jutsu, it had broadcast incriminating evidence that forced Hiruzen to resign as Hokage. And now, with the entire village watching again…
Not good.
Danzo gritted his teeth. "We need to stop him!"
But before they could make a move, Sakumo and Minato stepped forward, one on each side, blocking their path.
Hiruzen stared at Sakumo.
You should have died in shame. I made sure of it.
Now the man he once tried to destroy stood silently—unyielding.
The red curtain of chakra began to pulse.
All across Konoha, heads turned.
In the Hyuga compound, a branch house member looked up at the formation. "Patriarch?"
"Hold your position," Hyuga Hiashi said calmly, eyes focused. "Let's see how this unfolds."
In the Uchiha compound, the clan sat in tense silence.
"Tch. Third Hokage really thought we'd side with him?" Uchiha Fugaku muttered. "Let him burn."
"Glad we stayed out of it."
In the Nara, Akamichi, and Yamanaka homes, clan leaders gathered and exchanged meaningful looks.
"Time to stay neutral," Nara Shikaku murmured. "For now."
Back at the gates, the Four Red Yang Formation activated fully, casting a glowing image of Kaizen high into the sky.
The crowd murmured.
"It's Lord Fourth!"
"He's going to speak again!"
"Did something else happen?"
"I don't care what it is—Lord Fourth's justice never fails!"
"Also… he's ridiculously handsome…"
A mix of curiosity, support, and excitement filled the air.
Kaizen's voice boomed over the village, clear and unwavering.
"People of Konoha."
"Today, I bring you the truth that's been buried for decades."
"Crimes committed by Sarutobi Hiruzen, former Third Hokage, and Shimura Danzo, former Hokage Advisor."
Gasps erupted. Murmurs turned to loud whispers.
Kaizen raised a scroll in his hand.
"This document contains years of classified evidence—financial embezzlement, assassination plots, manipulation of village succession, political sabotage, and the destruction of the Senju and Uchiha clans' legacies."
The air turned electric.
Hiruzen stepped forward, trying to interrupt, but Sakumo's sword was already unsheathed again.
One step forward, and heads would fly.
Danzo tried to say something, but Minato's chakra flared just enough to silence him.
Kaizen continued.
"This is not vengeance. This is justice."
"For too long, these men have hidden behind their titles. But not anymore."
The screen began showing images—documents, photos, stolen mission records.
Shock spread across the village.
Families who had lost loved ones during "strategic assignments" now saw how those missions had been engineered.
Footage showed Root's operations. Danzo's secret experiments. The evidence of silenced dissent.
No one could argue with what was being revealed.
The people began to shout.
"They betrayed us!"
"They used the village like their own plaything!"
"Down with the traitors!"
Kaizen's voice rang one last time.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen. Shimura Danzo. You are no longer part of Konoha's leadership. You will be stripped of clan land, assets, and rank. Your fate will be decided before the village..."
He paused, eyes glinting.
"Publicly."
The screen faded.
The Four Red Yang Formation flickered, then disappeared into sparks.
Kaizen turned to walk away, leaving the now trembling Hiruzen and Danzo surrounded.
Their era was over.
The era of truth… had just be
gun.
---
To be continued...