Chapter 177 – Action
It was only after Namikaze Minato gained the official support of the Fire Daimyō that his tenure as Hokage had truly stabilized.
However, the Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku, did not need the Daimyō's backing the same way Minato once did.
Fugaku had the entire Uchiha Clan behind him—a force of overwhelming power and loyalty.
Unlike Minato, who had stood alone, lacking manpower and political leverage, Fugaku's position was absolute.
Moreover, he had recently led the Uchiha and Konoha's elite forces to annihilate the Hidden Cloud Village, seizing vast spoils of war.
With the treasure and resources taken from the Land of Lightning, Konohagakure no longer faced any financial burden.
That wealth, combined with his clan's might, allowed Uchiha Fugaku to act freely—without constraint.
Even Jiraiya, though skeptical at first, had eventually conceded. As Fugaku once said, "Eliminating the Daimyō's royal family may serve the village better than bowing to it."
Jiraiya couldn't entirely disagree. In his heart, Konoha's prosperity outweighed any concern for the politics of the Land of Fire.
The Daimyō's royal family? he thought dryly. Sorry, can't say I care much for them.
"Jiraiya, let's take a walk through the city," Tsunade suggested, her tone casual but thoughtful. "It's been a long time since we were last here."
"Yeah, why not," Jiraiya replied, hands behind his head. "Nothing better to do right now."
The two left the main group and entered the capital, unnoticed by the others.
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Daimyō's Residence — Inner Hall
Suddenly, a scream echoed from outside. The sound made Kazuma's expression tighten instantly.
Everyone in the chamber froze—including the Fire Daimyō himself.
Moments before the scream, they had all heard Tōma's angry shout.
Now, hearing his sudden cry of pain, they didn't need to guess what had happened.
"Tōma's been attacked! By a Konoha ninja!" someone whispered in horror.
"Ka–Kazuma! What's going on?!" the Fire Daimyō demanded, panicked and pale. "Go! Go see what's happening!"
"Yes, Lord Daimyō!" Kazuma replied with a respectful bow, though a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
He had been searching for an excuse to turn the Daimyō against Konoha's new leadership.
If a Konoha shinobi had truly attacked a member of the Guardian Twelve… then this was the perfect opportunity.
"Those fools," he muttered to himself. "Delivering me the excuse I needed."
Still believing that Konoha was the same peaceful village it had been under the Third Hokage, Kazuma failed to realize how drastically things had changed under Uchiha Fugaku.
"Let's go," he said sharply to the four other radical faction members of the Guardian Twelve. "We'll see for ourselves."
They followed him out of the hall quickly.
But as soon as they stepped outside—
They froze.
A large group of Konoha shinobi was approaching in formation, their killing intent sharp as blades.
Kazuma's mocking smirk vanished the instant his eyes landed on what one of the Konoha jōnin held in his hand.
"Tōma's head…"
The jōnin casually threw it forward. The severed head rolled twice on the polished stone floor, stopping right at Kazuma's feet.
Kazuma's pupils constricted in shock. "You… how dare you!?"
For the first time, the situation felt completely out of his control.
Uchiha Shihu gave a cold, disdainful sneer. At his signal, the jōnin who had tossed the head stepped forward, his expression twisted with malice.
The five members of the radical faction stiffened, horror dawning in their eyes.
Tōma had been among the strongest of the Guardian Twelve—easily within the top six—and yet he'd been killed so effortlessly?
There were dozens of Konoha shinobi here—most of them jōnin. The sheer pressure of their chakra made it clear: this was no diplomatic visit.
Kazuma's mind raced. "What are you doing?! Are you trying to rebel against the Land of Fire!?"
Hyūga Hiashi and Uchiha Shihu exchanged glances, both smirking faintly.
"Rebel?" Hiashi said coldly. "You're not even worth rebelling against."
The mockery hit like a slap. Kazuma's face paled. He could sense it now—these weren't mere envoys; they were executioners.
And the intent in their eyes made one thing clear: they weren't leaving witnesses.
We can't fight this many jōnin… he thought, teeth gritted. We'll have to retreat.
If they left the Lightning Release Four to stall for time, maybe the others could escape.
But Uchiha Shihu gave no such opportunity. "Take them down," he ordered. "Alive or dead—it doesn't matter."
"Yes!" came the sharp reply from the Konoha squad behind him.
They advanced, chakra flaring. The killing intent in the air was suffocating.
"Kazuma, what do we do?!" one of his allies shouted, trembling.
Kazuma's eyes flickered. "Retreat!" he hissed. The group bolted back into the inner hall.
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Inside, the Daimyō turned at once, his face pale. "Kazuma! My loyal guards! What is happening?!"
Bei Zi and the other four members of the moderate faction immediately noticed the panic in Kazuma's group and instinctively tightened formation around the Daimyō.
"I don't like this," Shido muttered. "Something's wrong…"
"Prepare to protect His Lordship," Bei Zi ordered grimly, moving closer to the Daimyō. The other moderates followed suit.
Kazuma pointed frantically toward the door. "Bei Zi! Let us protect the Daimyō—you hold the Konoha ninja off!"
Bei Zi frowned. "Kazuma, what's happening outside? What did you see?"
The Fire Daimyō's voice shook. "Yes, Kazuma, tell us! What are the Konoha shinobi doing?"
Before Kazuma could answer—
A surge of chakra flared from the corridor.
"Oh no—everyone, get down!" Kazuma shouted.
"Protect the Daimyō!" Bei Zi roared.
A storm of ninjutsu crashed through the walls and windows, tearing through the grand hall like a hurricane.
Explosions rocked the palace, smoke and flame filling the air.
Kazuma managed to leap aside in time—but the other four radicals weren't so lucky. Still believing that Konoha wouldn't dare attack the Daimyō's residence, they hesitated for a fatal second.
That was all it took.
Fireballs and lightning tore through the room, engulfing them. The radicals screamed—and then fell silent.
Even Gudon, who prided himself on his defensive techniques, was vaporized before he could fo
rm a single hand seal.
The devastating jutsu didn't stop there—it surged forward, reducing what remained of the outer hall to rubble.
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