Chapter 179 — Falling Short of Success
The grand hall of the Fire Daimyō's estate shook as another explosion thundered outside. Smoke rolled through shattered windows, and the air reeked of burning wood and ozone.
For the Fire Daimyō, this was the first time in his life he had felt genuine fear.
Since ascending to power, he had always relied on the might of Konoha — and the twelve elite shinobi known as the Guardian Twelve — to ensure his safety.
No one had ever dared raise a hand against him. Not bandits. Not rival nations. No one.
Yet now, his palace was under siege — by Konoha ninja themselves.
"Why?" the Daimyō whispered, voice trembling as another blast sent dust raining from the ceiling. "Why would the Leaf attack me?"
He crouched beneath a lacquered table, shivering, unwilling to even lift his head to see the carnage unfolding around him.
---
Outside, the defenders of the Guardian Twelve were barely holding the line.
Chiriku stood in the front, his chest rising and falling heavily as red chakra pulsed around him. The golden markings of the Wrathful Adamantine Nyorai shimmered on his body, every blow he struck sending spectral fists flying through the smoke to intercept incoming ninjutsu.
Moments ago, he had needed to defend only one flank. Now, attacks came from every direction.
"Bei Zi!" he shouted hoarsely. "How much longer?!"
His chakra was draining fast — he could feel the edges of exhaustion creeping in.
"One minute!" Bei Zi replied, still forming hand seals with the other three — Xidu, Nan Wu, and Dong Mao. Sweat beaded on his brow as lightning began to crackle faintly around them.
"Good," Chiriku breathed. He gritted his teeth and slammed another wave of chakra fists forward.
But ten seconds later, a searing blast tore past his guard and exploded near Nan Wu. The young monk staggered back, coughing blood.
He didn't complain.
Chiriku had already risked his life for them.
"Thirty seconds!" Bei Zi called again. His tone was calm, but desperation flickered in his eyes.
If they could just complete the seals, their combined jutsu — Lightning Release: Thunder God's Wrath Formation (Raiton — Raimei Reijin) — would ignite the entire courtyard, giving them a single chance to break free.
Then, a voice rang out amid the roar of battle — Kazuma's startled shout.
"Sharingan ?!"
Bei Zi froze.
If it truly was the Sharingan, then these were no impostors.
Only Uchiha possessed that power.
"Gh— !"
Kazuma's cry was cut short. Bei Zi turned just in time to see the flash of a blade, followed by the crimson gleam of tomoe.
An Uchiha stood before him — eyes glowing, expression cold. His sword dripped with blood as Kazuma fell to his knees, clutching at his chest.
"No … I don't want to die …" Kazuma gasped, reaching for the man's leg.
The Uchiha gave no answer. With a single, efficient motion, he drew his blade across Kazuma's throat.
Blood sprayed across the broken tiles.
It was over in less than ten seconds.
Bei Zi's hands trembled. Kazuma — the strongest of the Guardian Twelve's radical faction — hadn't even been able to last a heartbeat against this man.
So this was the power of Konoha's Uchiha Clan.
---
The man's crimson eyes turned toward them.
Bei Zi felt every instinct scream run — but the formation was only seconds away from completion.
"Chiriku!" Nan Wu called out, panic edging his voice. "Just a few more seconds — hold him off!"
The intruder — Uchiha Dachi, commander under the Fifth Hokage Uchiha Yuta — narrowed his eyes. He recognized their pattern of hand seals immediately.
The intelligence reports hadn't exaggerated: these four were the Lightning Release Squad, capable of unleashing a city-wide destructive field.
Dachi's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding.
"Don't let them finish it!"
Several Konoha jōnin appeared beside him in a flicker of movement, each one ready to strike.
"You — take out the bald monk!" Dachi barked.
The shinobi obeyed instantly.
"Damn it — !" Chiriku turned, trying to intercept, but a wall of enemy chakra surged before him, forcing him back. He could only watch as Dachi blurred forward, sword raised high toward Xidu — one of the four maintaining the jutsu.
Bei Zi's heart clenched.
If even one of them fell, their jutsu would collapse.
Without thinking, he broke the formation and hurled a kunai. It flew in a deadly arc straight toward Dachi's chest — a perfect trade.
Dachi halted, Sharingan spinning. He could see the path of the blade, the line of death it traced through the air. If he finished his strike, the kunai would pierce his heart.
He smirked — and stepped back.
"That's enough."
His goal was to stop them, not die with them.
The four remaining Guardians exhaled as the chakra pattern dispersed around them. The formation was broken. Their one chance — gone.
Dust and smoke parted, revealing the encirclement outside: dozens of Konoha shinobi standing ready, each wearing the Leaf's crest on their forehead protectors.
The Guardian Twelve finally understood.
Even if they had succeeded, they would have died here all the same.
Their "rebellion" had ended before it ever began.
---
The Fire Daimyō trembled beneath the table, unaware that the fate of his protectors had already been sealed — and that the true storm had only just begun.
To be continued…
---