Chapter 7: Who the Hell Do You Think I Am?
"Bang!"
Inside the Hokage building—
after years of constant fighting,
not only civilians but even shinobi were weary.
And yet, that loud way of entering a room,
that bold tone of voice—
there weren't many in Konoha who could pull it off.
At this moment inside the Hokage's office,
the place was crowded.
Clan heads from the major ninja families,
several of Konoha's elite jōnin,
and even the other two of the Legendary Sannin,
Jiraiya and Orochimaru, were present.
After all, the matter at hand—war—was no small thing.
"Tsunade!"
Despite her brash entrance,
no one really blamed her.
After all, she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage.
That title alone carried too much weight.
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned and tapped his desk,
his tone sharp as he scolded her.
"Remember your position!
Right now, you are just another shinobi of Konoha!"
No ordinary ninja would dare to speak to the Hokage that way.
The room stirred with surprise—
even Koharu Utatane, sitting among the elders,
looked displeased.
Still, as an elder of the village,
her words carried weight whether people liked her or not.
"Hmph! As a Konoha shinobi,
am I not allowed to criticize my superior?"
Koharu's eyes flashed with self-satisfaction.
Unlike Danzō Shimura,
Koharu and Homura Mitokado didn't possess the same level of ambition—
or capability.
What they enjoyed most was being feared by others.
Even if Tsunade was the First Hokage's granddaughter,
Koharu still relished moments like this.
And then—
"Who are you planning to scold, you old hag?"
A calm, faintly amused voice came from the doorway.
In an instant,
a strange sense of safety filled the room—
Aoyama Ryūun had arrived.
"Who told you to run off so fast?"
Ryūun shrugged helplessly.
"Big Sis, you can't blame Brother-in-law for that,"
Nawaki chimed in from behind.
"When we were running here, he didn't even look back for me!"
"Hah! When you hear news of another Ninja World War starting,
of course you'd hurry!"
Ryūun smiled lightly.
Tsunade's eyes widened at the mention.
"The Second Great Ninja War… again?"
"Watch your tone, Aoyama Ryūun!"
Koharu's expression darkened further.
A mere jōnin—no, a troublemaker—
daring to speak to her that way?
"Huh?"
Ryūun looked genuinely confused.
"Did this old relic just curse me out?"
"Y-you—!"
As one of Konoha's elders,
Koharu had never been talked to like that in her life.
"If you don't act like a shinobi,
I can have your ninja status revoked with just one word!"
she snapped.
And the thing was—she could.
As a village elder, Koharu had the authority to make such a move.
But after she finished speaking,
the others in the office—
those who knew Aoyama Ryūun—
couldn't help but smirk.
Rules? Protocol?
Ryūun never followed them anyway.
His gaze sharpened; his pupils began to slit like a dragon's,
a faint crimson light flashing within them.
The markings of dragon scales on his skin became more defined,
almost alive.
No one doubted what was happening—
they could feel the pressure.
Boom!
The air itself grew heavy.
Outside, thunder rolled across the Konoha skyline.
Ryūun's eyes locked onto Koharu's.
The wooden floor beneath his feet began to crack.
The overwhelming aura of Conqueror's Haki
pinned her in place like an invisible storm.
"..."
Her once-arrogant expression twisted into fear.
Her finger trembled as she pointed weakly at Ryūun.
Even though she was a village elder,
at her strongest she had only ever been elite jōnin level—
nothing more.
The fact that she hadn't fainted outright
meant Ryūun had actually held back.
There's an old saying:
"The fierce fear the reckless,
and the reckless fear the mad."
And right now, Koharu was facing someone madder than all of them.
"You think I care if I'm not a shinobi anymore?"
As he spoke, Ryūun reached up,
removed his Konoha forehead protector,
and tossed it in front of Koharu.
The message was clear:
You can take your village—and shove it.
This was Aoyama Ryūun—
the man who would destroy a clan
without hesitation if provoked.
He never feared threats.
Because those who tried to threaten him…
didn't live long enough to do it twice.