Uchiha Gen's right hand shot out like lightning, clamping down on Hiruzen Sarutobi's shoulder.
At the same instant, two arm-thick black serpents burst from his left sleeve, scales glinting like oil, coiling around Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane before they could even scream.
The two elder advisors had lived in peace for too long. Their combat senses had dulled with age, their strength long since faded. They didn't even have time to react.
Hiruzen, however, was not so soft. Though aged, he had never once abandoned his training. The moment he felt a hand on his shoulder, his instincts took over. Chakra surged as his muscles coiled, ready to strike back...
..but it was already far too late.
A faint hum split the air. The world blurred around them.
Uchiha Gen's Flying Thunder God Technique activated, and the four figures vanished in a flash of golden light.
The scenery reformed hundreds of miles away, at the foot of a forested mountain east of Konoha. The teleportation's sudden lurch sent the two elders reeling.
Homura's stomach twisted violently; Koharu's legs gave out beneath her.
"Ugh—!" Both of them bent double, retching the moment their feet touched solid ground. The world spun and blurred, the aftereffects of ultra-long-distance space displacement overwhelming their aged bodies.
Hiruzen's breathing hitched as well, but decades of endurance steadied him. Though disoriented, he forced the discomfort down and immediately attacked.
His body blurred forward in a burst of chakra as his fist arced through the air—aimed squarely at Gen's jaw.
But Gen was already gone.
His form flickered like smoke, evading both the punch and the splatter of bile from the elders. He reappeared several meters away, lips curved in amusement.
"Uchiha Gen! What do you think you're doing?"
Hiruzen's voice carried both authority and fury. He moved to the front, blocking the two councilors behind him. The Hokage's battle robe swayed, his fire shadow hat tilted slightly in the mountain breeze. His stance dropped low, steady and ready.
Lines of age creased his face, but his eyes were sharp as ever.
"Hokage-sama," Gen said lightly, spreading his hands, "there's no need to be so tense. I didn't bring you here to harm you."
His lips tilted into a faint smile.
"It's just that some things shouldn't be said inside the village… and some things shouldn't be done there either. So, I invited you three to somewhere a little more private."
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "You call that an invitation?"
Gen chuckled softly. "Admittedly, a rather sudden one. But if I'd asked nicely, would the three of you really have agreed to come here?"
He turned his palms upward. "Still, I assure you, I have no ill intent. Everyone knows I invited the three of you to dinner tonight. If you failed to return alive, who else would be blamed but me? If I truly wished you dead, do you think I'd do it in such an obvious way?"
That logic, however brazen, was hard to argue with. Hiruzen's expression softened just slightly.
"Then speak," he said coldly. "What is it you want?"
Homura and Koharu had finally regained their footing. They eyed Gen warily and surveyed their surroundings.
The four stood in a vast, secluded glade surrounded by towering mountains. Thick vines coiled around ancient trees, the air heavy with damp earth and the scent of moss.
It was utterly silent except for the rustle of leaves and the distant call of crows.
Gen clasped his hands behind his back.
"What I want is simple," he said, his tone calm and sure. "The title of Fifth Hokage should belong to the Uchiha Clan."
"After we return, I ask that you declare me the sole candidate and lend me your full support."
He paused, his gaze meeting Hiruzen's evenly.
"As for when I take office… that will be up to me. Until then, Hokage-sama will continue overseeing the village."
He wasn't in a rush. The Hokage's mantle carried prestige, yes, but also endless responsibility and distraction. And right now, he needed time. Time to cultivate the Origin Initial Sutra, to focus entirely on growth, transcendence, and power.
Because in this world, power meant everything.
Authority followed strength like shadow followed flame.
He could always take the title later. What mattered now was evolution.
Hiruzen's jaw tightened. The calm arrogance in the young Uchiha's tone stoked an anger deep in his chest.
Then, slowly, he laughed—short, cold, bitter.
"Heh… And what gives you that right?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Your Mangekyō? Sage Mode? The Flying Thunder God? Or perhaps your alliances, Orochimaru, who might have mastered Sage Mode himself? The Uchiha Clan, the Hyūga who may support you? Or remnants of Orochimaru's former forces?"
He stepped forward, the steel in his voice growing sharper with every word.
"Even combined, that's not enough. Do you think you can rival me, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the countless clans that make up Konoha's foundation? Tens of thousands of ninja who would fight for the village?"
He jabbed a finger toward him.
"And Kushina, though she's close to you, carries the Fourth Hokage's will. She would never allow anyone to disrupt the peace we've built!"
Homura and Koharu, emboldened by his words and by the fact that they no longer feared immediate death, began to add their own scorn. Their aged voices rose, accusing Gen of arrogance, of betrayal, of selfish ambition.
Yet Gen said nothing.
Hands still clasped behind his back, he listened with an unshakable calm, that faint smile never leaving his face.
Eventually, their tirade faltered, their confidence spent.
Gen tilted his head slightly.
"Are the three of you done?"
The quiet finality of his tone made the air grow heavier.
"Then it's my turn."
He took a single step forward.
"You asked what gives me that confidence? Hokage-sama, my faith has never come from alliances, bloodlines, or titles. It comes from one thing alone, my strength."
His eyes gleamed, voice low and steady.
"No one has ever seen the full extent of my power. Not even Orochimaru. I wonder, Hokage-sama… how much of it can you draw out today?"
The smile returned, faint but razor-sharp.
Truthfully, he could have crushed their spirits instantly...shown them the overwhelming might of his Eternal Mangekyō and ended the discussion right here. But he didn't want that.
No—he wanted to make them feel it.
The hopelessness. The despair. The powerlessness of standing before something utterly beyond reach.
That kind of lesson engraved itself deeper than words or illusions ever could.
Wasn't that exactly what Madara Uchiha had done to the Five Kage?
Let them struggle, resist, believe they could fight back, until all their hope shattered under his hand.
"Very well," Hiruzen said, voice cold but resolute. "Then I shall witness for myself the power of the so-called Shura of the Shinobi World."
Gen's grin widened.
"I promise, Hokage-sama, I won't disappoint. Let's see how much of the Ninjutsu Professor remains… at your age."
Hiruzen turned slightly.
"Koharu, Homura...stand back."
Both nodded.
"Hiruzen, be careful!"
"I know," he said simply.
Removing his Hokage hat and robe, he handed them to his companions, revealing the dark red battle uniform beneath. Though this confrontation had come without warning, the Third Hokage's aura hadn't dulled one bit.
The two advisors leapt away to a nearby ridge, clutching the robe and hat tightly, watching with grim faces.
At the mountain's base, only two remained.
Gen's eyes shifted—his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan spinning to life, black tomoe whirling within scarlet rings. With its eternal form, he no longer needed to suppress or deactivate it. The Sharingan burned, constant and alive.
Hiruzen averted his gaze at once, fingers weaving through hand seals. Gen followed in perfect rhythm—seal for seal, motion for motion.
"Summoning Technique!"
Two sharp bangs rang out, echoing across the valley.
Twin clouds of smoke burst outward.
From the first, Gen reached into the haze and drew the hilt of Shizukamaru, the sentient blade whose quiet aura thrummed with life.
From the second, a great white-haired ape emerged, clad in tiger-skin armor and bearing a Konoha forehead protector—the legendary Monkey King, Enma.
Muscles rippled beneath his fur as he crossed his arms, golden eyes locking onto Gen. His presence was ancient, fierce, and unwavering.
The two powers faced each other, one of Konoha's old guardians, and one of its rising storms.
The forest held its breath.
Wind swept through the trees, carrying leaves into the air between them.
And then...
...the battle began.