A cold, murderous hush settled over the forest.
Hiruzen Sarutobi went pale—Danzō's death had been shocking, but Kagami Uchiha's fall was something else entirely.
The strength Uchiha Soren displayed… it was far beyond what any elite jōnin should possess.
A true Kage-level monster, Hiruzen realized.
(But I, Hiruzen, am no weakling either!)
"Wind Style: Vortex!"
Without pausing his handseal, Hiruzen and his summon—Sarumao—unleashed twin wind techniques.
Two spiraling tornados erupted from human and ape, then merged into a roaring column that tore through the forest toward Uchiha Soren.
Kagami's headless body, which had toppled against a branch, was swept into the bloody whirlwind along with roots, dirt, shattered bark—
even Danzō's mangled remains were pulled into the crimson funnel.
Soren stepped aside leisurely with a faint click of his tongue, watching the violence with mild amusement.
"Poor Kagami… pledged loyalty to the Senju, only to be torn apart by his own allies."
"Poor Danzō too. Still, none of you are leaving this place alive."
"Be grateful I spared you company on the road to Yomi."
Hiruzen braced, gripping his vajra staff.
He trusted his summon's support—if Soren trapped him in genjutsu, Sarumao could drag him free.
But then Hiruzen met Soren's gaze.
Those Mangekyō eyes—not Kagami's mere three tomoe—made his heart lurch.
He dropped his gaze immediately and shouted:
"Don't look into his eyes! Uchiha Soren has a Mangekyō Sharingan!"
The words hit like ice water.
Mangekyō Sharingan—Tobirama's eternal warning, the forbidden ocular power that once reshaped the world under Uchiha Madara.
(How old is this Uchiha? An adult? And already stronger than me?)
His grip tightened.
(Uchiha… always the village's greatest variable.)
The imagery of Kagami's and Danzō's corpses swirled in his thoughts. Hiruzen dared not make the next move.
Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Torifu Akimichi closed ranks, each face grim.
"Hiruzen… we can't delay. The rebel Cloud shinobi will arrive soon."
Koharu warned softly. The weight of her words sank into all of them.
Hiruzen hesitated.
Their unease tickled Soren's senses like a gentle wind through leaves.
He stroked Juno, tucked snugly inside his collar, and watched the four struggle between courage and terror.
"I came here to cause trouble for Kumogakure. You were simply… unlucky." Soren said.
"Two ungrateful fools crossed my path: one blinded by rage, one who eats from the Senju bowl and spits in it."
"Those two I despise. The rest? I hold no particular grudge."
"I'm not a demon. I don't kill indiscriminately."
Their expressions flickered—gloom to hope, then confusion, as Soren continued:
"If you leave two of your number behind… as my dogs… I might let the others live."
Shock.
Horror.
Rage.
And worst of all—
temptation.
Soren watched every flicker with a smile.
These four were veterans of village politics—they knew exactly how power bent men's hearts.
Hiruzen's predetermined appointment as Third Hokage, the long-lived councilors, the senile elders, the rot that allowed politicians to outlive heroes—
Letting these people die was mercy.
Letting them live as tools was punishment.
(This Uchiha brat…)
Hiruzen cursed inwardly.
Yet the offer clawed at their survival instincts.
Homura and Koharu had climbed into Tobirama's favor; their futures were tied to political games.
Torifu, as an Akimichi, had clan duties and pride tugging against fear.
Hiruzen tried noble words—
"If we stand together, we'll return to our loved ones!"—
but the line fell hollow.
Koharu's hurt expression said as much. "Loved ones" sounded like a curse coming from him.
(Seems only Koharu and I will be left.) Homura thought bleakly.
But no one expected Torifu Akimichi to move first.
The heavy-set jōnin pulled out a crimson pill—
the Akimichi clan's Red Chili Pellet, a desperate-life technique reserved for absolute last stands.
He swallowed it.
A burst of massive chakra erupted.
Butterfly-like wings of chakra unfurled behind him, glowing brilliantly.
"You all go. I'll hold Soren!" Torifu roared.
"Hold on—we'll get reinforcements!" Hiruzen cried—
and fled.
Homura and Koharu followed instantly.
Soren watched Torifu's chakra flare with gentle curiosity.
"Worth it?" he asked softly.
"If you decide your life by 'worth,' you've already lost everything."
Torifu stood firm, even as the pill chewed away his lifespan.
Every breath cost him time.
Every heartbeat set fire to his organs.
"Selling out comrades for a coward's escape… that's not my shinobi way. I'll give you an honorable death. Then I'll kill Hiruzen and the others one by one."
He charged.
Soren honored Torifu's resolve the only way an Uchiha warrior should—
with a swift, lethal end.
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
Crimson light sharpened.
The forest trembled as if awaiting judgment.
The hunt began.