As Second Tsuchikage 45

Chapter 45: The Slowly Emerging Fractures

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Torikaze Akimichi hurried in after him. The moment they stepped through the door, they were met with the gut-wrenching sound of Danzō Shimura sobbing uncontrollably. His entire body trembled with grief, and tears streamed down his face. Both Hizuren and Torikaze's expressions turned grim as the sight before them sank in.

They had assumed it might have been Danzō’s mother who had died, or maybe his father. But reality struck harder than either of them anticipated. Both of Danzō’s parents were gone, killed.

“Sasuke-ojisan! Who killed my parents?! I’ll avenge them!” Danzō turned to Sarutobi Sasuke, the man who had brought the bodies back, his face twisted in anguish and fury.

Sasuke Sarutobi gave a heavy sigh. “Danzō… we were just a scouting squad at first. We were hiding really well, but we didn’t expect that guy’s sensory skills to be so sharp… We were discovered.”

Danzō froze. A single image flared in his mind. The bandaged man. That terrifying, almost invincible figure.

The night he had seen that man unleash a Chibaku Tensei so massive that Madara Uchiha had been forced to summon his full-body Susanoo to counter it... and he was also the one who played a key role in killing both Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

How could he possibly take revenge against someone like that?

Thud!

Danzō collapsed to his knees, his body wracked with sobs. “Huu… huu…”

Sarutobi Sasuke could only shake his head and sigh, his eyes filled with helpless sorrow.

...

“Report to Tobirama-sama! Catastrophic news! The northern region of the Land of Fire has fallen!”

“Report to Tobirama-sama! Catastrophic news! The eastern region has fallen!”

“Report to Tobirama-sama! Catastrophic news! Both the southwestern regions are lost, and the daimyō has been forced to relocate. He’s now taking refuge in Konoha!”

“Ashina-sama’s Uzushiogakure has been attacked by Kirigakure. He’s returned to defend his own village and can no longer support us!”

One report after another poured into the Hokage Building like an avalanche, each one heavier than the last.

Tobirama Senju had never experienced such an overwhelming wave of despair. His face was rigid, his eyes shadowed by fatigue and worry. In just a matter of days, half of the Land of Fire had been overrun. Only the central region remained intact.

“Tobirama-sama… if it really comes to it, we should consider retreating to Uzushio Island…” Momoka Senju spoke up hesitantly, her voice tight with concern.

In recent days, the frontlines had crumbled alarmingly fast. Even within the village walls, morale was plummeting.

“Absolutely not! The Hyūga, Uchiha, Senju, and the Ino-Shika-Chō clans haven’t even begun to truly fight yet. How could we possibly run?!” Tobirama’s eyes burned with defiance. “Don’t even bring up retreating to the island. I would rather die in battle than flee.”

His rejection was absolute, his tone leaving no room for argument. In Tobirama’s mind, if the village could unite, if all the major clans stood shoulder to shoulder, Konoha still had a chance to repel the Allied Shinobi Forces.

All he had to do now was find a way to stall Mū, Shamon, Gengetsu Hōzuki, and the Second A.

And in truth, Tobirama’s thinking wasn’t flawed.

In terms of core strength, Konoha’s forces were indeed superior to the combined power of the other four great villages. The Uchiha clan alone boasted dozens of three-tomoe Sharingan users, which alone was enough to suppress the basic fighting strength of their enemies.

“Tobirama-sama! The enemy forces are gathering at Mt. Kikyo. They’re preparing to launch an assault on Konoha!”

A Senju jōnin burst into the room to report, breathless.

Tobirama rubbed his temple, staring intently at the map spread across the table. Then, after a long, steady breath, he made up his mind.

...

“Haha, looks like everything’s going smoothly for all of us!”

“Konoha’s shinobi have been pushed back into the central region. We’ve already taken most of their territory!”

“Once we seize the center, the Land of Fire is as good as finished!”

Mū, Gengetsu Hōzuki, Shamon, and the Second Raikage gathered at Mt. Kikyo with their respective forces, readying for the final attack on Konoha. But as the four leaders came together, the mood subtly shifted.

The tension was thick, especially when talk turned to the central region of the Land of Fire.

The air grew heavy, an invisible pressure settling over them.

"Ahem... so, how should we divide the central region of the Land of Fire?" Gengetsu Hōzuki was the first to break the silence, his voice casual but calculated.

Though they hadn’t captured it yet, all of them felt confident it was only a matter of time.

“My Sunagakure has contributed the most to this campaign. I want control of Konoha and its kekkei genkai,” Shamon declared, calm yet assertive.

At once, the Second Raikage’s expression darkened.

“No way. We want Konoha too. And those kekkei genkai belong to us just as much.”

He thought of the Byakugan and Sharingan among Konoha’s many bloodline limits and couldn’t help the hunger in his voice.

“Then how about we split them between us? Evenly,” Shamon offered without hesitation.

“Deal.”

With a smack of their palms, the two forged an instant alliance.

Gengetsu Hōzuki’s gaze cooled. “No way! Aye, Shamon, Kirigakure needs those kekkei genkai too,” he said flatly.

Kirigakure, in this timeline, hadn’t yet fallen into the anti-kekkei genkai madness. They valued bloodline abilities and needed them.

“Don’t you people already have plenty of kekkei genkai? Don’t start fighting us for them,” the Second Raikage snapped, his tone turning sharp.

Gengetsu’s eyes narrowed. The Raikage’s volume and attitude came across as a challenge, and Gengetsu was never one to back down.

“Who complains about having too many kekkei genkai? Your gorilla built will scare them away. How greedy can you get?”

The Second Raikage slammed his palm on the table, unable to restrain himself.

"You rude bastard! Who are you calling a gorilla?" the Second Raikage snapped, his voice thundering through the tent.

"Gengetsu! Your Kirigakure already has plenty of kekkei genkai. Let us and Kumogakure have some!" Shamon quickly interjected, eager to secure more bloodline abilities for Sunagakure before Gengetsu could sway the conversation.

In an instant, the entire conference table was flooded with hostility. Though they'd once stood shoulder to shoulder in the face of a common enemy, that unity was already beginning to fracture.

Each of them had returned to thinking only of their own village’s interests. When survival was on the line, they could cooperate. But now, with Konoha on its last breath and the central region nearly within reach, greed overtook strategy. A full-blown fallout was already brewing beneath the surface.

Mū remained silent, standing calmly at the edge of the table like a statue carved from stone. He had seen this coming long ago. It was always the same story. They could share hardship, but not fortune. Now that the victory was close at hand, every man at the table was scheming to snatch as much as they could. The alliance was little more than a façade now.

"Hey! Mū! Stop pretending to be invisible and say something!" Gengetsu suddenly called out, frowning as he realized that Aye and Shamon had begun quietly aligning. With two already teaming up, if Mū took a side, it would tip the scales completely.

All eyes locked on Mū instantly. Despite their arrogance and ambition, none of the men present dared take him lightly. His strength was unmatched, and in the legendary battle between Hashirama and Madara, Mū had been the undisputed MVP, the only one whose contributions had changed the course of that clash. Every shinobi here held a quiet respect, and deeper than that, a lingering fear.

"Mū! Kumogakure really needs kekkei genkai. As long as you agree not to fight us for them, we’re willing to pay. We’ll buy them outright!" The Second Raikage immediately promised, slapping his chest as if to prove his sincerity.

"Same here!" Shamon added quickly, leaning forward with a practiced politician’s smile. "Sunagakure may be covered in desert, but we’ve got plenty of gold mines. I heard Mū-dono has a love for money. I can provide!"

Mū didn’t respond immediately. He simply lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable.

Yes, it was true, Kumogakure lacked kekkei genkai. Even in the original timeline, they had desperately coveted the Byakugan of the Hyūga. But these fools thought they could just buy what should belong to the strongest?

What a joke.

If Mū had the chance to secure Konoha’s bloodlines for Iwagakure, would he ever let those treasures slip through his fingers and fall into the hands of these half-wits?

Never.

Let them all get lost. None of them were worthy of wielding Konoha’s bloodline legacies. They couldn’t handle them, not the Byakugan, not the Sharingan, not even the lesser-known lines.

Let Iwagakure take care of them.