Chapter 15 : Hiruzen Hypocrisy

Due to the urgency of the situation, Konoha is powerless, and everything hinges on which shinobi step forward to take action.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed out the window with a calm expression, as though he were discussing something utterly mundane.

Danzo, standing behind him, felt a chill run down his spine.

Most of the Genin and Chunin had already been deployed to the front lines. This meant that the shinobi remaining in Konoha were undoubtedly the elites, waiting for further orders.

Hiruzen's plan was clear—force the Senju clan to deplete their own forces.

The shinobi willing to take on a mission as dangerous as rescuing the Uzumaki were bound to have deep ties to Uzumaki Mito. And those shinobi were, without a doubt, the remaining elites of the Senju clan.

In this situation, where all major forces wanted to erase the Uzumaki, even if the Senju sent their best, without Konoha's backing, they would be walking into a death trap. No need for Konoha to lift a finger—other villages would handle the bloodshed.

Danzo clenched his fists. For all his talk of underhanded tactics, assassination, and subterfuge, it was Hiruzen who played the game best. Not only did he operate in plain sight, but he was far crueler than Danzo himself.

At the Senju compound, Tsunade sat in silence for a long time. The news of Konoha issuing the "rescue mission" had reached her, and now she was just staring at the message, lost in thought.

"Grandma… Shin was right. That old man dragged this out on purpose."

When Tsunade had been training with Uchiha Shin, he had casually pointed out a few things about the situation with the Uzumaki. She hadn't believed him then—after all, her understanding of the Third Hokage told her he wasn't that kind of person.

But now? Now, she had no choice but to accept the truth.

Uzumaki Mito, watching her granddaughter's reaction, reached out and flicked her forehead with a sigh. "I told you before, don't underestimate him. That boy sees things more clearly than you do."

"Grandma! You never told me anything about this! How was I supposed to know?" Tsunade covered her forehead, pouting in frustration.

Mito merely raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you think I could see it?"

"…"

Tsunade had no response to that.

Instead, she shifted the topic. "Grandma, I'm taking the mission. I have to go."

Mito's gaze softened. "Move cautiously. Take Doma, Hayato, and the others with you. There's no avoiding this now." A heavy pause. "But when the time comes, put your life first."

The weight of the statement wasn't lost on Tsunade. Mito knew this mission could mean death for many, including her. But the Uzumaki were her people, and she couldn't just watch them be slaughtered.

The Senju and Uzumaki had always stood together. If one suffered, the other had a duty to help.

The real problem was Hiruzen.

They had little time.

Tsunade clenched her fists. "I'll do everything I can."

Meanwhile, Uchiha Shin halted the forming of a Wind Release-infused Rasengan in his palm upon hearing the news.

Though barely a week had passed, he had already made significant progress in elemental chakra manipulation. He hadn't stopped hunting wild beasts either, using his [Rebirth Ritual] to absorb their chakra and life force.

In terms of sheer chakra reserves, he had already reached Chunin level. Physically? He could headbutt an average Chunin into unconsciousness.

A smirk formed on his lips. "Even without my Mangekyō Sharingan, I can take on a Jonin. If they underestimate me, like Tsunade did before, I can kill them outright."

That was enough to convince him.

He was going to follow Tsunade's team to the Land of Whirlpools.

If his guess was right, Uzumaki Kushina was being brought to Konoha around this time. If luck was on his side, he could make contact with her early. Given that she was the future Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, forming a connection could only be beneficial.

But he had another objective.

The bodies of the shinobi who would die in the coming battle.

A full-scale war meant corpses everywhere.

"So far, I haven't absorbed the chakra or life force of a shinobi yet…"

His pulse quickened at the thought.

Wild animals weren't enough. He needed something more potent.

Sneaking out was easy. The Uchiha Police Force was a convenient tool. His status within the clan let him bypass the usual security measures without issue.

Packing two storage scrolls, making sure to inform Mikoto, and double-checking his equipment, Shin set off.

He trailed behind Tsunade's team, keeping his distance so as not to be detected.

By the time he arrived in the Land of Whirlpools, the battle had already begun.

Various forces were closing in from different directions, besieging the Uzumaki village.

Relying on their powerful barriers and terrain, the Uzumaki were fighting fiercely.

Shin surveyed the battlefield, murmuring, "Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure… even Suna's involved. Everything that could go wrong, did."

He had expected conflict, but this was worse than anticipated.

Though the enemy shinobi had removed their forehead protectors, he could recognize their techniques and battle formations.

Then—

"There's someone here!"

A Kirigakure sensor-nin suddenly turned in his direction.

In an instant, five elite Chunin rushed toward him.

"Hidden Mist Technique!"

A dense fog spread instantly, obscuring everything. But for Shin, it was pointless.

With his Mangekyō Sharingan, he could see perfectly.

Calmly, he slipped five kunai from his pouch—each one wrapped with an explosive tag—and threw them.

The Kirigakure shinobi sneered, seeing his aim go wide.

"Hah! What a damn amateur—"

"Magnet Release: Magnetic Guidance."

With a flick of his wrist, the kunai veered mid-air, stabbing straight into their throats.

Shock flickered across their faces.

Before they could react—

"Detonate."

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Five headless corpses hit the ground. Blood painted the battlefield, soaking into the earth.

Shin stared down at the scene, unfazed.

"Not much different from killing beasts, really."

Was it just his tolerance for violence? Or had he always been this bloodthirsty?

It didn't matter.

The mist still hung thick in the air. Without hesitation, he moved to the bodies, pressing his palms against their still-warm flesh.

The remaining chakra and life force of the Kirigakure shinobi rapidly drained away, absorbed into his body.

Time was short.

He had to feast before the battlefield claimed its next victims.

Bonus Chapter - 100 Power Stones