I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

It's like the First, Second, and Third Shinobi World Wars of recent years, and even the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth... and so on, with the Shinobi World Wars continuing to erupt in an endless cycle.

Itachi explained and argued his case logically.

Although Shisui's expression often changed, he clearly hadn't truly changed his mind in the end.

His nature was gentle and kind, and he could not be as resolute and indifferent as Itachi.

Although he knew that a short pain was better than a long one, he couldn't bring himself to do it when he thought of all the comrades who had sacrificed their lives on the battlefield in the Land of Water, and when he thought that if the unification and peace were to happen as Itachi had said, the number of people who would have to sacrifice their lives would be many times greater.

Why insist on unification by force?

Can't there be other ways? Or should we just maintain the status quo forever?

This was an idea that Zhishui had two years ago.

However, after two years of personal instruction and teaching from Yun Ting, witnessing firsthand the extravagance and debauchery of the nobles, the exploitation and oppression of the common people, and experiencing firsthand the increasing prosperity of Konoha under Yun Ting's leadership and the growing happiness of its people, Shisui's thoughts have changed.

He was kind-hearted to begin with, and had only noticed how much his comrades would sacrifice.

However, they failed to notice how many commoners in the ninja world died each year under the oppression of the nobles.

That's far more than the number of ninjas who died in the Fourth Shinobi World War.

This was quite unsettling for Shisui, who had broadened his horizons and was no longer confined to Konoha Village.

Therefore, he willingly accepted the idea of ​​unification and the principle that a short pain is worse than a long one.

Of course, deep down he still hoped that all the battles could end soon.

After all, with the Fourth Hokage possessing powerful Wood Release techniques and his Mangekyou Sharingan, coupled with the abundance of strong ninjas in Konoha, it's not impossible for him to replicate the God of Shinobi's sweeping victory of yesteryear.

This way, perhaps some deaths can be reduced.

Shisui thought to herself that she had to do everything in her power to achieve this.

Just like it is now.

Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Demise of the Guardian Ninja

A week later, late at night.

After a private discussion with the Left Minister's envoy, Kazuma finally decided to assassinate the weak and incompetent daimyo on this day.

Although he was somewhat suspicious that he had never been able to meet with the Left Minister and others in person, he quickly realized that he had always contacted special envoys in the past, and that assassinating a daimyo was a serious matter, so it was normal to minimize contact to avoid exposure.

Of course, the most important reason is that He Ma was a lofty idealist.

His ideals are quite similar to Yun Ting's in some ways.

Everyone believed that the Land of Fire did not need two jewels, and that all real power should be handed over to the daimyo, so that the Land of Fire could become a true unified entity.

The same goes for Yun Ting.

Tired of the one-country-one-village system, he also believed that the Land of Fire and Konoha should be integrated, but this power should be given to him, the Hokage, who is capable of leading the Land of Fire to grow stronger.

Idealists all possess a fearless spirit of self-sacrifice.

After the daimyo, whom he regarded as the orthodox, rejected his proposal, Kazuma felt a sense of despair as his ideals were shattered.

But his strong will allowed him to quickly regain his composure.

He believed that he was not at fault, so the only one at fault must be Daiming.

As a result, he began to have the extreme idea that he should exchange the jade for a different one to realize his self-worth.

Even without the special envoy fanning the flames to stop the water's flow, given Kazuma's personality, he would have inevitably gone down this path sooner or later.

Especially now that the Hokage of Konoha has begun to reveal his ambitions.

This move will only happen very soon.

Just like now.

Five of the Twelve Guardian Ninja who shared his ideals were walking with him through the vast daimyo's mansion.

In the past, they were responsible for protecting the safety of the owners here.

Now it's time to take his life.

Kazuma and the others were very familiar with every tree and blade of grass in the Daimyo's residence, and they headed toward the castle tower without any delay.

Along the way, after noticing that the usual guards had disappeared, Kazuma breathed a sigh of relief. Just as the special envoy had said, these people had been specially transferred away by the Left Minister and others, thus avoiding the risk of alerting the enemy.

As they closed the distance, just as Kazuma and his group were beaming with joy and thought their operation was about to succeed, suddenly...

A sharp kunai shot out from the shadows and stuck in their path.

"Kazuma! What are you all up to, sneaking around here so late at night?"

The kunai's master emerged from the shadows; it was none other than Sarutobi Asuma.

Kazuma's heart sank, because after the latter appeared, Jiriku, Beigen, Chengma and others also showed up one after another.

In an instant, all twelve Guardian Ninja appeared inside the Daimyo's mansion in the dead of night.

'What's going on? Didn't the envoy guarantee that Asma and the others would be reassigned to another mission tonight?' Kazuma instantly had a bad feeling.

But now that the arrow has been drawn, there's no turning back. If this opportunity is missed, there will never be another chance to assassinate a daimyo, so there's no choice but to go for it!

Kazuma gritted his teeth, waving his hand with murderous intent, and said, "A bunch of Konoha's lackeys! For the sake of the Land of Fire, wipe them out!"

moment!

The radical faction, led by Kazuma, attacked Asuma and his group.

The civil war among the Twelve Guardian Ninjas thus broke out.

"As expected! You actually plotted to assassinate the Daimyo!" Asuma drew his chakra blade, Flying Swallow, and said with a grim expression as he fought back.

He had previously received a warning from Konoha that Kazuma and others were going to assassinate the daimyo, but he didn't believe it at all.

After all, these people clearly regard the Daimyo as the only gem of the Land of Fire, so why would they attack someone they are loyal to?

If we're talking about assassinating a daimyo, it's actually those with close ties to Konoha who are more likely to be the targets.

However, upon seeing how Kazuma and his group had sneaked in late at night and were fully armed, Asuma's doubts vanished instantly.

Right now, even if he didn't want to, he had no choice but to participate in the infighting among the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

"Asuma! Don't put on that innocent act. If it weren't for Konoha, how would we have ended up on this path! The Hokage shouldn't even exist!"

Kazuma roared through gritted teeth, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Technique!"

A rumbling earth dragon rose from the ground and mercilessly attacked its former companion.

At the same time, battles between the other ten people quickly began.

The ninjas who were able to join the Twelve Guardian Ninjas were all at the Jonin level in terms of strength.

Therefore, once the civil war broke out, it instantly caused a huge uproar in the daimyo's mansion, which naturally alarmed the master of the house.

Inside the castle tower, the daimyo of the Land of Fire was looking at the outside world with a face full of shock and anger.

He never expected that his own men would come to assassinate their master.

"Your Excellency, the information provided by Konoha is correct, isn't it?"

The Fire Country Daimyo was not alone; beside him stood Nara Shikama, the commander-in-chief of the Konoha garrison in the capital.

He informed Asuma and his group not only about their plan to assassinate the daimyo tonight, but also about the daimyo before him.

seeing is believing.

The man, who had previously found it hard to believe, could only nod with a gloomy expression.

Seeing this, Nara Shikama continued, "It's not just Marco who has such great determination; he's ultimately just a tool. Behind him, the real force is the Left Minister's group. If you, Daimyo, are assassinated, then these people can support your young son to ascend the throne, and then the Land of Fire will be completely under their control."

The Left Minister did have contact with Kazuma, but he was not involved in the assassination. However, since Konoha was involved, it is now a fact that it may not be true.

He naturally took Da Ming's name to heart.

After that, all Konoha needs to do is produce the carefully prepared evidence, and the faction within the Land of Fire that harbors the greatest malice towards Konoha will be overthrown.

Seeing that the grand drama had begun smoothly and his own mission had been successfully completed, Nara Shikama suggested, "Your Excellency, the battle between ninjas has a wide-ranging impact. For your safety, I should take you away first. As for Kazuma and his gang of traitors, even if the Guardian Ninja can't handle it internally, Konoha will lend a hand."

Daiming nodded silently.

With the Twelve Guardian Ninja no longer around, his safety now rests solely on the shoulders of Konoha.

Nara Shikama waved his hand, and a squadron of Konoha ninja quickly appeared to protect the daimyo as he retreated.

From then on, only the twelve guardian ninjas remained in the vast daimyo mansion, killing each other.

And on the outer periphery.

A secret squad was quietly observing all of this.

Like a seasoned hunter, patiently waiting for the final catch.

......

"Fire Escape·Ashes Burning!"

After forcing back his enemies with a famous Fire Release ninjutsu, Sarutobi Asuma gasped for breath, recovering his strength while keeping an eye on the surrounding battle.

As members of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, they have spent so many years together, and despite their ideological differences, they are very familiar with each other's abilities.

Therefore, in this civil war between the guardian ninjas, even though they have been fighting for some time and both sides have suffered serious injuries, the true victor has not yet been decided.

At this moment, unable to bear seeing the Guardian Shinobi continue to kill each other, Asuma once again advised, "Kazuma, your plan has already been exposed and has no chance of success. Just surrender. After all, you are comrades. We will plead for you before the Daimyo."

Kazuma, unmoved by the sentiment, declared, "Even if I can't save the Land of Fire, killing you bunch of Konoha lackeys will make my trip worthwhile!"

With his plan failing and no hope for the future, he was desperate and determined to kill all the people in front of him who had shattered his ideals.

The five men who had been following him all along also continued to fight without hesitation, disregarding their own safety.

Those who share the same ideals naturally have no shortage of determination to dedicate themselves to them.

The radical faction among the Twelve Guardian Ninjas was already very strong individually, and now that they were fighting for their lives without regard for their own safety, Asuma and his group's situation became extremely precarious.

In the end, it was clear that the six people were on the verge of death.

Beigen, Chengma, Xingdou, and Dongyu, who had been mostly silent, stepped forward at this moment, seizing the fleeting opportunity to unleash their last bit of chakra and unleash their most powerful technique combined.