"Halt! Who goes there?"
Just as the Twelve Guardian Ninja were about to enter the Leaf Village, they were sharply stopped by the guards at the gate. Mere gatekeepers daring to block their way—the Twelve Guardian Ninja instantly burned with rage.
As the personal guards of the Land of Fire's daimyo, they had always held themselves high above others. When had they ever been treated like this? Even a dog should know its master's status, and their own prestige rose with the daimyo's. Yet now, they were being barred by two lowly Leaf ninja. It was utterly intolerable.
"Hmph! Blind fools!"
"Can't you see our attire?"
One Guardian Ninja barked harshly. Only then did Tatami Iwashi notice the sashes at their waists, embroidered with the exclusive emblem of the Land of Fire—the mark of the Twelve Guardian Ninja personally bestowed by the daimyo. But the Leaf Village of today was no longer what it had been under the Third Hokage.
Influenced by Aoki, the Leaf's attitude toward the daimyo had completely reversed. Even upon seeing these identity-marking sashes, they showed not an ounce of recognition.
At that moment, Shiranui Genma, who had come looking for someone, arrived at the village entrance. Taking in the situation at a glance, he asked, "What's going on here?"
"Who knows what these Leaf people are trying to do!" the Twelve Guardian Ninja retorted irritably.
"You dogs of the daimyo, coming to cause trouble in the Leaf?"
As soon as Shiranui Genma spoke, the faces of the Twelve Guardian Ninja twisted with shock and fury.
"What did you say?"
"Do you realize you're speaking treason?"
Before the words had fully left their mouths, the Twelve Guardian Ninja had already drawn their weapons, their hostile gazes fixed intently on Shiranui Genma. The leader sneered, his face full of disdain.
"Hmph! Just some gatekeeping trash!"
"How dare you be so insolent!"
"It seems the Fourth Hokage can't teach his subordinates any manners either!"
"Today, I'll teach you on behalf of the daimyo what it means to know your place!"
As the leader finished speaking, cruel smiles spread across the faces of the eleven Guardian Ninja behind him, their grips on their weapons tightening.
"Attack!"
The Twelve Guardian Ninja lunged at Shiranui Genma together, completely unaware that the strength of the Leaf ninja guarding the village entrance was far from what it used to be.
Seeing these twelve dare to take the initiative, Shiranui Genma and Izuno Wasabi actually felt a surge of satisfaction.
Although in this timeline they were not the Hokage's personal guards, Aoki had still taught them the Flying Thunder God Three Talents Formation just as in the original story. The group had also mastered Lightning Release Techniques to a consummate level.
Facing the siege of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, the three instantly activated the Flying Thunder God Formation Technique.
Whoosh!
A golden light suddenly enveloped them, and the three figures vanished from their spots.
"Huh?!"
Having long served by the daimyo's side, the Twelve Guardian Ninja had heard of the famed Flying Thunder God Technique. They froze on the spot, fully on guard. Yet after waiting for a long time, the surroundings remained deathly silent, without even a hint of movement.
"Damn it! Those three rats ran away!"
"Bastards, we've been tricked!"
Only then did the Twelve Guardian Ninja realize—they never expected such a powerful ninjutsu to be used by their opponents purely for escape.
Just as the Twelve Guardian Ninja were angrily preparing to force their way into Konoha, a figure suddenly flashed past them. The approaching chilling aura made them instantly alert once again.
Looking around, they were shocked to realize they were already surrounded by a dense crowd of Konoha ninja. Before they could even open their mouths to explain, a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives unfolded before their eyes—
The Konoha ninja surrounding them all had blazing gazes, their eyes swirling with an eerie crimson light, staring straight at them.
Under the gaze of countless Sharingan, the Twelve Guardian Ninja felt the air around them completely freeze. A piercing chill shot up their spines to the tops of their heads, frightening them so much they trembled all over, nearly dropping the weapons in their hands.
Soon, several figures slowly appeared before them—Shiranui Genma and the head of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Fugaku.
"It seems our reputation as the Twelve Guardian Ninja is quite valued by Konoha, to have the entire Uchiha Clan mobilized to greet us," the lead Guardian Ninja forced himself to remain calm, raising his voice to speak.
"I heard you wanted to teach Konoha's ninja about rules?" Uchiha Fugaku's gaze was icy, his tone indifferent.
"Come, let me see what abilities you actually have."
As Uchiha Fugaku's voice slowly rang out, the Twelve Guardian Ninja struggled to maintain their arrogant posture, desperately suppressing the fear in their hearts and swallowing hard. The lead Guardian Ninja forced a stiff smile, quickly waving his hands in explanation.
"How could that be! Absolutely not!"
"We were just joking! We came under the Daimyo's orders to pay our respects to the Fourth Hokage, with absolutely no intention of overstepping!"
Now, facing the famously renowned Uchiha Clan of the Ninja World, just those intimidating Sharingan alone had already shattered all their pride, let alone the fact that the Uchiha Clan head himself was present.
Looking at these blustering fools before him, Uchiha Fugaku couldn't help but sneer.
"Hmph! Just a bunch of trash. From today onward, the Daimyo won't need your protection anymore."
Before his words even finished, the surrounding Uchiha clansmen launched a fierce assault on the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Those who attacked had not activated One Tomoe or Two Tomoe Sharingan, but the complete Three Tomoe—all elites of the Uchiha Clan.
Faced with such formidable opponents, the Twelve Guardian Ninja had no ability to fight back.
How could these ninja, who had long been pampered in the Daimyo's palace and abused their status to bully others, possibly be a match for the Uchiha elites who had experienced countless battlefields? In just a short while, all twelve Guardian Ninja had perished, their souls returning to the Pure Land.
After dealing with the Twelve Guardian Ninja, Uchiha Fugaku, along with Shiranui Genma and the elite Uchiha clansmen, headed straight for the Daimyo's palace.
Initially, Aoki hadn't planned to bother with such trivial matters, but since the other side had come to Konoha's doorstep to cause trouble, there was naturally no reason to let them off easily. And when it came to dealing with the lofty Daimyo, the Uchiha Clan, who wielded the Sharingan, were the most suitable choice.
Accompanying Uchiha Fugaku were Aoki's two disciples—Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi. Under Aoki's careful guidance, both had long been utterly loyal to him and were also part of this mission.
As Aoki put it, all these actions were for Konoha's future.
Meanwhile, within the Daimyo's palace, the nobles of the Land of Fire eagerly awaited the return of the Twelve Guardian Ninja with the Fourth Hokage to report their mission. Little did they expect that instead of the Guardian Ninja's triumphant news, they would be greeted by a group of menacing, unwelcome guests
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