Chapter 204: Annihilate the Clan, Exterminate the Line, Dig Up the Graves
Silence.
A silence like death.
The wind stirred pink hair — and with it, the taut nerves of everyone present.
After the Fifth Hokage atop the Hokage Building, a second Fifth Hokage had appeared.
Shimura Danzō. Haruno Sakura.
No one could remain calm.
One was Konoha's old guard. The other was Konoha's new blood.
A confrontation that embodied the clash of two entire generations.
And now it had erupted into open conflict — one wrong move could split Konoha in two.
The shinobi world's foremost village could come crashing off its pedestal.
I am... the real Hokage.
Sakura's words echoed in every mind, and atop the terrace, killing intent blazed behind Danzō's single exposed eye.
"Haruno Sakura — if you stand down now..."
"I will let the matter rest."
Suppressing the murderous fury boiling inside him, Danzō spoke with frigid composure.
"Oh? You'll do it but won't own it?"
The pink-haired girl met Danzō's gaze without flinching. She let out a cold laugh and fired back:
"Years ago, you tried to assassinate the Third Hokage. That the Third chose not to pursue it was his mercy."
"But instead of gratitude, you've only escalated — now you've even laid your claws on the Daimyo."
"You used genjutsu to manipulate the Daimyo into rejecting the Third's nomination, then had the shamelessness to make him write you a Hokage decree."
"Shimura Danzō."
"I'm asking you — what right do you have to sit in the Hokage's chair?"
Danzō's cane struck the ground with a heavy, muffled crack that seemed to land on every heart present. His single eye was glacially cold.
"This old man's appointment as Hokage was the will of the people and the Daimyo's personal selection. I will not tolerate baseless slander."
"In recognition of your distinguished service and contributions to Konoha — step down now, and this old man will let the matter rest."
"If you persist in this delusion, this old man will have you treated as a rogue ninja."
Danzō understood instinctively: he must not explain. The moment he started explaining, he'd already lost the high ground.
He was the Fifth Hokage now.
A Hokage didn't owe explanations to a nominal subordinate.
"Not talking? Fine."
Sakura's cold smile sharpened. She stepped aside, revealing the twelve-year-old boy behind her to the crowd — a boy with an earnest face that still showed traces of nervousness and confusion.
"Who's that?"
"Never seen him before..."
"Haruno — er, Lady Sakura's bringing out a kid at a time like this?"
Danzō narrowed his eye at the boy in fine robes that looked somewhat disheveled.
Not a shinobi...
Minamoto Musashi clutched the decree appointing Sakura as Hokage in trembling hands. He glanced at the sea of unfamiliar faces, then unrolled the document, summoned his courage, and read aloud:
"By the mandate of His Lordship the Daimyo, be it proclaimed!"
"We have heard that Haruno Sakura of Konoha, student of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
"At a young age, she dominated the shinobi world — slew the Raikage, felled the Kazekage, destroyed the Mizukage!"
"In the Land of Whirlpools, she stood alone against five thousand Mist shinobi — and prevailed!"
"With the strength of one person, she brought the world to heel!"
"Truly a heaven-sent talent — a paragon among Konoha's shinobi!"
"Now, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen is aged and infirm. Having served faithfully for decades without a moment's rest—"
"We acknowledge Hiruzen's tireless dedication and hereby grant him leave to retire. Haruno Sakura shall be the Fifth Hokage!"
"Yet — how detestable!"
Here, Musashi's voice began to tremble. His clear, bright eyes locked onto the cold-faced Danzō atop the terrace.
"Shimura Danzō of Konoha!"
"Vicious of heart, malicious of intent — he deceived his sovereign, defied all propriety, committed the gravest of treasons! Through unknown means, he manipulated Us into rejecting the nomination of Haruno Sakura as Hokage!"
"Shimura Danzō's treachery chills Us to the bone — he compelled Us to write a decree appointing Shimura as Hokage!"
"Absurd!"
"We are ashamed!"
"Hereby — We command all Konoha shinobi to execute Shimura Danzō!"
"Annihilate his clan! Exterminate his line! Dig up his graves!"
As the decree was read, every person present was thunderstruck.
What the boy had read was clearly a Hokage appointment decree written by the Daimyo.
Two Hokage decrees!
This was beyond comprehension!
One nation, one Daimyo — and yet two diametrically opposed decrees had been issued.
If the decree in Sakura's possession was genuinely written in the Daimyo's hand, then the "Hokage" standing on that terrace was truly...
And that final line — it made everyone feel the white-hot fury that must have consumed the Daimyo when he wrote it.
Annihilate his clan. Exterminate his line. Dig up his graves.
How enraged would someone have to be to issue an order that absolute?
"ENOUGH!"
Just as the crowd began to whisper, Danzō's roar thundered from the terrace.
"Haruno Sakura!"
"Do you truly intend to betray Konoha?!"
"To betray the Hokage?!"
"Bringing some unknown brat, you think you can claim the Hokage title with a forged decree?!"
"How delusional can you possibly be?!"
"This old man is the Daimyo-appointed, legitimate Hokage!"
"Who dares object? Who dares question? Who dares disobey?!"
"Konoha shinobi — where are you?!"
"Seize Haruno Sakura immediately!"
"Execute her on the spot!"
"Let this serve as a warning to all!"
Danzō erupted with fury and ordered every Konoha shinobi present to take Sakura down.
At a Fifth Hokage inauguration ceremony, the number of shinobi in attendance was anything but small.
Aside from those manning the Fire Country border and stationed at critical locations, virtually every Konoha shinobi had gathered here.
As the foremost of the Five Great Villages, Konoha's shinobi numbered in terrifying figures — rivaled only by the Hidden Cloud.
If the crowd didn't number ten thousand, it was at least eight!
Even the legendary Third Raikage — who'd once fought ten thousand alone — wouldn't have escaped this place!
Danzō gave the order. But the scene he'd imagined — masses of shinobi swarming forward to seize Pinky — didn't materialize.
Everyone hesitated, eyes fixed on the girl whose expression hadn't changed.
The reason was simple: Sakura's war record was too staggering. Across every Hokage in history — aside from Hashirama Senju's feat of founding the village — not a single Hokage, not a single Konoha shinobi, could match Sakura's military achievements. Not even approach them.
After the war three years ago, virtually every nation in the shinobi world had officially issued the same standing order:
If Konoha's Witch is encountered during a mission, the mission is not considered a failure.
Minato Namikaze had received similar treatment in his day, but that had been an unspoken understanding.
This time, it was a formally published regulation.
Especially after the battle where she'd fought five thousand Mist shinobi alone.
In other words, in everyone's estimation, encountering Sakura was equivalent to encountering a five-thousand-strong army.
In some respects, worse.
If they tried to take her down here, even if Konoha's assembled shinobi could manage it — the casualties would be catastrophic.
"Do you want to stage a mutiny?!"
"Take this heinous traitor down NOW!"
Danzō's fury only intensified at the hesitation.
Under the weight of ingrained obedience, one Konoha shinobi finally stepped forward — but a blade flickering with chilling light appeared in his path.
Lightning crackled along the sword, carving a line into the ground.
"Cross this line, and you die."
The black-haired boy placed himself in front of Sakura, his voice cold as ice.
"Nobody touches Sakura!"
Naruto shoved his way through the crowd and planted himself in front of Sakura too, eyes darting warily at the surrounding shinobi.
He didn't understand what was happening. But he would never — never — let anyone hurt Sakura.
Seeing the Nine-Tails jinchūriki standing as Pinky's shield, Danzō's expression turned pitch-dark. He wanted nothing more than to tear them both apart.
"ENOUGH!"
"Danzō!"
"You just called him 'some unknown brat'?"
"Tell him who you are!"
Pushing aside both Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura shoved Musashi forward to face everyone.
"I... I am... um, We are the seventy-ninth Daimyo of the Land of Fire..."
"We have the Daimyo's succession decree here as proof."
Musashi, still reeling from his sudden change in status, fumbled the second decree from inside his robe and stammered through the words.
Seeing the succession decree in Musashi's hands, Danzō laughed — a laugh twisted with rage.
"Haruno Sakura!"
"How dare you!"
"Not only have you forged a Hokage decree — you've even forged a Daimyo's decree!"
"And now you push some clueless boy out as your shield!"
"Have you considered the consequences of what you're doing?!"
Watching Danzō continue to deny everything, a cold smile suddenly crossed Sakura's lips — as though something had just occurred to her.
"Shimura Danzō — the previous Daimyo, Minamoto Yōta, was assassinated yesterday!"
"And now it seems perfectly clear — you feared your crimes would be exposed, so you had him silenced."
!!!
What?!
The Daimyo was dead?
And Danzō did it?!
Sakura had detonated another bomb, and the shock rippled through the entire crowd.
That was the Daimyo!
The sovereign whose line had ruled for a thousand years!
And now a shinobi had committed the unthinkable — assassinating the Daimyo!
And that person was quite possibly Danzō?!
The world had gone insane!
"WHAT?!"
"The Daimyo is dead?!"
Even Danzō was momentarily blindsided — but he recovered almost instantly.
This pot was too big, too heavy, too black.
He couldn't carry it. Wouldn't carry it. Had no ability to carry it.
Even a man who'd spent his life shouldering blame wanted to distance himself from this immediately.
As much as he wanted to wring Sakura's neck with his bare hands, Danzō knew she wasn't the type to make wild accusations without regard for the setting.
If Sakura said the Daimyo was dead in a situation like this, then he was actually dead.
"Lies! Slander!"
"This old man has NEVER moved against the Daimyo!"
Danzō fired back in a fury.
"Hmph — it's just your word, isn't it?"
"The Daimyo issued a succession decree on his deathbed naming Minamoto Musashi as the seventy-ninth Daimyo of the Land of Fire."
"This boy IS the new Daimyo!"
"Danzō — get down here and kneel!"
Everyone had come today expecting nothing more than a Hokage inauguration. Even if they didn't understand how this Lord Shimura had ascended to the position, they'd arrived with a measure of anticipation and goodwill for a grand ceremony.
Grand it certainly was.
So grand it had gotten out of hand — one bombshell after another, each more devastating than the last, until no one could keep up.
"INSOLENCE!"
"Seize Haruno Sakura and this imposter Daimyo!"
Danzō absolutely could not acknowledge Musashi as the new Daimyo. Not now. Not ever.
The moment he did, it would confirm both the charge that he'd manipulated the Daimyo with genjutsu and Sakura's claim to the Hokage title — and that damned pink-haired girl would absolutely hang the Daimyo's assassination around his neck.
Even if Musashi was the genuine Daimyo, Danzō had to treat him as a fake.
And the boy had to die.
"Are you all DEAF?!"
"MOVE!"
"Kill Haruno Sakura and this fake Daimyo!"
Danzō could no longer contain his killing intent. With a violent sweep of his arm, dozens of Root operatives burst from the crowd and charged straight at Sakura and Musashi without hesitation.
"STOP!"
An aged voice roared the command.
But the Root operatives didn't even acknowledge it. Their speed didn't falter, bared blades gleaming as they closed in.
Sakura watched them approach with cold, unblinking eyes. Her expression didn't change.
Musashi's face went white with terror, but he clenched his fists and fought the urge to run — refusing to retreat a single step.
Lightning exploded. Wind howled. Golden chains whipped through the air. Flames raged.
Sasuke, Naruto, Kushina, and Hikaru struck simultaneously.
The four Root operatives at the front — two killed, two wounded.
"I said — STOP!"
Only then did everyone realize three more people had arrived.
Homura Mitokado. Koharu Utatane. Jiraiya.
Homura strode forward and planted his elderly body between the Root operatives and their targets.
The situation seemed to reach a temporary standoff with his arrival.
"I am the Hokage's Advisor!"
"A Konoha Elder!"
Homura announced his credentials first, then swept the crowd with furious eyes.
"Uchiha Sasuke! Uchiha Hikaru!"
"I told you to STOP — why did you use lethal force?!"
Killing Konoha shinobi in broad daylight, with the entire village watching — that couldn't be explained away.
"They attempted to assassinate the Hokage and the Daimyo. The punishment is death."
Sasuke sheathed his sword and regarded the old man with calm, steady eyes.
Hikaru, for her part, gave Homura a dismissive smirk and clearly couldn't have cared less about his objections.
Homura didn't waste time addressing Hikaru's contempt.
"I am the Hokage's Advisor. A Konoha Elder. I have served for decades. I have seen the Daimyo's decrees more times than I can count — I can tell real from forged at a glance."
Homura swept his gaze across the crowd once more, reaffirming his authority.
"Your... Your Highness — might I examine the Daimyo's decree?"
He approached Musashi, softening his expression, and spoke gently.
"Um..."
Musashi hesitated, then looked up at Sakura beside him. At her nod, he handed both decrees over.
Homura accepted them with both hands, respectfully, and opened them. He studied every detail with painstaking care.
Seconds crawled past. Every heart in the crowd tightened as they watched.
If the decrees were genuine — Shimura Danzō had committed a crime of monstrous proportions.
If the decrees were forged — Sakura was guilty of attempted treason and impersonating the Daimyo's authority.
Also a capital offense.
For the first time, everyone felt how agonizingly slow time could move. Every second was torture.
Sakura crossed her arms and closed her eyes, her expression serene.
Waiting for the moment.
"This decree..."
After what felt like an eternity, Homura looked at Sakura with a complicated expression.
He'd studied this decree far longer than necessary — long enough for his composure to crack, for his focus to waver.
Hidden within the decree was a cipher known only between the Hokage and the Daimyo.
And this cipher — besides the Daimyo and Hiruzen Sarutobi — was also known to him, Danzō, and Koharu.
This was precisely why the Hokage decree was noticeably longer than the succession decree...
Something is off.
Every eye in the crowd was fixed on Homura, terrified of missing a single word.
"Someone—"
Homura spoke softly.
"EXECUTE DANZŌ!"
The words tore from his throat in a hoarse, full-throated roar — an old man's rage exploding across the crowd.
Sakura's emerald eyes cracked open a sliver. She glanced at Homura.
The so-called cipher — the old man had leaked it to her over a year ago.
Shimura — treasonous.
Haruno — seditious.
That was the original content. If she hadn't worried that too many alterations would raise suspicion, Sakura would have scrubbed that little vulnerability long ago.
"What?!"
"It's real?!"
"Lord Danzō actually..."
"This is an outrage!"
"Shimura Danzō!"
"KILL!"
"KILL!"
"KILL!"
The crowd erupted. Voices howled for blood, the roar shaking the air itself.
"WHAT?!"
Danzō stared down at Homura, standing quietly below, in utter disbelief.
Impossible!
This can't be!
"This old man has NEVER done anything so brazen!"
"This old man is INNOCENT!"
"Homura Mitokado!"
"You should speak with a clear conscience!"
Danzō was raving, wild-eyed. When had he ever sent someone to assassinate the Daimyo?!
Homura was conspiring with Pinky against him!
"Give me the decree!"
"I'll examine it MYSELF!"
All pretense of dignity abandoned, Danzō prepared to leap from the terrace to snatch the decree from Homura's hands.
But he was fast.
Someone was faster.
A streak of pink light grazed past Homura and closed the distance to Danzō at a speed the naked eye could barely follow.
Three years ago, she'd already been strong enough to overpower three Kage and chase down five thousand Mist shinobi.
After three more years of Yang Release constantly refining her body — did anyone really think Sakura had been standing still?
"NANI?!"
Danzō's face went white with shock.
In an instant, he felt an incomprehensible force close around his throat like a vice.
This is — Haruno Sakura?!
IMPOSSIBLE!
This old man didn't even have time to REACT!
The pink streak rocketed skyward, hurtling over the Hokage Building toward the cliff face behind the Hokage Monument!
It was all over in the blink of an eye.
In mere moments, both the real and the false Hokage had vanished from everyone's sight.
The crowd stood frozen, staring.
Where did... their Hokage go?
Tch. That speed...
Figures. People who train their bodies don't bother with brains — just charge in and get it done.
Hikaru rested her sword against her shoulder and clicked her tongue dismissively.
A pillar of dust and a deafening boom erupted atop the Hokage cliff!
Sakura hurled Danzō from her grasp.
The seventy-year-old man tumbled across the ground several times before barely managing to stop himself.
"Cough, cough... Haruno... Sakura!"
Danzō clutched his throat, face twisted with dark fury as he glared at her.
"What?"
"Come on, then."
Sakura crossed her arms and extended one pale hand, beckoning him forward with a curl of her fingers.
Was she being overconfident?
No.
Sakura was never overconfident.
And in that moment, several more figures arrived on the cliff.
Hikaru was first, then Jiraiya, Sasuke, Naruto, Kushina, Homura, and several formidable Konoha jōnin.
A handful of Root members arrived at the same time.
But—
There was no escape.
Danzō surveyed them with grim, calculating eyes.
Sakura alone was already more than he could handle. Add two Uchiha brats and Jiraiya to the equation...
"Buy me some time."
"I need to release my seal."
With his life hanging by a thread, Danzō was done hiding. It was time to play his final card.
Against Haruno Sakura, holding anything back meant ending up like the Raikage, the Kazekage, and the Mizukage.
No one in the entire shinobi world could afford to hold back against Haruno Sakura.
"No need. I'll wait."
Sakura crossed her arms and watched the cornered Danzō with almost amused curiosity.
If possible, she genuinely wanted to see the fabled Kotoamatsukami for herself.
The Sharingan was powerful, yes — but at its core, it was Yin Release.
And as it happened, Sakura's formidable reserves weren't limited to Yang Release. Her Yin Release was equally deep.
Oh, and of course...
More importantly — from the very beginning, the Sakura standing here was a Shadow Clone.
Yang Release — Shadow Clone.
Because no sane person, knowing an enemy's intelligence profile in advance, would gamble their real body against the opponent's trump card.
And beyond Kotoamatsukami, Danzō also had the Four Symbols Seal at his disposal.
If she slipped up and fell into the gutter, that would be embarrassing.
But this Shadow Clone was packed with a substantial portion of Sakura's chakra.
A full eighty percent of her original body's combat power.
More than enough for Shimura Danzō.
The Root operatives guarding Danzō, however, apparently didn't understand plain language. They drew their swords and charged at Sakura.
Naruto moved to intercept, already forming a Rasengan to back Sakura up.
Over the past three years, he and Sakura had trained together frequently — though "training" mostly meant Naruto going berserk with Nine-Tails chakra and then getting beaten senseless by Sakura.
So despite spending considerable time with her, Naruto had no memories from his rampages. He genuinely didn't know how strong Sakura actually was.
"Don't move. Just watch."
"Sakura's real strength."
"This is a rare chance to see it."
Sasuke's voice stopped Naruto in his tracks.
"What are you talking about?"
"I need to go help Sakura — stop holding me back!"
Naruto slapped away Sasuke's restraining hand, annoyed.
It didn't matter how strong Sakura was. Helping her was the right thing to do. Period.
Sasuke gave Naruto a weary look, then pointed toward Sakura, indicating he should just watch.
Huh?
What's going on?
Naruto turned — and was stunned to find that of the Root operatives who'd charged Sakura, only one was still standing.
Sakura's fingers were clamped around his short blade, pinching it tight. No matter how hard the man pulled, it wouldn't budge.
Seeing this, the Root operative disengaged immediately, retreating and pulling a scroll with a brush stuck through its center from the pouch at his back.
Ninja Art — Super Beast Imitating Drawing!
Ink splashed and swirled. Two enormous lions surged from the painted scroll!
Looking at this distinctive secret technique, the corner of Sakura's mouth twitched upward.
Heh... so it's you.
☆☆☆
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