"You're such a useless piece of trash."
"Danzo."
Konohagakure – Hokage's Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi scowled as he scanned the pile of documents stacked in front of him. His face was as dark as the ink spilled across the battle reports.
"Trash. Absolutely useless," he muttered, giving his judgment with a heavy sigh.
A deadweight. A teammate so incompetent, he dragged everyone else down.
The reports summarized the recent developments on the Rain Country frontlines. It included how Senju Yukika had managed to regroup the remnants of the Senju clan's forces. But it also detailed the crushing defeat and, most damning of all, that Danzo, the commanding officer, had been captured by the enemy.
Danzo's self-submitted report laid out the events clearly—or rather, it shoved all the blame onto Sakumo Hatake.
Sarutobi didn't know whether to laugh or curse. No one knew Danzo better than he did. The man had no exceptional talents, but when it came to shifting blame, he was in a league of his own.
Was Sakumo truly incompetent?
If he had been, Danzo would be long dead.
Sarutobi knew exactly what had happened—he had embedded ANBU agents within the frontlines. All of this unfolded because Danzo had underestimated the enemy.
Still, it was only one setback. Nothing was irreversible yet.
He issued Danzo new orders: win a victory—any victory—and soon.
News of the defeat had already spread throughout the village. Konoha needed a swift triumph to cleanse its shame.
As for pacifying the villagers, that could wait. His position as Hokage was as secure as ever.
But when it came to the Senju clan…
"The plan needs to move faster," Sarutobi murmured. "I've handed Senju Yukika right to you. If you can't handle this…"
His eyes narrowed as he looked over another intelligence report.
This one wasn't a battlefield report. It was classified.
Its contents were entirely about Yukika.
Apparently, Yukika had used a new Kekkei Genkai to lead the Konoha Allied Ninja Force to break through enemy lines.
A new bloodline limit?
Since when did the Senju clan possess such a power?
Sarutobi couldn't figure it out. But he did know one thing:
The plan to deal with the Senju clan had to move up the timeline.
Rain Country.
The constant drizzle continued to soak the earth.
In a small village nestled in the southern part of the country, a brutal massacre had just taken place.
Bodies lay strewn across the village, both inside and out. The rain, though relentless, couldn't wash away the blood that pooled thickly on the ground. The stench of death filled the air.
A Rain ninja knelt beside a corpse to inspect it.
Suddenly, the 'corpse' sprang to life, stabbing its blade straight through the Rain ninja's heart.
At the same moment, dozens more "dead bodies" sprang up and lunged toward the shocked and unprepared Rain ninja forces.
The carnage resumed in full force.
Just outside the village, atop a mountain that provided a full view of the scene below…
Senju Yukika stood with his hands behind his back and his eyes closed.
Through heightened sensory perception, he could 'see' everything unfolding within the village.
"Go."
With a low, calm command, Yukika's voice echoed.
Immediately, the Senju clan members hidden within the mountain surged forth in unison.
Their target: both the disguised ambush team and the unwitting Rain ninja responders.
Yukika's strategy was to wipe out both enemy groups in one fell swoop.
The attack was swift and devastating.
Unfurling his black wings, Yukika soared down directly into the center of the village.
The Sword of the Thunder God crackled with lightning in his grip. With one flash, and a burst of blinding speed, he became an unstoppable force of nature.