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[Konoha2] Chapter 41: Shinnō!
🕑 Added 2025-05-18 09:11:16 +0000 UTCWalking through the streets of the Sky Ninja Village, Hajime Hoshita could still sense the lingering fear in the air.
Only one night had passed since the chaos erupted.
And it was all caused by him.
Yet deep down, Hajime didn’t feel even the slightest bit of guilt or remorse.
He had no bonds in this world.
And “bonds” were not some kind of virtuous ideal.
"A general’s success is built upon countless bones."
"If your heart isn’t dark, how can you survive in this world?"
Having lived two lives, Hajime understood this better than anyone.
If you don’t sacrifice others, you’ll end up sacrificing yourself.
After wandering around for a while, to avoid drawing attention, Hajime made his way to the residence of Nonō Yakushi.
It wasn’t difficult to enter the Sky Ninja Village, but to remain hidden for the long term, he needed a secure hideout and a legitimate identity.
Previously, he posed as a wandering ninja.
Now, Nonō Yakushi’s place was an absolutely safe haven.
After all, she had sacrificed her brother for the sake of the Sky Ninja Village.
Her heart had been pierced, blood pooling all over the ground—there was no faking that. No one doubted her identity, nor did anyone treat her as an outsider, even though she had only been in the Sky Ninja Village for less than half a month.
And already, Nonō Yakushi had treated and healed a large number of Sky Ninja.
That was the advantage of her profession—it naturally won people’s trust.
During the day, Hajime didn’t make any reckless moves.
Instead, he hid his real body at Nonō’s place, while sending out shadow clones in various disguises to wander around the Sky Ninja Village.
He wanted to uncover the village’s hidden secrets.
Like that aerial fortress—did it already exist now?
Or was it built after the Sky Ninja Village was destroyed in the Second Great Ninja War?
And the Zero-Tails—based on the village’s collection of sealing techniques and forbidden arts, it seemed like it might already be present.
Unfortunately, yesterday wasn’t the right time to capture the Sky Ninja leader.
And Hajime wasn’t proficient in genjutsu, so he couldn’t quickly extract intel from the leader’s mind.
However—
Though Hajime held back, outside the Sky Ninja Village, Danzō acted swiftly and decisively.
First, as soon as Hajime left, Danzō led the Root ninja to eliminate every Sky Ninja who had been monitoring his forces.
Next, his tactics turned even more ruthless and aggressive.
He split his troops and seized control of the towns and villages surrounding the Sky Ninja Village, using them as bases to hunt down Sky Ninja.
At the same time—
Sakumo Hatake, who had departed alongside Danzō, brought the former border defense forces and arrived at the border between the Land of the Moon and the Land of Lightning.
The commotion in the Sky Ninja Village had been so great that even the Cloud Ninja were paying attention.
And now, with such a large Konoha force moving on the border, the Cloud Ninja were spooked and immediately reported the development to their headquarters.
Meanwhile, the Sky Ninja remained oblivious until midday, when they finally received the news.
Thus, an emergency jōnin meeting was called.
“There’s no doubt—Konoha has decided to declare war on us!”
“I said before, we shouldn’t have been so tough with them!”
One Sky Ninja shouted angrily.
Another frowned. “There’s no point in saying that now. Even if we surrender, do you really think Konoha will just stop?”
“Let’s ask the Cloud Ninja for help!”
“Only if the Cloud Ninja step in do we have a chance to resist Konoha’s attack.”
Over the past few days, they had finally come to understand the truth.
Konoha had only looked weak before because they hadn’t been serious.
Now that they were, the situation had spiraled completely out of control.
The entire village had suffered heavy losses.
Feeling the tense and restless atmosphere, Kogetsu Daisei spoke in a low voice, “Aside from requesting aid from the Cloud Ninja, we must also rally all our forces and tighten our defenses. Only that way can we buy enough time until their reinforcements arrive.”
“If we continue like this, Konoha will slowly grind away all of our fighting strength.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Then someone else spoke. “But what if the Cloud Ninja can’t get here in time?”
“Can we use that now?”
Silence fell instantly.
An elder who had remained silent until now said, “We can’t use that yet. We have no way to control it.”
“The only outcome of using it now would be our own destruction.”
Seeing everyone remain silent, the elder suddenly barked, “Everyone!”
“We must admit—the village has reached a critical point between life and death.”
“And we cannot pin our hopes solely on the Cloud Ninja.”
“You all know very well that our relationship with the Cloud Ninja is merely one of mutual exploitation. They use us to pressure Konoha, and we use them to intimidate Konoha while strengthening ourselves, all for the sake of restoring the Land of Sky.”
“But—will the Cloud Ninja truly start an all-out war with Konoha just for our sake?”
Kogetsu Daisei and the others remained silent.
Because everyone knew—that possibility was extremely slim.
This whole incident had erupted too suddenly. The Cloud Ninja likely weren’t prepared for war at all.
Just as Konoha hadn’t been prepared for war when faced with their provocations before.
“In that case…”
Kogetsu Daisei took a deep breath and said gravely, “Then we must prepare for the worst.”
“If we can’t resist Konoha, what should we do?”
As soon as those words left his mouth, the room stirred with unease.
Then, everyone turned to the elder.
The elder said, “Daisei is right. We must prepare for the worst.”
“If we can’t repel Konoha’s assault, then we must consider preserving a spark of hope—just like the former Land of Sky once did.”
“There’s a certain place that’s a suitable choice.”
“And right now, I am the only one who knows the location and the entrance. So from now on, I want everyone to begin preparations.”
“Under the pretense of evacuation, we’ll transfer a portion of the young to the shelter. I’ll personally lead them to the hidden sanctuary. If the village falls, they will become the future hope for our revival.”
“And I will end my life afterward—to prevent our secrets from falling into Konoha’s hands.”
Kogetsu Daisei and the others’ faces changed. “Elder Qingtai!”
Qingtai raised his hand calmly. “Do any of you have a better plan?”
Silence.
Qingtai slowly stood. “Then it’s decided.”
——
At Nonō Yakushi’s residence.
Hajime suddenly opened his eyes. “They’ve begun evacuating the children. Looks like the Sky Ninja have finally realized that war is unavoidable.”
Thinking for a moment, he immediately created two Wood Release clones and sent them out.
——
At the Sky Ninja Village shelter.
Qingtai looked at the young man before him and said, “Shinnō, I entrust these children to you.”
“And with them, the hope of the Land of Sky.”
“Remember—only when you can wield the power of the Zero-Tails, will it be time to destroy the Five Great Nations and resurrect the Land of Sky. You must learn to endure!”
The young man, Shinnō, had tears in his eyes, but gritted his teeth and held them back. “Elder, I understand.”
“I will raise these children well.”
“I will also master the power of the Zero-Tails. In the future, I swear to wipe out the Five Great Ninja Villages, restore the Land of Sky, and unify the ninja world!”
Qingtai nodded in satisfaction, then smiled. “Then go.”
“I can only send you this far. After this, the passage will be sealed. No one else in the village knows the entrance or its location besides you.”
“If the village is destroyed, then you will be the new leader!”
Shinnō bowed deeply, then turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Qingtai pressed a hidden switch in the stone wall, and with a rumble, the stone door fell shut, sealing the entrance.
Then he turned and looked toward the passage he had come from, and said solemnly, “Come out. You can’t hide from my senses!”
(End of Chapter)
