Chapter 105 - Assassination
"Who attacked Konoha?" asked the Hokage during a meeting with the other clans.
Everyone was surprised that someone was foolish enough to attack Konoha. Didn't they know this village housed some of the strongest shinobi?
Every known clan had gathered and formed the village: Senju, Uchiha, Hyuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara these were powerful clans, not easily defeated.
"We don't know, but their ninjutsu is strange and we haven't identified the person who attacked Konoha. Currently, that person is outside the village," reported the Anbu.
"Ensure everyone inside Konoha is safe. I'll go meet the intruder," said Hashirama before dashing out the window, heading towards the source of the trouble.
Upon arrival, he saw an unfamiliar man who had already defeated more than 30 shinobi before he got there.
Kakuzu, noticing the Hokage's arrival, felt confident. He had only heard stories of the mighty Senju Hashirama but never had the chance to face him.
"Oh, the Hokage is here. It's an honor to be greeted by you," smirked Kakuzu.
"Who are you and why are you attacking the village?" asked Hashirama.
"Me? I'm just a wandering shinobi seeking the strongest opponent," replied Kakuzu.
The shinobi present were enraged. For the sake of finding a strong opponent, this man had killed innocent people. Judging by the scene, the victims were seriously injured and in urgent need of treatment some of them might had been dead already.
"Bring the wounded for treatment," ordered Hashirama as he turned his attention to Kakuzu, the unknown ninja who had just attacked the village.
Without hesitation, Kakuzu formed hand seals and unleashed Katon: Zukkoku (Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work). A small flame ignited and quickly grew, incinerating everything in its path and creating a massive fiery tsunami.
This devastating jutsu was one of Kakuzu's most powerful techniques. It started small but combusted violently upon contact with an object. At this point, Kakuzu had not yet gained his second heart, which could later combine with Wind Release to create a fireball capable of evaporating an entire lake in seconds.
Even without Wind Release, the strength of Kakuzu's fire technique was formidable. Hashirama was forced to block it, as the jutsu threatened to reach Konoha.
Wood Release Secret Technique: Nativity of a World of Walls (Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Heki). Giant wooden walls sprang up, shielding the village from the advancing flames.
Hashirama then followed up with a water release technique to extinguish the fire, Water Release: Wild Water Wave (Suiton: Hōmatsu Rappa). A powerful jet of water shot from his mouth, dousing the raging flames.
As the fight continued, Hashirama realized that his opponent was still quite young.
'Who sent a child to kill me?' thought Hashirama.
Despite Kakuzu's best efforts to defeat Hashirama, every attack was easily deflected by the First Hokage. Kakuzu, who had been confident at the start of the battle, quickly understood that he stood no chance against this legendary shinobi.
Realizing his defeat, Kakuzu switched tactics. His goal now was to stall for time, allowing others to complete their mission: assassinating Uchiha Kazuha.
---Inside the Village---
"Has big brother already gone to fight the intruder?" Tobirama asked for confirmation.
"Yes, Tobirama-sama. Hokage-dono has gone to face the intruder," replied the Anbu.
Tobirama thought hard, using every ounce of his intelligence to figure out why anyone would dare attack Konoha, especially with so many powerful ninja in the village.
Suddenly, it all made sense. Izuna and Madara had left Konoha, which meant someone might be targeting Kazuha and Nezuko.
"Quickly, head to the Uchiha clan and find Nezuko and Kazuha!" ordered Tobirama.
He then dashed off to protect them, but upon arriving, he saw that the intruder had been killed by Uchiha clan.
"Where are Kazuha and Nezuko?" Tobirama demanded.
"Tobirama? What are you doing here?" asked one of the Uchiha.
When the intruders tried to sneak into the Uchiha Residence, they were detected by the guards, who attempted to capture one of them. Unfortunately, all the intruders fought fiercely, and the guards had no choice but to kill them.
"Answer me first! Where is Izuna's daughter? She might be targeted by the assassin," demanded Tobirama.
"What? Really? Hey, Kanao, do you know where Izuna's daughter went?" one of the Uchiha asked.
"I think she went to the market with her mother, Nezuko," answered Kanao.
Looking at the foreign shinobi's body, Tobirama's instincts kicked in, and he was 110% sure that someone was truly targeting Uchiha Izuna's daughter.
Setsuna had warned them about the potential threat that their families might be attacked by foreign shinobi.
But, 'Damn it, Izuna, why did he leave Konoha even though his family might be in danger?' Tobirama thought.
--- Intruder In Action ---
A few hours earlier, 21 hooded shinobi gathered outside of Konoha.
"Kakuzu, are you sure you want to draw their attention to yourself?" asked one of the assassins.
"I'm stronger than all of you and I want to see how strong this Senju Hashirama really is," replied Kakuzu.
"Alright, but remember, don't attack until we give the signal," ordered the leader.
"Fine, just make sure you complete your mission," said Kakuzu.
"This is the paper you must hold. Wait until it burns before attacking the shinobi guarding Konoha," the leader instructed. "The second signal will be a firework, which means the job is done."
"Understood, should we start now?" asked one of them.
"No, there's one more thing we all need to use fuinjutsu to seal our brains. Let's say we're killed in action—this way, anyone from the Yamanaka clan won't be able to read our minds and put our village in danger. This seal will destroy our brain if we die in battle," said the leader.
"Alright, we're ready," replied the elite team hired by the Daimyo. The ruler had invested considerable attention and funds to ensure the mission's success.
"We need to divide the team. Kakuzu will create a distraction first, after we locate Kazuha. Ten of you will form a team to search the Uchiha residence and another ten will look for her in the market. If she's not in the Uchiha residence, she might be in the market."
Author Notes- Arghh my heart, but I decided like how Portgas D Ace died I need to face it.
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