When everyone is looking forward to a person's death, it usually only means one thing: that person truly deserves to die!
However, the man burdened with these high expectations—the man everyone hoped would die miserably, absurdly, or perhaps by being shot eight times and stabbed eighty-one times before hanging himself—the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning, was actually quite self-aware.
The moment the first assassination attempt occurred and he smelled something off, he packed his bags overnight and bolted to Kumogakure. There, wrapped in the protective embrace of the Third Raikage's solid pectoral muscles, he enjoyed the most secure protection in the world.
As for the son he left behind, the Young Lord of the Land of Lightning, Sugaya Ryuzoji...
On this very day, Sugaya had witnessed with his own eyes the Iwa shinobi, Roshi, storm into the Tenshu Pavilion and transform into a terrifying, flickering, ink-black creature with four tails.
He watched as that monster crushed his mother, his concubines, and a vast number of powerful, incredibly wealthy noble uncles and elders with its bare hands.
Gold-filled warehouses, statuses that proclaimed power and wealth, imperial seals, and symbols of noble birth—at that moment, in the face of that monk-robed ninja with a look of "mercy," they were all as worthless as waste paper!
The people being crushed were like fish on a cutting board, gasping for air in terror yet unable to find a single drop of water, before being tossed into an oven.
Of course, this was mostly Sugaya Ryuzoji's imagination; he felt it was a fitting description, given that he had—by some stroke of luck—not entered the Tenshu Pavilion at that moment. Because at that moment, the entire pavilion had become an oven. Literally.
In the end, everyone had been turned into lifelike "grilled fish," and the terrifying truth was buried beneath a mountain of rubble.
The monk-robed ninja with the merciful face had then hopped out, addressed him with feigned respect, and comforted his terrified self: "Do not panic, your Highness. This old monk has already driven off the culprit!"
He had even smiled and stroked his beard, which hadn't even been wiped clean of blood!
Hahahaha! Hahahaha!
How could there be such an absurd thing in this world?
In that moment, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, Sugaya Ryuzoji suddenly understood. He awakened. Power was the only justification for being a king!
Without power, his attempt to control these ninjas—who could vaporize him with a wave of their hands and send him, the last witness to the truth, to the afterlife—was like playing with fire on the edge of a blade.
He knew he had a chance to flee. He could abandon everything and leave with the help of the hidden forces protecting the Daimyo's estate.
But to give up everything he had gained, to abandon the power and luxury he had enjoyed for over twenty years to become a humble porter? To carry the small nobles he once looked down upon up the mountain peaks for a pittance that wouldn't even cover his taxes?
He couldn't do it. He couldn't let go.
So, when the ninja known as the "Yellow Flash," Minato Namikaze, sent word that he could become Sugaya's strength, Sugaya agreed without hesitation!
Because even if it was borrowed power, power with a price, power that required him to help kill his own father... it was still power!
And right now, the most important thing for him was to survive the night!
"This is the divine artifact passed down through generations in the Land of Lightning. In the ancient chronicles, this was the sidearm of the god Takemikazuchi, used to slay the avatar of the God of Kumano to usher in the reign of the Emperor and purge all demons!"
"It is a divine sword ranked alongside the Totsuka Blade and the Kusanagi!"
"Today, I wish to grant it to Lord Minato!"
"May Lord Minato restore the glory of this blade, just as Takemikazuchi served the Emperor of old, and aid me in ascending to the throne of the Lightning Daimyo!"
Sugaya Ryuzoji struggled to hold the heavy sword box, presenting it flat before Minato Namikaze. Then, this noble man lowered his head, bent his waist, and bowed deeply. With a choked voice, he shouted:
"I only pray that you do not fail me!"
Watching this scene through his [Mind's Eye], Ren Uchiha's expression turned quite strange.
Sugaya's words were stirring, and his show of absolute trust toward a mere ninja was impressive. If the person standing there weren't Minato Namikaze—who intended to dismantle the entire shinobi system—but some other ninja, they might have knelt and pledged loyalty on the spot, like Asuma Sarutobi's Guardian Shinobi.
Furthermore, the man hadn't gotten a single detail of the legend wrong. However, combined with a surname and name so similar to a certain Daimyo from a different world, things got weird.
The name Ryuzoji corresponded to the family known as the "Bears of Hizen," yet the legend of Futsu-no-Mitama involved slaying a deity with "Bear" in its name...
This scene... it was as if Sugaya Ryuzoji was personally handing over a sword designed to kill himself, asking a man who wanted to revolutionize the world to swear fealty to him. Talk about mythology mirroring reality.
Shaking off these absurd thoughts, Ren's focus shifted to the long sword box Sugaya had opened.
Inside lay an exceptionally long, single-edged straight blade. The blade length reached seven feet four inches, carrying a sense of majesty distinct from ordinary swords. The hilt was woven with wheat-stalk patterns in a golden hue, with a ring in the middle. The crossguard was asymmetrical, and the blade was slender—only about two fingers wide at the base and a finger and a half at the tip.
In Ren's eyes, as a practical weapon, this blade was clearly subpar. It certainly wasn't as useful as the Kusanagi sword Orochimaru had given him. It looked more like a museum piece intended to display its majestic form.
However...
Looking at this majestic blade, Ren felt a sudden, inexplicable throb in his heart. The sword seemed to be vibrating in a faint, subtle harmony with a power within his own body.
The name of that power was: The Third Power, Susanoo!
Minato looked at the divine blade offered by the Daimyo's son and hesitated. Not because he was a saint who felt nothing, but because the word "Divine Artifact" carried a lot of weight.
But being the practical man he was, his first thought was: How much is this worth?
He was about to become a rogue ninja. While he could always teleport home using Flying Raijin, he wouldn't be able to rely on Konoha's mission system for income anymore. Looking at the sword, he instinctively wondered: Would an antique dealer in Konoha buy this? Is it worth enough to buy Kushina a house in the center of the village before I leave? I don't mind suffering, but I can't let Kushina suffer...
However, right then, a hand reached directly into the sword box and gripped the hilt of the venerable blade.
Clang!
Ren drew it decisively. He flicked the blade with his finger, listening to the hum of the steel echoing through the hall. An expression of wonder crossed his face. As he gripped the sword, a line of text flashed before his eyes:
[You have obtained Special Equipment: Sword of the Thunder God - Futsu-no-Mitama (Spirit Blade, can be slotted into Susanoo Equipment Slot. Quality: Divine Artifact).]
In the hall, the samurai were enraged. For a mere attendant to snatch a sword presented by the Young Lord—and when he wasn't even the intended recipient—was an act of pure insolence!
One samurai could no longer bear it. He stepped forward and roared:
"You bold madman! To insult the Lord in his presence... you clearly have no manners at all! Kneel and beg for forgiveness this instant!"
He added one final demand: "And remember, it must be a Dogeza!"
Hearing the shout behind him, Ren merely scoffed. Without turning around, he tilted his head slightly and glanced indifferently at Sugaya Ryuzoji, whose face had instantly frozen.
"What? You have a problem?" Ren asked calmly.
Seeing this insolent brat who clearly had no concept of etiquette, a flash of venomous hatred crossed Sugaya's eyes. But a moment later, he hid it, a forced smile appearing on his face.
"Of course not... of course not... As long as you like it..."
Ren didn't bother with him and turned back to Minato. Minato, seeing Ren holding the sword so happily, gave a gentle smile. If Ren liked it, the house for Kushina could wait a bit.
"Do you really like that sword, Ren?"
Ren shook his head. He gave the two-point-seven-meter blade—longer than he was tall—a casual twirl, the steel singing through the air.
"It's not a matter of whether I like it or not," he said. He looked up at Minato and asked calmly:
"But Minato... do you know that my Uchiha clan has a secret, S-rank Forbidden Sword Style Art?"
Minato blinked in surprise. S-rank Forbidden Sword Style Art? Such a long, flashy name definitely appealed to his aesthetic. He wondered if this was the technique Ren had used at Hell's Valley to fight three Kage-level opponents alone, or perhaps the gargantuan hundred-meter blade he had used to suppress the Nine-Tails.
However, while Minato was lost in thought, Ren's expression turned cold. He swung the Sword of the Thunder God, Futsu-no-Mitama, directly at Minato's face!
The massive blade cleaved through the air, creating a sonic boom!
Whoosh!
The cold blade flashed. No one in the hall expected Ren—who looked like a mere attendant—to strike at Minato! For a moment, you could hear a pin drop.
Even Minato was startled. He hadn't expected Ren to attack him. But with his god-like reflexes, he instantly pulled a Flying Raijin kunai from his waist, twisting his body to parry the incoming strike.
However, in that split second, before Minato could even ask what Ren was doing...
In the reflection of the gleaming, mirror-like blade, he saw something terrifying.
In those eyes that were supposed to be blind, he saw them wide open.
Scarlet eyes, with three black tomoe swirling around a black cross-star pupil—the Sharingan!
Note: Support me and get early access to chapters on Pat reon.com/XareonMTL