The battlefield was a wasteland of destruction, the once-proud village of Konoha reduced to rubble and smoke. The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning wood and the lingering chakra residue of devastating jutsu. At the center of it all stood a thousand-meter-tall wooden colossus, its many arms poised like the wrathful judgment of the gods.
Danzo Shimura, a man who had lurked in the darkness of Konoha's history, found himself staring at death incarnate. His usual composure had crumbled; his face twisted in pure, unfiltered terror. His mind screamed at him to act, to flee, to do anything to avoid the fate bearing down upon him.
His hands trembled as he ripped the bandages from his right arm, revealing the grotesque sight of multiple Sharingan embedded into his flesh. The stolen eyes spun wildly as he prepared to activate Izanagi, his last hope, his final escape from inevitable death. But before he could complete the jutsu—
"Illusion! Dark Walk Technique!"
"Illusion! Dark Walk Technique!"
The voices overlapped as both Senju Tobirama and Souta Kazuki cast their genjutsu simultaneously. Darkness consumed Danzo's vision, twisting his perception and making it impossible for him to react properly. His breath quickened; he tried to move, to counter, but his body wouldn't respond in time.
Above him, standing atop the colossal wooden Buddha, Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan glowed ominously. His expression was unreadable, but his intent was clear.
" Banshō Ten'in!"
A force unlike any other crushed down upon Danzo. The gravitational pull rendered him immobile, his body locked in place. He tried to struggle, but it was useless. He was completely at the mercy of his enemies.
Then, in a flash of movement, a figure appeared beside him. Uchiha Izuna, his eyes burning with hatred, his blade slicing cleanly through Danzo's arm. The grotesque limb, filled with stolen power, fell to the ground. Izuna's other hand shot forward, fingers digging into Danzo's eye socket, ripping out his stolen Mangekyō Sharingan with brutal precision.
Danzo let out a strangled cry, blood pouring from his ruined eye. His mind raced, trying to comprehend the situation. His final trump card had been stolen from him before he could even use it.
Then, the sky darkened.
Danzo, barely clinging to consciousness, forced his head up. And what he saw drained the last remnants of hope from his soul.
The thousand-meter-tall Buddha moved.
Every single one of its countless arms held a blade larger than any man, each shimmering with deadly intent. And then, they fell.
"No… no… NOOOOO—"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The impact was apocalyptic. Thousands of wooden arms came crashing down, their sheer force obliterating Danzo's body before he could even finish his scream. The ground quaked under the force, sending shockwaves throughout the ruined battlefield. The explosion of debris and dust swallowed everything.
The spectacle left every ninja, even the hardened veterans, staring in awe and horror.
When the dust settled, there was nothing left of Danzo Shimura. No body, no trace—just a crater where he had once stood.
A silence followed, only broken by the whispers of those who had witnessed the fall of one of Konoha's most secretive and feared figures.
"Is this… the power of the First Hokage?"
"No wonder they called him the God of Shinobi!"
"And Uchiha Madara… a true force of destruction!"
Some younger shinobi debated in hushed voices—was Hashirama the God of Shinobi, or was it Madara? Who was the true legend? But those who had fought in the past knew… it didn't matter. Together, these men were an unstoppable force, a power that reshaped history itself.
The Aftermath
As the smoke cleared, the full extent of the battle's destruction became evident. Nearly half of Konoha lay in ruins, the damage beyond anything seen before. Buildings were reduced to rubble, streets torn apart as if by natural disaster. The sheer scale of devastation was difficult to process.
Souta Kazuki exhaled, glancing around at the wreckage. He had expected casualties, but seeing the village like this made his stomach twist. The battle had been necessary—Danzo had to be stopped. But the cost…
A firm hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see his father, Kazuki Haruto, nodding at him.
"This was inevitable," Haruto said. "Sometimes, in order to cleanse a wound, you have to cut deep."
Souta didn't respond immediately. His grandfather, Kazuki Raiga, also approached, his expression unreadable.
"You did well, Souta," Raiga said after a moment. "But the true challenge begins now. You must rebuild. That is what it means to lead."
Souta clenched his fists. He wasn't Hokage yet, but the weight of responsibility already pressed heavily on his shoulders.
A New Hokage?
As the sun began to set over the ruined village, a group of young ninjas approached Souta. Among them was Yamanaka Ino, a mischievous smile on her lips. She held a scroll in her hands, which she unsealed with a small flourish.
With a puff of smoke, a pristine white Hokage robe appeared. Unlike the previous robes worn by past leaders, this one had intricate dark-gold patterns woven into the fabric, and flames of deep red at the hem.
Embroidered in bold, golden letters on the back were the words:
Fifth Hokage.
Ino stepped forward, gently draping the robe over Souta's shoulders.
"Souta-kun… it's getting cold. Put this on."
Her voice was soft, yet filled with warmth. Souta's eyes widened slightly as he looked at her, then at the robe now resting on his shoulders. Around him, his friends—Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others—all looked at him with knowing smiles.
They had planned this.
"Looks like you don't have a choice now," Shikamaru muttered, smirking.
Souta let out a breath, running a hand over the fabric. He turned his gaze toward the Hokage Monument, where the faces of his predecessors stood, watching over the village. He thought of Sarutobi Hiruzen, of Namikaze Minato, of his grandfather Raiga, and of his father Haruto.
A new era was coming.
He had fought in the shadows, walked through fire, and survived battles that had claimed countless lives.
Now, it was time to lead.
Souta Kazuki took a deep breath, then turned to face the village.
"If this is what it means to be Hokage… then I accept."
And just like that, the legend of the Fifth Hokage began.