Inside the courtyard, the air was calm yet tense. Uchiha Su sat quietly, a teacup cradled in his hand. The fragrance of freshly brewed tea wafted around him, mixing with the faint scent of blossoms drifting from the garden. One petal, loosened by a gentle breeze, descended and landed delicately in his cup.
He blew it away with a faint exhale and smiled, though it was not truly a smile. "Mizukage-sama," he murmured softly to Hōzuki Gengetsu, "they've underestimated us too much. To think they would send samurai to surround the place where we are staying."
Gengetsu's eyes flicked toward the courtyard gates, brows furrowed. He remained silent, but his expression was grim—anger and frustration simmered beneath the surface. This was unlike his usual self. Even in the past, when facing Uchiha Madara, his first instinct had always been to fight. Planning came later; instinct came first.
"Among these samurai," Su continued, still calm, "only a few of the elites can even hope to challenge a Jonin, and the rest… they are mere ordinary samurai. They send such small fries to contain a Kage? It seems our Daimyo truly believes he can handle us with toys."
He leaned back slightly, stretching, as though bored with the performance. The courtyard itself seemed to tense, as if it too recognized the approaching storm. Outside, the samurai waited, armor clinking lightly, eyes alert for the Daimyo's signal.
Inside the palace, Seto Toru, the Daimyo-elect of the Land of Water, had just ordered his attendants to open the gift box Uchiha Seiichi had delivered. The sight within caused him to recoil, trembling in shock.
His face, still flushed from rage, quickly paled. His voice trembled as he whispered, "This… the official I sent to announce my decree… his head… it was cut off and sent to me as a gift?"
Anger surged again, mixing with fear. The layers of authority and protocol that Seto Toru relied on felt suddenly fragile and meaningless. He bellowed, "Pass on my order! Tell the samurai to launch a full assault. Leave no one alive! Surround them and annihilate these rebellious subjects!"
Unaware of the true strength of a Mizukage, Seto assumed that two hundred armored samurai could overwhelm Uchiha Su's small group. A grave miscalculation.
The Attendant bowed and left, delivering the orders. Moments later, his voice rang through the courtyard:
"The Daimyo's order: kill everyone in the courtyard! Leave no one alive!"
Over two hundred samurai, each clad in polished armor and brandishing katanas, surged forward, boots striking the stone with synchronized precision.
"They're coming," Su said casually, eyes flicking toward the advancing force. His composure remained unshaken as he glanced at Hōzuki Gengetsu across from him.
Would Gengetsu unleash a torrent of fury like a common man? Or swallow it, waiting to strike at the right moment? The veteran Kage's face shifted through a spectrum of expressions, but in the end, he exhaled, unclenching his fists slowly.
For a thousand years, the people of the Ninja World had been imprinted with a singular notion: the Daimyo is supreme, and Ninja are mere tools. It was a mental stamp, deeply rooted in the psyche of every shinobi. To defy it was unthinkable.
"How boring," Su muttered, standing. Behind him, the Uchiha Anbu moved with silent precision, masks obscuring their faces but their intent clear. Behind Gengetsu, the Hidden Mist Anbu mirrored the same tense readiness.
Su's voice was soft, yet sharp as a blade. "I don't believe in your so-called eternal imperial lineage. Kings and nobles are not born with high status. You are too cowardly. You cling to the tradition of the lower overthrowing the higher, yet your mind is bound by the illusion of eternal authority. It's cognitive dissonance at its finest, like a split personality!"
He laughed softly, the sound carrying the weight of unchallenged authority. "A leader determines the kind of subordinates he has. I do not care for the Daimyo. I regard his authority as dust."
The Uchiha, who had long been trained to respect hierarchy, now aligned themselves instinctively with Su. They sensed his conviction and knew that loyalty to him surpassed tradition, even the ancient mental stamps ingrained in the world.
"All right," Su said. "Let these samurai learn the truth: the glory that once belonged to them has long passed. Now is the era of the Ninja."
"Yes, Young Master!" the Anbu responded in unison, rushing forward.
Su stepped into the open, calmly observing the samurai as they clashed with the Hidden Mist Anbu. The officials and attendants in the palace, haughty moments before, now hid behind the armored soldiers, their arrogance replaced by fear.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!" Su roared, his chest expanding as a massive wall of flame surged forward, engulfing the dozen or so samurai nearest him. The fire licked the stone tiles, growing wider, more intense with each passing second.
He moved through the crowd with precise, fluid motions. Each swing of his shimizu produced a soft hum, leaving streaks of crimson where it struck. Samurai fell instantly, their attempts to retaliate futile against his superior vision and reflexes.
"How dare they resist?" Su's voice was cold, almost amused.
The Attendant beside Seto Toru, realizing the true threat, attempted to retaliate, sending elite samurai to intercept Su. But against someone of Su's caliber, even trained veterans were no match. Lightning-fast strikes reduced the elite samurai to scorched corpses within moments.
One by one, the samurai fell. Hōzuki Gengetsu finally emerged, surveying the aftermath with a heavy sigh. "Now… there is truly no way back," he muttered.
"No need to worry," Su replied, eyes scanning the sprawling royal capital. "The Ninja World is in turmoil. Large armies are locked in battles elsewhere, unable to intervene here. This is the perfect moment to reveal our ambitions."
His gaze roamed over the wealth and structure of the capital—the sprawling palaces, bustling streets, and concentrated manpower. If he could take control, even partially, the Hidden Mist could dominate the region. Su swallowed, anticipation and calculation flickering in his eyes.
"You take these Anbu to the palace. I will not go," he said, turning to Gengetsu.
Gengetsu hesitated, momentarily unsure, but chose not to argue. Even a seasoned Mizukage-in-waiting recognized that Su's decisions were guided by strategy beyond immediate comprehension.
"Then… where are you going?" Su asked, turning toward him.
"Back to the Hidden Mist," Gengetsu replied. "We must prepare for what comes next. After today, the Daimyo and the entire Ninja World will be watching us. Precautions must be taken in advance."
Su nodded slightly, letting his gaze linger on the city one last time. The echoes of combat still lingered in the streets, smoke curling from small fires. The era of samurai supremacy had ended; the era of the Ninja had begun. And Uchiha Su intended to ensure that the Hidden Mist would lead it.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)