With a single tap, Uchiha Shisui's vital breath began to fade rapidly, and his heart stopped beating as he slipped into a near-death state.
After waiting for a moment, making sure Uchiha Shisui's life force had hit rock bottom and was on the verge of complete death, Uchiha Brahman produced a golden fruit and placed it on Uchiha Shisui's forehead.
Then, he looked at Shimura Danzō, who was struggling behind him. To prevent this old man from shouting and screaming, those chakra chains not only bound the old man to the ground, but also sealed Danzō's chakra and choked his throat to keep him quiet.
"Danzō, it's your turn!"
With a casual wave of Uchiha Brahman's hand, a kunai formed from chakra appeared in his grasp, and then, the kunai stabbed into Danzō's skin, slowly sliding across it.
Crimson blood flowed from the wound, and Danzō let out a cry of anger and pain. Gradually, the old man's gaze shifted from anger to fear, until finally, the effect of Izanagi wore off.
"Wretch!"
Brahman muttered, then threw a punch straight into Danzō's back, right over his heart.
Thump! Thump!
Danzō's heartbeat stopped instantly, and he began his descent toward death. Seeing this, Uchiha Brahman smiled as he took out a Seed of Blessing and placed it on Danzō's head. As the Seed of Blessing melted away, the old man successfully became Uchiha Brahman's thrall.
"Greetings to the great Lord Brahman!"
At that moment, Uchiha Shisui came up behind Brahman, knelt down devoutly, touched his head to the ground, and spoke with utmost reverence.
"Hahaha..."
Brahman turned his head, looked at Uchiha Shisui, and burst into laughter.
Nearby, having received the Seed of Blessing, Danzō opened his eyes.
Brahman snapped his fingers, and the chakra chains binding Danzō vanished instantly. Then, Danzō climbed to his feet and knelt on the ground.
"Shimura Danzō greets the great Lord Brahman! The Shinobi World shall ultimately become the property of the great Brahman!"
Danzō knelt and kowtowed piously.
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Uchiha Brahman laughed heartily, then lowered his head.
"Very well, go back! Do whatever you were doing!"
Uchiha Brahman grinned, formed hand seals, and vanished.
"Yes, the great Brahman!" echoed both men. They bowed deeply to the spot where Brahman had just stood, offered their thanks, and then, as if nothing had happened at all, began cleaning up the corpses of the Root ninjas on the ground.
Praise Brahman! Meanwhile, at the Daimyō's palace.
The Daimyō, who was drinking tea, suddenly set down his cup.
"Someone come here! Tomorrow we set out for Konoha! It is time for a new Hokage!"
"Yes, my lord!"
...
"In Konoha, no one remains who can match me. It is time to take back my rightful place. That damned old Sarutobi, the position of Hokage should have been mine all along—mine, Brahman's!"
Inside his fish shop, Uchiha Brahman locked the front door, looked out in the direction of the Hokage's office building, and grinned.
At this moment, no one knew that a drastic upheaval was about to take place.
That very evening, Sarutobi Hiruzen received the news that the Daimyō of the Land of Fire would be coming to Konoha, along with the purpose of the Daimyō's visit: to replace the Hokage.
"...Has the Daimyō lost his mind?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood by the window, gazing out into the night. Although the Daimyō was the nominal ruler of the Land of Fire and the ultimate superior to all of them as shinobi, he actually possessed no authority to appoint a Hokage—no, it wasn't a lack of authority, but rather that no single person had the power to arbitrarily appoint an individual as Kage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had no idea what had gone wrong with the Daimyō's brain. Was he simply too old and suffering from senility?
The next afternoon.
The Daimyō of the Land of Fire arrived in Konoha with a retinue of guards.
"The Daimyō..."
A group of villagers looked respectfully at the old man surrounded by guards. At the same time, several Konoha ninjas, acting under orders from the Hokage, cautiously escorted and protected the Daimyō.
Upon arriving in Konoha, the Daimyō did not go to see Sarutobi Hiruzen first.
Instead, he headed straight for the fish shop where Uchiha Brahman was located.
Unable to comprehend the Daimyō's intentions, the many ninjas and commoners could only follow along.
Inside the fish shop, Uchiha Brahman was lounging leisurely in a chair, holding a gray-skinned rat the size of a cat in his arms.
At that moment, the street outside the fish shop grew bustling and lively.
"Has he come? Heh, hehehe!"
Uchiha Brahman casually tossed the large rat onto the floor, stretched lazily, and waited quietly.
Outside the door.
"..."
The Daimyō stood at the entrance, his expression one of agitation. Under the bewildered gazes of those around him, he slowly approached the shop door as if making a pilgrimage.
Several guards followed closely behind the Daimyō.
Soon, the Daimyō stepped inside the fish shop.
"You've come!"
Brahman looked apathetically at the old man. The very next moment, the old man dropped to his knees with supreme reverence.
"Wretch pays homage to the great Lord Brahman!"
The Daimyō knelt devotedly on the ground, kowtowing and prostrating himself before Brahman.
"Lord Daimyō!"
Seeing this, the guards accompanying him were struck dumb with utter shock. No—the ruler of an entire country was actually kneeling and kowtowing to a common fishmonger? Was this a genjutsu? When did this happen?! The guards instantly glared at Brahman.
"You bastard, what did you do to Lord Daimyō?!"
An angry shout rang out, and the guards immediately moved to draw their weapons.
"Stop! Do not show disrespect to Lord Daimyō—to the Lord!"
The Daimyō let out a furious roar in an attempt to halt his guards' actions. Unfortunately, those guards had already concluded that the Daimyō was under someone's control; after a brief hesitation, they immediately attempted to weave hand seals and launch an attack on Brahman.
"Sigh, truly useless trash. You can't even command your own subordinates!"
Seeing this, Brahman shook his head in exasperation. In the next instant, a pair of crimson eyes emerged, instantly filling the vision of the guards.
Shortly after.
Brahman walked out behind the Daimyō, with the guards standing respectfully behind him.
"What's going on? Who is he? Is this why the Daimyō came here?"
Some of the villagers whispered in astonishment as they looked at Brahman. Anyone with eyes could see that the Daimyō had come here with a specific purpose, and furthermore, that the old man's attitude toward this youth was one of extreme reverence.
"I know him! He sells fish, and he's from the Uchiha clan. I come here to buy fish all the time!"
At that moment, a few villagers spoke up, leaving everyone utterly stunned. An ordinary fish-selling youth had actually received such courteous treatment from the Daimyō, to the extent that his very first stop upon entering Konoha was this fish shop.
The Uchiha clan? Among the crowd, several Anbu ninjas hearing the villagers' words memorized Uchiha Brahman's appearance and immediately departed.