Chiriku wasn't a shinobi, nor was he an enemy of Senju Haruto.
The only reason he had suddenly chosen to attack was to prove to Haruto that he had enough strength to help resist Kirigakure's impending assault.
In truth, Chiriku was a man with a strong sense of justice.
When it came to matters of principle, he saw things with rare clarity.
So even though he had chosen to strike at Haruto, Haruto had no intention of killing him outright.
"That Thousand-Armed Kannon might look impressive, but in reality…"
Haruto couldn't help but think to himself before calmly activating his Sharingan, casting a genjutsu over Chiriku.
No matter how skilled a shinobi was, the moment they were caught off guard was when they were most vulnerable to genjutsu.
And Chiriku wasn't exactly a powerhouse to begin with.
In less than an instant, the golden image of the Thousand-Armed Kannon shattered before Haruto's eyes.
Before anyone could react, Chiriku's body swayed forward, his balance gone — and with a thud, he collapsed face-first onto the ground.
Seeing this, Haruto deactivated his Sharingan.
"Master!"
"Master!"
Only now did the warrior monks snap out of their shock, shouting Chiriku's title as they rushed forward to lift him up.
Haruto merely shook his head. There was no point wasting time here. Turning to the perfectly ordered ranks of the Uchiha clan, he ordered them to move directly into the forests around the Fire Temple, setting up positions early to block any attempt by Kirigakure's shinobi to bypass this barrier.
It was only at this moment that the Uchiha present realized what had happened — Haruto had taken Chiriku out instantly with a Sharingan genjutsu.
The memory of their own time under Haruto's illusion welled up unbidden, sending a collective shiver through them.
Some even thought to themselves: if Haruto had been their leader instead of Fugaku… perhaps Konoha's present situation would be entirely different.
As for why Haruto possessed the Sharingan, that was something they had speculated about more than once — but there was never any proof, only conjecture.
The most plausible theory was that, long ago, an Uchiha had married into the Senju clan, and Haruto was a descendant of that union.
After all, Haruto's Senju lineage was already confirmed.
"Do you think maybe it's the Uchiha bloodline that awakened his Wood Release?" someone whispered quietly.
"By that logic, are you saying Lord Hashirama himself had Uchiha blood?" another shot back.
"I think Haruto just inherited Wood Release normally," someone else argued.
Whatever the truth, before the founding of the shinobi villages, the clans had been at war endlessly — and the Senju and Uchiha in particular were bitter enemies.
The idea of Hashirama having Uchiha blood seemed absurd.
And yet… a new, unprecedented thought began to spread through the Uchiha ranks.
If Haruto could possess both Wood Release and the Sharingan, then maybe others could too.
The Senju's position in the village wasn't so much better than the Uchiha's.
If they could locate members of the Senju clan and marry into them… perhaps their overall combat power could be greatly increased.
Maybe not in the short term — but twenty, thirty, even fifty years down the line, such a strategy could very well revive the Uchiha clan.
Meanwhile, realizing Chiriku was under a genjutsu, the warrior monks began channeling their own chakra into him, breaking the illusion's hold.
"What… happened to me…?"
Chiriku groaned, shaking his head as a sharp pain lanced through his skull.
When they told him he had been taken down in an instant by Haruto, his expression turned to stunned disbelief.
And it wasn't just Chiriku — every monk who had witnessed the exchange was shaken to the core by Haruto's sheer power.
"I lost…"
Chiriku slumped to the ground, his face dark with frustration.
If this had been a real battlefield, being caught in a genjutsu would have meant his death.
"So this… is the true power of a shinobi."
His voice was laced with a mix of awe and unease.
He had always believed that, as one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, he stood among the elite, able to match any jōnin in skill.
Reality had just dealt him a crushing blow.
"It seems… I still have much more training to do."
But rather than sink into despair, Chiriku pushed himself back up, bracing his hands on his knees, a new resolve hardening within him.
At the same time, at the edge of the Fire Temple forest — where the land met the sea — a force of shinobi was making landfall.
At their head was none other than the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, the strongest force in Kirigakure.
He surveyed the dense forest and the rolling mountains beyond.
Kirigakure's shinobi had always excelled in the art of assassination.
Especially their unique Hidden Mist Technique — a skill few could counter without powerful dōjutsu.
"Back during the Third Great Ninja War, our Hidden Mist was broken by the Hyūga clan," Yagura murmured to himself.
Originally, he hadn't planned to launch an offensive against Konoha at this time.
But the terms offered by the Raikage were simply too tempting.
"Crush Konoha."
With Yagura's curt order, countless shinobi swept past him, disappearing into the depths of the Fire Temple forest.
"Mizukage-sama…"
Ao, serving as Yagura's bodyguard, stepped to his side.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Ao had taken possession of a Byakugan from the Hyūga clan and successfully implanted it, giving him exceptional sensory abilities.
Yet for this mission, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
He never imagined that not only would the Mizukage ally with the Raikage — but that Yagura would personally step onto the battlefield.
"You don't need to say it, Ao."
Yagura cut him off with a raised hand before he could speak further.
"This isn't some whim — it's a calculated decision."
"Kirigakure has always been an island nation. Our transport links are poor, and the missions we receive are few."
And everyone knew Kirigakure's shinobi were masters of assassination — something that, in peacetime, only reduced the demand for their services.
"On top of that, the Raikage's offer is… very persuasive."
He paused.
"Since we've chosen to go to war with Konoha, we must fight with our backs to the wall.
"Hesitation and half-measures will only lead to defeat."
"That's why — as both Mizukage and the Three-Tails' jinchūriki — my personal presence on the battlefield is the surest choice."
Yagura understood perfectly: Kirigakure was the only village where the kage and the jinchūriki were one and the same.
By taking the field himself, he would be maximizing his village's chances of victory.
"Let's go, Ao."
His voice low and steady, Yagura advanced swiftly into the Fire Temple forest.