Hiruzen persuaded me to die

None of the four rebel clans managed to escape.

Their retreat had turned to a massacre.

The difference in strength between the sides was too great.

The returning 2,000 ninja—led by Hyuga Naraku—were hardened warriors who had just faced down the strongest of the Cloud Shinobi.

The rebels, especially the Sarutobi, Mitokado, and Utatane clans, had almost no real combat experience. Most of them had spent their lives in politics and comfort.

Now, they were being hunted.

And their pursuers were merciless.

Before the war with the Cloud, there had been frustration, bitterness—resentment.

But now?

Now there was only hatred.

"P-Please, don't kill me!"A panicked Mitokado ninja tripped while fleeing, begging as a Hyuga clan member closed in.

"Didn't you want to annihilate our entire clan just a few hours ago?"The Hyuga's Byakugan flared with fury.

BAM!A palm strike smashed directly into the ninja's chest, collapsing his heart instantly.

They had fought and bled on the front lines against Cloud's mightiest.

And while they were away—

These cowards had tried to wipe out their families.

If not for Hyuga Naraku's foresight and planning, the Hyuga might've returned from battle only to find their homes destroyed and their loved ones slaughtered.

The thought made their blood boil.

"Bah! You think you deserve the Uchiha's Sharingan?! Pathetic."An Uchiha clansman sneered, unleashing a roaring Great Fireball Technique that incinerated a Shimura ninja mid-sentence.

Even Hatake Kakashi, a genius, had struggled with the burden of the Sharingan.

And these arrogant fools had dared to covet it?

The rebels had stormed in with pride—now they ran like cattle to the slaughter.

High above it all, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the last few elders could only watch… as their clans were butchered.

Their faces were pale with horror.

Their legacy—dying with every scream.

"You… How can you be so vicious!?"Utatane Koharu trembled as she pointed a finger at Hyuga Naraku.

She had tried to escape earlier—But Naraku had subdued her easily and left her here, forced to watch the collapse of everything she'd ever built.

"You're making me watch my people die—one by one!"

Naraku tilted his head, smiling slightly.

"Didn't you want me to witness my people dying, too?"

He raised a hand slowly.

"Well, I'm simply returning the favor.Only now… it's your clan."

"You're going too far! A massacre like this—done publicly, in the open—no one will follow you!"Mitokado Homura barked, desperation creeping into his voice.

He no longer spoke with pride or righteousness.Only the raw instinct to survive.

But Naraku shook his head with mild disappointment.

"You still don't get it.""I gave the order, yes—but look around. I didn't have to convince them."

He pointed toward the battlefield.

"They couldn't wait to start."

"And as for the villagers? After what you tried to do—they'd hang you themselves if I let them."

Suddenly, Naraku turned his gaze toward a man lying nearby.

"Sarutobi Asuma," he said, voice calm. "Do you want to live?"

Asuma, battered and half-conscious, blinked in shock.

He had expected death.Not an offer.

But Naraku just waited.

"…Yes!" Asuma gasped, seizing on the chance. "I want to live!"

Naraku's lips curved upward.

"Then here's your chance."

He pointed to the two elders beside him—Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.

"Kill them.And you can walk out of here."

"W-What?!"Koharu and Homura shouted in unison.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, bruised and broken on the side, barked with panic.

"Asuma! Don't trust him! He won't spare you!"He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Hyuga Naraku wanted to turn his son into the executioner.

Koharu stepped forward shakily."Asuma, don't be stupid. We still have a chance! If we work together—"

Homura quickly added, "Yes! With the three of us, we can still defeat him!"

In better times, maybe.

Homura had once been a student of the Second Hokage.But he'd been locked in Konoha Prison for weeks—his chakra sealed, his body weakened.

Now?

He was a shadow of his former self.

Asuma's expression twisted. He hesitated—eyes darting between Naraku and the elders.

Then, he growled.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"You want me to fight Hyuga Naraku?! The man who killed Danzo, destroyed the Cloud Army, and walked through hell untouched?"

He turned to the elders, kunai in hand.

"Let me make this clear—we don't stand a chance."

Then—

SHLICK!

With a clean, practiced motion, he slashed Utatane Koharu's throat.

She collapsed to the ground in stunned silence—eyes wide in betrayal, unable to speak.

For a second, the entire courtyard seemed to fall still.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't speak. His mind blanked.

Then, rage.

"ASUMA!!" he roared. "What have you done!?"

He had lost Danzo.Now Koharu.And to his horror—it wasn't Hyuga Naraku who had killed her.

It was his own son.

"You fool…"Homura staggered back in disbelief.

"You really trust this man? You think he'll keep his word?"

But Asuma didn't answer.

He held his bloodied kunai up and glared at the last remaining elder.

"Elder Mitokado. You tried to drag me into a fight you already lost."

"You think I didn't notice your hands trembling? You're weak—your chakra is drained.If we fight, you'd just use me as a shield."

"You want me to die with you. But I choose to live."

He lunged.

Homura tried to block—but his movements were too slow.

SLASH!Asuma plunged the kunai into his chest.

Homura gasped, mouth opening as if to speak—but only blood came out.

He crumpled beside Koharu, both of them dead.

From the side, Hyuga Naraku clapped slowly.

"Good instincts. Good acting," he said, eyes amused.

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't take it anymore.

He spat blood violently and nearly passed out.

In his blurred vision, he heard the echoes of old words:

"Please… for the sake of the village, give yourself up."

Words they had once said to Hyuga Naraku, after murdering Danzo.

And now?

They were being thrown back at them—by his own son.

Hiruzen's voice was hollow. "Asuma… don't do this… don't lose your soul…"

But Asuma just looked away.

"I'm sorry, Father."

"I want to live."

To be continued…