Naruto: Uchiha Destroys Konoha at the Start.

The daimyo stood his ground, fists clenched, a tremble in his voice.

"I don't care who you think you are—this land obeys me."

Kaito said nothing at first. He looked past the ornate robes, past the bluster. The man was terrified.

"You had children executed last month for stealing food," Kaito said, calm and low. "Burned entire villages for tax rebellion. And when your border collapsed, you let your people starve to keep your treasury full."

The daimyo's jaw tightened. "You don't know what it takes to rule—"

"I know what fear looks like," Kaito cut in. "And I know tyranny when I see it."

He exhaled slowly, then looked at Kaguya, who stood silently at his side. Her expression gave nothing away.

Kaito turned back to the daimyo.

"This could've gone differently."

He raised his hand — hesitated.

And that hesitation cost him nothing. The black fire flared to life, engulfing the daimyo in an instant.

No one moved. The only sound was the wet slap of his body hitting the ground in ash and flame.

Kaito closed his eyes for half a second, then opened them again.

Someone screamed. The guards reached for their weapons.

"Wait!" one shouted. But it was too late.

A handful charged anyway, loyal to the end.

Kaito lifted his hand.

"Shinra Tensei."

The force hit like a hurricane. Bodies snapped and flung back into the stone walls. Blood sprayed. Screams echoed and faded.

The rest dropped their weapons immediately. Some fell to their knees, others fled and froze when they heard—

"Stop."

Kaito's voice didn't thunder. It didn't need to.

They stopped.

"Gather every citizen before dawn," he said. "You don't need to understand why. You just need to act."

A soldier stammered, "W-what will you do with them?"

Kaito looked him in the eye.

"Remind them who they serve. And maybe... give them a future."

His voice carried no triumph. Just weight.

"And if you run," he added, "I won't hunt you. But someone else will. And they'll be worse than me."

That was enough. They scattered.

Kaito turned toward the ruined palace, ashes still glowing behind him. Kaguya followed in silence.

"You didn't enjoy that," she said.

"No," Kaito answered. "But I'm not here to enjoy anything."

***

By morning, the entire capital stirred uneasily.

Soldiers moved through the streets, not with barking orders or threats, but with quiet urgency. Most didn't understand what Kaito wanted — only that he had made it very clear what would happen if they failed.

They chose obedience, not loyalty.

A lie spread quickly, designed to keep the peace: the daimyo had offered himself in sacrifice to summon gods, divine protectors who would lead the nation into a new age. Some whispered disbelief. Others nodded solemnly. In a land soaked in superstition and fear, a holy narrative was easier to digest than the truth.

Kaito watched the square fill from a nearby hilltop. Rain had started to fall, thin and steady. He said nothing for a long time.

"You let them lie," Kaguya said beside him.

"I gave them silence," Kaito replied. "They filled it themselves."

"Convenient."

"It's survival.

She didn't push further. But she didn't agree either.

They appeared above the square in a flash of cold light.

Gasps tore through the crowd. Some fell to their knees, others stood frozen, caught between reverence and dread, uncertain whether they were witnessing liberation or the rise of a new ruler.

Kaito descended with Kaguya beside him, his boots landing on the worn stone platform with finality.

No spectacle. No celestial glow. Just presence and power that needed no announcement.

"I didn't come here to be worshipped," Kaito said, his voice cutting through the rain. "I'm not your god. I'm the one who ended your tyranny."

The words echoed, heavy and real. A ripple of unease moved through the square.

"I could have claimed this nation by force. You've seen what I'm capable of. But fear breeds silence, not progress—and I'm not interested in silence."

He let the pause speak for him. His gaze swept the soaked faces below, reading their doubt, their hope, their exhaustion.

"So here is what I offer: rebuild your institutions. Restructure your laws. Choose your leaders. Earn the future you were denied. Or I will appoint someone who understands what responsibility truly means."

***