Sarutobi Hiruzen, locked in battle with the wooden dragon in the distance, grew anxious the moment he saw Uchiha Fugaku lowering his weapon and showing signs of surrender to Lucas.
"Uchiha Fugaku! What are you doing?!" Hiruzen roared while swinging his staff at the wooden beast. "That man is an enemy of Konoha! Pick up your weapon and fight!"
Uchiha Fugaku turned his gaze towards Hiruzen and smirked. "Lord Third, I'm merely resolving this in my own way." He crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "Didn't you just ask about his identity?"
Hiruzen's grip on his staff tightened. "Uchiha Fugaku!" His frustration was evident, but there was nothing he could do at this moment.
All he could do now was pray that Lucas wasn't truly an Uchiha. If he was, and if he aligned with Fugaku, then Konoha would undoubtedly fall under the rule of the Uchiha clan.
Lucas chuckled at Fugaku's reaction. "It's a shame, really," he said. "I'm not actually part of the Uchiha clan."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed. "If you're not an Uchiha, then how do you have the Mangekyō Sharingan? Even if you did somehow awaken it, an outsider wouldn't be able to control its activation so easily."
Lucas replied calmly, "This power was given to me by a certain Uchiha spirit—Uchiha Shisui. He entrusted me with it so I could change the fate of the Uchiha clan and prevent their extinction."
Fugaku's eyes widened. "What did you just say?"
The other shinobi around them were just as shocked.
Lucas's Mangekyō Sharingan... was given to him by the spirit of Uchiha Shisui? That had to be a joke!
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen, still fending off the wooden dragon, took a closer look at Lucas's Mangekyō pattern. His expression shifted from disbelief to grim realization.
The pattern in Lucas's eyes... was identical to Shisui's.
Mangekyō Sharingan patterns were unique to their wielders. No two people should have the same design.
Hiruzen clenched his jaw. If what Lucas claimed was true, then the implications were dire. Could this explain why Lucas had gone after the Sarutobi and Shimura clans?
His mind raced. He couldn't let this truth come to light. His reputation, his legacy—everything would crumble. More importantly, he wasn't even sure if Lucas was telling the truth. There was no way he would let morale falter over such a claim.
Fugaku observed Lucas's Mangekyō for a moment longer before speaking. "You claim to be saving the Uchiha clan, yet here you are trying to take over Konoha. How does that justify your actions? Did you destroy the Sarutobi and Shimura clans for the sake of the Uchiha?"
Lucas let out a short laugh. "I wiped out the Sarutobi and Shimura clans because they posed a danger to Konoha. The same reason the Senju clan was destroyed." He smirked. "In fact, the First and Second Hokage personally entrusted me with this task. They wanted me to remove the threats that would corrupt Konoha from within."
"Because you see… I have the abilities to talk to this spirit, and they gave me this strength to do all of this"
Silence.
Hiruzen's face darkened. The surrounding Konoha shinobi were stunned.
Was that the true reason for the Senju clan's downfall?
Seeing the wavering resolve in his men, Hiruzen quickly shouted, "Don't listen to his nonsense! There is no way that the late Hokage would entrust him in such task? There is no way the spirit of the late heroes would give him their power? What a ridiculous lie! If you believe him, you're all fools!"
Lucas, unfazed, simply shrugged. "Believe whatever you want. I never needed your trust to take control of Konoha."
As he spoke, the ground beneath them began to tremble.
Massive vines, each as thick as a human body, burst forth from the earth. They spread out in all directions, weaving together into an impenetrable web that engulfed everything in sight.
The entire battlefield was ensnared.
Within seconds, every single Konoha shinobi, including Sarutobi Hiruzen, was entangled—suspended midair, bound tightly by Lucas's Wood Style.
Dangling helplessly from the vines, the shinobi could only watch in horror as Lucas stepped forward, surveying them with amusement.
"From now on, I will be the one controlling Konoha." He smirked. "Does anyone have any objections? If you don't want to submit to me, now's your chance to speak up."
Hiruzen's fury boiled over. "Controlling Konoha?! Don't be ridiculous!" He glared at Lucas, his voice filled with defiance. "The Will of Fire burns in every shinobi here! Do you think you can rule over us through force alone?!"
Lucas grinned. "Tsk, tsk… So stubborn."
In an instant, he raised his hand—then spat out a thin, piercing water arrow.
The projectile shot through the air, striking Hiruzen directly in the heart.
The Third Hokage barely had time to react.
His eyes rolled back. Blood seeped from the wound.
And then, just like that—
Sarutobi Hiruzen was dead.
The supreme leader of Konoha… had been killed like a mere insect.
For a moment, there was absolute silence.
Then, the reality of the situation settled in.
Fear gripped the hearts of the Konoha shinobi.
Before, they had thought of Lucas as a mere anomaly, a powerful force, but nothing more. Yet now—after seeing the way he casually dispatched Hiruzen—his true nature became terrifyingly clear.
He wasn't just powerful.
He was unstoppable.
Lucas turned his gaze toward Hyuga Hiashi, who had remained silent throughout the entire battle.
"Hyuga head, I'll ask you once," Lucas said, his voice casual. "Are you willing to join me? Or do you prefer to follow Hiruzen to the grave—along with the rest of your clan?"
Hiashi hesitated for only a moment before bowing his head. "I am willing to follow you."
His voice was steady. "To be honest, the Hyuga clan has never been closely tied to Konoha. When we were oppressed by the Cloud Shinobi, Konoha did nothing to protect us. Instead, I was forced to sacrifice my younger brother."
Hiashi's expression was calm. He had no love for Hiruzen.
And Lucas…
Lucas looked like someone worth following.
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