"Intruder! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Ever since Konoha's Anbu operatives came to investigate Hoshigakure and clashed with its shinobi, the village had been on high alert. The guards at the perimeter were on edge, so when they saw a lone figure—Uchiha Shin—approaching, they didn't hesitate to sound the alarm.
Rather than feeling threatened, Uchiha Shin smirked, his crimson Sharingan spinning lazily.
"If they all come out at once, I won't have to hunt them down one by one," he muttered, stepping forward at an unhurried pace.
It didn't take long before the shinobi of Hoshigakure gathered at the village entrance. A squad of them, poised for battle, eyed him warily. When they realized it was only a single man standing before them, some of the tension visibly eased—fools.
Before long, the village's leaders arrived. At the forefront stood the Third Hoshikage, an elderly man with a rigid posture and an air of forced composure. Beside him on the left stood a striking young woman with long, deep-purple hair, her sharp eyes filled with suspicion. She carried herself with the confidence of a seasoned warrior. On his right stood a wiry young man with lavender-colored hair, his expression sharp and eager.
Both were clearly jonin-level shinobi, though the woman was undoubtedly the stronger of the two.
Behind them, about thirty shinobi had assembled, a mix of chunin and jonin. But Shin, whose sensory abilities were second to none, could feel their life force slipping away at a disturbing rate. It wasn't natural—they were burning their vitality for power.
Even the Hoshikage, the so-called leader of this village, barely possessed the strength of a genin. The only reason he was still alive was likely because he never indulged in the star training like the others.
With a lazy tilt of his head, Shin swept his gaze over them. His voice was laced with amusement and disdain.
"The strongest one here is only a jonin," he mused. "Tch. Where did you get the confidence to attack the Anbu I sent?"
The statement sent a ripple of tension through the gathered shinobi. The old Hoshikage's expression darkened, and before he could respond, the male jonin beside him—the one with lavender hair—spoke up, his tone defensive.
"There's nothing to discuss! They were invaders!" he barked.
A heavy silence followed, broken only when the Hoshikage shot the younger man a sharp glare. "Stand down, Akahoshi."
Akahoshi clenched his fists but reluctantly stepped back, his frustration evident.
Shin smirked. He had already read the Hoshikage's thoughts and pieced together the events from the reports the Anbu had provided. He turned his full attention to Akahoshi, eyes gleaming with something dangerous.
"So, you were the one who escalated things last time?"
The old Hoshikage stepped forward slightly, trying to de-escalate the situation before it spiraled. His tone was measured but urgent. "You are clearly a powerful shinobi from the Land of Fire. I am the Third Hoshikage. What happened last time was regrettable. I hope we can discuss this calmly and resolve any misunderstandings."
Shin found it amusing that the old man was already trying to bargain. The last conflict had cost the Star Village dearly. They weren't eager for another one.
But just as the tension seemed to settle, Akahoshi sneered, crossing his arms. "Why should we bow down to him? With the power of the star, we'll become the Sixth Great Nation! Hoshikage-sama, you're too weak!"
The gathered shinobi stirred uncomfortably. The woman with purple hair—Natsuhi—turned sharply to face Akahoshi, anger flashing across her features.
"You're a fool, Akahoshi! Last time, because of your recklessness, we lost comrades! The Third's leadership is what's kept us alive!" she snapped.
Akahoshi's sneer deepened, and he turned to the crowd behind him. "Listen to him! He wants us to cower instead of using the power of the star to make our village stronger! The Third's policies will lead to our downfall!"
The village shinobi exchanged uneasy glances. It was clear Akahoshi had long harbored resentment toward the current leadership, and now he was openly challenging it.
Uchiha Shin let out a chuckle, low and mocking. "You people are really entertaining."
That seemed to push Akahoshi over the edge. His gaze snapped to Shin, his temper flaring. "And you—who the hell do you think you are to insult us?!"
One of Akahoshi's subordinates, a bald, scarred shinobi named Yatagarasu, snarled. "We don't need to listen to some outsider's mockery! We'll show you the true power of our techniques!"
With a fierce battle cry, Yatagarasu activated his chakra, summoning the signature technique of Hoshigakure—the Star Chakra Mode. The bright purple aura flared around him, forming phantom-like tendrils of chakra, which he directed at Shin with blinding speed.
Shin's expression didn't change. The golden skeletal form of Susanoo materialized around him, its ribcage closing like an unbreakable fortress. The chakra tendrils lashed against it but did nothing.
"Pathetic," Shin muttered.
In an instant, his fingers moved, forming a single black chakra rod—crafted from the power of Yin-Yang Release. A technique used by those who had mastered the ultimate manipulation of chakra.
Before Yatagarasu could react, Shin flicked his wrist. The black rod shot forward like a bullet, piercing through Yatagarasu's chakra armor with ease.
A sickening crack echoed as the rod impaled his chest, pinning him to the ground.
The battlefield went silent.
Yatagarasu gasped, his body twitching as he struggled against the paralysis creeping through his limbs. His chakra, once flaring with power, sputtered and died.
The shinobi of Hoshigakure froze, horror dawning in their eyes.
Uchiha Shin rolled his shoulders, unimpressed. "You call that power?"
Akahoshi took an unconscious step back, his earlier bravado faltering.
The Third Hoshikage clenched his fists, knowing this situation had spiraled beyond his control. "Stop this madness! There's no need for more bloodshed!"
Shin tilted his head, pretending to consider the old man's words. "No need for bloodshed? That depends on whether your people decide to keep amusing me."
He turned his gaze back to Akahoshi, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his lips.
"This village is weak. And weak things either serve a greater force… or they die."
The unspoken question hung in the air.
Would Hoshigakure submit… or be crushed?
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