Chapter 76 First Step

Renjiro was waiting in his new home when Natsume arrived—just as he expected.

"I didn't expect you to visit me so soon."

He welcomed her in, but she didn’t bother with small talk.

“Rihan-dono.” She said in a serious voice: “This medicine means everything to me. Please, give it to our village. I’ll pay any price.”

Renjiro lifted his hand to stop her: “Be patient, Natsume-dono. Look at this first.”

He handed her the Daimyo’s decree. When her eyes fell on the words ‘Nura Rihan, Fourth Hoshikage,’ she froze.

“You… the Fourth Hoshikage? But… isn’t Ranzo the current Fourth Hoshikage?” She said in shock and disbelief.

Calmly, Renjiro replied: “You don’t know yet. Ranzo has secretly restarted the Star Training.”

“What?!” Natsume shot up in shock, her face filled with disbelief and worry.

Renjiro’s voice stayed steady: “In fact, my Intel shows it was Ranzo who killed the Third Hoshikage to steal his position.”

“That’s impossible!” Natsume cried, her voice was shaking.

Renjiro’s calm but firm words cut through her denial: “If you don’t believe me, I’ll confront him right in front of you. But think, Natsume-dono—how many children will suffer before you act? Even your own son, Sumaru, has already been forced into the training.”

Her eyes widened in horror: “No… Sumaru too?! That can’t be!”

Seeing her devastated, Renjiro softened his tone: “Natsume-dono, I know how deeply you love Hoshigakure. Will you stand by while Ranzo destroys it, or will you join me to save it?”

For a long moment, silence filled the room. Finally, she lowered her head: “I… will see the truth with my own eyes. If what you say is real… then I will stand with you.”

Renjiro’s gaze sharpened, but he gave a small nod. The first step of his plan was complete.

---

Hoshigakure

Inside the children’s dormitory.

When Renjiro led Natsume inside, the truth struck her instantly, his words hadn’t been a lie.

As a veteran of the Star Training, she could sense it right away. The children here had already begun practicing with the Star.

Her heart sank, then blazed with fury when her eyes fell on her own son: “Sumaru…!”

“Damn it!” Rage exploded within her chest, she cried, and without thinking, she turned to storm out, ready to confront Ranzo immediately.

But Renjiro stepped in front of her, raising his hand: “Control yourself, Natsume-dono. Remember what I told you, Ranzo not only restarted the Star Training, he also killed the Third Hoshikage. If you rush in blindly, you may end up silenced before you can act.”

Natsume froze, her whole body trembling with anger. She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled, torn between fury and fear.

Renjiro’s voice softened but stayed steady: “Besides, there’s no need to panic. The training hasn’t gone on for long. The children may already be affected, but with my medicine to suppress the damage and enough time to recover, they can still be saved.”

“And if I could create a suppressant without even having the Star itself.” Renjiro continued in a calm and confident voice: “Then once I study it directly, I’m certain I can develop a true cure—one that erases its harmful effects completely.”

Natsume’s eyes flickered. His logic was sound, and little by little, her storm of emotions began to settle. Still, her fists clenched tight as she spoke in a trembling, angry voice: “Rihan-dono… I cannot allow Ranzo to keep hurting our children.”

Renjiro’s lips curved into a faint smile. At last, she was beginning to see him as an ally.

“Exactly. That’s why you’ll come with me.” He said firmly: “Together, we’ll confront him before the entire village, reveal his crimes, and avenge the Third Hoshikage.”

---

Hoshigakure was no small place, its people numbered in the thousands.

At that moment, Ranzo sat in the Hoshikage’s office, staring proudly out over the village.

His thoughts were fixed on one thing: how many more people he could force into the Star Training. The more participants, the stronger his fighting force would grow.

“Patience… it must be gradual.” He muttered to himself: “The villagers still fear the Star Training. If I want true strength, I must start with the young and reshape their hearts first.”

Boom!

A sudden flare exploded in the sky, its light grabbing the attention of everyone in the village.

“What’s going on? Who fired that signal?” Looking at the flare in the sky, Ranzo's voice grew sharp. Moments later, he noticed two figures standing in the plaza below the Hoshikage Residence—figures he didn’t recognize.

“Who are they?” He asked coldly.

His subordinates, a group of rough shinobi, glanced at Renjiro and Natsume before shaking their heads: “We don’t know them.”

“Then why are you just standing there?!” Ranzo snapped, and shouted angrily: “If they’re intruders, seize them at once!”

“Yes, Hoshikage-sama!”

Whoosh!

Ranzo’s men rushed out, but moments later, Ranzo himself descended into the plaza.

The instant his eyes landed on her, his expression froze: “You… Natsume?!”

Gasps rippled through the crowd as more villagers gathered. Many recognized her at once. Years ago, Natsume and her husband Hotarubi had been the pride of Hoshigakure, their names still carried in the village’s memory.

And beside her stood Renjiro, his sharp features and composed aura were impossible to ignore. He stood like a flame in the dark, drawing every gaze to him.

Ranzo’s face twisted with rage: “You traitor! How dare you show your face here?!”

“Traitor?” Natsume’s voice shook with fury, but her words rang clear: “No, Ranzo—the true traitor is you! You restarted the Star Training!”

Her accusation struck like thunder. The plaza erupted in gasps and murmurs. Everyone in the village knew the deadly risks of the Star Training; they hadn’t forgotten the lives it had already claimed.

“Lies! Slander!” Ranzo shouted: “How dare you spread such poison against me!”

“Don’t deny it!” Natsume shouted back, pointing straight at him, her face filled with fury: “You’ve even dragged the children into your madness—you’re gambling with their lives!”

Ranzo’s eyes narrowed. Natsume knew too much. If she kept talking, everything he had built would collapse. Murderous intent flashed in his gaze.

But Natsume didn’t stop: “If you think I’m lying, then summon the children! Let the whole village see with their own eyes whether they carry the signs of the Star’s corruption!”

“Ridiculous.” Ranzo spat: “Since when do traitors get to dictate the affairs of Hoshigakure?”

“She isn’t a traitor.”

For the first time, Renjiro spoke. His calm, steady voice cut through the uproar like a blade.

Ranzo turned to him with fury: “How dare an outsider meddle in our village’s matters?!”

Renjiro reached into his robes, pulling out a scroll. He held it high for all to see: “An outsider? No. The truth is written here.”

The crowd gasped. The scroll bore the Daimyo’s seal, naming Renjiro as the Fourth Hoshikage.

“No! Impossible!” Ranzo’s face twisted in rage: “Since when has our Hoshikage ever been chosen by the Daimyo?!”

Ranzo’s eyes burned with hatred for Renjiro. But before he could lash out, Renjiro calmly tucked the scroll away.

“Very well.” Renjiro said calmly: “Let’s put the appointment aside for now. There’s another matter we need to settle.”

His expression hardened, as he continued: “Ranzo—about the death of the Third Hoshikage. What do you have to say for yourself?”

Ranzo froze. His heart thudded painfully in his chest, and for a brief instant, panic flickered across his face.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He stammered quickly: “The Third died of old age. I grieved as much as anyone! My only wish was to inherit his will and lead the village forward.”

Some villagers nodded uncertainly, swayed by his words.

But Renjiro slowly shook his head: “Still denying it? I’ll give you one last chance. Confess now, and for the sake of your past service, I may spare your life. Refuse… and you already know your fate.”

The plaza erupted in shouts.

“What is going on?!”

“Was the Third Hoshikage murdered?!”

Whispers and gasps spread like wildfire. Could it be true? Could their beloved Third have been killed?

Then, an elderly shinobi stepped forward, tears glistening in his eyes: “Ranzo… tell us it isn’t true! I was with the Third every day, and even I felt something was wrong when he died!”

“Lies! All of it, lies!” Ranzo roared, his voice was shaking with fury: “This man is nothing but a deceiver sent to tear us apart! The Daimyo has never cared for Hoshigakure, and now he sends outsiders to destroy us from within!”

Some villagers, frightened and uncertain, began to glare at Renjiro with suspicion.

Renjiro only sighed, and replied with a heavy voice filled with disappointment: “So be it. I gave you your chance.”

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, his form blurred. When he reappeared, both of Ranzo’s closest aides, the bald shinobi and the long-haired one were dangling helplessly in his grasp.

“W-What are you doing?!” Ranzo shouted, alarm flashed across his face.

Renjiro’s eyes gleamed coldly as his hands moved, making hand seals. His voice was low and sharp, like ice: “Since you won’t speak… I’ll make you speak.”

Demonic Genjutsu: Shackling Stakes Jutsu!

A technique that drags the victim into their deepest fears. The Jutsu itself is simple—but in the hands of a creative shinobi, it becomes truly terrifying.

Renjiro didn’t know what nightmares haunted Ranzo’s two aides, the bald man and the long-haired shinobi. He didn’t need to. Instead, he bent the illusion’s focus, forcing both men to see only one figure—the Third Hoshikage.

Genjutsu: Hypnosis!

Without pause, Renjiro layered another illusion on top. This was a technique he had stolen from Danzo’s secret vaults. Its effect was crude, forcing victims into a trance-like submission. Against the strong-willed, it often failed.

But these two? They were weak. Their spirits were fragile. Under Renjiro’s overwhelming chakra, resistance was impossible.

He didn’t even press hard. He simply amplified the guilt festering in their hearts over the Third Hoshikage’s death, twisting it tighter and tighter until it consumed them.

The combination was devastating.

Both men suddenly shrieked in unison, like they had just seen a ghost.

“No—no! It’s him!” One of them screamed, eyes rolling in terror: “The Third Hoshikage! He’s come to drag us into the afterlife!”

The other clutched at his head, trembling uncontrollably: “Forgive us! We didn’t mean it… Ranzo forced us!” His voice cracked as he stumbled over his words.

“Yes, Ranzo!” The first man howled, desperate to rid himself of guilt: “We… we helped him assassinate the Third Hoshikage!"

“Every sordid thing, we did it!” The second sobbed, collapsing to his knees: “Please, don’t take us! We’ll confess everything, just don’t drag us down with you!”

“Absurd! Utter nonsense!” Ranzo roared, his fury cracked through his voice.

Whoosh!

He lunged forward, desperate to silence the shrieking aides, but veteran shinobi and villagers leapt in, holding him back.

As more eyes turned on him, filled with suspicion and anger, Ranzo’s gaze snapped toward Renjiro: “Fools! You would believe the lies of a traitor—an outsider, over me, your protector?! Can’t you see? They’re under Genjutsu! Their words mean nothing!”

His outburst worked for a moment—some villagers hesitated, uncertainty flickering in their eyes as they looked back at Renjiro.

But before Ranzo could press his advantage, Natsume stepped forward, her voice was cold and sharp as steel: “Then prove it. Bring the children here, let everyone see for themselves.”

Ranzo froze. His throat worked, but no words came.

And in that silence, everything changed. The hesitation in the villagers’ faces hardened into certainty. Their suspicion became conviction.

Ranzo’s face twisted into a hideous snarl: “You’re all the same. The Third Hoshikage… you ignorant sheep!” His voice cracked with rage: “Have you truly gone blind? Can’t you see the power the Star gives us? With it, Hoshigakure will rival the Five Great Nations!”

The villagers recoiled at his sudden outburst, fear and disbelief spread through the crowd.

Renjiro’s calm voice cut through the silence like a blade: “So, to push your Star Training… you murdered the Third Hoshikage?”

“Yes!”

Blinded by fury and still under the weight of Renjiro’s Genjutsu—Ranzo shouted without hesitation: “That old fool clung to his broken ideals. He sat in the Kage’s seat, blocking Hoshigakure’s future. So, I sent him where he belonged—straight to the afterlife!”

“You bastard!” Natsume roared, her voice was breaking with fury.

The villagers erupted as well, their anger boiling over. The Third had guided them for decades, his name carved into the very heart of the village. To hear Ranzo confess so boldly was unforgivable.

“Hmph!” Ranzo snorted, sneering at their outrage: “You weak relics… today, I’ll sweep you all away. With the Star’s power, Hoshigakure will be reborn, in fire and glory!”

Whoosh!

Ranzo raised his hands, and the dreadful glow of the Peacock Method burst to life around him.

Whoosh!

“Over my dead body!” Natsume shouted, her own chakra flared as she summoned her beast. The two forces collided head-on, shockwaves ripped through the plaza.

Boom!

But the clash didn’t last. Ranzo’s power quickly overwhelmed hers.

The reason was simple: Renjiro’s suppressant. It had saved Natsume and the others from the Star’s deadly side effects, but it also robbed them of its dangerous strength. Her power was only a shadow of what it had been. Against Ranzo, she was outmatched.

“Is that all you’ve got, you damn widow?!” Ranzo sneered, striking her down with brutal force: “So much for your reputation. You’re nothing but a disappointment!”

Whoosh!

His chakra blazed even higher, his beast swelling into a monstrous form: “Since you’re so weak… then die!”

The villagers watched in horror, paralyzed by fear. No one dared to move.

And then—

Renjiro’s calm, cutting voice rang out across the square: “Really now… ignoring your Hoshikage like this? Isn’t that a bit rude?”

All eyes snapped toward him, the striking outsider holding the Daimyo’s writ, the man declared as the new Hoshikage.

Ranzo’s head whipped around, his eyes were blazing with hatred: “Hoshikage? You?! Don’t make me laugh! You think I’ll let some upstart nobody steal my throne? Once I’m done with her—you’re next!”

Renjiro’s expression didn’t falter. His voice was calm, almost quiet: “Very well. Then I’ll test my newest technique… on you.”

Crrrkk! Crrrkk!

Lightning crackled to life around him.

“Step One—Body Stimulation Mode.”

His form lit with electricity, his hair streaked through with veins of white-blue light. Unlike his earlier full transformations, this one was refined, focused—controlled.

“Step Two—Lightning Dominion.”

CRRRKK! CRRRKK!

A storm of chakra erupted beneath his feet. Arcs of lightning lashed across the plaza, wild and untamed, yet bending to his will. Within this domain, Renjiro no longer needed hand seals—his affinity alone was enough.

“And last… my new technique.” His hand lowered to his blade, lightning surging down its length: “A fusion of swordsmanship, Chidori, and everything I’ve mastered.”

Crrrkk!

The air itself trembled.

Renjiro drew his blade, Thunder Fang. Lightning surged along its flawless edge until the weapon itself seemed like a storm given form.

“Lightning Dominion — Chidori Arashi!”

[A/N: Chidori Arashi (Thousand Birds Storm)]

WHOOSH! CRRRKK!

He swung. A crescent slash roared to life, its arc fused with thunder. The lightning field beneath him fed into the strike, swelling it into a storm-born blade of pure destruction.

The villagers gasped in shock. Ranzo’s eyes widened—he didn’t know the mechanics, but instinct screamed at him: this was no ordinary Jutsu.

“Damn it!”

He poured everything into his defense, chakra surged desperately into a barrier.

BOOM!

But it was useless.

The thunder-forged crescent ripped through his defenses as if they were paper, cleaving his body clean in half. Lightning consumed what remained, reducing him to nothing but two blackened heaps of ash and smoke.