The Mad First Elder
Meanwhile, things weren't going well for the Uzumaki Clan. Yemo and Kakashi had already made a plan: the two of them would go to a secluded spot and use Earth Release Technique to sneak into the Sacred Mountain.
Just as Yemo had guessed, the two hadn't gone far when they came to another equally dark passage. Having learned from their previous experience, they quickly reached the end of the passage.
It was still a vast space, but today the entire space was filled with red light. Kakashi and his companion clung to the edge of the passage, peeking out slightly. Kakashi remarked, "I never expected this Sealing Space to be inside this Sacred Mountain. I must say, your Uzumaki Clan ancestors were really troublesome. They hollowed out the entire Sacred Mountain to build this, why bother with another sealing barrier?"
Too lazy to deal with this guy, Yemo stuck his head out and carefully looked down. For some reason, the place they had arrived at this time through the passage was at the top of the dome. From here, they could see the entire space. The only downside was that it was too far from the bottom, and the bottom was very blurry and unclear.
His gaze swept quickly across the vast space, Yemo muttered to himself, "They've clearly hollowed out the entire mountain, and then secretly used Space Seal barrier to hide the whole place. What are they planning?"
As he spoke, Yemo looked at the flower bud at the top of the 'God Tree'. For some reason, Yemo felt that the flower bud was larger than the one he had seen yesterday.
"Boss, I don't agree with what you're doing."
Just then, the familiar voice of the Second Elder came from below. Yemo and Kakashi's expressions changed, and the two quickly took half a step back, pressing their bodies against the mountain wall behind them.
Before the words had even faded, the elder of the Great Clan and the second elder, who had disappeared, emerged from a passage. The elder of the Great Clan had a livid face, and the second elder followed closely behind, muttering something to each other.
Both the eldest and second elders were covered in blood, clearly indicating that they had escaped after a fierce battle.
The elder clansman flung his hand away, turned around, and angrily demanded, "Second brother, since you disagree, tell me, in this situation, what other way is there to save the Uzumaki Clan besides that?"
"Save the Uzumaki Clan? That's not saving the Uzumaki Clan at all. If we do that, how many of the Uzumaki Clan will survive in the end? What's the difference between that and destroying the Uzumaki Clan?" The Second Elder clenched his fists, furious, and no longer showed the usual respect he had for the First Elder.
Whether it was because the second brother lacked his usual respect, or because the second brother, who usually obeyed his opinions, had contradicted him, the elder became even more furious. "Second brother, I'm doing this to save the Uzumaki Clan. If we follow your advice, do you think our Uzumaki Clan can survive in this situation? But if we follow my advice, although we will lose some Uzumaki Clan, at least the Uzumaki Clan will survive, won't it?"
The elder seemed to have touched a nerve with the second elder, whose expression changed repeatedly, clearly indicating a great inner struggle.
Seeing this, the elder seized the opportunity and said, "Second brother, if our two alliances are faster, we might be able to save even more clansmen."
Unfortunately, the elder's words were of little use. After a short struggle, the second elder's eyes hardened, and he said, "No, I still disagree, elder. It's not just me who disagrees; I'm sure the rest of the clan disagrees as well. The Uzumaki Clan only has members who die in battle; there are no ninjas who sacrifice their clan members to survive. Besides, some of our clan members have already fled here, and the Uzumaki Clan will survive."
"You..."
Pointing his finger at the second elder, the eldest elder felt his anger about to erupt like a volcano. His raised hand trembled uncontrollably with rage. He had never expected that his most trusted second elder would oppose him at this moment.
"I didn't expect this second elder to have some backbone," Kakashi remarked, listening to the conversation between the two below.
The situation is now clear: facing this almost hopeless predicament, the elder clan leader obviously still has a backup plan, but this plan is somewhat bloody and requires the sacrifice of most of the clan members' lives.
The eldest and second elders disagreed on this issue. The eldest elder felt that it was acceptable to sacrifice the lives of most of the clan members to preserve the Uzumaki Clan, while the second elder disagreed. He believed that if it was necessary to sacrifice the lives of the vast majority of the clan members to preserve a small number of clan members, it would be better to fight to the death. After all, they had already left behind a group of seedlings, and the Uzumaki Clan would not perish.
The elder clansman lowered his hand, turned to look at the giant tree in front of him, and said in a deep voice, "So what if some clansmen escaped? After today, the Uzumaki Clan can be said to be famous throughout the Shinobi World. As time goes by, those clansmen who escaped will eventually be swallowed up by the tides of time."
"Only my plan can ensure the Uzumaki Clan continues to stand tall in the Shinobi World, even stronger than before. Therefore, I will absolutely not allow anyone to stop the rise of the Uzumaki Clan, including you, second brother..."
The moment the words fell, the elder suddenly attacked, his right hand clenched tightly. He turned abruptly and punched the second elder in the chest.
Everything happened without warning. The Second Elder never imagined that his respected elder would one day turn against him. So the Second Elder didn't even have time to react and could only watch helplessly as the First Elder's fist slammed into his chest.
The elder used ten times his strength in this punch, and the power surged out like a tidal wave. The second elder's heart exploded instantly under this violent power, and the elder's fist pierced through the second elder's chest like a sharp spear.
The second elder's life force vanished almost instantly, so quickly that he stopped breathing before he could even utter a single word.
Only that incredulous gaze was fixed on the First Elder, as if, even on his deathbed, the Second Elder couldn't believe that the First Elder would actually kill him.
Everything changed in an instant. When the First Elder made his move, even Kakashi and Yemo were taken aback. No one expected that the First Elder would suddenly attack the Second Elder, and that his attack was deadly. He smashed the Second Elder's chest with a single punch, showing no mercy.
Only after the two elders collapsed to the ground did Kakashi withdraw his gaze, glance at Yemo, and say softly, "I finally understand why you called him a smiling tiger. He can be so ruthless even to his own brothers. He's more vicious than I imagined."
"He actually killed the Second Elder," Yemo thought in disbelief. Everyone in the clan knew that although the Second Elder was an elder, he was obsessed with Sealing Taijutsu and didn't care about important matters in the clan.
The Second Elder is a supporter of the First Elder. In ordinary decisions, the Second Elder always supports the First Elder without reservation. No one knows why the Second Elder supports the First Elder so much, but among the four elders, the Second Elder and the First Elder have the closest relationship.
But now, the eldest elder actually killed the second elder without hesitation, which Yemo found hard to believe.
The elder clan leader gently withdrew his right arm, which was covered in blood and bits of flesh. His body, scalding hot with the blood of his brothers, made him look like a demon from hell.
The next second, he suddenly raised his hand and burst into laughter, his mad, devilish laughter echoing throughout the entire space.
"Haha... Now no one can stop my plan anymore. The Uzumaki Clan will rise to power under my leadership..."
Looking down at the clan elder, Yemo finally said, slowly and deliberately, "That old fellow has gone mad!"
At this moment, the elder of the clan was either a madman or something else; he was completely blinded by the plan to revitalize the Uzumaki Clan and had fallen into madness.