Betrayal! Betrayal! Betrayal of Konoha!

"Lord Danzo!!!"

"My lord?"

"How is this possible!!"

The members of the Root Organization present were unable to move, but they watched everything happen. The Lord Danzo they regarded as a god had been pierced by a ninja blade, and then gave no further response.

At this moment.

Their faith was like a ruined building. It collapsed with a thunderous roar, breaking apart into pieces!

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Outside the forest, countless dark figures leaped over, arriving nearby.

"Yinyue Captain, I'll cover the rear!!"

Uchiha Nanfeng roared.

He had already made up his mind to die.

The other Uchiha wanted to express their determination to die as well, but suddenly discovered that they were under Yachihoko's control again. They could not force out a single word.

Nanfeng and the others' faces flushed red. They wanted to force their mouths open, but ultimately could not overcome the mental control.

"How noisy."

Ingetsu said it blandly, then released his grip, leaving the ninja blade behind as he decisively led the team away.

He kept these people alive.

They were still useful.

Before leaving, he manifested the Mangekyo and looked back at the outskirts of the forest.

Footsteps surged like a tide.

A large number of ANBU poured into the forest. They were the vanguard of the Hokage Direct Anbu and took orders only from Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"What happened here?"

An ANBU captain came before the Root Organization members standing at the edge of the forest and asked in a deep voice.

The other party did not answer.

The ANBU captain furrowed his brow. He found these Root members extremely strange, but chose to lead his team onward.

Just as all the ANBU entered the forest.

The Root Organization members moved. They drew their ninja blades in unison, red light flickering in their eyes as the Yachihoko marks revolved. Like puppets, they swung their blades at the nearest ANBU.

"Ah!!!"

In an instant, half the ANBU were hit, and screams rang out without end.

"Withdraw from the forest!!"

The ANBU captain's eyes widened as he looked at the wound in his abdomen, where blood gushed around a ninja blade. He kicked a nearby Root member away and roared at the top of his lungs.

"Captain, all these Root Organization members are being controlled by someone!"

"Then kill the beasts!!"

The Root members paid no attention to the ANBU's curses. They charged madly at the ANBU who had come to provide support.

How could the ANBU swallow such an insult? Though they did not know the reason, they still chose to draw their blades and fight back. They planned to subdue this group of crazed Root members first and worry about the rest afterward.

The ANBU and Root Organization engaged in fierce battle.

Boom—

The explosions of Exploding Tags, the clashes of ninja blades, and the sounds of thrown kunai echoed like musical notes, offering the final closing song to this assassination.

At the entrance to the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Little Sasuke hurried through the streets with his schoolbag on his back. Whenever he heard an explosion, he would raise his head anxiously and look around in confusion before continuing on his way.

He felt as though he were trapped in the middle of a war.

Lost and helpless.

Then, a familiar figure he knew better than anyone came running down the street. His unsettled heart finally found somewhere to rest.

"Mom!"

Sasuke beamed as he walked to the middle of the street, wanting to open his arms and welcome his approaching mother.

In the darkness, he seemed to see a ray of light.

As she ran wildly, Mikoto saw little Sasuke. She was stunned for a moment, then the confusion in her eyes suddenly melted like snow, revealing boundless tenderness.

But she could not speak.

She could not even control her own body.

"Mom... what's wrong?"

Sasuke noticed that something was off.

Bang—

Mikoto, still charging forward, slammed into little Sasuke. The powerful impact sent Sasuke flying across the street and crashing heavily into a wall. The collision left him dizzy and disoriented.

"Mom..." Sasuke lay face-down on the ground, closed his eyes, and fainted.

Tears welled at the corners of Mikoto's eyes, but her beautiful, elegant face remained utterly expressionless.

She simply kept running, running toward the forest outside the ninja village. Yet the heart that had already died was quietly rekindled by Sasuke's recent cry of "Mom."

The mountain peak.

"Big brother, when are we leaving...?"

Tamao asked weakly.

The other Uchiha had given him simple bandages to stop the bleeding. His injuries were considered stable, but without a Medical Ninja to treat him, he still faced the risk of infection and death.

Ingetsu was just about to answer.

Words appeared in his mind.

Side Mission: Rescue

Conditions:

1. Rescue people at the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Mission complete!

Reward:

100-cubic-meter Storage Space.

Ingetsu was somewhat surprised. At that moment, Mikoto's figure appeared behind the mountain peak, running toward them.

Uchiha Nanfeng and Uchiha Izumi instinctively drew their blades and prepared themselves, but Ingetsu waved his hand, signaling them not to be nervous.

When everyone saw who had arrived, they cried out in surprise:

"The clan leader's wife?"

"Madam!!"

They never would have expected Uchiha Mikoto to survive the clan's extermination as well.

But when they saw Mikoto remain silent, everyone immediately looked toward Ingetsu. Seeing that he did not seem surprised, they were shocked. Had this also been arranged by Ingetsu?

"Everyone's here. Let's go."

Ingetsu said calmly.

"Are we considered rogue ninja now?"

Uchiha Izumi's face was full of sorrow as she looked up at the Uchiha Clan Grounds. They had long since become a chaotic battlefield, flames and thick smoke rising into the sky.

Apart from the Uchiha here with them.

It was likely that no one else had survived.

The other Uchiha also wore sorrowful expressions, occasionally casting strange looks at Uchiha Mikoto.

Mikoto's mind was blank. She did not know why she had appeared here, nor did she know how these few Uchiha beside her had survived.

A choked sob suddenly rang out.

Ingetsu looked up and saw Uchiha Nanfeng and several team members weeping bitterly. Their civilian family members had been left behind forever at the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

After their revenge had vented their anger, sorrow swept over them like a tide and drowned them. The eight Uchiha planted their ninja blades into the ground, then bowed toward the clan grounds, bending at a ninety-degree angle.

"Hahaha, that felt great!" Tamao laughed and exclaimed, "We can finally leave this dump!"

One of the Uchiha had just cried out a strand of snot, but Tamao's words made him suck it back in.

For a moment, the other Uchiha had no idea how to face this lunatic.

"..."

While everyone processed their grief and pain, Ingetsu focused his mind and searched for the reward he had received for completing the mission.

The 100-cubic-meter space was located deep within his mind. By concentrating, he could enter it.

It was a bright space approximately 7.4 meters long, 5 meters wide, and 2.7 meters high.

Ingetsu felt that after tidying it up, it should be enough to make a one-bedroom apartment for a single man.

He just did not know whether it could store living people.

Thinking this, Ingetsu stuffed all the scrolls on his body into the space, then discovered that he could freely store, retrieve, and arrange the scrolls. It was very convenient.

He glanced at the huge full moon hanging in the night sky.

Ingetsu looked down over Konoha.

Hokage Rock stood on the opposite side of the mountain peak. The streets below were crisscrossed in a maze, and the most prosperous districts were still brightly lit and bustling, radiating vitality throughout Konoha Ninja Village.

The Uchiha Clan Grounds, which had been turned into a battlefield, and Konoha's central district seemed to belong to two different worlds, clearly separated from each other.

The battle in the forest was also nearing its end.

This land had lost the Uchiha.

It seemed that nothing would come of it.

Seeing the Uchiha gradually stabilize emotionally, Ingetsu swept his gaze over everyone. As he had expected, their Eye Power had increased significantly. Several who had originally possessed only Two Tomoe had broken through to Three Tomoe.

"Farewell, Konoha!"

Ingetsu turned and left.

Uchiha Izumi looked at Ingetsu's back, and time seemed to return to their graduation, when they had carried out their first mission.

That day, she had stood at the ninja village's gate, watching this gentle and kind young man lead the team away from the village. She had been lost in thought, as though he possessed a special charm that drew her in.

Izumi unconsciously followed him in small steps.

Just like that day.

With this gentle and merciful captain around, it seemed that no matter how far they went from the ninja village, they would be able to complete the mission.

The other Uchiha followed one after another. Only Mikoto continued to follow under Ingetsu's control.

The night moon shone brightly.

At the edge of Konoha.

Ingetsu effortlessly broke through the ninja village's barrier.

He stepped out of the barrier.

And left Konoha.

At this moment, the nine Uchiha carried an additional burden on their shoulders.

They had a feeling in their hearts: as long as they survived the journey, the next time they returned, they would trample Konoha flat!

Beneath the bright moonlight.

Only Tamao was being carried by someone else. Eleven Uchiha became dark shadows and, under Ingetsu's leadership, began their road of escape.

Ingetsu led them northwest.

Leaving the Land of Fire in this direction would bring them to the most chaotic region of the ninja world. There lay the Land of Rain, the Land of Birds, the Land of Grass, and other small countries that together formed a wartime buffer zone.

This journey was destined to be perilous.

Ingetsu estimated that Konoha would dispatch ninja squads to intercept and kill them before dawn.

Before dawn.

They had to run as far as they could.

Ingetsu had already planned a way out so they could survive. He had needed only a week to arrange everything.

At the end of this road.

Someone would be there to receive them.