The End

"How are you, Sarutobi?"

"What happened?"

The people who had rushed over after hearing the tremendous crash had no idea what had happened. They looked at one another, utterly helpless against the Susanoo.

"Everyone, don't worry too much. This is merely a Mangekyo Dojutsu, but its power is immense. According to legend, no one has ever escaped an attack like this. Issue the order at once—have the weaker ninjas hide immediately. They won't be of any help if they stay here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave the order.

"Mangekyō Sharingan?" Everyone had a rough idea now. They turned to look at the Uchiha Clan, finding it extremely strange. Some had already decided that the Uchiha Clan was responsible.

Uchiha Zheng frowned and hurriedly explained, "This definitely isn't something our clan could have done. I've never even seen him before."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was grave. In truth, Uchiha Zheng had been the first person he suspected.

"Where is Danzo?" Hiruzen Sarutobi scanned the area and found no sign of Danzo. He frowned, suddenly furious. Could what that assassin had said earlier be true?

"Here." Shimura Danzō squeezed out from the crowd. It was his first time seeing such a massive scene as well. He did his best to suppress his unease and put on a calm front.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned and told everyone, "We must work together now and capture that assassin. We also need to protect everyone and keep innocent people from being attacked."

"Boom!" An enormous blade appeared before them, splitting open the ground and toppling many buildings.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shuddered. His attention had not been fully focused just now. That strike had been incredibly dangerous—he had nearly lost his life.

"Enough nonsense. It's time to act. Watch this—Shadow Many Snake Hands!" Countless snakes appeared and began attacking the Susanoo.

"Hmph. At present, there are only a handful of people in the entire village capable of defeating a Susanoo. This time, they'll finally learn their lesson." Hyuga Matsuba, hiding in a corner, began gloating.

He was telling the truth. With attacks like these, taking down that assassin was nothing more than a fantasy. Unless Hiruzen Sarutobi acted personally, they would be in real trouble.

At the moment, the village as a whole was not particularly strong. The Legendary Sannin had yet to fully mature, and only three formidable figures—Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and Hatake Sakumo—were holding things together.

The heads of the other clans were only slightly stronger than ordinary people. They were definitely no match for an assassin like this.

"This village really is kind of trash." Hyuga Matsuba muttered.

A great battle was on the verge of erupting. The assassin had already begun attacking, and in the blink of an eye, there were countless casualties.

However, both sides had been injured. Uchiha Ryo was also in pain. No matter how powerful someone was, he would not be able to withstand such concentrated attacks.

Different kinds of Ninjutsu, of varying ranks, combined to unleash their greatest power. This one-against-many fight was beginning to overwhelm the Susanoo.

Chakra could temporarily fill that gap, but it was being consumed at an abnormally fast rate. Uchiha Ryo's physical condition simply could not keep up.

"Dojutsu: Phantom Clone!" The moment his words fell, the Susanoo actually summoned a clone. They could not even defeat one before, and now they felt their hope slipping away.

"Hold on a little longer. We will defeat him soon." Hiruzen Sarutobi rallied them. Though he was far away, he had clearly seen blood flowing from the enemy's eyes. Perhaps the enemy would collapse before long.

Hearing those words, the people around them immediately exerted every last ounce of strength. A new wave of attacks began at once.

"Uh... Even if I knew this assassin was pretty weak, he can't be going down this fast, can he?" Hyuga Matsuba silently complained. How long had he even been powerful before he was already done for?

Just a second ago, he had thought the village might be facing destruction. The very next second, that thought had been completely dispelled. Reality truly was cruel.

"Sigh, his abilities still aren't strong enough. Once there are too many opponents, he's finished. Even the Susanoo can't do anything."

"I should give him a hand." Hyuga Matsuba raised a brow, slowly activated his Chakra, and secretly channeled it into Uchiha Ryo.

The Susanoo, which had seemed ready to fall moments ago, suddenly regained its vigor. Its attacks became even more ferocious than before. The crowd below could not withstand them at all, and in an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not stand watching any longer and immediately ordered everyone to retreat. The Susanoo was too powerful now; their attacks were like child's play to it.

"Summoning: Enma!"

Before anyone could react, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Enma and took out an Adamantine Staff, using it as his weapon. He leaped up with its aid and struck the Susanoo.

With a bang, fine cracks appeared where the Susanoo had been struck and spread throughout its entire body. Its whole form was on the verge of shattering.

Crack!

The massive body finally could not endure any longer. It broke into countless fragments, and the crowd below seized the chance to launch another assault.

Uchiha Ryo's pupils contracted. He immediately shifted to where his clone was. That place was relatively safe, but his clone had long since been reduced to a pulp.

"You should surrender now. Tell me honestly—who sent you? Perhaps I'll spare your life." Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.

In that brief period of time, his side had already suffered devastating losses.

Yet across the whole village, even after gathering every clan together, there were only a little over four hundred stronger ninjas, and some had only barely met that standard.

Therefore, although this operation had failed somewhat, the losses it had brought to the village were far from small.

"Hmph, Amaterasu!" Uchiha Ryo did not bow his head. He focused his gaze on a Jonin, using all his remaining strength in an attempt to devour that man.

Realizing something was wrong, the crowd immediately used Water Ninjutsu in an attempt to extinguish the flames. Yet not only did it have no positive effect, it intensified the blaze. The water itself had somehow become flammable.

"Water won't solve this problem. Activate the Fuinjutsu!" Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered.

However, that Elite Jonin had already perished in the inferno. Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart twisted in agony, and the fury in his eyes burned even more fiercely.

"Heh heh, our Uchiha Clan shall endure as long as heaven..."

Uchiha Ryo gouged out his own eyes and crushed them, then used Ninjutsu to kill himself. Just like that, he turned into a cloud of smoke in midair and vanished into the wind.

Everyone present fell silent. Although the enemy had been dealt with, the problem remained extremely thorny.

"Uchiha Clan Head, tell everyone what happened." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked as though he wanted to devour someone.

"Me? Does this have anything to do with me? Our Uchiha Clan suffered countless casualties in that battle just now, and now you're actually questioning me?" Uchiha Zheng seemed close to losing his mind as well.

"Sakumo, I'm leaving this matter to you. Find out exactly what happened. Could a living person have crawled out from between rocks? Investigate!"

The veins on Hiruzen Sarutobi's forehead bulged. That man had provoked them so brazenly and caused such a huge disaster. No matter what, he had to give everyone an explanation. Otherwise, would the dignified Third Hokage have any face left?

"Understood!" Hatake Sakumo accepted the order.

"Everyone, actively assist in finding the culprit as well. This matter is of great importance. I also want to learn the truth as soon as possible." Hiruzen Sarutobi cast Uchiha Zheng a cold glance.