Hiruzen Sarutobi Bursts Through the Door

Tianqi took the armor, stood up, and put it on. After putting on the armor, Tianqi turned to face his people.

As the Elder watched Tianqi's armored figure disappear from his sight, his vision blurred. The figure standing before him seemed not to be Tianqi at all. Madara's figure slowly merged with Tianqi's. He saw Uchiha Madara, he saw the invincible Uchiha. "It's him, it's him, Lord Madara has returned."

"I, Uchiha Tianqi, swear in the name of the Clan Head to my ancestor Indra that this time I will surely defeat the enemy, reclaim the glory that belongs to the Uchiha, and return to the peak once again!" Tianqi said to the crowd below.

"Back to the top!"

"Back to the top!"

Although the Uchiha members didn't know who Indra was, they still shouted, as they needed to build up their morale. Zhan and the Elder also joined in the shouting.

"Excellent! Keep up this momentum! We will win this time! Next, we will break free from the cage of Konoha and create our own era!"

Just as Tianqi finished speaking, the door was kicked open, and a voice rang out, "So, Uchiha Tianqi, how are you going to leave today!"

Tianqi glanced at the doorway, then looked up at the group of ninjas surrounding them on the wall. He walked step by step toward the doorway.

As Tianqi reached the door, he looked at the person in front of him and said, "I thought I could leave Konoha quietly, but I didn't expect you to come after all, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi."

Indeed, the newcomers were Sarutobi Hiruzen and his group of Anbu Ninja.

"You're leaving Konoha, how could I not come?"

"Tianqi, tell me why you did this! This is your home! Tell me why! Why!" Sarutobi Hiruzen glared angrily at Tianqi.

If he hadn't overheard Tianqi saying this at the door, he would never have believed it. His former teammate, who loved Konoha, was now thinking of defecting, and even leading a group of ninjas to defect.

"Why? Would you believe me if I told you I would lose my life if I didn't do it?" Tianqi retorted to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"With your strength, who could possibly take your life? Do you think I'd believe that? Just tell the truth!" Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't believe Tianqi's words.

"See, I'm telling you the truth. What can I do if you don't believe me?" Tianqi waved his hand. He wasn't lying; losing his manhood was tantamount to losing his life.

"Heh, I think you're planning to defect from Konoha like your father Uchiha Madara. Don't try to fob me off with the threat of losing your life."

"Just as our teacher said, you Uchiha are indeed a naturally evil clan. It's laughable that I even tried to believe you," Sarutobi Hiruzen said with self-deprecation.

"What did you say, Sarutobi Hiruzen! You..." Upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen say that the Uchiha were an inherently evil clan, the Elder was enraged, and the other clan members also glared angrily at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Elder, please don't speak yet. Sarutobi Hiruzen has his own reasons, and I hope you can understand," Tianqi interrupted the Elder, his eyes fixed on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"If you want me to understand, you'd better surrender obediently, and then I might give you another chance." Sarutobi Hiruzen did not agree with Tianqi.

All he wants now is to keep these Uchiha people here to ensure the village doesn't fall into chaos. If every clan leaves so easily like they do, the village will fall apart. He absolutely cannot let the Uchiha set that precedent.

"Third Hokage, don't go too far!" Zhan couldn't hold back any longer. He stepped forward and glared angrily at Sarutobi Hiruzen, looking as if he would fight Sarutobi Hiruzen to the death if Tianqi spoke up.

"Zhan, you go back!" Tianqi glanced at Zhan.

"But..."

Seeing that Zhan still refused to back down, Tianqi's expression changed, and he shouted, "You don't listen to the Clan Head? I told you to step down!"

"This... is the Clan Head." Seeing that Tianqi was angry, Zhan also chose to retreat.

"Tianqi, look at this! Do your clansmen still consider me Hokage? In my eyes, they are clearly a bunch of missing-nin!" Seeing that even his former acquaintance had jumped out to oppose him, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression turned ugly.

"There's no point in saying all this now. I'm just asking you, can you let us leave here today for the sake of our past relationship?" Tianqi said calmly.

"Don't try to appeal to my emotions Uchiha Tianqi. Even if you talk until the end, I won't let you leave. Don't even think about leaving."

Upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Tianqi stepped forward and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen. "So, it seems I'll have to resort to some tricks to leave here today."

"I told you, you're not leaving today!" Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward, staring intently at Tianqi.

"It's not that I look down on you, Sarutobi Hiruzen, but do you think you can hold back my abilities?" Things had come to this point, and Tianqi didn't want to pretend anymore. He had said everything he needed to say. He squinted at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Don't look down on me. You're strong, but I'm not weak either. I haven't been idle all these years." Now in his thirties, he has truly reached the peak of his strength, and he fears no one.

The two stared at each other, only ten centimeters apart—closer and they could have kissed.

The Uchiha members and a group of Anbu watched the two men locked in a fierce battle, their hearts pounding. They Kunai tightened their grips on their kunai, knowing that the clash between these two powerful figures could turn into a bloodbath in the next second.

"Take down this group of Uchiha!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted first, releasing his aura, and the floor beside him cracked open with powerful Chakra energy.

"Let's see who dares!" Tianqi unleashed even more powerful Chakra energy, causing the ground to crack open and a strong wind to blow.

Both sides of the Anbu Uchiha remained motionless, their eyes fixed intently on each other.

"Uchiha Tianqi, are you really going to oppose me and the entire village today? You should think this through carefully. Once you make this move, you can never regret it. No matter where you run, you will be hunted down by the Konoha Ninja. You can escape, but what about your clan? Think about your clan and don't let them lose their lives in vain." Seeing that his Chakra aura was not as strong Tianqi's, Sarutobi Hiruzen began to persuade him.

Before Tianqi could speak, Gaoli and Zhan Du stepped forward.

"Don't threaten the Clan Head with us. Since we've decided to leave with the Clan Head, we're not afraid of death!"

"That's right! We made this choice because we've long since accepted the possibility of death. Clan Head, you don't need to worry about us."

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, you underestimate the Uchiha. We Uchiha are not lacking in courage to face life and death!"

After the three finished speaking, the other tribesmen echoed, "They are right, we are not afraid of death."