It's Time They Couldn't Hold Back!

Compared to the warm scene over here, the atmosphere at the Hokage Office was rather strange.

When two Anbu Ninja told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Uchiha Fugaku had gone to meet Naruto, Hiruzen couldn't help leaping to his feet.

"What?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was aghast.

Although the Uchiha knew Naruto's identity, because of how special it was, they had never once tried to contact him over the years.

Why would the Uchiha make such a decision at a time like this?

Uchiha Fugaku, what exactly are you trying to do?

For the first time, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a little panicked.

After all, if Naruto's identity was exposed... no, it was bound to be exposed.

By then, all the hatred the villagers felt toward the Uchiha would turn into fear of little Naruto.

And Naruto was still so young. Those ambitious schemers in the other villages would definitely seize this opportunity.

What exactly are you trying to do?

"Where's Kakashi?"

Only then did Sarutobi Hiruzen remember that Hatake Kakashi had been assigned to watch over Naruto today.

"Kakashi... is still at the mission site," one Anbu member said with some difficulty.

"He knows..."

"You may leave."

Sarutobi Hiruzen walked to the window, suppressing the turmoil in his heart as he spoke slowly.

The two exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and vanished.

The Uchiha's identity was already sensitive. Add Naruto's identity to the mix, and people would immediately think of the Nine-Tails Incident.

In this situation, if the Uchiha wanted to extricate themselves from the incident, they had only one option.

Reveal Naruto's identity—and, at the same time, they might well know everything that had happened back then.

Although, under Danzo's suppression, the entire Uchiha Clan had stayed out of the battle at the time, Uchiha Fugaku's move was undoubtedly a way of telling Sarutobi Hiruzen that they had uncovered what had happened.

They might even know who had attacked Konoha and controlled the Nine-Tails.

Is this a warning to me?

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a heavy cloud of smoke, his expression turning strangely complicated.

And Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't the only one who had received this information.

Our Pot Kage, Shimura Danzō, had heard it too!

"It looks like the Uchiha are about to make a big move!"

"We need to move up our plan."

"Otherwise, once the Uchiha have everything in place, it'll be practically impossible to make a move."

"I must get the Sharingan!"

A feverish look appeared on Shimura Danzō's face.

Unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had long stood at the pinnacle of power in the open, even if he lost his authority one day, he would still be the lofty Lord Third.

But what about him?

He had always been trapped in the shadows, playing all those underhanded games.

Without a title that could legitimize his actions, even when the day came for him to die, he would probably rot in the ground without anyone knowing.

This... was Root...

At that moment, Roy finished his daily training.

After using up every last drop of chakra, he lay down in his courtyard.

"System, show me the panel."

At Roy's command, the system panel appeared before him.

Host: Uchiha Roy

Ninjutsu: Fire Style: Fireball Explosion [16%], Fire Style: Blue Flame [22%]; Lightning Style: Lightning Snake Frenzy [21%], Lightning Style: White Worm [31%]

Taijutsu: Konoha Style Taijutsu [10%], Uchiha Style Taijutsu [12%]

Genjutsu: Thorn Bind

Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan [21%] [2 Magatama], Mera Mera no Mi [12%]

Chakra reserves: 6000

Items: Improved Explosive Tag *100, Improved Kunai *50, Over-fulfillment Mission Pack, Kusanagi Sword: Durin...

Ability: Portable Space [1000m³]

Main Mission: Save the Uchiha [20%] [Mission requirement: Preserve as many Uchiha Clan members as possible after the Uchiha Clan Downfall Night. The more survivors, the higher the level and the greater the reward]

Lately, apart from going on patrol, Roy had spent most of his time training.

He used up his chakra, recovered, then refined more.

Even while patrolling, he kept his Sharingan active so he could improve his proficiency.

That was right—the progress bars after his ninjutsu were probably proficiency levels.

Whenever Roy used a technique, its proficiency increased.

It seemed there was still plenty about the system waiting for him to discover!

"Roy, the clan head won't be back tonight. What should we do next?"

Just then, Uchiha Natsume appeared in the courtyard.

"Captain Natsume, I'm still not quite used to seeing you act like this..."

Roy scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

After all, Uchiha Natsume was his captain!

The way he was speaking made Roy feel a little uncomfortable.

The main reason was that after hearing Roy's plan, Uchiha Fugaku had secretly promoted him to the position of Special Elder.

And under this plan, he had absolute authority to act independently.

He could even handle certain operations without reporting them first.

At the same time, Fugaku had told several of Uchiha Natsume's personal guards to consult Roy whenever they needed guidance for an operation.

That was how this situation had come about.

"As long as it's for the good of the Uchiha and can make the clan stronger, I'll get used to it."

Uchiha Natsume was quite at ease about it, answering with a hearty smile.

It was hard to believe he had once been a member of the Uchiha Clan's Hardline Faction.

"Since Captain Natsume put it that way, I won't stand on ceremony."

"Next, we'll shut those civilians up."

"But there's no need to rush. We definitely won't be the ones who need to hurry."

"Is everything ready?"

Roy spoke, barely able to hide the smile at the corner of his mouth.

No matter how cunning you are or how well you play the game of power,

Roy hadn't come here relying on the system as his only cheat.

He hadn't watched those hundreds of episodes of Naruto Shippuden for nothing.

And he'd read plenty of Naruto fanfiction in his spare time, which had given him a pretty good understanding of the village's internal situation.

Next, the ones who couldn't hold back and had to act would definitely not be the Uchiha.

"Everything's been arranged. The people assigned to monitor things in secret are all in position."

"But it's already been three days. Are those people really going to make their move tonight?"

Uchiha Natsume was curious.

He understood the plan for the operation ahead very well.

But Uchiha Natsume still didn't understand why Roy was so certain those people would be unable to hold back and act tonight.

"Because they've reached the point where they have no choice but to act."

After speaking, Roy looked straight into the darkness in the distance.