Destiny

I only closed my eyes for a brief moment, just a quick nap, so how did things end up like this?

Things have become troublesome.

Nara Shikaku's sleepy eyes instantly filled with alertness.

They had all read the battle reports Hatake Sakumo sent back to Konoha.

Although there were no specific combat details, the simple phrases—[Fortress Breached], [Tens of Thousands Defeated], [Third Tsuchikage Defeated], [Third Raikage Defeated]—were enough to demonstrate Hatake Sakumo's power and the absurdity of the situation.

Initially, they hadn't taken the intelligence attached to the surrender letters from the Third Tsuchikage and Raikage very seriously.

After all, that information seemed detached from reality.

However, the subsequent behavior in the Hokage's office made Nara Shikaku realize that the pile of seemingly nonsensical reports might actually contain a great deal of true and accurate information.

It was even possible that every word of it was true.

As the brains of the Ino-Shika-Cho, he immediately made up his mind; the three clans, which had always leaned toward the Hokage, immediately distanced themselves.

We work ourselves to the bone, and you're pulling strings behind our backs? Is this still the Hokage?

Nara Shikaku had originally believed that even if they tore off the mask, for the sake of the clans, interests would always come first.

The Hokage and the Uchiha would surely find a way to secure their respective clan's interests through waves of political maneuvering, eventually turning big problems into small ones and small ones into nothing.

But now, Uchiha Yuji had started things off by immediately performing the Seal of Reconciliation. This felt like a hammer to his brain, leaving him momentarily stunned.

I know you Uchiha are always acting recklessly, but this is too reckless! Are your three generations just specialized in rebelling against the Hokage?

All the ninjas were somewhat bewildered, and Sarutobi Hiruzen, sitting in the main seat, was left dazed by this sudden strike.

He stared blankly at the two fingers Uchiha Yuji held up toward the sky.

Inheriting the fine features of the Uchiha clan and wearing long hair, Uchiha Yuji's appearance was quite similar to Uchiha Madara. Looking at the Seal of Reconciliation, he felt as if he were seeing the statue of Uchiha Madara at the Valley of the End.

The clash between Lord Hashirama and Madara, the dispute between Master Tobirama and Uchiha Setsuna. Has it finally reached me, the Third?

The previous two instances were victories for the Hokage lineage, but in this battle, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew he didn't have much of a chance of winning in a one-on-one fight.

Yet, something called a sense of responsibility weighed heavily on Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.

Ninjas all have their flaws! There is no such thing as an invincible ninja! Even a ninja as powerful as Lord Hashirama died, so what is a mere Uchiha Yuji!

He had a chance!

Thinking this, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly stood up, his hands firmly forming the Seal of Reconciliation back at Uchiha Yuji.

"There are many miscellaneous matters piling up in Konoha; how about we set the battle for after midday?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked in a deep voice.

Or rather, it wasn't a question at all; it was simply setting the time.

Because the Uchiha clan would never refuse such a small request.

Uchiha Yuji nodded and turned around, pausing for a moment at the doorway. "Then for the location, let it be the Valley of the End."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded readily.

The Jonin meeting ended without a conclusion, but no one cared about that small meeting anymore.

The news that the Third Hokage and the Uchiha clan head were going to duel spread throughout all of Konoha in an instant.

"Hahahaha, hahahaha!" Uchiha Setsuna laughed maniacally.

Despite his aged body, he possessed lung capacity that even some adults didn't have; his laughter was loud and long, echoing through the Uchiha compound for a long time.

"Yakamashi!" Annoyed, Uchiha Yuji gave him a punch.

"Cough, cough, cough." Even after being punched and losing his breath, Uchiha Setsuna kept the smile on his face.

"I'm telling you, Elder Setsuna, is there any need to be this excited?"

"There is! There is absolutely a need!"

The old man's withered fingers gripped Uchiha Yuji's hands tightly, his emotions so agitated that he couldn't even stop his Sharingan from manifesting.

"The First Hokage had a heart that embraced everything, and he treated our Uchiha clan equally."

"Although Senju Tobirama was a bastard who hated us Uchiha, he still had a sense of proportion in his actions. Only this monkey, Sarutobi Hiruzen..."

His words became increasingly agitated and filled with fury, mostly consisting of insults.

His massive lung capacity allowed him to rant for a long time.

"Kill him in this duel for me!" the old man, his face unusually flushed, finally concluded.

Uchiha Setsuna's grip tightened with increasing force, as if he wanted to transmit his own strength to Uchiha Yuji.

But a hand covered his, slowly moving it away.

"I have said it before, Elder Setsuna, you are too weak."

"Now it seems you have even lost the confidence of our Uchiha clan."

"It seems you really have grown old."

In their meeting gazes, those Three-Tomoe Sharingan rapidly swirled into a Mangekyo, the blood-red eyes filled with absolute confidence.

"What ability does Sarutobi Hiruzen have that would allow him to survive a battle with me?"

Uchiha Yuji's counter-question, accompanied by his chin tilted upward, fully displayed a confident arrogance.

"His defeat is destined."

Looking at the youth before him, the Three-Tomoe eyes seemed to see another figure superimposed behind him.

The wrinkles on Uchiha Setsuna's face seemed to vanish significantly, his smile widening even further.

"Elder, I have brought the item." A member of the Uchiha clan knelt halfway outside the door, slowly placing the object in his hands into the room.

It was a set of blood-red armor from the Warring States period.

Times are always changing, and armor from the Warring States period had long since been rendered obsolete.

The armor was bulky and thick, severely hindering a ninja's mobility, and with the advancement of materials, it couldn't even match the basic defensive capabilities of a convenient tactical vest.

Yet, despite all these disadvantages, Uchiha Setsuna still brought out this suit of armor.

"Suppressed by the Hokage for generations, we are finally about to see the Uchiha clan's turnaround."

His somewhat frail body felt his heart beating powerfully at this moment, as if for this brief instant, he had returned to his youth.

He carried the crimson armor and brought it before Uchiha Yuji.

"Clan Leader, you wouldn't mind an old man like me armoring you, would you?"

"Of course I mind. Why isn't it Kushina armoring me instead of an old man abandoned by the times?" Uchiha Yuji retorted mercilessly.

Uchiha Setsuna froze, but he felt no anger; instead, a more radiant smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he slowly draped the shoulder guards over Uchiha Yuji.

"Let me, a remnant of the old era, shine one last time in this new era."

"Clan Leader."