Chapter 48: The End
"Sarutobi, what's going on?"
"Old man, are you all right?"
The two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu; Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the head of the Anbu, Hatake Sakumo; as well as the heads of all the major clans had rushed over. They stared at the towering Susanoo.
"I'm fine. This is the Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular technique, Susanoo. It's said to be a divine technique that no one who has seen it can escape alive. Have all the ninja below jōnin rank retreat. They won't be able to do anything."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave the order.
"Sharingan?" Everyone turned to Uchiha Tei, their eyes questioning him, with even a hint of suspicion.
Uchiha Tei's face darkened. "I've never seen this ninja before. There's no one like him in the Uchiha Clan."
Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Uchiha Tei a long look. He was deeply suspicious of him, too.
"Where's Danzo?" Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced around and, seeing that Danzo wasn't there, asked. His heart gave a sudden jolt. Could Danzo really have sent him?
"I'm here." Shimura Danzo strode over. He looked at Uchiha Ryo, who was enveloped by the yellow Susanoo, and a flicker of astonishment passed through his eyes before vanishing. No one noticed it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "Let's capture him first. Also, evacuate the civilians immediately. We must make sure none of them are harmed."
Boom! A massive blade came crashing down, gouging a deep ravine into the ground and destroying several buildings.
Sarutobi Hiruzen wiped away a bead of cold sweat. He had been so busy issuing orders that he'd nearly been cut down.
"Enough talk, Teacher Sarutobi. Hurry up and attack! We have to stop him first. Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" Countless snakes lunged at the Susanoo, biting and tearing at it.
"Heh. There really aren't many people in Konoha who can break through Susanoo right now. This is going to be a headache," Hyuga Shin said with a smile from his hiding place.
And it was true. Breaking through a fully mature Susanoo with brute force was incredibly difficult. Sarutobi Hiruzen would have to go all out, or they'd have to wear it down over time.
Konoha wasn't that strong at the moment. The Sannin hadn't grown into their full strength yet, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, and Hatake Sakumo as the only three Kage Level figures.
The heads of the other major clans were all either near-Kage or elite jōnin. They couldn't do a thing to the Susanoo.
"Looking at it this way, Konoha really is a little weak," Hyuga Shin remarked.
The Susanoo charged into the crowd, slaughtering its way through them. In just a moment, four jōnin were dead, and even more were wounded.
But Uchiha Ryo was having a hard time of it, too. As the saying went, enough ants could bring down an elephant—and Uchiha Ryo was no elephant.
Combining ninjutsu was no simple matter of one plus one equaling two. Under such a barrage of attacks, even the Susanoo began to develop gaps.
It could repair them with chakra, but the chakra was draining too quickly. Uchiha Ryo couldn't keep it up.
"Ocular Technique: Phantom Body!" An identical Susanoo appeared on the battlefield, plunging the Konoha forces into even greater despair.
"Everyone, work together! The enemy can't hold out much longer!" Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted. He had seen Uchiha Ryo, inside the Susanoo, begin to bleed from both eyes. Surely he couldn't last much longer.
At Sarutobi Hiruzen's shout, the others noticed it too. Their spirits lifted, and they poured even more power into their relentless ninjutsu attacks.
"Ugh! I knew he wouldn't cause too much trouble, but this is just..." Hyuga Shin couldn't even describe it. The enemy was being beaten so badly he couldn't raise his head. He'd only managed to turn things around briefly at the start.
Just moments ago, Hyuga Shin had thought Konoha would be in for a headache. Now those words had come back to slap him in the face. He could practically feel the sting.
"It seems that unless you're Super Kage Level, you can't ignore the advantage of numbers. Even Susanoo doesn't change that."
"But I won't let this end so quickly." Hyuga Shin smiled, then sent the chakra in his body flowing into Uchiha Ryo through his connection to the Tenseigan.
The Susanoo, which had been on the verge of collapse, surged back to life. The two Susanoo launched a frenzied assault, cutting down jōnin like stalks of wheat. More than a dozen fell in quick succession.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart ached. He hurriedly pulled the jōnin back. The Susanoo was a veritable reaper, cutting them down as easily as chopping vegetables.
"Summoning Technique: Enma!"
Without giving Enma a chance to speak, Sarutobi Hiruzen had him transform into the Adamantine Staff. Wielding the staff, Sarutobi Hiruzen leaped into the air and brought it crashing down on the Susanoo.
Crack! The sound of shattering rang out. Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the Susanoo, as if it were about to break apart.
Rumble!
The enormous Susanoo could hold on no longer and burst apart. Countless ninjutsu attacks rained down on Uchiha Ryo, now exposed.
Uchiha Ryo fixed his eyes on the Phantom Body and switched places with it, dodging the fatal attacks. The Phantom Body, however, was blasted to ash.
"Surrender! Tell us what you were after, and perhaps you can still atone for your crimes," Sarutobi Hiruzen said grimly.
Nearly twenty jōnin had died in the battle. One elite jōnin was dead, and three more were seriously wounded.
Including the hidden forces of the major clans, all of Konoha had no more than five hundred jōnin—and that count included the elite jōnin and near-Kage.
So although this hadn't crippled Konoha, it had certainly dealt it a painful blow.
"Heh... Amaterasu!" Uchiha Ryo fixed his gaze on an elite jōnin. Black flames that devoured everything erupted and swallowed him whole.
The ninja beside him immediately unleashed Water Release, trying to put out the flames. But the water didn't extinguish them. Instead, the fire grew even stronger, until even the water itself was burning.
"These flames can't be extinguished! Use Sealing Jutsu! Seal them immediately!" Sarutobi Hiruzen roared.
Seeing the elite jōnin burned to death, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt his heart ache even more. His gaze turned icier.
"Hahaha... The Uchiha Clan will endure forever!"
Uchiha Ryo destroyed his own eyes, then detonated the Explosive Tags on his body. With a thunderous blast, he was reduced to a rain of bloody fragments.
Everyone's expression darkened. The enemy was dead, yet they felt even worse.
"Uchiha Clan Head, I want an explanation." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was cold as frost.
"An explanation? I don't know anything myself. How am I supposed to explain? Weren't there Uchiha Clan members among those who died in battle just now?" Uchiha Tei was furious, too.
"Sakumo, lead the Anbu and investigate. I refuse to believe this Uchiha clan member just appeared out of nowhere. Turn all of Konoha upside down if you have to, but get me some answers."
This time, Sarutobi Hiruzen was truly enraged. Someone had openly attacked the Hokage Building and caused heavy casualties among Konoha's ninja. There had to be an answer, or how could he ever show his face again?
"Yes!" Hatake Sakumo nodded.
"I hope every clan will cooperate. I'm sure you're all curious about the identity of the criminal who attacked Konoha, too." Sarutobi Hiruzen made a point of glancing at the Uchiha Clan Head.
Chapter 49: Graduation
If anything in this world was truly merciless, it was time. It flowed like water, passing by in the blink of an eye.
Before long, graduation season had arrived for Hyuga Shin and the others. More than four years had passed since the incident.
Hatake Sakumo led the Anbu in searching every corner of Konoha, but they never found the Uchiha clan member who had attacked the Hokage.
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