"If the Uchiha Clan is leaving after midnight, then tomorrow we should send ninja to ambush them on the road to the Land of Waterfalls!"
Hearing Mitokado Homura and Danzo speak, Utatane Koharu reminded them.
It was clear that Utatane Koharu supported their plan too: to strike outside the village.
"Sarutobi, what do you think?"
Danzo's gaze settled on Sarutobi Hiruzen. His expression darkened, and he asked urgently.
The three of them were only advisers. The only one who could make the decision was Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage.
As soon as Danzo finished speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression stiffened.
If the entire Uchiha Clan left Konoha, they would all be considered defectors. According to Konoha's rules, not one could be spared; they would all have to be eliminated.
And if the Uchiha Clan were allowed to leave, with their members' terrifying talent, they would become a new force in the ninja world within a few years.
The Land of Fire already had many hostile forces. Adding the Uchiha Clan to the mix would be extremely bad for Konoha's future.
At that thought, an uncontrollable notion suddenly swept through Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind.
The Uchiha Clan absolutely could not be allowed to survive. Otherwise, once they grew powerful, Konoha might truly be destroyed by them one day.
"Danzo, I'll leave the ambush to you. You can command the Anbu Ninja. Combined with the ninja from Root under your command, that should be enough, right?"
After a moment's thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up and spoke sternly to Danzo, who was watching him.
"No problem. I won't let a single member of the Uchiha Clan leave the Land of Fire."
Danzo was cunning and treacherous by nature, so setting an ambush came naturally to him.
"Homura, Koharu, tomorrow, notify the other clans and have them send their elite members to help us fight!"
Some ninja had to remain behind to guard Konoha. Worried they might not have enough people to hunt down the Uchiha ninja, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to them.
"Understood!"
At Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu quickly nodded.
"To make sure nothing goes wrong, I'll summon the Jonin tomorrow and have them join the fight as well."
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a sigh and continued making arrangements.
Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had made these arrangements decisively, his expression was somewhat conflicted.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't want to go this far, but his position as Third Hokage meant he couldn't act according to his own wishes. In his heart, Konoha always came first.
"Now that everything's arranged, Bohuo, you can return to the Uchiha Clan. If anything changes, report it immediately!"
Danzo glanced at Bohuo, who was waiting nearby, and spoke in a low voice.
"Yes!"
Bohuo didn't hesitate and vanished at once.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, and a hint of weariness passed through them. Then he said mildly, "It's late. Tomorrow's mission will be demanding, so you should head back and get some rest."
Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu nodded and slowly left the room.
After they were gone, Sarutobi Hiruzen surveyed the quiet room and sighed.
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen once again felt the heavy burden on his shoulders. It was no light load; at his age, when he should have been retired, he still had to deal with the Uchiha Clan. He felt unable to cope.
But remembering how the Second Hokage had named him Hokage before dying and entrusted Konoha to him, Sarutobi Hiruzen forced himself to rally. A firm declaration rang through the room.
"Teacher, don't worry. Even if it costs me my life, I'll protect the village!"
Konoha lay hidden in the darkness of night, its scattered lights spread throughout the village like fireflies.
Though it was late, Sasuke couldn't sleep. He sighed, got dressed, opened the door, and went outside.
Walking along the streets of the Uchiha district, Sasuke looked at the Uchiha Clan crest—a gunbai—on the wall, illuminated by the streetlights. His hand clenched unconsciously. The Uchiha Clan was leaving the village at dawn tomorrow. He didn't know how it would end.
Back in his old world, Sasuke had read plenty of transmigration novels. To cater to readers and keep up the power-fantasy style, authors always made their protagonists incredibly powerful, able to overcome any crisis with ease.
But Sasuke knew those were just stories. He was really living in the ninja world. If he didn't work hard and stay careful, he could easily die here!
Even during his last A-rank mission, if Sasuke hadn't awakened the Sharingan at the last moment, his body might already have been buried in the ground.
After walking for who knew how long, with the night breeze brushing through his hair, Sasuke suddenly smiled and murmured, "I didn't think I'd end up here again."
The place before him was Naka Shrine, where the clan meeting had just been held. A little tired from walking, Sasuke went inside and sat down on a stone step.
"Sasuke, this is the third time. Do you really want to meet me that badly?"
Just after Sasuke sat down, the space behind him suddenly rippled. A masked figure slowly emerged.
When Sasuke turned and saw the masked figure, delight flooded his face.
"You finally came out?"
He hadn't expected to bump into Obito Uchiha by chance that night. His body trembled slightly, and after a moment, Sasuke spoke excitedly.
"Heh... Do you know me?"
Hearing Sasuke speak as if he knew him, Obito Uchiha chuckled.
Of course I know you! You're Obito Uchiha, the one Madara used.
Sasuke said nothing aloud. He shook his head and replied, "I don't know you, but I know you're a member of the Uchiha Clan—and you're really powerful!"
To avoid trouble, Sasuke didn't want to expose Obito Uchiha's real identity. Some things were just too difficult to explain.
"How do you know I'm a member of the Uchiha Clan?"
Obito Uchiha asked at once, his voice filled with disbelief.
"It's simple. You keep showing up at Naka Shrine, and outsiders rarely come here. Besides, you disappeared in an instant last time. I figured you'd awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and that your eye had the ability to travel through time and space!"
Sasuke quickly made up an explanation.
"I didn't expect you to know so much about Space-Time Ninjutsu and the Mangekyō Sharingan. That's truly impressive!"
Obito Uchiha didn't deny Sasuke's claim and couldn't help but marvel.
"Haha, a ninja can never go wrong learning more!"
Sasuke smiled faintly at Obito Uchiha's praise.
"All right, what do you want from me?"
Obito Uchiha crossed his arms and suddenly asked.
*(Lately, my friends on Qidian and QQ Reading have been voting like crazy. I'm really touched! Thank you!
I'm a new author, so I'm bound to get few good recommendations—or none at all! That means that no matter how well I write, very few Naruto fans will find this book. But as I've said before, I want to write one of the top five Naruto fanfics, so I haven't given up. I ask everyone for recommendation votes every day.
Maybe there are only around a thousand of you reading this right now, but I hope that one day, just us readers will be able to defeat the other works! We're the best team!)*