The Sarutobi Clan's Annihilation

"True enough. But speaking of which, aside from Danzo, did anyone else from the Shimura Clan survive?" White Zetsu couldn't help asking.

"I've already confirmed it. Not a single member of the clan survived," Black Zetsu replied.

"Then why did Chiya say he'd leave Danzo an heir? Huh, it looks like Chiya's Shadow Clone has run into trouble over there," White Zetsu exclaimed. In a courtyard somewhere in the Sarutobi Clan compound, Chiya was surrounded by several Jōnin, seven or eight Special Jōnin, and more than a dozen Chunin.

"Chiya, what are you trying to do? Why are you slaughtering my Sarutobi Clan?" The leading Sarutobi Jōnin glared at Chiya and demanded an answer, hearing the screams of his clan members from the surrounding courtyards.

Others might not recognize Chiya, but the Hokage's close relatives certainly did.

They had spent years helping Sarutobi Hiruzen "solve problems," and the dirty work they did was no less than Root's.

Otherwise, the Sarutobi Clan could never have grown from a small clan into a force comparable to the Uchiha Clan in just a few decades.

"Ask the Third Hokage when you get to the Yellow Springs Road." Chiya raised his right hand. As the sound of birds chirping rang out, lightning surged in his palm, instantly forming a sharp spear dozens of meters long. It pierced the Sarutobi Jōnin through the throat.

The Sarutobi Jōnin didn't even have time to scream before he lost consciousness. The life faded from his eyes, and he was well and truly dead.

"Quick, kill him!"

The other Sarutobi clan members were badly shaken by Chiya's move and hurriedly attacked him.

Chiya swung the Chidori Sharp Spear in a sweeping strike. The seven or eight Sarutobi Jōnin and Special Jōnin who rushed at him first were instantly cut in half and fell into pools of blood.

"Ah! Run! He's a demon! Hurry and notify Lord Hokage!"

The remaining Sarutobi Special Jōnin and Chunin were so shocked by the sight that they could barely speak. They wished their parents had given them another pair of legs, then turned and fled.

Chiya wasn't about to let them escape. The Chidori in his palm changed shape, transforming into countless senbon that shot toward the Sarutobi clan members. In an instant, the Sarutobi Clan's elite forces had been wiped out.

"What was that? Lightning Release? Amazing," White Zetsu praised.

As the battlefield reporter, Black Zetsu took on the role of commentator as usual. "That was Chidori, a Lightning Release Ninjutsu created by Kakashi. It looks like Chiya hasn't just learned it; he's also changed its form. It can attack both at long and medium range, and can hit multiple targets."

"To think he can use such powerful Lightning Release Ninjutsu with just a Shadow Clone. He really is formidable."

The slaughter continued.

Meanwhile, at the Konoha Three-Color Dango Shop,

"What's with this awful weather? It's almost seven. It should've been dark ages ago at this time of year. This is so oppressive."

Sarutobi Asuma glanced at the clock hanging inside the Dango Shop, then gazed at the sky, already stained dark red by the sunset. A faint sense of unease stirred in his heart, and he couldn't help grumbling.

"It really is strange." Yuhi Kurenai felt uneasy too. She rested a hand on her chest and agreed.

Nearly a year had passed since Chiya had confessed his feelings to her and said those inexplicable words.

Since then, they hadn't spoken once or even seen each other.

If she hadn't happened to run into Kakashi and asked him whether Chiya was safe, Yuhi Kurenai would have thought something had happened to him.

Unlike Yuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma, the absent-minded Might Guy wasn't thinking about any of that. He kept shouting about youth with every bite, until Shiranui Genma beside him was nearly sick of hearing it.

What kind of mission did that jerk take on, anyway? Why is he being so secretive? Thinking this, Yuhi Kurenai had no desire to stay and listen to Might Guy chatter. She stood and said, "That's enough for today. We've nearly finished the dango, so I should head home."

"Um... Kurenai, should I—" Sarutobi Asuma started to offer to walk her home, but Yuhi Kurenai cut him off with a wave. "No, I can go by myself. We're not children anymore. If you walked me home, what would other people—Chiya—think?"

With that, Yuhi Kurenai used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from the Dango Shop.

Sarutobi Asuma sighed helplessly. He knew his plan to win Yuhi Kurenai over had fallen through again. After saying goodbye to Might Guy and Shiranui Genma, he returned home, dejected.

The moment he stepped through the door, Sarutobi Asuma smelled an overwhelmingly strong stench of blood.

The enormous Sarutobi Clan compound was terrifyingly quiet.

Like a ghost town.

"What in the world happened?"

A bead of cold sweat ran down Sarutobi Asuma's forehead. He hurried deeper into the compound.

He hadn't gone far before he saw bodies strewn across the ground.

They were all his clan members.

He clutched his head and cried out. Staggering, he collapsed to the ground, staring at the scene in terror.

They were dead. All his clan members were dead. As far as he could see, there wasn't a single survivor.

Their deaths were horrific, each killed with a single strike.

"Ah!" A child's scream suddenly jolted Asuma out of his terror.

"That's... Konohamaru's voice!"

Sarutobi Asuma grew even more frantic. Forgetting his fear, he got to his feet and rushed toward the source of the sound.

Meanwhile,

Chiya had nearly killed every Sarutobi clan member in the residential district.

Only Konohamaru remained, trembling in a wardrobe where his clan members had hidden him.

"That's the last one in the residential district. Chiya, what are you going to do?" Hidden inside the wall, White Zetsu spoke to Chiya in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Chiya shook his head. "No, there should be two. Isn't someone else rushing over from outside?"

As he spoke, Chiya punched through the wardrobe and dragged Konohamaru out.

Konohamaru was instantly terrified. He burst into tears, his wits scared clean out of him by the icy gaze behind Chiya's mask.

Chiya didn't bother speaking to him. He drew his Zanpakuto and brought it down, slicing off the boy's manhood.

"Ah!" Konohamaru screamed. His sobbing cut off, and after a few spasms, he passed out from the pain.

Chiya kindly took care of the bleeding so he wouldn't die.

"You're not going to kill him?" Black Zetsu couldn't help asking. Chiya had only ruined Konohamaru's means of committing evil.

"No. I said I'd leave the Third Hokage an heir, so I'll leave him one. I can't play favorites." Chiya casually tossed the unconscious Konohamaru aside.

"Hey, hey, Chiya, is that how you're leaving someone an heir?" White Zetsu's mouth twitched. Though it wasn't human, it knew that a human male who'd lost his manhood could no longer father children.

Konohamaru wasn't even a complete man anymore. How was that supposed to leave an heir?