At this moment, the Third Hokage and Danzo still didn't know their clan had been annihilated

"Who... who did this?"

Seeing the tragic state of his son, Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer maintain his usual gentleness and kindness, gritting his teeth as he spat out these words.

His twisted expression, combined with the bulging veins at his temples, sent a chill through the surrounding Anbu ninjas.

At this moment, everyone present knew that the Third Hokage, hailed as the "strongest Hokage in history" and known as the Professor, was truly enraged.

"We... we don't know. When we found them, they were already like this," the nearby Anbu ninja replied timidly.

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could respond, an Anbu squad led by Kakashi arrived within the Uchiha compound.

"Lord Hokage, Uchiha Sasuke is the only survivor of the Uchiha clan, but he has been struck by a genjutsu and has fallen into a deep coma. Furthermore..."

The expression beneath Kakashi's mask was particularly complex. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "We also discovered the body of Chiya. It appears he was struck by a powerful genjutsu similar to the one affecting Uchiha Sasuke before being run through the chest and killed instantly. His mask and blade are missing, and his body has already been recovered."

Chiya was the student of his good friend Yuhi Kurenai.

He was the white moonlight of Naruto, the orphan of his teacher.

He himself had also taught Chiya ninjutsu, and his impression of the latter was exceptionally good.

No one would ever want to see Chiya die.

Especially Yuhi Kurenai; no one knew better than Kakashi just how much she cared for Chiya.

During the year Chiya spent in the Anbu monitoring the Uchiha clan, she had asked him for news about Chiya almost every few days.

Regarding this, he could only reassure her without revealing the details of the mission.

It was hard to imagine what a heavy blow it would be for Yuhi Kurenai if she learned of Chiya's death.

Hearing of Chiya's death, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a slight sense of relief in his heart.

However, he was an old fox after all. Sensing the gloom in Kakashi's emotions, he had to suppress his inner grief and killing intent, feigning regret as he said, "Chiya died protecting the Uchiha clansmen of Konoha; he is a hero of Konoha. After you finish handling the remains of the Uchiha clan, take some men to bury him."

"As for Kurenai, since Chiya was her student, you should be the one to help inform her."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Kakashi responded respectfully, deeply moved and full of admiration for the Third Hokage's thoughtfulness toward his subordinates.

After Kakashi left, the Third's gaze turned cold, and he commanded sharply, "Immediately begin counting the death toll of the Uchiha clan and verify them one by one. Additionally, send the remains of Shinnosuke and the others to the Analysis Department. I want to know who killed him."

He suspected that besides Uchiha Itachi, another powerhouse had appeared within the Uchiha clan.

Otherwise, given his son's strength as an elite jonin, paired with four capable assistants, it would have been impossible for them to die so miserably.

Furthermore, it was highly likely to be the same mysterious person who had severed Shimura Danzō's left arm and taken Shisui's right eye.

After speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen led the surrounding Anbu into the Uchiha compound with quick strides.

This time, besides finding the culprit who killed his son and clansmen, he also needed to find a scapegoat for the annihilation of the Uchiha clan.

Although he could pin most of the blame on Uchiha Itachi, the old foxes of Konoha's various clans were not so easily fooled.

They saw the dirty dealings between the Uchiha clan and the Konoha high command as clearly as a mirror.

If handled poorly, everyone would feel endangered, turning Konoha into a scattered mess.

At that point, his position as Hokage would no longer be secure.

This was something Sarutobi Hiruzen absolutely did not want to see.

Therefore, he needed to find a scapegoat.

This scapegoat was none other than his "good friend," Shimura Danzō.

Doing this had two benefits.

On one hand, it would appease the dissatisfaction of the various clans in Konoha.

On the other hand, the Root Division had become too powerful to control, reaching a point where they didn't even put him, the "strongest Hokage in history," in their eyes.

They only had Lord Danzō in their hearts, not the Third.

He could take this opportunity to weaken the power of the Root Division.

This was also the reason he had agreed to let Danzō go to the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters.

As for the little tricks Danzō was playing in the shadows—recovering the Sharingan—he was well aware of them.

He would just consider it a form of compensation for Danzō.

Poor Danzō, having lost the watermelon to pick up sesame seeds, was secretly feeling smug about the annihilation of the Uchiha clan, unaware that he had been in Sarutobi Hiruzen's calculations all along.

Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen himself wasn't doing much better.

Not only had he lost his eldest son and daughter-in-law, but his entire clan had also been almost completely slaughtered by Chiya.

In the shadows, Chiya had watched everything unfold.

Faking his death—this was something he had decided on the spur of the moment.

The goal was to create the illusion for the Konoha high command that someone had impersonated him to wipe out the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan.

There was no helping it; he could not simply abandon his disciple Mitarashi Anko and walk away like Orochimaru.

Yuhi Kurenai was still in Konoha.

This could also be considered a form of indirect protection for Yuhi Kurenai.

Regardless of whether Sarutobi Hiruzen knew if he had killed the Sarutobi clansmen or not, since he would be "dead," Sarutobi Hiruzen would have no choice but to swallow his teeth and bear the pain.

By the time he returned to Konoha again, it would be time for the Konoha Crush Plan.

"It is time to go see Kurenai."

Considering that the Root Division ninjas had not witnessed the release of Kyōka Suigetsu, Chiya deliberated carefully before using the cover of Kyōka Suigetsu to retrieve the three crows that had died in place of himself, Uchiha Izumi, and Mikoto.

Then, he conveniently stole the corpses of Uchiha Fugaku and several other Uchiha clansmen with Three-Tomoe Sharingan in the vicinity to serve as smoke screens.

Finally, he left the Uchiha compound without a sound.

At the same time.

Konoha Military Police Force headquarters.

"Be careful, all of you! Do not damage my Sharingan!" Danzo commanded the Root Division ninjas to recover the Sharingan while suppressing his abdominal pain, feeling both agony and joy.

Just then, a Root Division ninja came to report, "Lord Danzo, the death toll has been tallied. Aside from Uchiha Fugaku, who was at the Uchiha compound, everyone in the Konoha Military Police Force has been killed. I have already sent the death list to the Third Hokage as you requested, but..."

He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "The vast majority of them have had their eyes gouged out. There are not many Three-Tomoe left."

"That damn bastard," Danzo frowned and cursed under his breath.

He was aware of this matter.

Because this was a deal he had made with Obito: Obito would be responsible for helping him wipe out the Konoha Military Police Force, and in exchange, Obito would take half of the Sharingan.

But judging by the subordinate's words, it was clear that Obito had taken far more than half.

"Lord Danzo, what should we do?" the Root Division ninja asked.

"Leave a few men here to keep watch and continue recovering the Sharingan. The rest of you, come with me to the Uchiha compound," Danzo commanded sharply.

ps: First update