It's Come to This, Let's Get to Work

Hyuga Hiashi staggered to his feet, enduring the pain from his injuries before taking a deep breath and kneeling once more to signal his submission.

On the battlefield, more and more ninja knelt in succession, a stifling atmosphere spreading throughout Konoha.

Uchiha Yoru scanned the circle, the corners of his mouth curling up; he was clearly quite satisfied with this scene.

He spoke slowly, his tone brooking no argument: "Everyone who died tonight was a rogue ninja, an enemy of Konoha!"

His words were resonant and powerful, echoing through the ruins and shaking the spirit of everyone present.

"Do you—have any objections?"

No one answered. The surrounding ninja held their breath, even their breathing becoming cautious and restrained.

Are you kidding? Right before their eyes, the massive form of the Susanoo still radiated a terrifying pressure, and behind their Fifth Hokage stood that towering Susanoo, looking down upon them all.

Resistance? How would that be any different from seeking death?

And so, everyone nodded, following their hearts.

"Very good."

Uchiha Yoru nodded slightly, then turned his gaze toward the few clan heads who remained standing, speaking indifferently: "Tonight, you will lead the Anbu and take charge of the village's security."

"Anyone who dares to take advantage of the chaos to stir up trouble, attempting to disrupt my Konoha during this time—"

Uchiha Yoru's voice paused, his scarlet pupils narrowing slightly as killing intent erupted abruptly.

"Execute! Without! Trial!"

The air seemed to freeze, and everyone's heart trembled.

The few clan heads exchanged glances, then lowered their heads and replied in deep voices: "Yes, Lord Fifth!"

They had no capital to refuse.

Uchiha Yoru slowly retracted the Susanoo, brushed the bloodstains from his sleeves, and a smile tugged at his lips: "Since you have no objections, then it is decided."

After arranging everything, he turned around, his gaze deep as he looked into the distance—toward the direction of Danzō.

His smile gradually faded, his eyes as cold as ice.

With a stomp of his foot, his entire body transformed into a black shadow, vanishing into the night.

The massive figure of the Susanoo dissipated slowly, leaving only broken walls and ruins to tell the tale of the indiscriminate thrashing that had just occurred.

The air was thick with the pungent scent of blood, and scorching flames danced among the ruins, illuminating faces filled with terror and confusion.

The surrounding ninja looked at one another, as if they still could not accept that all of this had happened.

Tonight, the sky over Konoha had completely changed.

Hyuga Hiashi struggled to stand, his face a mask of complexity. He looked toward the direction where Uchiha Yoru had vanished, his heart unable to find peace.

As one of the top noble clans in the ninja world, the Uchiha clan had been pushed to the brink of destruction by the Konoha high command. Who would have thought that in the midst of an extinction crisis, such an existence capable of overturning the ninja world would be born?

His existence was just like Uchiha Madara's back in the day—enough to make one shudder.

Hyuga Hiashi did not know if this was a stroke of luck for the Uchiha clan or a misfortune for Konoha.

But one thing was certain: from tonight on, the landscape of the entire ninja world would face an unprecedented upheaval...

Since things had come to this, he had better get to work.

He took a deep breath, dragging his heavily injured body to begin directing the crowd to comfort the civilians, while simultaneously ordering people to carry the still "stacked" Kakashi and Might Guy away to the Konoha Hospital.

--

On the other side, Uchiha Yoru moved like lightning, his Body Flicker technique constant as he headed straight for Shimura Danzō's hideout.

He did not look back, nor did he have any intention of paying attention to the shock and fear left in his wake.

In his view, there was no longer anyone or any force in the ninja world capable of threatening him. Schemes, plots, hiding one's strength?

Those were merely methods for the weak to consider!

"Strength determines everything; why bother with pretense?"

Standing at the pinnacle of the ninja world, he had no need to play politics. To deal with these ants, the most effective method was a crushing strike of thunder.

The system's goal was to unify the ninja world, but it did not dictate the method.

If he were a bloodthirsty madman, the simplest way to unify would be to slaughter the entire ninja world and make himself the only one left.

Yet, in the end, he was not a cold-blooded butcher.

At the very least, up until now, everyone he had killed was a damned animal who stood in his way.

--

Meanwhile, Shimura Danzō hurried back to the Root base, ordering everyone to enter the highest state of alert while he began to pack his belongings.

That's right, although there was something wrong with his head, he wasn't stupid enough to go head-to-head with the current Uchiha Yoru.

The most important thing now was—to find an escape route in advance!

However, he did not intend to flee immediately.

Because he was still waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that would allow him to turn the tables completely.

"Monkey... don't you dare disappoint me."

Shimura Danzō thought gloomily, a glimmer of excitement flashing in the depths of his eyes.

He was well aware that Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the "Professor of Ninjutsu," possessed numerous powerful S-rank forbidden techniques!

If Sarutobi Hiruzen were pushed to a desperate situation and forced to use some forbidden technique to fight to the death, or even perish...

That would be simply wonderful!

Once Sarutobi Hiruzen and that damned Uchiha brat died together, Konoha would fall into chaos, and he, Shimura Danzō, could seize the momentum to consolidate the power of Root and Anbu and take control of the situation!

When that time came, under the pretext of "purging the Uchiha rebellion," he would ascend to the position of Hokage—

This had been his long-cherished wish for over a decade!

"The position of Hokage... this time, no one will be able to stop me!"

Shimura Danzō clenched his fists, his heart pounding wildly.

An unprecedented excitement made his blood boil; at this moment, he felt as if he could already see the image of himself sitting in the Hokage's seat, ruling over the entirety of Konoha!

However—

BOOM!!—

The entire Root base shook violently, a fierce tremor spreading from deep underground as if the very earth were roaring!

"What is happening?!"

Shimura Danzō snapped his head up, his eyes filled with shock.

Before he could even react, the thick rock layer above his head was forcibly stripped away by a terrifying force, and a deep blue light tore through the darkness!

Immediately following, a massive chakra katana descended from the sky like a divine weapon, slicing the entire Root base wide open!

Rumble—

Earth and stone flew everywhere, huge fissures spread in all directions, the heavy ceiling collapsed with a roar, and large swaths of the structure were instantly reduced to ruins!

Blinding moonlight shone through the massive breach, casting its light upon a face filled with terror and pallor.

Shimura Danzō stood frozen in place, the ecstasy on his face not yet faded, while his pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.

—He saw that familiar figure.

The night breeze blew gently as the massive form of Susanoo stood atop the ruins, looking down upon the earth like a god.

And within the chest cavity of that colossal Susanoo, a pair of scarlet pupils slowly opened.

Uchiha Yoru looked down at him from above, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking arc.

"Isn't this the Hokage Assistant, the Darkness of the Shinobi World, Shimura Danzō?"

"It's only been a few minutes... how have you become so pathetic?"