Things Had Come to This, So He Might as Well Get to Work

Hyuga Hiashi staggered to his feet, gritting his teeth against his injuries. Then he took a deep breath and knelt on one knee in submission.

On the battlefield, more and more shinobi knelt one after another. An oppressive atmosphere spread across all of Konoha.

Uchiha Yoru swept his gaze around. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, clearly pleased with the sight.

He spoke slowly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Everyone who died tonight was a rogue ninja, an enemy of Konoha!"

His words rang out with force, echoing through the ruins and striking fear into every heart.

"Do any of you have a problem with that?"

No one answered. The shinobi around them held their breath, scarcely daring to make a sound.

Was this some kind of joke? Right before their eyes, Susanoo's colossal form still radiated terrifying pressure. And behind their Fifth Hokage stood that towering Susanoo, gazing down at them all.

Resist? What was that, if not asking to die?

So everyone nodded in agreement.

"Good."

Uchiha Yoru nodded slightly, then turned his gaze toward the clan heads who were still standing. "Tonight, the lot of you will lead the Anbu in securing the entire village."

"If anyone dares to take advantage of the chaos and cause trouble, or tries to disrupt my Konoha during this time—"

Uchiha Yoru paused. His scarlet eyes narrowed, and killing intent erupted from him.

"Execute them on the spot!"

The air seemed to freeze. Everyone shuddered.

The clan heads exchanged glances, then bowed their heads and answered solemnly, "Yes, Lord Fifth Hokage!"

They had no grounds to refuse.

Uchiha Yoru slowly dismissed Susanoo, casually brushing the bloodstains from his sleeve. A smile played on his lips. "Since none of you have any objections, then that's settled."

Having arranged everything, he turned and gazed into the distance—the direction Danzo had gone.

His smile gradually faded, his gaze turning cold as ice.

He pushed off the ground, and in an instant, his body became a streak of shadow and vanished into the night.

Susanoo's enormous form slowly faded away, leaving only broken walls and ruins to bear witness to the one-sided beatdown that had just taken place.

The acrid stench of blood hung in the air. Scorching flames danced among the ruins, illuminating faces filled with fear and confusion.

The shinobi around them looked at one another, as if they still couldn't accept what had happened.

That night, Konoha's skies had changed forever.

Hyuga Hiashi struggled to his feet, his face a tangled mess of emotions. He gazed toward the direction Uchiha Yoru had disappeared, unable to calm his thoughts.

As one of the Ninja World's greatest clans, the Uchiha Clan had already been driven to the brink by Konoha High Command. Who could have imagined that, in the middle of an extermination crisis, someone capable of overturning the entire Ninja World would emerge from their ranks?

His presence was just like Uchiha Madara's back in the day, enough to make anyone tremble.

Hyuga Hiashi didn't know whether this was a blessing for the Uchiha Clan or a calamity for Konoha.

But one thing was certain: starting tonight, the balance of the entire Ninja World would undergo unprecedented upheaval...

Things had come to this. He might as well get to work.

He took a deep breath and, dragging his badly injured body, began directing people to calm the civilians. He also had someone carry Kakashi and Might Guy away together—they were still playing "human stack"—and take them to Konoha Hospital.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Yoru moved like lightning, using the Body Flicker Technique without pause as he headed straight for Shimura Danzō's hiding place.

He didn't look back, nor did he care about the shock and terror he'd left behind.

As far as he was concerned, there was no one or faction left in the Ninja World that could threaten him. Schemes and conspiracies? Keeping a low profile and biding his time?

Those were tactics only the weak needed to consider!

"Strength decides everything. Why pretend otherwise?"

Standing at the pinnacle of the Ninja World, he had no need to play political games. The most effective way to deal with these ants was to crush them with overwhelming force.

The system's goal was to unite the Ninja World, but it hadn't specified how.

If he were a bloodthirsty madman, the simplest way to unite it would be to slaughter everyone in the Ninja World, leaving himself as the sole survivor.

But he wasn't a cold-blooded butcher.

At least, so far, everyone he'd killed had been an animal who deserved to die from his point of view.

Meanwhile, Shimura Danzō hurried back to Root Base. He ordered everyone to go on the highest alert, then began packing his things.

That was right. His mind might have been a little screwed up, but he wasn't stupid enough to fight Uchiha Yoru head-on as things stood.

The most important thing now was to find a way out in advance!

However, he didn't plan to flee just yet.

He was still waiting for a chance—a chance to turn everything around for good.

"Monkey... Don't disappoint me."

Shimura Danzō thought grimly, a gleam of excitement flashing in his eyes.

He knew perfectly well that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the "Professor of Ninjutsu," had mastered countless powerful S-rank forbidden techniques!

If Sarutobi Hiruzen were pushed to the brink and used some forbidden technique to fight to the death—even if he died in the process...

That would be wonderful!

Once Sarutobi Hiruzen and that damned Uchiha brat were both dead, Konoha would be plunged into chaos. Shimura Danzō could seize the opportunity to consolidate Root and Anbu's forces and take control of the situation!

Then, under the pretext of "putting down the Uchiha rebellion," he could claim the Hokage Position—

It had been his lifelong dream for over a decade!

"The Hokage Position... This time, no one is going to stop me!"

Shimura Danzō clenched his fists, his heart pounding.

An excitement unlike anything he'd ever felt before set his blood racing. In that moment, he could practically see himself taking the Hokage Position and ruling over all of Konoha!

But then—

Boom!!

Root Base suddenly shook violently. A tremendous tremor surged up from deep underground, as if the earth itself were roaring!

"What's going on?!"

Shimura Danzō looked up sharply, his face stricken with alarm.

Before he could react, the thick layer of rock overhead was ripped away by a terrifying force. A deep-blue light tore through the darkness!

The next moment, an enormous chakra blade came crashing down from above like a divine weapon, plowing straight through all of Root Base!

Rumble—

Rocks and dirt flew everywhere as a massive fissure spread in every direction. The heavy ceiling collapsed with a crash, and vast sections of the building were instantly reduced to rubble!

Blinding moonlight poured through the enormous breach, falling across a face drained of color and twisted with terror.

Shimura Danzō stood frozen in place. The elation had not yet left his face, but his pupils had shrunk to pinpricks.

—He saw that familiar figure.

The night breeze stirred. Susanoo's enormous form stood atop the ruins, like a god looking down upon the earth.

And within Susanoo's massive chest, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened.

Uchiha Yoru looked down at him from above, a mocking curve on his lips.

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

"It's only been a few minutes... How'd you end up this pathetic?"