At that moment, night fell like ink, shrouding everything in darkness.
In front of the Konoha Military Police Force headquarters.
Space suddenly rippled, and a figure wearing a yellow, tiger-striped spiral mask appeared.
"The Konoha Military Police Force?"
"What a joke!"
"Tonight, that joke ends."
Obito sneered and blurred from sight.
He charged straight into the headquarters building before him.
But the next moment,
he realized the brightly lit building was completely empty!
The dozens of Uchiha elites who should have been on duty there were nowhere to be found!
How could this be?!!
Had the Uchiha Clan's coup already begun?
Had all the elite clan members here been deployed?
Impossible!
There was no way such an operation could have escaped Konoha's notice.
Where had everyone gone, then?
Just as Obito was puzzling over it,
"Boom! Boom—"
The sounds of massive explosions and collisions rang out in the distance.
Obito instantly activated Kamui and transported himself to the rooftop. He looked toward the sounds of battle.
The next moment,
as he watched two towering Susanoo Demon Gods rise from the Uchiha compound, he couldn't help but stare in shock!
"How could this be?!!"
"Is that... [Susanoo]?"
"Is it Itachi?"
"No, that's not his chakra!"
"Could there really be two more Mangekyō users hidden within the Uchiha Clan?"
"They've kept themselves hidden remarkably well!"
"Judging by the looks of it, one of them should be Fugaku!"
"Hmph! That useless clan leader is finally willing to show his strength?"
"Did an internal conflict break out?"
"Is he putting down the rebellion?"
"Timid and indecisive toward outsiders, but ruthless against his own?"
"Tch~~~"
Obito silently sneered in contempt.
But he didn't dare approach recklessly.
After all, most of Konoha's powerful fighters had gathered over there.
If he got too close and exposed himself, things could turn ugly.
Better to watch from a distance first.
Meanwhile,
around the battlefield,
at Sarutobi's instruction, the other Konoha Ninja also refrained from joining the fight.
Instead, they orderly evacuated the residents while sealing off the surrounding area,
trying to keep the battlefield as contained as possible.
At the heart of the battlefield,
Natsume controlled his Susanoo as he fought, while also keeping an eye on his surroundings.
Seeing Sarutobi, Danzo, and the others arrive,
he knew the time was right.
He stopped holding back and unleashed his full power!
His ocular power and chakra poured out like a flood, driving his Mangekyō Sharingan to push [Susanoo] directly from its first form to its second.
In an instant,
countless chakra-made veins and masses of flesh sprouted, wrapping around the Susanoo skeleton like a cloak.
In this state, Susanoo's offensive and defensive power both increased dramatically.
It could even use its own special weapons and techniques.
Its power far surpassed that of Susanoo's initial state and first form.
However, the chakra consumption in this state also multiplied, placing an enormous strain on the Mangekyō Sharingan.
It couldn't be sustained for long.
"Natsume, you've developed 'Divine Power' to this extent?!"
Seeing the Susanoo clad in a feathered robe, its chakra surging and its presence growing even more fearsome,
Fugaku's eyes widened, and he gasped in disbelief.
In just a few short minutes,
his once-unremarkable nephew had shocked him—and all of Konoha—time and again!
If the boy hadn't been only two or three years old seven years ago,
he would have suspected that this boy had controlled the Nine-Tails and attacked Konoha!
But there was no time to marvel.
The next moment,
Natsume's Susanoo clenched its hand and drew a chakra greatsword nearly twenty meters long.
It flourished the blade in a dazzling arc, its might shaking the heavens,
then swung it fiercely at Fugaku's Susanoo.
An overwhelming sense of danger exploded across Fugaku's scalp.
In an instant, he hurriedly drove his Mangekyō Sharingan to transform his Susanoo into its unfamiliar second form, trying to force his way into it.
But Natsume's strike
was too fast! Too powerful!
Before the chakra flesh could fully cover Fugaku's Susanoo, the blade tore through it and cleaved apart its skeletal frame.
The second strike...
The third strike...
Three strikes in succession, each fiercer than the last!
They whipped up boundless gales, cleaving through the clouds with unmatched force!
"Crack—"
Under the surging force of the blows, Fugaku's Susanoo was shattered on the spot, its parts breaking apart completely.
Fugaku himself was sent flying, blood spilling from his mouth.
He smashed through several buildings in succession
before finally crashing into a pile of rubble dozens of meters away.
He had utterly defeated a bona fide Kage Level fighter in just three moves!
The shocking sight left the surrounding Ninja gaping in disbelief, their faces full of wariness.
Such overwhelming strength was truly unsettling!
Danzo, who had been lurking beside Sarutobi, watched the Susanoo wielding the greatsword, then glanced down at the tiny Kunai in his hand.
In the end, without drawing attention, he quietly put the Kunai away.
Perhaps he'd never again entertain the absurd idea of stabbing a Susanoo with a Kunai.
After defeating Fugaku in three moves,
Natsume felt the strain. Most of the chakra in his body had been spent, and his chakra-depleted Mangekyō Sharingan began to throb with pain.
He could no longer maintain the second form of [Susanoo].
It regressed to its initial state, leaving behind a three-meter-tall rib cage of bones to protect him.
But Natsume knew even better
that he had already accomplished what he'd set out to do.
Before defecting, he'd gone out of his way to pick a fight with Fugaku, the clan leader—not because he had nothing better to do.
For one thing, this fierce battle would draw most of Konoha's Ninja away, making it easier for the other clan members to escape.
For another, it let him display his strength without restraint, giving anyone who might try to scheme against him and his people in the future a reason to think twice.
After all, if he didn't show a strength that made people wary,
then even if he led half the clan out of Konoha,
all that awaited them would be Konoha's endless pursuit...
In this cruel Ninja World, only strength could serve as the measure of everything! Only strength could make people wary!
Judging by the results, it had worked remarkably well.
His outburst had clearly cowed quite a few people.
And by now, the other half—or more—of the clan who were willing to defect from Konoha had probably managed to escape.
All that remained was for him to get out of Konoha too!
With that, Natsume didn't waste another second. He bent his knees and sprang forward.
He leaped dozens of meters in an instant and fled toward the outskirts of Konoha...
He wasn't about to make the same mistake as those foolish rebels who left behind a few stupid last words to stir up hatred.
As if they were begging someone to kill them.
Wouldn't that time be better spent getting a few hundred meters farther away?
Seeing the battle end with Fugaku defeated,
and Natsume looking exhausted, his chakra nearly spent, as he leapt away to escape,
Danzo could no longer contain himself.
He hurriedly shouted at Sarutobi:
"Sarutobi! Move!"
"This is our last chance! Do you really want to let such a menace escape the village?"
"You saw his strength. And he's frighteningly young! Given time to grow, he could become another Uchiha Madara!"
"Do you think Konoha could withstand his revenge then?!!"
At this,
a flicker of hesitation crossed Sarutobi's eyes.
If he could avoid it, he truly didn't want to resort to violence against the Uchiha Clan.
But Danzo had a point.
As Hokage, he had to consider the village.
He absolutely couldn't let such a dangerous talent escape Konoha!
After a brief hesitation, Sarutobi made his decision.
"Anbu, listen up!"
"S-rank priority mission: stop the defecting Uchiha Natsume. Capture him alive if possible!"
"If necessary, you are authorized to kill!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Sarutobi's command,
the Anbu Ninja acknowledged the order and hurried after Natsume.
Even the clan leaders of the other major families exchanged glances and silently approved the decision.
After all, from the perspective of Konoha and their clans, no one wanted to see another 'Uchiha Madara' rise from within the Uchiha Clan!
At the same time, now that he had received official authorization to pursue Natsume, Danzo
smiled faintly, the corners of his mouth lifting as he quickly led several Root Ninja away.
He disappeared into the night.
To him, such a precious pair of 'Mangekyō Sharingan' was something he was determined to claim!
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