The Way of the Ninja! Protecting

Uchiha Itachi possessed an iron will; he loved his family, and he loved every soul within Konoha just as deeply.

Uchiha Obito and Orochimaru were executioners, and their deeds would be forever etched in the Uchiha Clan's hearts as a source of bitter hatred.

The two sides stood in a stalemate.

A Giant Water Prison appeared to the west.

A Wooden Buddha Statue appeared to the south.

Uchiha Obito wondered in confusion: The barrier has not been broken, so why do Kisame and Tobi act as if they are facing a formidable enemy? Aside from Uchiha Itachi, there shouldn't be anyone in the Uchiha Clan capable of standing against them.

Was the intelligence flawed?

Uchiha Itachi felt even more uneasy. It turned out that beyond the masked man and Orochimaru, there were other powerhouses invading the Uchiha Clan. Were they planning to eradicate the Uchiha Clan entirely?

The massive Buddha statue brought a sense of intimidation to the sprinting Uchiha Sasuke. He began to doubt himself again: Why, even after awakening the Sharingan, am I still so weak?

Fortune intervened.

Seeing Karin rescuing people amidst the ruins ahead, Uchiha Sasuke shouted urgently, "Karin, please, save my mother!"

A man does not shed tears easily, but Uchiha Sasuke, clutching at this straw of hope, could not help but let them fall.

Karin took Uchiha Mikoto from him with both hands and gave Uchiha Sasuke a look that told him to leave.

Uchiha Sasuke wiped his tears. "I know. I won't let the battle interfere with you. Karin, even if something happens to me, you must save my mother."

Karin swore solemnly, "A promise made is a promise kept. Naruto often says that although Uchiha Sasuke is his little brother, he understands deep down that everyone cares for him. Even if his pursuit of power is obsessive, his passionate blood will not be completely changed by that power. Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto is fighting too. Everyone is fighting. Fighting isn't about seeking death; it's about defeating the enemy, killing the enemy, and protecting the precious people in our hearts."

"That's right!" Uchiha Sasuke's spirits lifted. "A true genius of the Uchiha Clan will not be afraid anymore."

The Three Tomoe in Uchiha Sasuke's eyes grew increasingly profound, evolving in a direction that defied imagination.

Protecting precious people—that is my ninja way, Uchiha Sasuke.

Uchiha Sasuke turned and sprinted toward the direction of the water prison.

Orochimaru paused, glanced toward Karin's direction, then fixed his gaze on Uchiha Sasuke. "Uchiha Sasuke, I like you more and more. Now, shall I show you why I am one of the Sannin, and whether I am the one you should choose?"

"Summoning Jutsu." Orochimaru whispered, "Manda, come out. It has been a long time."

Rumble.

The purple-striped Manda, over a hundred meters long, opened its eyes arrogantly. "Orochimaru, you summoned me. Have you prepared the sacrificial food?"

Orochimaru smiled. "The ground is covered in the corpses of the Uchiha Clan; I trust you will be satisfied. However, please leave their eyes for me, and then go capture Uchiha Sasuke, who is fleeing toward the water prison."

Manda took a deep breath, satisfied as it filled its belly. "Orochimaru, why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?"

"How could you possibly understand?" Orochimaru wore an unusual smile.

Manda slithered at incredible speed, its massive body crushing the ruins of the buildings into complete oblivion.

At Uchiha Obito's feet, Tobi slowly emerged, appearing weak and powerless.

"What happened?"

Tobi possessed Uchiha Obito's body. "Everything has gone chaotic. Sasori was beaten into dust by a yellow-haired boy from Konoha using taijutsu and Rasengan. My wooden figure was also sliced in two by that boy using taijutsu and Rasengan. That boy's constitution is like a Tailed Beast; he recovers even after taking my full-force attack."

Does Konoha really have someone this powerful? Uchiha Obito cursed Danzo in his heart. Why was the intelligence incomplete? If the cost of destroying the Uchiha Clan was the death of the powerful ninjas he had painstakingly gathered, the result would be a net loss.

Tobi laughed aloud. "Don't you find it increasingly interesting? If we succeeded easily, it would lose its meaning, and the thrill would vanish."

Uchiha Itachi heard their conversation. The yellow-haired boy—isn't that Naruto?

Naruto, just how far can you grow?

Outside the Four Violet Flames Formation.

Danzo blocked Kushina Uzumaki and the others.

They watched from start to finish, burning with anxiety.

"Danzo, have you still not found the eye of the formation? We can't wait any longer! Can't you see the strength of the enemies inside?" Kushina Uzumaki demanded loudly. "Didn't you claim to know the village like the back of your hand?"

But the true combat power of Konoha was not in the village.

Kakashi and Guy had also been sent away on missions.

Danzo remained as steady as an old dog. "Kushina Uzumaki, this is no ordinary barrier. If your strength isn't sufficient, forcing a breakthrough will only result in being burned to death by the flames on the barrier. I am just as anxious to save the Uchiha Clan, but if the barrier doesn't break, there is nothing I can do!"

Behind Kushina Uzumaki stood Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga.

Hinata's small hands were clasped tightly against her chest; her ring finger could feel the heartbeat of Naruto.

More ordinary Konoha ninjas stood guard on the perimeter.

The giant wooden figure appeared.

They gasped, wondering if the First Hokage had been reborn.

The Blue Flash severed the wooden figure.

They were astonished at when the Uchiha Clan had produced such a powerful figure.

Because Naruto's speed was too fast, even the Jonin could not see his full form.

But Kushina Uzumaki recognized him—that was the child she had nurtured within her own body!

Hinata recognized it, because the Red Thread of Fate connected their lives.

"Danzo, I suspect you of colluding with the enemy." Kushina could wait no longer; with her straightforward temper, she branded Danzo with the charge of treason.

Danzo tapped his cane lightly against the ground.

Root ninjas appeared behind Danzo, waiting for his command.

Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga stood in front of Kushina simultaneously; should Danzo truly make a move against her, the Hyuga Clan would exhaust every effort to protect the wife of the Fourth Hokage.

In Konoha, a village that appeared harmonious on the surface, civil war seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

Nara Shikaku stepped out from the crowd: "Everyone, hear me out."

At that moment, Manda appeared.

"That is Orochimaru's summoning beast. So it was Orochimaru who attacked the Uchiha Clan! Send this news to the Third Hokage and the Fourth Hokage immediately."

The faces of the Konoha Intelligence Division ninjas changed; that was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, after all. The Uchiha Clan was truly in danger.

The treatment area Karin had planned was far from the scene and hidden, so it would not be discovered by the enemy for the time being.

Uchiha Mikoto's abdominal wound had healed, but having lost too much blood, it would require the unique life-healing ability of the Uzumaki Clan to save her life.

Karin bared her snow-white arm: "I am doing this to save a life."

"You, come over and help."

Karin called out to a plain-looking boy: "Lift her head and move her jaw so that her teeth can bite firmly into my arm. Do you understand?"

"Understood." The boy acted with steady resolve.

Teeth marks were left upon Karin's arm, while Uchiha Mikoto's complexion returned to normal and her breathing grew strong.

Izumi Uchiha had not been deeply poisoned, and after Karin performed medical ninjutsu for a short while, she was successfully saved.