Sarutobi Hiruzen sat on the ground. The villagers and members of the ninja clans looked at him with complicated expressions, regret and reluctance in their eyes. At the same time, they turned their gazes toward Uchiha Izuna, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Shisui, their hearts filled with apprehension.
One family with three Susanoo users! Even the Uchiha Clan at the height of the Warring States period had only two. At that moment, everyone felt as though a massive boulder had been placed on their shoulders.
The villagers had once ostracized the Uchiha. Now the clan was on the verge of soaring to new heights. Some even felt that the next Hokage would definitely be from the Uchiha Clan.
One family with three Susanoo users! If they rebelled, those three alone could sweep through all of Konoha. Every Susanoo was the equivalent of a Nine-Tails!
(Nine-Tails: "???" Uchiha Madara: "???" Hashirama Senju: "???")
Uchiha Izuna took a deep breath. "Since the Third has admitted his mistakes, I wonder if he'd be willing to step down of his own accord. That would at least let him retain some dignity."
The Third looked up at Uchiha Izuna, his lips moving slightly. He didn't want to step down. Honestly, even after making so many mistakes, he still didn't want to give up his position.
The taste of power was truly wonderful. He had unwittingly become immersed in it. With absolute authority, he had priority access to everything, from resources to missions.
From his lofty position, he could allocate resources. Many clans came bearing gifts for the sake of those resources, fawning over him and laughing obsequiously. It made him, born into the ordinary ninja clan of the Sarutobi Clan, feel as if he'd instantly risen several ranks.
He, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was the most honored person in Konoha.
But now, Uchiha Izuna's demand that he step down felt like the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly rose to his feet and walked over to his desk to draft his resignation. At that very moment, the space before them began to twist.
A figure emerged from a spatial vortex and appeared in the Hokage's Office. In an instant, the entire room fell silent.
"Oh? It seems I came at a bad time. What are you all discussing?" The mysterious man, wearing an orange spiral mask, stood among them.
Minato Namikaze's pupils contracted. He would never forget that figure! It was him—the man who had summoned the Nine-Tails and attacked Konoha on the Night of the Nine-Tails, keeping Minato from going to help.
When enemies met, their eyes blazed with hatred. Feeling the Flying Thunder God Mark he'd left on the man, Minato thought, Kurama.
Kurama recognized him too. This was the man who had controlled him during the Nine-Tails Incident. Though Kurama had escaped, he'd been controlled with the Sharingan and robbed of his freedom—used like a tool.
So Kurama didn't hesitate. He linked his chakra with Minato's, and little Naruto's body instantly turned golden. Then, with a flash of gold—
Minato appeared behind the mysterious man. A voice inside the man warned him, "Obito, watch your back!"
The mysterious man's Sharingan instantly changed into a Mangekyo Sharingan, and his body turned intangible. Minato's Rasengan failed to hit its target.
The mysterious man turned sideways and pulled out a kunai, thrusting it toward Naruto Uzumaki's head. "Hm, so it's you. I even held you when you were little!"
"But what a pity—you'll die here today!" Just as the kunai was about to touch Naruto Uzumaki, Uchiha Izuna struck.
His expression darkened. "You've got some nerve!" As he spoke, he pulled out the Uchiha Gunbai and swung it at the mysterious man's flank!
The mysterious man's pupils contracted. On one side was his teacher's son, Naruto; on the other was his flank. The choice was obvious, wasn't it?
As his intangibility wore off, the mysterious man spun around and brought his kunai down against Uchiha Izuna's Gunbai. The moment they collided, he was sent flying.
He rolled three times across the floor before crashing into the wall with a thud.
Gritting his teeth, he looked at the figure holding the Gunbai. Suddenly, his pupils contracted. That voice was just like the voice of the man who had taught him how to train.
Uchiha Madara!
Even Black Zetsu blurted out, "Holy crap, Lord Madara's been resurrected? That bearing, that aura, those movements, that flowing long hair, that arrogant face!"
Black Zetsu sounded even more excited than Uchiha Obito. In his eyes, Obito had been all right at first, but after Uchiha Madara left—
Uchiha Obito had shown his fangs. Though he was still carrying out the Eye of the Moon Plan, he was doing it for his own sake.
He wouldn't resurrect Uchiha Madara, which meant Madara wouldn't reclaim the Rinnegan. Without the Rinnegan, Madara couldn't summon the Ten-Tails, and without the Ten-Tails, he couldn't release Black Zetsu's mother.
But Madara was different. He was more intelligent than Obito, but easy to manipulate. Obito was stupid, but he had his own convictions and was hard to manipulate.
If—if that ten-year-old boy really was Uchiha Madara, Black Zetsu desperately wanted to return to Lord Madara's side.
Uchiha Obito got to his feet and murmured, "Who are you? Why do you look like that?"
"I'm your dad!" With that, Uchiha Izuna formed the ram hand seal, channeled his chakra, and took a deep breath before exhaling a torrent of flames.
The flames surged and spread rapidly, rushing toward Uchiha Obito! Obito's scalp prickled at the sight of the Fire Release, while Black Zetsu grew even more excited. This was Uchiha Madara's signature technique, his specialty Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame.
Uchiha Obito's face turned livid. But a wise man knew better than to fight when the odds were against him. He immediately opened the Kamui Dimension and escaped inside.
The fierce flames blazed through the room. The ninja nearby came to their senses and hurriedly used Water Release to extinguish the fire. At the same time, they turned to look at the one responsible: Uchiha Izuna.
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent. Could he defeat Uchiha Izuna? Probably not. His signature technique, Five Elements: Great Elemental Barrage, might not even break through Izuna's defenses.
Uchiha Izuna remained expressionless. He had plenty of ways to defeat Uchiha Obito. Why had he chosen a wide-area Fire Release technique like Majestic Destroyer Flame?
Because it looked cool!
It showed off his strength while driving away the enemy. Hadn't everyone in the Hokage's Office, from the smallest clans to the largest, gone from calculating stares to noticeably clearer eyes?
After they put out the fire, Minato Namikaze explained that the man had controlled the Nine-Tails and caused the Nine-Tails Incident, leading to the deaths of him and Kushina.
Hearing this, everyone nodded, then looked toward Uchiha Izuna again. So Izuna's actions just now had been to avenge the Fourth Hokage and protect everyone!
They all began praising Uchiha Izuna. Just then, Shikaku Nara stepped out of the crowd. "Since that's the case, and the Third is about to step down, why don't we all nominate Uchiha Izuna as the Fifth Hokage?"
The civilians took it well, but the members of the ninja clans wore inscrutable expressions.
Uchiha Izuna shook his head. "Although the Third is stepping down today, I'm too inexperienced to take on such a great responsibility."
"Thank you for your kind regard, Shikaku Nara. Everyone from the Uchiha Clan, let's return to our district!" Uchiha Izuna cast a meaningful glance at Shikaku Nara.
Shikaku Nara's lips curled upward. He understood in an instant. It wasn't that Izuna didn't want the position; he was waiting for the Third to urge him a few more times, so he could earn a reputation for benevolence.
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