The Aftermath

The Special Police Division leader looked at the dozen or so Masked Ninja still maintaining their battle formation in the distance. Although he was not afraid, he still felt pressure in his heart.

The squad leader raised his right hand, and a ball of lightning gathered on his palm, guiding the thunder from the rain clouds in the sky.

The enemy, arriving from afar, seemed to sense something upon seeing the strange phenomenon in the sky and the lightning in the hands of the person in front.

When the two sides were about 100 meters apart, countless Shuriken shot towards them. One of the ninjas Hand Seals and Hand Seals them.

The Shuriken, as it hurtled forward, multiplied during its rapid flight: one became two, two became four, and four became eight.

In less than a second, the dozen or Shuriken that had been fired became a dense, overwhelming mass, too numerous to count.

"Earth Style: Earth Style Wall!"

A member of the Special Police Division, who had retained his Chakra, Hand Seals at lightning speed, pressed his hands to the ground, and a section of earthen wall quickly rose.

The dense barrage of ninja tools struck the Earth Style Wall, riddling it with craters.

Seeing the rain clouds in the sky and the light drizzle beginning to fall, the masked ninjas seemed to sense danger, and the group of fifteen began to scatter.

The Special Police Division leader, who controlled the lightning, leaped onto the top of the Earth Style Wall, his scarlet eyes watching the masked Masked Ninja attack in skirmish formation.

"Trying to scatter? But it's too late."

The Special Police Division team leader pressed the grenade he was holding in his right hand forward and down.

"Let's land together with the thunder, Kirin!"

"Roar!"

The dark clouds in the sky, and the ferocious beast formed by lightning roared as it pounced towards the ground.

A blinding flash of lightning appeared, revealing a crater nearly two hundred meters in diameter on the ground.

"Watch out! More enemies! Two, four, seven, seven more!"

Members of the Special Police Division skilled in Sensory Ninjutsu loudly warned the officers, who drew their Ninja Sword and became alert.

Some began to retreat, hiding in the woods.

This batch of Special Police Division officers had almost exhausted their Chakra, and many of them could no longer even maintain their Sharingan.

The fifteen Masked Ninja, sensing something was amiss, began to scatter rapidly. Those closest to the center were all reduced to dust within the Kirin, while the others who had scattered were affected, though some survived.

The remaining seven Masked Ninja members, seemingly unaware of fear, silently charged towards the Special Police Division members.

Both sides were in similar condition, with very little Chakra left, and engaged in direct close-quarters combat.

Without chakra to perform ninjutsu, the masked men actually have the advantage. The Uchiha Police Department members, with chakra and Sharingan assistance, are definitely no match for them.

However, neither side had Chakra, and the Special Police Division members couldn't maintain their Sharingan, making them indistinguishable from regular ninjas.

Shimura Danzō was carrying a crystal ball and was accompanied by dozens of Root members as they hurried along the road.

The crystal ball is connected to the hidden perception barrier of the Four Violet Flames Formation. Through the Four Violet Flames Formation barrier, one can see inside the barrier from various angles, and also see outside the barrier.

However, the distance was too far, like looking through the Four Violet Flames Formation while standing on it. Through the Four Violet Flames Formation, the forest not far from it appeared as a giant snake writhing.

As Shimura Danzō hurried along, the swaying forest in the crystal ball's view came to a standstill, as if a battle had been decided.

However, the distance was too great to know who had won, which gave Shimura Danzō a sense of foreboding.

The top expert of the Root, a ninja cultivated with great difficulty and luck, sacrificing many of Uzumaki's elite members.

More importantly, Red Moon highly regards the Will of Root and listens to Danzo without question. This is Danzo's strongest ally in his bid for Hokage, and he cannot afford to lose him.

Moreover, it won't be so easy for Danzo to trick and exploit the Uzumaki Clan Danzo Konoha now, just like he did when the Uzumaki first arrived, to get the Uzumaki boys to join Root.

"Faster!"

Danzo shouted, and even more Chakra gathered beneath his feet, allowing him to travel as fast as Taijutsu Body Flicker Technique.

Upon hearing these words, the Root members behind him unleashed their Chakra and Danzo.

What Shimura Danzō didn't know was that his good classmate, the Third Hokage, was just as anxious as he was, and was leading a large number of Anbu to the scene.

Even if his top fighter is rescued, it remains to be seen whether he will still be under his command.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, accompanied by Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and a large number of Anbu, also traveled wearily towards the battlefield between Konoha and the Capital City.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who hadn't left Konoha or gone to the battlefield for nearly thirty years, was making an unprecedented appearance with his direct subordinates and two old comrades-in-arms, looking like he was about to go to war.

"Third Hokage, there's no need to expend Chakra to use the Telescope Technique. Uchiha Nara and that Wood Release ninja are too far away from the Four Violet Flames Formation to see clearly. As for the battle between the Root members and the Uchiha, there's nothing to see."

Utatane Koharu's trip with the Third Hokage, along with the numerous Anbu relocations, stirred up some unusual thoughts in Utatane Koharu.

Utatane Koharu wasn't the only one harboring ulterior motives; Mitokado Homura, standing next to the Third Hokage, also spoke up:

"Third Hokage, this is a golden opportunity to eliminate future troubles..."

"It seems we think the same thing."

Utatane Koharu, nodded in response.

"You've seen Uchiha Nara's Ninjutsu, are you confident you can eliminate him?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen replied softly, though a hint of uncertainty lingered in his heart.

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen's best outcome would be for Uchiha Nara and the Wood Release ninja to both suffer heavy losses, allowing him to appear as Hokage, mediate between the two sides, and then recruit the Wood Release ninja into the Anbu or transfer him to the Konoha Jonin Class.

"Third Hokage, are you hesitant and timid now? You've mobilized so many elite troops there; don't you really know what you're thinking?"

Utatane Koharu glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen and whispered a reminder.

"Third Hokage, once you arrive at the scene, declare Uchiha Nara missing-nin who massacred fellow villagers, and kill him on the spot. When you return to the village, find a way to Uchiha."

The Uchiha itself wasn't difficult to deal with; the real challenge was Uchiha Nara. Without Uchiha Nara, wouldn't the Third Hokage have been able to subdue those simpler Uchiha?

Mitokado Homura, who had always been equally indecisive, seemed to have suddenly gained insight, and his advice Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Wood Release ninjas are too important. Uchiha Nara possessed the Will of Fire. I think that after witnessing so many Konoha Style Ninjutsu, he will understand the identity of that Wood Release ninja."

Now I'm thinking about how to recruit Wood Release ninjas into the Anbu! Wood Release ninjas are far too important to Konoha!

Sarutobi Hiruzen never mentioned killing Uchiha Nara, seemingly acting out of concern for the public good and merely wanting to mediate.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, Sarutobi Hiruzen, exchanged a glance and understood each other's thoughts after a brief exchange of glances.

The two men knew in their hearts that Sarutobi Hiruzen was not as he seemed; if he truly wanted to mediate, he wouldn't have brought so many elite ninjas with him.