The Third Hokage Falls in Battle

Naruto had originally wanted to drag things out and wear the old Third Hokage down, but he had not expected the old man to be so resolute, going straight for the Reaper Death Seal.

Although that could not threaten Naruto's life, he had no desire to experience it.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Danzo led the Root members directly to the Uchiha clan compound.

The two sides immediately faced off.

"Danzo, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

At this moment, the Uchiha clan's First Elder stood at the forefront.

"Hmph, stop playing dumb. The Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes already explains everything."

Danzo snorted. He had never cared to explain himself. To him, whether it was the Uchiha or not did not matter.

"That was not our doing."

The First Elder argued righteously.

And indeed, he had not done it.

On Naruto's side.

Seeing that the Third Hokage had already formed his hand seals,

Naruto stopped wasting time.

The Nine-Tails' body began to change.

It rapidly shrank until it finally transformed into Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

Seeing the golden child appear before him,

the Third Hokage's fingers froze mid-seal.

"Naruto, you're alive?"

Shock filled the Third Hokage's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa Third. It was two Uchiha who did it. One of them possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan."

Naruto offered an explanation. None of this had been part of his plan.

But when it happened, his first thought had not been to stop it, but to replace the Hokage.

Although the Third Hokage had treated him fairly well, he was still far inferior to Tsunade.

"So that's how it is?"

As an old political veteran, the Third Hokage was no fool. He now realized that this Naruto Uzumaki did not seem so simple.

But by then, it was already too late for him to say anything.

His chakra had already been depleted, and he had even summoned the phantom of the Reaper.

This jutsu required the caster's soul as its price. Once cast, the caster was certain to die.

The Third Hokage's soul was harvested by the Reaper and swallowed into its stomach.

As the smoke cleared, Naruto stood there, glittering with golden light.

The barrier was lifted, and ANBU instantly surrounded Naruto.

The two elders emerged from behind them.

They looked sorrowfully at the Third Hokage's body on the ground.

Then they looked warily at Naruto Uzumaki, who was still standing there.

At this moment, the pressure Naruto gave them was no less than that of the Nine-Tails.

"Naruto Uzumaki, what is going on here?"

Elder Koharu demanded sternly.

"Grandpa Third sealed the Nine-Tails and severely damaged its soul. That allowed me to gain control over part of the Nine-Tails' chakra. This is Nine-Tails Chakra Mode."

Naruto wore a grief-stricken expression.

As for whether they believed that explanation, it did not matter.

The Nine-Tails was Konoha's strategic asset. Whether they believed him or not, they could not afford to lose the Nine-Tails.

Not to mention Naruto's current strength.

"Your words cannot be trusted. Please remain in prison for some time."

Homura Mitokado narrowed his eyes, clearly not believing him at all.

At this moment, those controlled by Naruto were restless.

They wanted to support Naruto as the Fifth Hokage.

Naruto, meanwhile, was considering whether he should get rid of these two old bastards as well.

There had been no such thing as elders before the Third Hokage. These people had been established by the Third Hokage to control Konoha.

But Tsunade did not need them. As for becoming Hokage himself, Naruto had never truly considered it. It was thankless work.

"Naruto Uzumaki, what are you planning?" The two elders were seasoned veterans. The moment Naruto narrowed his eyes, they sensed his killing intent.

And they were no fools. The oppressive aura Naruto gave off simply by standing there was more than ordinary shinobi could endure.

"Grandpa Third's final order was for Tsunade to succeed him as the Fifth Hokage."

In the end, Naruto let out a breath.

Considering Konoha's current situation, if he truly wiped out all these people at once, Konoha would immediately fall into chaos.

The two elders exchanged glances and secretly shook their heads.

They had felt that killing intent clearly just now.

At the same time, they realized one thing: the jinchūriki was out of control.

Though no words were exchanged, both sides reached an understanding.

Naruto withdrew Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

The ANBU also retreated. Many of them sighed in disappointment.

If Naruto had acted just now, half of them would have chosen to support him.

Kakashi and the others also came forward at this time.

"Elders, what should we do now?"

"First..."

Just as the two elders were about to issue orders,

the thunderous sounds of battle from elsewhere drew everyone's attention.

"What happened?"

"Reporting to the elders, Elder Danzo has clashed with the Uchiha clan."

An ANBU hurriedly explained.

Everyone frowned.

No one was stupid. Everyone had clearly seen the three-tomoe Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes tonight.

"I was abducted by two members of the Uchiha clan. One of them was named Uchiha Shui."

Everyone looked toward Naruto, and Naruto gave an explanation.

"Damn Uchiha clan."

Upon hearing this, everyone could not help but curse.

Because of the Uchiha clan, the Third Hokage had died in battle, and Konoha had been weakened.

Killing intent flashed through the two elders' eyes.

They suddenly looked at Naruto.

"Kakashi, lead the ANBU to assist Elder Danzo."

The two elders had originally wanted to send Naruto along as well, but when they thought of the Sharingan, they became wary.

Kakashi did not object. Rather, he too was holding back a surge of anger.

He led a group of jonin toward the Uchiha clan compound.

"Naruto Uzumaki, return home for now."

No matter how many thoughts they had about Naruto, they could only leave things at that for the moment.

"Elders, please bring Lady Tsunade back to the village as soon as possible."

Naruto could not help reminding them before he left.

The two elders were no fools and naturally understood what Naruto meant.

They also ordered the news to be sealed off.

They began urgently notifying Jiraiya.

Naruto returned to his home.

"Those who bring disaster upon themselves cannot live."

Sensing the fierce battle at the Uchiha clan compound,

Naruto snorted coldly.

Trying to use him was courting death.

Even if the Uchiha clan now possessed two pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan, they could not possibly be a match for Konoha.

Not to mention that Danzo had no idea how many contingencies he had prepared to deal with the Uchiha clan.

Naruto returned home.

At the same time, more people were stationed around him.

Naruto did not care in the slightest.

Because they were all his people.

Just then, a jonin came before Naruto.

"Why doesn't Your Highness become Hokage directly?"

"Idiot. I'm not at a suitable age yet. Also, notify the others: gather any three-tomoe or Mangekyō Sharingan you find."

Naruto snorted coldly.

"Yes, rest assured, Your Highness."

The man immediately nodded.

In fact, Naruto did not even need to give the order. Those people already knew Naruto's preferences.

Naruto slept peacefully.

The next day, the atmosphere in the village became exceptionally strange.

The villagers felt as though they were dreaming.

The matter of the Nine-Tails had been suppressed. Naruto and the Third Hokage's battle had taken place inside the barrier, and ordinary villagers had only heard the roars and felt that terrifying pressure.

The Hokage Building's public explanation was that the Uchiha clan had rebelled.

As for news concerning Naruto and the Nine-Tails, it was completely suppressed.

At the same time, Jiraiya returned to the village.

He had been summoned back through the Reverse Summoning Jutsu.

In Naruto's room, shortly after he finished eating, a shinobi arrived.

"How are things?"

"Ten Uchiha were killed in battle, and twenty were captured."

"Among them, the Uchiha clan's First Elder, Uchiha Fugaku, and Uchiha Shui were killed. The rest are under guard."

Naruto frowned as he listened to the report.

"Uchiha Fuyue is really dead?"

Naruto was somewhat suspicious. Could he have faked his death?

Others might not know the Sharingan's forbidden techniques, but that guy should have known.