The Third Hokage: The Sarutobi Clan Will Join the Fray Too!

Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage and Danzō stared blankly as Susanoo dissipated.

"Itachi... lost?"

They could not believe it.

Yet the scene before them clearly said that Itachi had lost.

He had lost to an enemy who used a sword.

Despite possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan and unleashing the powerful Susanoo, he had been cut in two by that unknown enemy's single slash.

"What do we do now?" Danzō asked uneasily, his scalp prickling.

He had never heard of swordsmanship that terrifying.

Even Hanzo and the White Fang of old were far inferior.

Since when had the Uchiha Clan possessed such a powerful swordsman?

"There's no other way."

The Third Hokage drew a deep breath, his expression turning stern. "Send out every man we have!"

"At this point, we cannot back down!"

"If the Uchiha turn this around, you, me, and the entire village will be thrown into chaos!"

Danzō's heart jolted at those words, and a cold sweat broke out across his forehead.

Hiruzen was right.

He had nearly failed to realize it.

This was a fight to the death between them and the Uchiha Clan!

From the moment Root charged in, it meant they had torn away all pretense. Even if they wanted to call it off, the enraged Uchiha Clan would never stop.

This battle...

Could only end when one side had been utterly defeated.

"I understand!"

Danzō took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "Other than the necessary guards, I'll transfer every Root operative here."

"Mm." The Third Hokage nodded, then turned toward a corner nearby.

At his gaze, an Anbu stepped out of the shadows.

"Third Hokage-sama?"

"Send someone to notify Ino-Shika-Cho, especially Shikaku. Tell him about my plan for tonight and have him help calm the others in the village," the Third Hokage ordered.

"Yes!"

The Anbu bowed and withdrew.

"Danzō, let's go to the scene!" The Third Hokage turned back to him.

"...All right!"

Danzō hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

Given the current situation, the higher-ups truly needed to oversee the front lines. They had no choice but to go.

Though the Third Hokage alone would have been enough.

But if Danzō were not present, it would be difficult to collect those Sharingan.

Besides, with Hiruzen there, things can't possibly go so badly that we lose, can they? Danzō thought hopefully. At worst, we'll pay a greater price. We can still deal with the Uchiha Clan.

With that thought...

Danzō steadied himself and even grew eager to head to the front.

Once he commanded the victory over the Uchiha Clan...

His prestige would surely rise greatly. Perhaps even the position of Fifth Hokage would become possible?

"Let's go."

Unaware of Danzō's calculations, the Third Hokage strode out of the office.

His brows were tightly furrowed as his mind raced.

He had originally intended to end the battle quickly and eliminate the Uchiha Clan before anyone else could react.

Once the dust settled, the others would have nothing to say.

But now, the battle had been dragged out.

Once the other ninja clans realized they had moved against the Uchiha, they would inevitably feel threatened and cause unrest.

At a time like this, the rear absolutely cannot fall into disorder. As the Third Hokage stepped out of the office, he beckoned a member of the Sarutobi Clan over.

He was not only the Third Hokage, but also the head of the Sarutobi Clan.

At this moment, aside from the Anbu, the Sarutobi Clan was the only force he could mobilize.

"Go."

After giving the clansman several instructions, the Third Hokage sent him away.

If things became impossible to contain...

The Sarutobi Clan would also join the battle against the Uchiha as combatants.

He could not lose.

If he lost, it meant the Sarutobi Clan had lost.

So the Sarutobi Clan had to join the fray!

Nara Clan Compound.

The heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans sat together in a room.

An Anbu ninja gave them a detailed account of what had happened that night, as well as the Third Hokage's plan.

After hearing it...

The expressions of the three clan heads became extremely grave.

"The Third Hokage-sama..."

They wanted to speak but stopped, all manner of emotions churning within them.

But since the Sengoku era, the three clans had been supporters of the Sarutobi Clan.

Their relationship was that of retainers and lord.

In the end...

Shikaku and the other two could say nothing. They merely let out a long sigh.

"Sigh..."

"Gentlemen, the situation is urgent. Please act quickly!" The Anbu ninja had no interest in their complicated feelings and urged them to move.

"Got it."

Shikaku gave him a speechless look, then rose and left.

Seeing this, the Anbu ninja bowed before returning to the Third Hokage.

At the same time.

Every ninja and every ninja clan in the village watched the direction of the Uchiha with grave expressions.

After Susanoo appeared for the first time and was sent flying by a slash...

Most of the ninja had already sensed that something was wrong.

"Have they finally... decided to move against the Uchiha?"

"I wonder how things are going."

"That Susanoo just now was the legendary Mangekyō power, wasn't it?"

"The Uchiha Clan has produced another Mangekyō."

"But if I saw correctly, that Susanoo was cut down, wasn't it?"

Many had witnessed Susanoo dissipating with their own eyes.

Instinctively...

They believed the Uchiha Clan had fallen into a disadvantage.

Even their hidden Mangekyō Sharingan had been defeated by Konoha's side.

"Since when did the Third Hokage gain such a powerful swordsman under his command?" Many people were curious.

At the same time, they felt uneasy.

Even the Mangekyō Sharingan had been defeated.

Wouldn't clans weaker than the Uchiha be even more easily crushed by the Third Hokage's forces?

As they pondered this...

Members of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans suddenly began visiting them one by one.

"Everything is under control."

"Please wait without worry."

"It will be over soon."

"The Third Hokage-sama will explain everything to you."

After being reassured...

Some people sensed that something was off and began to think.

Clearly, the Uchiha were the ones at a disadvantage. Why did those words make it sound as though the Third Hokage was the one in trouble?

"Could it be..."

Some ninja clans began entertaining new thoughts.

They did not like the Uchiha. The Nine-Tails incident was a thorn that remained lodged in their hearts.

But on the other hand...

The Third Hokage had also ruled for far too long!

A group of old men occupied the positions of power and refused to let the younger generation rise.

They found that equally unbearable.

In fact...

Their private resentment toward the Third Hokage ran even deeper than their resentment toward the Uchiha!

Uchiha Clan.

"What an idiot."

Junichi looked at Itachi Uchiha's corpse and gently shook his head, his feelings somewhat complicated.

When he had read the manga in his previous life...

Although he had thought Itachi Uchiha had something wrong with his head, he had still invested emotions and expectations in the character.

But now...

He only found it boring.

When Itachi Uchiha stood before him, he could not even be bothered to say a word of nonsense.

He had no desire whatsoever to persuade him of anything. He only wanted to cut that idiot down with one slash.

The anger he had imagined never appeared.

Instead, his heart was filled with a sense of disappointment.

That feeling churned within him, stimulating a special gland in Junichi's brain to secrete a peculiar Yin Release chakra.

The chakra flowed through his meridians and poured into his eyes.

Crack!

In an instant, Junichi felt as though he had broken through a barrier.

His ocular power broke past the limits of the three-tomoe Sharingan and surged rapidly toward a higher realm!