A Battle to the Death

"Have the Anbu come too?"

The old man sighed softly, but his gaze did not waver in the slightest. He merely nodded calmly. "It seems Hiruzen has made up his mind to wipe us all out."

Beside him.

The injured Uchiha Clan members gripped their weapons tightly, glaring viciously at the Anbu.

Their emotions were in turmoil.

The Sharingan in their eyes glowed an ever-deeper crimson, as bewitching as fresh blood.

"Put down your weapons."

An Anbu ninja spoke in a low voice. "If you surrender now, the Third Hokage may still forgive some of your sins and allow some of you to live."

The old man immediately sneered at that, his face full of disdain.

"Young man, your surrender speech is terrible!"

"You even killed Uchiha who weren't ninjas. It's clear this is a fight to the death. I don't believe surrendering will make Hiruzen spare the rest of us."

"Besides..."

The old man stared at the speaking Anbu ninja and sneered. "Would you tolerate a group of Uchiha living on with hatred in their hearts?"

"Don't make me laugh!"

"The moment we surrender, the Uchiha will be slaughtered to the last man by you!!"

The last sentence.

The old man roared it, his fury carrying through his voice.

The surrounding Uchiha all had resolute looks in their eyes.

They knew very well that surrender was never an option in their current situation!

This battle.

Could only end once one side had fallen!

"..."

The Anbu ninja fell silent, quietly mocking himself inwardly.

They truly had no intention of sparing the Uchiha. The offer of surrender just now had all been lies.

He simply had not expected it to be seen through so quickly.

"Since you refuse to appreciate kindness, I won't waste any more words." The Anbu ninja shook his head, speaking regretfully. "You could have died easily."

"Now, you can only die one by one in agony."

As he spoke, the Anbu ninja raised his hand and gave a light wave forward.

"Attack!"

At the command.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

All the surrounding Anbu ninjas charged at the Uchiha.

"Hmph, it's still uncertain who will die!" The old man snorted coldly and raised his sword without fear.

However.

The massive disparity in numbers forced the Uchiha side into a steady retreat.

Moreover, Konoha had acted suddenly. With Itachi Uchiha as an insider, they had killed many three-tomoe jōnin at the very beginning.

As a result, the Uchiha were completely unable to withstand the combined forces of the Anbu and Root.

"Damn it!"

The old man clenched his teeth, but he could only desperately push his body to its limits and swing his sword with all his strength.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a massive fireball howled in from the side.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A three-tomoe Uchiha suddenly appeared and spat out a fireball the size of a house.

Boom!

The fireball crashed down, exploding into a small sea of flames.

Because it happened so suddenly.

Caught off guard, ten Anbu and Root members were struck by the flames and burned to the ground.

"Argh..."

For a moment, cries of agony rang out everywhere.

The battlefield instantly fell quiet.

"Fugaku!?"

Both the Anbu and the Uchiha were shocked when they saw the person who had suddenly appeared.

"Fugaku, are you joining the rebellion too?" An Anbu immediately shouted.

"Rebellion?"

Fugaku sneered as he walked toward the Uchiha ranks. "Do you believe that yourself?"

The Anbu fell silent.

Indeed.

Anyone in the Uchiha Clan might rebel, but this dovish leader would never do so.

"Fugaku, you've finally decided to show yourself?" The old man looked displeased, showing Fugaku no warmth.

"I'm sorry. I've come to atone."

Fugaku bowed to the old man and solemnly pleaded, "Please give me this chance, Elder Yoshikichi."

Yoshikichi looked at him coldly.

What use was there in saying such things now?

His son—Itachi—and his disciple—Shisui—had both betrayed the clan.

Itachi Uchiha in particular.

He was the executioner who had led tonight's clan massacre. Yoshikichi truly did not know how he could bring himself to do it. This was the clan that had raised him!

"Clan Head Fugaku, isn't it a little too late for that now?"

The other clansmen also looked at him with hostility.

"Your precious son has killed quite a few of us."

"How impressive. He even awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. What a pity that those Mangekyō abandoned the clan."

"What use is it for you to come now?"

"Why didn't you just stay home and wait for death!"

The clansmen's resentment surged.

Fugaku could not refute them. He could only bend deeply and bow to everyone.

"Enough."

Elder Yoshikichi raised a hand, stopping the clansmen's complaints. He looked at Fugaku and sighed. "It's a good thing that you've found your way back."

"Let us not dwell on the past for now."

"Right now, the clan needs your strength!"

Upon hearing this, the clansmen also suppressed the resentment in their hearts.

Just as Elder Yoshikichi had said.

They needed Fugaku's strength now.

A top-tier three-tomoe jōnin could absolutely play a major role in this battle.

"I'm deeply grateful!"

Fugaku took a deep breath before raising his head.

"Since you wish to atone, then serve as the vanguard." Elder Yoshikichi stared at him and asked, "Any objections?"

"None!"

Fugaku shook his head without hesitation, drew his sword, and turned to become the first to walk toward the Anbu and Root.

The battle resumed.

This time, with Fugaku, an elite three-tomoe jōnin, holding the front line, the Anbu and Root offensive was somewhat contained.

But the battle also grew even fiercer.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Spear!"

"Lightning Release: Thunderclap!"

Boom!

Countless ninjutsu flared to life.

High-lethality techniques collided one after another, unleashing their power and blasting the ground apart, shaking the earth, and destroying houses.

In just over ten minutes.

Every building within a hundred-meter radius had collapsed into ruins.

Outside the Uchiha compound.

"Too slow!"

The Third Hokage and Danzō arrived and stared grimly at the battle inside.

Time was not on their side.

The longer this dragged on, the greater the risk.

"Send the Sarutobi Clan men in to kill as well!" The Third Hokage turned, his killing intent-filled gaze sweeping over a clansman beside him.

The clansman broke out in a cold sweat under that gaze, his heart pounding wildly.

He did not dare hesitate and hurriedly answered, "Yes!"

After saying that.

The Sarutobi clansman flashed away to deliver the order.

Before long.

A massive private force of the Sarutobi Clan, comparable in number to the full forces of Root and the Anbu, appeared on the battlefield.

After bowing to the Third Hokage, they all surged into the Uchiha compound.

Elsewhere.

Junichi slowly made his way from inside the compound toward the outer perimeter.

He spread his Observation Haki, constantly sensing the situation around him.

From time to time, he casually swung his sword, and Demon Eye drew a thin red line through the air.

Whoosh!

A Flying Slash shot out, cutting through a nearby wall and cleaving the Root ninja behind it in two.

The man wore a bewildered expression.

Even until his death, he did not understand how he had been exposed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Junichi advanced while swinging his sword.

With every slash.

At least one ninja was cut into two halves.

"What terrifying swordsmanship!"

"Yeah, he can actually slash sword energy through the air!"

"That's something even a sword saint can't do!"

"Has Lord Junichi reached the ultimate realm of swordsmanship?"

"I think there's a good chance!"

"That's right, Lord Junichi is absolutely the god of swordsmanship!"