Akatsuki, Move Out!

Night fell.

Konoha's surface remained calm.

The lights along the streets gradually came on.

Patrolling ninja continued to move between rooftops and alleyways as usual.

Everything seemed no different from before.

But only those truly standing on the chessboard knew that Konoha tonight was already shrouded in an invisible killing intent.

Uchiha Clan Grounds.

Beneath Nanga Shrine.

Uchiha You stood in the center of the stone chamber.

Before him lay an unfolded map of Konoha.

The Uchiha Clan Grounds' perimeter, the Police Force, Nanga Shrine, Fugaku's Residence, the clan's evacuation points, and the routes Root might use to enter had all been circled in different colors.

Fugaku Uchiha stood to one side, his expression more solemn than ever.

Shisui was checking the genjutsu barrier nodes.

Itachi had just returned from ANBU.

He had yet to change out of his ANBU uniform. His face was calm, but a trace of chill could be seen buried deep in his eyes.

Uchiha Chuan pushed open the door and entered, speaking softly.

"You, the evacuation of the clan's women and children is ninety-five percent complete."

"The remaining group has deliberately been left out in the open as bait, so outsiders won't notice anything unusual."

"However, escape routes have been set up where they are."

Uchiha You nodded.

"What about the combat squads?"

Uchiha Chuan immediately replied.

"Clan members with at least Three-Tomoe Sharingan have been divided into six teams."

"The first team is guarding Nanga Shrine."

"The second team is guarding the eastern entrance to the clan grounds."

"The third team is guarding the Police Force warehouse."

"The fourth team is secretly protecting the women and children's evacuation points."

"The fifth team is responsible for cutting off Root's retreat."

"The sixth team is on standby and ready to provide support at any time."

Uchiha You looked at Shisui.

"The genjutsu barrier?"

Shisui said gravely.

"The outer perimeter has been set up."

"For a short time, it can create the illusion of normal life within the clan grounds."

"If Root looks in from outside, they will only think the clan members are still in their homes."

"But the real clan members have already been secretly relocated."

Fugaku Uchiha looked at Shisui, his expression complicated.

Shisui had not even used Kotoamatsukami yet.

But his mastery of genjutsu alone was enough to turn the entire Uchiha Clan Grounds into a land of illusions.

That was the strategic value of a Mangekyo Sharingan-level powerhouse.

Fugaku looked at Itachi again.

"Itachi, what about the Hokage Building?"

Itachi's tone was calm.

"Danzo has finished gathering his forces."

"Root will act tonight."

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the stone chamber sank.

Danzo had finally failed to hold himself back.

Itachi continued.

"The Third Hokage did not explicitly order the Uchiha Clan's extermination."

"But he has dispatched part of the ANBU."

Uchiha Chuan sneered.

"To supervise?"

Itachi nodded.

"On the surface, they are overseeing Root's operation to prevent the situation from escalating."

"But in reality..."

He did not continue.

Yet everyone understood.

In reality, they were there to back them up.

Danzo was, after all, the Hokage's advisor.

Root was, after all, Konoha's darkness.

The Third Hokage did not openly approve, but the fact that he had sent ANBU already explained everything.

If Danzo succeeded, the ANBU could help seal off the news.

If Danzo failed, the ANBU could claim they had merely been supervising.

If things spiraled out of control, Danzo would take the blame.

Hiruzen Sarutobi would remain the Third Hokage who painstakingly balanced everything for the sake of the village.

Uchiha You laughed.

The laugh was soft.

Yet in the oppressive stone chamber, it sounded especially piercing.

Uchiha Chuan could not help asking.

"You, what are you laughing about?"

Uchiha You answered blandly.

"I'm laughing because the Third Hokage is still the same."

"His hands remain unstained by blood."

"But the blade always has to be nearby."

Fugaku fell silent.

Shisui lowered his eyes.

Itachi's fists tightened slightly.

If this had been before, they might have defended the Third Hokage.

But now, there was no need.

The operation was imminent.

What difference was there between someone who stood aside and watched others slaughter their comrades and someone who did it personally?

Uchiha You raised a hand and folded the map shut.

"Since Danzo is ready."

"Then it is time to invite in the final piece on the board."

Fugaku's gaze narrowed slightly.

"Your reinforcements?"

Uchiha You nodded.

Shisui asked.

"Have they reached Konoha's outskirts?"

"More or less."

Uchiha You took out a black-and-red kunai.

A tiny umbrella-shaped mark was engraved on its handle.

It was the sensory beacon he had left for the Akatsuki.

It was also the key that would truly set this counterattack in motion.

Uchiha Chuan asked softly.

"You, can they be trusted?"

Uchiha You glanced at him.

"There is no one in this world who is absolutely trustworthy."

"But as long as our goals align, that is enough."

"Tonight, they want to kill Danzo."

"We want to kill Danzo too."

"That makes them reliable enough."

Uchiha Chuan nodded.

That reasoning was very Uchiha You.

Realistic.

Calm.

But effective.

Uchiha You turned and headed outside.

"I'll go meet them."

Fugaku frowned.

"It is too dangerous to leave the clan grounds now."

Uchiha You said blandly.

"The dangerous ones are those entering the Uchiha Clan Grounds tonight."

"Not me."

As his words fell, his figure vanished through the stone chamber's exit.

Konoha's outskirts.

Within a dark forest.

The night wind rustled through the leaves.

Several figures stood quietly beneath the shadows of the trees.

Black robes patterned with red clouds.

Six Paths of Pain.

Sasori of the Red Sand.

Kakuzu.

Kisame Hoshigaki.

When Uchiha You appeared on a tree branch, his first glance swept across the group.

Then, one of his brows lifted slightly.

"Konan didn't come?"

Deva Path Pain raised his head, his Rinnegan glowing coldly in the night.

"She has more important matters."

Uchiha You quickly understood.

Konan's absence was likely because she was protecting Nagato's true body.

With the Six Paths of Pain deployed, Nagato's true body would inevitably be in a relatively vulnerable state.

Having Konan remain behind to protect him was the most reasonable arrangement.

Uchiha You nodded.

"A wise choice."

Kisame grinned.

"It's been so long, and Konoha is still quite lively."

"We sensed quite a few ANBU units mobilizing the moment we reached the outskirts."

Kakuzu said coldly.

"I only care about the location of the Root Treasury."

Sasori rasped.

"I care about the Hashirama Cells research materials."

Uchiha You glanced at them both.

"Everything is prepared."

"After tonight, the Root Treasury belongs to Kakuzu."

"The human experimentation records and some corpse materials belong to Sasori."

"But remember."

"Ordinary villagers are not to be touched."

"Uchiha Clan members are not to be touched."

"Do not attack Konoha's other ninja clans unless they strike first. No indiscriminate killing."

Kakuzu snorted coldly.

"Are you giving us orders?"

Uchiha You replied blandly:

"Not an order."

"A reminder."

"If you kill unrelated ninja indiscriminately because of money and draw Konoha's full assault, you won't have time to collect the bounty."

Kakuzu fell silent.

That was a practical reason.

He accepted it.

Sasori also let out a hoarse laugh.

"I'm only interested in materials from Root and Konoha's ANBU."

"Civilians are too crude. They aren't worth collecting."

Kisame said with a grin:

"I have no objections."

"Besides, I'm here tonight to watch Konoha's higher-ups make fools of themselves."

Uchiha You looked at Pain.

"And you?"

Pain did not answer immediately.

He merely stared at Uchiha You with those Rinnegan.

Under the night sky, the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

The first thing Deva Path Pain said was neither to ask about the route nor about the Uchiha preparations.

Instead, he asked:

"Is there really evidence from back then in Root's archives?"

Uchiha You looked at him.

As expected.

This was Nagato's true reason for coming.

Danzo had been involved in Yahiko's death.

That news had already lodged itself like a thorn in Nagato and Konan's hearts.

Pain had come tonight not merely to cooperate with the Uchiha, nor simply for Akatsuki's expansion.

He had come to personally confirm whether Root's shadow truly lay behind the ambush that had changed Akatsuki's fate.

Uchiha You did not evade Pain's gaze.

"There is."

Pain's Rinnegan narrowed slightly.

"Are you sure?"

Uchiha You's tone remained calm:

"I'm sure."

"Root's archives contain records of the Land of Rain operation from that year."

"Clues to the communications between Danzo and Hanzo."

"Records of Root personnel movements."

"And part of the list of those involved in ambushing the old Akatsuki."

"Once we enter the Root Base tonight, you can investigate it yourself."

Pain's aura turned cold.

It was not ordinary killing intent.

It was the chill of pain suppressed for years finally finding a clear target.

"If you lied to me."

Deva Path Pain said slowly:

"You will feel the pain of a god."

"If I lied to you, you won't need to do anything."

"I'll personally hand Danzo's head over as compensation."

Kisame bared his teeth.

"That's a pretty generous compensation."

Kakuzu said coldly:

"Danzo's head should be worth quite a bit on the black market too."

Sasori rasped:

"Just don't damage the corpse."

The atmosphere had been grim.

Yet those few remarks forcibly threw it off for a moment.

Pain did not laugh.

He merely looked toward Konoha.

"Lead the way."

Uchiha You nodded.

"Stay close."

"The Konoha Barrier is no decoration."

"Without my route, you'll trigger the alarm soon enough."

Kakuzu sneered.

"You're an Uchiha, yet you know the Konoha Barrier quite well."

Uchiha You replied blandly:

"Konoha has been monitoring the Uchiha Clan for years."

"I couldn't exactly let them be the only ones watching me."

"Only fair."

Kakuzu gave him a look.

This brat really held grudges.

But Kakuzu liked that.

Uchiha You raised his hand and formed a seal.

Black Umbrella Chakra silently spread out, linking several pathogen nodes planted beforehand throughout the forest into a concealed route.

This route did not forcibly breach the Konoha Barrier.

Instead, it exploited gaps in Police Force patrols, flaws in ANBU shift changes, blind spots in the registration around the Uchiha Clan Grounds, and Black Umbrella marks he had placed in advance, forcing open a narrow crack.

Under normal circumstances, outsiders could never enter without a sound.

But tonight was different.

The Uchiha were part of Konoha to begin with.

The Police Force already possessed certain barrier access privileges.

With Shisui's genjutsu interference around the clan grounds as well.

And Itachi providing the shift-change schedule from within the ANBU.

Only with all of this combined did Akatsuki have a chance to enter the Uchiha Clan Grounds without a sound.

Deva Path Pain watched Uchiha You's back, a trace of surprise flashing through his Rinnegan.

This Uchiha was indeed terrifying.

It was not merely that he possessed power.

He also understood how to use every resource under his control in the most lethal way possible.

The Konoha Barrier.

Police Force authority.

Uchiha terrain.

ANBU shift changes.

Akatsuki's combat strength.

He had woven everything into a single net.

And tonight, Danzo was the prey about to crash into it.