Immediately afterward, Nara Shikaku's Shadow Imitation Technique spread toward them, locking the other two jonin firmly in place. Yamanaka Inoichi's mental intrusion struck at the same time, forcing both men to hold their breath and focus their minds to break the genjutsu.
The current generation of Ino-Shika-Cho had all arrived.
"Kurenai, fall back." Shikaku's voice was utterly calm. His hands held their hand seals as his shadow locked his opponents in place, but his eyes were grave.
He could clearly sense that all three Uchiha before him were genuine elite jonin. Not one of them would be easy to deal with.
Taoho steadied himself and looked at the Ino-Shika-Cho trio shielding Yuhi Kurenai, the killing intent in his eyes growing stronger. Just as he was about to order an all-out attack, another burst of hurried footsteps came from the alley's entrance.
Uchiha Yakumi arrived at the entrance with Yashiro, Yaoyu, and the others, immediately taking their places beside Taoho. Both sides now had equal numbers, and the tense standoff instantly reached its breaking point.
The chakra in the alley was taut as a fully drawn bowstring. A single spark would set it off.
Shikaku's brow furrowed even deeper. He had never expected a second group of Uchiha elites, each with chakra so fierce it made his scalp prickle.
Just as both sides were about to strike, a dark figure landed silently above the alley. Uchiha Kei's voice rang down from overhead, carrying an unquestionable command: "Everyone, stop! Retreat immediately!"
Taoho snapped his head up. At the sight of Kei's hand signal, the killing intent in his eyes instantly subsided.
He knew that Kei's order to retreat meant the preparations in the clan district were complete. Staying here any longer would only delay the entire clan's plans.
He swept a cold glance over Shikaku and the others, then waved his hand without the slightest hesitation. "Move!"
More than a dozen figures turned at once and blurred into afterimages. Under cover of the smoke and dust, they raced toward the Uchiha Clan District, disappearing from the end of the alley within a few breaths.
Shikaku did not order a pursuit. He merely lowered his hands slowly, his brow knotted as he watched them disappear. He could sense that if they had truly attacked with everything they had just now, even a victory would have come at a devastating cost.
Yuhi Kurenai sank to the ground, staring at Gekko Hayate lying in a pool of blood. Her fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and a complicated sorrow crossed her face.
Whatever else had happened, Hayate had been her classmate at the Ninja Academy.
Inoichi closed his eyes and sensed their surroundings for a moment, then abruptly opened them. His face drained of color as he turned to Shikaku. "This is bad! They're all heading toward the Uchiha Clan District! And the laboratory at the Root Base has been blown up!"
Shikaku's pupils contracted sharply. His heart lurched as realization struck.
This was no simple theft, nor was it a tentative Uchiha rebellion.
From the very beginning, their objective had been terrifyingly clear.
And that earth-shaking explosion had sent every last one of them running in circles.
Flames filled the sky, staining Konoha's night a murky blood-red.
Hiruzen Sarutobi led his remaining Anbu elites over scattered rubble and scalding pools of water, charging toward the Uchiha Clan District like a madman.
Sparks had burned a string of holes through the hem of his Hokage robes, and smoke and blood smeared his face. The Sea Willow Pipe he had held for half his life had vanished somewhere during his headlong rush. His features, usually softened by a gentle smile, now held nothing but towering fury and a chill that pierced to the marrow.
The Book of Seals had been stolen, the Hashirama cells sample seized, Gekko Hayate's entire squad killed, half of Konoha reduced to rubble... Each blow was a poisoned dagger driven deep into his heart.
The Konoha he had protected his entire life had been toyed with by the Uchiha right under his nose.
He had barely rounded the street corner when the sight ahead brought him to an abrupt halt.
An enormous scarlet barrier completely enclosed the entire Uchiha Clan District.
Blazing flame patterns flowed across its walls. This was the Uchiha Clan's ultimate defensive formation, their last resort-the Blazing Sun Formation.
Even from dozens of meters away, the scorching waves of heat made their skin tighten, and the air warped under the intense temperature. Several Root ninja, frantic enough to force their way in, barely touched the barrier's edge before erupting flames burned through their forehead protectors and uniforms. They fell screaming to the ground and went silent in an instant.
Shimura Danzō stood closest to the barrier, his lone eye beneath his bandages fixed on its interior. The malice radiating from him was almost tangible.
When he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi arrive, he whipped around, his voice filled with resentment and rage suppressed for decades. "Hiruzen! Open your eyes and look! These are the Uchiha you've protected your whole life! This is what your constant talk of the greater good has brought us!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored his furious shouting. His gaze remained nailed to the scarlet barrier, his clenched fingers white and his knuckles cracking.
He knew the Blazing Sun Formation's power all too well. It was the Uchiha's trump card against the annihilation of their clan. Without an immense combined infusion of chakra, activating it would have been impossible.
Just then, a figure landed silently beside the two men.
Uchiha Itachi removed his cat-faced Anbu mask, his knuckles white from the force of his grip and his face utterly bloodless.
He had raced all the way from the fire, and every report he heard along the way struck like another thunderclap, blasting his mind blank-Kage Rock had collapsed into rubble, the Book of Seals had been stolen, the Root Laboratory had been destroyed, and now this Blazing Sun Formation stood before him, a barrier that could only be sustained through the united efforts of the entire clan.
He had always thought he held the key to balancing the clan and the village, that he could protect everything while caught between them. Only now did he realize that he had been kept completely in the dark from beginning to end.
His scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan surfaced uncontrollably. His gaze locked onto the barrier, and his fingertips trembled without end.
Just then, two figures inside the barrier walked slowly to its edge. Through the surging patterns of flame, they faced the people outside.
Uchiha Fugaku walked in front.
He had shed his usual plain kimono and donned the traditional black haori of the Uchiha Clan Head. The fan-shaped clan crest on his chest glowed a glaring red in the firelight.
The restraint and hesitation he usually wore were gone, leaving only the resolve of a man who had burned all bridges. His calm gaze swept over Hiruzen Sarutobi outside the barrier without the slightest evasion.
Beside him stood eleven-year-old Uchiha Natsu.
The boy wore a pale gray robe, his hands clasped behind his back and his scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan turning slowly. His gaze first swept over Hiruzen Sarutobi's livid face, then passed over Danzo, who seethed with malice, before finally settling on the deathly pale Itachi. A smile of undisguised mockery curled his lips.
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