Hidden Cloud's Surprise Attack, the Plan Complete, Time to Run

"Fugaku!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward, crushing the rubble beneath his feet to powder. His voice was hoarse, as if sandpaper had scraped over it again and again, carrying fury suppressed to its limit. "Tell me! What the hell is going on?! Blowing up Hokage Rock, stealing the Book of Seals, turning Konoha upside down—are you Uchiha planning to rebel as a clan?!"

"Rebellion?" Natsu sneered. His voice carried through the barrier, possessing a youth's clear crispness, yet tempered with bone-deep coldness. "Hokage-sama, you have that wrong. This is merely a small return gift.

It would be impolite not to reciprocate—you used my Uchiha clansmen for human experiments and dug out our people's eyes, so why can't we give you a little feedback?"

"Natsu, don't spout such slander." Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened until it seemed water could drip from it. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I can't be bothered playing your stupid game of pretending not to understand." Natsu raised an eyebrow, his tone light and casual, yet it exploded beside everyone's ears like another Explosive Tag.

"Oh, and a little reminder: I've packed up all the node maps for Konoha's village-wide defensive barrier and had them delivered to Fourth Raikage A. I imagine it won't be long before Hidden Cloud's army comes to pay you a visit."

"Uchiha Natsu! You're courting death!"

Itachi's eyes instantly reddened, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan locking tightly onto Natsu. Chakra surged uncontrollably through his body, making even the rubble beneath his feet tremble faintly.

Yet Natsu did not even lift an eyelid. The contempt in his voice was like a poisoned blade, stabbing straight into Itachi's heart. "Since when did a dog get to interrupt when I'm speaking to its master?"

He turned back to Hiruzen Sarutobi, the scarlet in his eyes growing ever more intense. "Hiruzen Sarutobi, we have plenty of time ahead of us. When I return, I'll cut off every head in the Sarutobi Clan and pile them into an unprecedented spectacle, a proper tribute to my Uchiha clansmen who died unjustly."

At that moment, the captain of the Sealing Team rushed to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side, his face deathly pale and his voice trembling. "Hokage-sama! It's the Uchiha's Blazing Sun Formation!

It's a dead formation powered by massive amounts of chakra materials and built upon the sealing nodes beneath their compound! Even if we gather every sealing ninja in the village, it will take at least six hours to break it!"

Itachi's expression changed instantly, and the Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes spun madly.

His fists clenched, and only one thought remained in his mind—use Susanoo, wield the Sword of Totsuka, and cleave open this damned barrier.

But just as his fingertips were about to exert force, the image of Shisui before his death, along with Danzo's eye embedded with Kotoamatsukami, flashed through his mind.

His shoulders suddenly slumped. In the end, he slowly lowered his gaze. His clenched nails dug deeply into his palms, drawing blood.

Amid the deathly silence of the standoff, an Anbu ninja suddenly stumbled through the crowd. Even the mask on his face hung crookedly to one side. Covered in dirt, his voice cracked beyond recognition. "Hokage-sama! Urgent report! An emergency report from the border!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi snapped around, his heart abruptly tightening.

"Fourth Raikage A led two thousand elite ninja around our border patrols and launched surprise attacks on three towns in the northern Land of Fire!

They looted all the provisions and military supplies. Every ninja squad stationed there was wiped out, and the villagers suffered devastating casualties! They're still advancing toward the heartland of the Land of Fire!"

The words struck like thunder, making everyone present change expression.

Hiruzen Sarutobi staggered half a step back, darkness swimming before his eyes.

The village had been blasted into ruins, the Uchiha watched them like tigers from within the barrier, and now Hidden Cloud had cut off their rear. Attacked from both front and back, the Konoha he had guarded all his life had fallen into an unprecedented desperate situation overnight.

"Where's Kakashi?! Where is his squad?!" he roared through gritted teeth, his voice full of despair.

"Captain Kakashi and his men have already encountered Hidden Cloud's vanguard. Killer B is supporting them—we can't hold them off! We request reinforcements!"

And just as chaos erupted outside the barrier, several clouds of white smoke from the Reverse Summoning Technique suddenly burst across the open space within it.

Uchiha Kei, Taoho, Yakumi, and the others instantly appeared amid the white smoke. Without the slightest delay, they all dropped to one knee, their voices loud and resolute. "Young Master Natsu, Clan Head! The mission is fully complete! The Book of Seals, live Hashirama Cells samples, and all experimental records have been secured! Zero casualties!"

The heart Fugaku had kept suspended all this time finally dropped heavily into place. Looking at the clan's elites before him, a flash of burning emotion passed through his eyes.

Natsu gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Shimura Danzō, whose face was livid outside the barrier.

He raised a hand and slowly lifted the scroll bearing Root's seal. Through the surging barrier of flames, he waved it at Danzo, the corner of his lips curling into an utterly mocking smile.

"Lord Danzo, have you been searching all night for the Hashirama Cells experimental data you treasured in your underground Laboratory for over a decade, along with the compatibility records for those Sharingan on your arm?"

He shook the scroll in his hand as though teasing a dog driven mad with rage. "No need to look. They're with me. Oh, and I took the several dozen Sharingan from your refrigerated cabinet while I was at it. After all, Uchiha belongings should return to Uchiha hands. Don't you agree?"

After saying that, he did not look again at Danzo's single eye, which had instantly become bloodshot outside the barrier. Turning, he nodded to Fugaku, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable command. "Pass the order. Follow the planned sequence. Everyone enters the Portal. The elites stay behind as rear guard; the elderly, women, and children go first. Move!"

The clansmen who had long been lined up and waiting at the entrance to Naka Shrine did not hesitate in the slightest. In perfect order, they headed toward the underground chamber. Scarlet Sharingan gleamed amid the firelight. There was no reluctance, no hesitation—only the resolve to escape this cage.

Outside the barrier, Danzo watched the scroll in Natsu's hand, and blood instantly rushed to his head. Veins bulged along the arm beneath his bandages, while the Sharingan embedded in it twitched madly.

Before he could recover from that suffocating fury, another Root ninja came scrambling over, falling to his knees with a thud. His voice was thick with sobs. "Lord Danzo! This is bad! The underground Laboratory has been looted!

The live Hashirama Cells samples, all experimental data, and every stored Sharingan sample are gone! Explosive Tags also collapsed more than half the Laboratory, and all the brothers left behind are dead!"

"Trash! You're all trash!!"

Danzo completely lost his mind. Roaring, he drew the short blade at his waist. His single eye was filled with crazed bloodshot veins, and chakra surged uncontrollably through his body. "Attack! Attack with everything you have! Break this barrier! I'll tear these Uchiha scum into pieces!!"