A Warning at Parting

Danzo stared in the direction the two had broken through, so furious he nearly crushed the cane in his hand:

"Useless fools! So many of you, and you still couldn't keep just two people!"

Then he suppressed the greed in his eyes and muttered darkly:

"Itachi Uchiha... so he really has sided with the Uchiha Clan?"

"Two homeless dogs. I'll deal with you properly later. Everyone, execute the backup plan. Eliminate all remaining survivors within the Uchiha Clan Grounds!"

"Yes!"

He believed that with Fugaku and Itachi, the two strongest fighters, gone, the remaining Uchiha clansmen were nothing more than lambs awaiting slaughter.

A large number of Root members swiftly vaulted into the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

However, when the mass of Root ninja charged inside—

Waiting for them were the surviving clansmen, already organized around Shien Uchiha and the reanimated Shisui.

Shisui stood high above them, the Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes slowly turning. Invisible Genjutsu rippled outward like spilled mercury, shrouding a vast area around the entrance.

The Root ninja who rushed into it seemed to instantly fall into an endless nightmare. Their eyes went blank, their bodies stiffened, and they tumbled from walls and rooftops like dumplings dropped into a pot.

The endless Chakra and ocular power granted by his Impure World Reincarnation body allowed him to unleash this terrifying Genjutsu, powerful enough to change the course of battle, without restraint.

Meanwhile, Shien led the others in precisely sealing off the areas the Genjutsu had failed to cover.

Using their familiarity with the alleys and houses, they slaughtered the invading Root ninja one by one with precise Fire Release and shuriken techniques.

They did not charge out of the clan grounds. They simply held their position, continuously killing every Root member who entered.

Because of the Sound-Dampening Barrier, the cries of battle could not travel far. To the outside world, this brutal offensive and defensive battle remained utterly silent.

The Uchiha Clan Grounds resembled a silent, horrifying swamp of death, mercilessly swallowing every life that entered it.

"Lord Danzo! The resistance inside the clan grounds is fierce! There's an incredibly powerful Genjutsu user! We've suffered devastating losses!"

A Root ninja who had escaped by sheer luck reported in a bedraggled state, his voice filled with barely concealed terror.

He had merely been one step slower than his companions, yet he had watched them fall in like dumplings and vanish without a sound.

How could he not be afraid?

Danzo's face turned livid, his single eye fixed on the clan grounds as though they were a man-eating beast.

The situation inside was unknown. The Uchiha resistance far exceeded expectations, especially that strange Genjutsu user...

More than a hundred Root members had already entered, yet there had been no sign of them.

"Retreat!"

After weighing his options again and again, Danzo practically forced the word out through clenched teeth.

There were only a few skilled Uchiha left inside anyway. He would have plenty of chances to deal with them!

After leaving behind another hundred or so corpses, the Root members retreated like a receding tide and quickly vanished into the darkness.

For the moment, silence returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds, broken only by the crackling of burning houses.

And the suppressed sobs and ragged breathing of those who had survived the disaster.

Shien watched the enemy withdraw and slowly let out a breath, deactivating his Sharingan.

"Immediately count the casualties and gather all clansmen's bodies."

"Pay special attention. Check whether any bodies are missing, especially whether any Sharingan have been taken."

"All surviving squad leaders and above, come with me for a meeting at once!"

Just as the fighting within the Uchiha Clan Grounds temporarily subsided—

In the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, finally received the complete battle report from the ANBU.

Yet the story had gone in a direction far removed from the script he had carefully calculated.

"What? Fugaku and Itachi both activated Susanoo and broke through together? Danzo's Root suffered heavy losses within the Uchiha Clan Grounds and was forced to retreat?"

The Third Hokage's hand holding his pipe trembled slightly, and ash drifted down in flakes.

He could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"How many of Danzo's men died?"

The ANBU lowered his head and reported, "More than three hundred in total. Aside from the nearly one hundred killed by Fugaku and Itachi, all two hundred who entered the Uchiha Clan Grounds never came back out."

The Third Hokage lowered his head in thought. He had originally intended to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

He could eliminate the Uchiha, this grave threat to his authority, weaken Danzo's forces in the process, and then step in with a benevolent face to clean up the aftermath.

But now, the Uchiha's core fighting strength had not been eliminated. Instead, they had "defected."

Danzo had suffered a loss rather than gaining anything, losing so many Root members.

Fortunately, the ANBU had not been deployed.

Otherwise, Konoha's overall strength and stability would have suffered a tremendous blow.

The Third Hokage's thoughts were in disarray, his brow heavy with worry.

Seeing that the ANBU was still waiting, he waved a hand. "You may leave first."

"Yes!"

The ANBU figure flashed away, vanishing without a trace.

As the Third Hokage paced back and forth inside the room—

A voice suddenly rang out. "There's no need to worry, Father. At least our people suffered no losses."

"We can wait until tomorrow to see about everything else."

"Mm." The Third Hokage was not surprised by the suddenly appearing voice. He nodded. "Once we have news..."

Just as he spoke, an unexpected change occurred.

"Crash! Smash! Shatter!"

Two figures burst through the half-open window and landed beside the Third Hokage.

—They were Fugaku Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, who had returned after leaving!

The previously hidden figure immediately appeared in front of the Third Hokage, shielding him.

The ANBU who heard the commotion also rushed in from outside the door.

Ten people stood before the Third Hokage, directly blocking him from view.

Fugaku and Itachi still carried the chilling killing intent of those who had slaughtered over a hundred people.

Their blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan emitted a cold gleam in the darkness.

Fugaku's gaze passed through the ANBU and fell directly upon the Third Hokage.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

"Did you know about what happened tonight?!"

The Third Hokage had already recovered from his earlier shock. He pushed aside the ANBU shielding him.

Yet his face instantly returned to its usual calm. Setting down his pipe, he said in a low voice:

"Fugaku, what are you talking about? A massive incident occurred in the Uchiha Clan Grounds tonight. I only just received the report and was preparing to send people to investigate..."

"Enough!"

Fugaku cut him off harshly, his eyes as sharp as blades.

"I don't care whether you participated today or merely allowed it to happen!"

"I'm warning you only once—if the last clansmen we left behind suffer any more 'accidental' harm, even if it's only one person!"

He paused, then spoke each word distinctly:

"Itachi and I will personally deliver all of Konoha's border defense arrangements, ninjutsu secrets, and even intelligence on the Tailed Beasts to Hidden Sand, Hidden Cloud Village, Hidden Rock Village... to any enemy nation of Konoha!"

"Better yet, we don't mind personally joining the enemy and pouring the Uchiha's wrath onto the land that raised us! We will do exactly as we say!"

"Itachi, let's go!"

The moment his words fell, Fugaku and Itachi leaped out through the window once more.

As though they had never appeared at all, they vanished without a trace.

Only Itachi's final gaze, cold and sharp as a blade, made the Third Hokage's heart skip a beat.