The One Who Would Settle It All Had Returned

Hiruzen Sarutobi was a deeply contradictory man.

He could sacrifice everything for Konoha, but he could not relinquish his control over it. Power had already corrupted his original intentions.

He did not believe he had done anything wrong. He only believed that everything he had done was for Konoha, and therefore correct.

Far away in the Hokage Office, Minato Namikaze's expression changed drastically when he saw the specially made signal flare in the night sky. He vanished from the spot in an instant.

"It has finally come to this. It's time to end it."

After watching Minato Namikaze disappear, Hyuga Hiashi's lips curled slightly. Unhurried and unflustered, he leaped through the window and pursued him.

Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique to arrive at the Uchiha Compound in an instant.

Minato Namikaze's arrival would immediately turn the entire situation around.

Minato Namikaze stood in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi and looked at Fugaku Uchiha, his face filled with apology. "Fugaku, I'm sorry. This should end now."

As Fugaku Uchiha looked at Minato standing before him, Uchiha Kyu's words instantly resurfaced in his mind, slapping him across the face.

"Hahaha..." Fugaku Uchiha threw back his head and laughed, a trace of relief flashing through his eyes.

Sure enough, outsiders could not be trusted.

Relying on others was worse than relying on oneself.

The path he had once chosen had indeed been wrong.

"I was wrong." The obsession in Fugaku Uchiha's eyes turned utterly mad as rage surged in his heart.

Fugaku Uchiha's Susanoo was instantly clad in an indestructible suit of armor.

"Shisui, the Fourth is yours."

Knowing that he was no match for him, Fugaku Uchiha had Uchiha Shisui hold back Minato Namikaze.

"Leave it to me."

Though still young, Uchiha Shisui's face was already smeared with blood, making him look terrifying. The blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan in his eyes had fallen into madness.

"Shisui, then let's see what you can do."

With a calm expression, Minato Namikaze threw kunai after kunai, preventing Uchiha Shisui from closing in.

"Flying Thunder God Technique."

"Body Flicker Technique."

Even Minato Namikaze could not find Uchiha Shisui's true body. The instant Minato Namikaze appeared, he would be attacked, leaving him no opening to strike.

However, more than half of Uchiha Shisui's chakra had already been depleted. If this dragged on, he would be no match for Minato Namikaze at all.

And as the Fourth Hokage, how could Minato Namikaze possibly be weaker than Uchiha Shisui?

Minato Namikaze rapidly formed hand seals, and Uchiha Shisui discovered that everything around him had suddenly fallen into darkness.

"Demonic Illusion: Darkness Technique."

This was a genjutsu Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage, had specifically invented to counter the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.

The caster remained outside the darkness, while the target would immediately lose all light and be plunged into a dark environment.

"Ultra-Great Rasengan."

A Susanoo clad in green armor appeared in an instant, blocking Minato Namikaze's sneak attack.

"A genjutsu?"

Uchiha Shisui calmly assessed his situation.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities really are formidable."

Minato Namikaze was not anxious after his sneak attack failed. He calmly considered his opponent's weakness.

For the moment, Minato Namikaze had been held back by Uchiha Shisui.

Although the Uchiha Clan ninjas held every advantage of time and terrain, Konoha's ninjas still vastly outnumbered them.

The casualties continued to mount, yet not a single Uchiha clansman chose to retreat, because their families were behind them.

"Amaterasu."

Fugaku Uchiha unleashed the flames of Amaterasu, burning one expendable fighter after another to death.

"Summoning Jutsu."

The moment Manda was summoned by Orochimaru, he arrogantly shouted, "Orochimaru, I want five hundred sacrifices."

Orochimaru had long grown accustomed to this. He replied flatly, "You'll get them afterward."

"Deal." Satisfied, Manda lowered his head toward the Konoha ninjas on the ground and swallowed them in a single bite.

Nearly half the buildings in the Uchiha Compound had already become ruins.

The houses burned ever more fiercely, thick smoke and raging flames blotting out the sky and moon.

Amid the explosions, countless sparks flew in every direction.

The cries of battle around them drowned out the sizzling of the flames.

Though attacked from both front and rear, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others still held an absolute advantage in numbers.

Hyuga Hiashi arrived and joined the battle. Every Hyuga clansman and every Uchiha clansman fought desperately, soaked in blood.

Even among the Root Organization reinforcements, the youngest, Uchiha Itachi, displayed exceptional combat instincts in battle.

He did not show mercy simply because they were ninjas from the same village. On the contrary, his clean and ruthless killings only highlighted his talent for battle.

When surrounded and attacked by three Chunin, Uchiha Itachi displayed nimble footwork, evading one lethal strike after another.

Using the enemy's kunai-wire trap against them, Uchiha Itachi landed on one foot atop the hilt of a blade embedded upright in the ground and used the kunai in his hand to sever the wire beside him.

The three Chunin, who had thought victory was certain, were instantly bound hand and foot by the wire, unable to move.

"Under these eyes, I've already seen through every one of your movements."

Uchiha Itachi cleanly dispatched all three. The Two-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes shone brilliantly beneath the night sky.

Uchiha Kyu silently appeared atop a utility pole behind the compound, watching the battle ahead with calm composure.

Embedded in that utility pole was a kunai covered in disgusting saliva.

After this battle, pairs of Sharingan would be born, each one purchased with the blood of Uchiha clansmen.

The Uchiha Clan's numbers would be optimized in quality, and its strength would increase dramatically.

Uchiha Kyu's plan to leave Konoha for the front lines had been an enormous success.

First, people like Hiruzen Sarutobi who refused to submit to him would emerge, allowing him to see their hidden cards and eliminate forces that threatened him.

Second, he would use these people to further increase the clan's overall strength.

Third, he would break these people's spines and make these ninja clans obediently become well-trained dogs.

Fourth, fighting on the battlefield could accelerate the speed at which his progress bar reached one hundred percent.

Tonight, Uchiha Kyu would completely break their spines.

He would make these ninja clans' legs go weak at the mere mention of the Uchiha Clan, forcing them to crawl on the ground and willingly become obedient dogs.

As if sensing something, Uchiha Kyu turned his head and saw someone who should not have been there appear in a hidden corner.

A sly smile appeared on Uchiha Kyu's face. "Perhaps this is about to become even more interesting."

"Minato Namikaze, it seems even fate is on my side."

"Tonight, will be your final dance?"

"I'm really looking forward to it."

Without Susanoo's protection, Uchiha Shisui's left arm was injured by the Rasengan, rendering it incapable of fighting.

Most of his chakra had already been exhausted, and he could no longer use the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Clan head, was all of this truly within your calculations?"

Using the Body Flicker Technique to arrive beside Huo Uchiha, Uchiha Shisui looked at the fallen clansmen around him, his eyes misting over.

But the price was truly too great.

Huo Uchiha shielded Uchiha Shisui behind him. Even the blade in his hand had been chipped and curled.

"Shisui, are you all right?"

"My chakra has been exhausted. I can't fight for the time being."

Uchiha Shisui swallowed two Soldier Pills and slowly recovered his chakra.