Red Signal Flare

Hokage Building.

Office.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, puffed away at his large pipe. His aged face appeared and disappeared amid the swirling smoke.

Danzo wore an impatient expression.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, meanwhile, leisurely drank tea.

They were waiting for Itachi to return.

"Hiruzen, I'll be leaving first."

Danzo checked the time again and decided not to wait any longer. It was already five in the afternoon, and night would fall in half an hour. He had to return and arrange his men.

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave him a meaningful look and hypocritically advised, "Danzo, don't do anything rash. Itachi hasn't returned yet. We should think of a way together, a way to let the village and the Uchiha peacefully co—"

Danzo waved a hand to interrupt him. "That's your business. I have things to do. I'm leaving."

After saying that, he straightened his clothes and left the office on his own without waiting for Sarutobi Hiruzen to say anything.

Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his mouth but said nothing further. He glanced at Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, raised his pipe to his lips, and continued puffing away. He had made his point; whether Danzo listened was no longer his concern.

Utatane Koharu frowned and asked worriedly, "Hiruzen, what if Uchiha Itachi doesn't come back? Are we still waiting?"

"We wait. He'll return."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke confidently. After all his guidance over this period, he believed Uchiha Itachi would strictly uphold the Will of Fire and would not betray the village.

"Come, have some tea."

Mitokado Homura chuckled as he poured the tea.

Just as Danzo reached the entrance of the Hokage Building, he ran into the group from the Uchiha Clan.

Danzo frowned. He was no longer in a hurry to leave and barked, "Uchiha Fugaku, what are you bringing so many people here for? Rebellion?"

A flicker of desire passed through his gloomy eyes. So many Sharingan... After tonight, they would all be his!

He suppressed the desire in his heart and waited for Uchiha Fugaku to give him a reasonable explanation.

What he never expected was that Uchiha Fugaku, who had always been so respectful toward him, would directly take his eye without a word of warning!

Takuya casually stepped forward, activating his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and meeting Danzo's gaze.

The moment Danzo saw the hexagonal blade patterns in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes, he froze on the spot.

Takuya reached toward Danzo's bandaged eye. Chakra emerged from his fingertips, slicing through the bandages like a sharp blade. He cleanly gouged out the eye and placed it into the glass container he had stored away earlier.

Then he drew his long sword and severed Danzo's arm implanted with Senju Cells, storing it in a space scroll. All of this happened in mere seconds. Only then did the two Root ninjas following Danzo react. Just as they opened their mouths in horror to shout, Uchiha Sihu closed in and cut them down with two slashes.

Uchiha Sihu looked at Danzo, sprawled on the ground like a dead dog. Who would have thought that just a second ago, he had been the imposing, unquestioned Hokage advisor, Shimura Danzo?

Though he did not know why Fugaku had done this, Fugaku surely had his reasons.

Uchiha Sihu did not ask why. He merely waved a hand, and a group of red-eyed Uchiha charged into the Hokage Building like starving wolves, killing anyone they saw without hesitation.

Suppressed by a mass of Three-Tomoe Sharingan, the people in the lobby had no ability to fight back at all and fell into pools of blood.

"Where is the Third Hokage?"

Uchiha Sihu grabbed a surviving man and asked.

The unnamed Chunin had never seen such a scene before. Trembling, he answered, "O-on the third floor... in the Hokage's office."

The moment he finished speaking, Uchiha Sihu slit his throat.

The unnamed Chunin clutched his spurting throat and gurgled, glaring at Uchiha Sihu. No honor among warriors—I told you, and you still killed me.

Third floor, Hokage's office.

"Why is it so noisy outside?"

Utatane Koharu asked in confusion.

At that moment, the door was violently thrown open, and someone rushed in. "Bad news, Lord Hokage! The Uchiha Clan has rebelled! They're slaughtering people on the first floor!"

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen abruptly rose to his feet, his face full of disbelief. "What did you say? Is that true?"

He could not believe that the Uchiha Clan had openly rebelled and even come to the Hokage Building to kill people. Had Uchiha Itachi leaked the information?

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were equally dumbfounded. They could not believe it either, but a scream suddenly rang out from beyond the door, confirming the truth.

The Uchiha Clan had truly rebelled!

Upon hearing that scream, Sarutobi Hiruzen failed to control his strength and crushed his beloved pipe in his hand into two pieces.

How dare they?

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura trembled with rage.

This was bad!

How had they received no warning at all?

Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow tightly. The Uchiha Clan had arrived too quickly; it was already too late to call people back to defend the building.

"How many are there?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen had not panicked yet and asked calmly.

"More than thirty. They all have Three-Tomoe Sharingan!"

Recalling what he had just glimpsed in the corridor—Uchiha after Uchiha with activated Sharingan and murderous expressions—the Chunin could not help trembling.

A white-haired ANBU wearing a mask entered through the window. "Lord Hokage, the Uchiha—"

Sarutobi Hiruzen cut him off. "I already know. Go gather men immediately. I'll buy time."

"Yes."

Kakashi Hatake had arrived swiftly and left just as swiftly. With a whoosh, he vanished from the office again as though he had never been there, leaving only the curtains swaying faintly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt an intense headache coming on. The reason he had opposed Danzo's use of force against the Uchiha Clan was precisely because he did not want to see this happen.

If the Uchiha Clan fought to the death, the village was already weak. How many outstanding ninjas would have to die to suppress this rebellion?

Even if they succeeded in quelling the rebellion, the village would suffer enormous losses. The other four great ninja villages surely would not let such a perfect opportunity slip by. He did not even dare imagine what would become of Konoha afterward.

Damn it, Uchiha Fugaku deserves to die!

Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth. Yet the matter had already happened, and there was no use dwelling on it. He had to speak with Uchiha Fugaku!

Sarutobi Hiruzen lost his nerve. He planned to have a proper talk with Fugaku; it would be best if they could avoid a violent clash.

He quickly left the Hokage's office, still harboring a trace of hope that he could persuade Uchiha Fugaku to abandon the armed coup...

After leaving the office, Kakashi Hatake took out a signal flare.

Biu.

Three red signal flares shot into the sky with piercing whistles.

The conspicuous signal immediately drew the attention of the villagers.

The instant they saw the red signal flares rise, many Elite Jonin in the village who witnessed it changed expression dramatically. They set aside what they were doing and rushed toward where the flares had been launched!

A red signal flare rising in the village represented a first-level alert!

Three red signal flares fired in succession represented a crisis that could destroy the village!

Any ninja of Chunin rank or above, no matter what they were doing, had to put everything aside upon seeing the red signal flares and rush there immediately.