Clan Extermination?
"Jiraiya... your Sage Mode seems to have reached its limit..." Jiraiya and Fukasaku on Shima's shoulders had disappeared. Using Sage Mode for an extended period had depleted a significant amount of Jiraiya's stamina and Chakra. The sudden withdrawal from Sage Mode left him feeling as if his body had been completely drained...
Orochimaru wasn't in much better shape either. He had already exhausted a lot of his Chakra in the battle with the Third, and dealing with Jiraiya in Sage Mode was no easy task either. His Chakra was also almost depleted.
"Orochimaru, what are you trying to do? Why do you want to destroy Konoha? Don't you have even the slightest bit of affection for the village anymore...?"
"Jiraiya, you're always like this, trying to convince others with your own ideas..."
"The two hardest things in the world are putting other people's property into your own pocket and trying to get others to agree with your ideas..."
"How ridiculous you are now..." Orochimaru chuckled, looking at Fugaku Uchiha had been knocked into the ground, and then narrowed his eyes at Might Guy was still surrounded by blue steam.
He never imagined that such an existence was hidden within Konoha, capable of so easily killing the Uchiha Clan Head leader who possessed both Mangekyō Sharingan and could activate Susanoo...
With a "whoosh," Might Guy suddenly disappeared and reappeared beside Jiraiya. He glanced at Jiraiya's condition and then silently confronted Orochimaru.
In the current situation, if he were to fight Orochimaru again, his only option would be to open the final Eighth Gate — the Gate of Death. However, once he opens the Eighth Gate, he will almost certainly die. Kakashi Hatake's whereabouts are currently unknown, and Jiraiya is already at his last gasp...
Even if they defeated Orochimaru, what about the rest of the village...?
"It seems... the battle is nearing its end... What is Kato Osamu doing? Trying to clean up the mess?" Ripples spread through the space once more, and Obito Uchiha's figure emerged from the Kamui Dimension. His complete Kamui Sharingan seemed to have bolstered his confidence once more. He glanced coldly at Jiraiya and Might Guy, his tone seemingly questioning Orochimaru.
"Kakashi Hatake!"
When Obito Uchiha appeared, Kakashi Hatake's body fell from the Kamui Dimension like a tattered sack, crashing straight to the ground. Might Guy's eyes widened as he caught Kakashi Hatake's falling body in an instant, only to stare blankly at the empty right eye.
"Kai... cough cough..."
"Phew... You scared me! I thought you were dead..." Might Guy gave Kakashi Hatake his signature smile, seemingly trying to soothe Kakashi Hatake's feelings, making no mention of the missing Sharingan. As Kakashi Hatake's friend, how could he not understand the pain in Kakashi Hatake's heart...
"It seems that we have no choice but to use that technique..." Might Guy quietly leaned Kakashi Hatake against a large tree, a resolute glint in his eyes. He glanced at Orochimaru and Obito Uchiha standing in the tree beside him, then prepared to open the Eighth Gate...
"Oh, this looks pretty lively... Obito Uchiha, I thought you were going to kill Kakashi Hatake... Looks like he's quite important to you..."
Kato Osamu, who had left the Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine with Itachi Uchiha, quietly appeared on the battlefield, and his sudden voice resounded in everyone's minds.
"You've finally shown up..." Obito glanced at Kato Osamu, Obito Uchiha eyes narrowing slightly, while Kakashi Hatake was shocked. He suddenly remembered the experience of being instantly killed that day, and a sense of despair arose involuntarily. He struggled to grab Might Guy's sleeve with one hand and shook his head.
Might Guy looked at Kakashi Hatake, then at the others who had appeared on the field, and his heart tightened. He wasn't sure if opening the Eighth Gate would allow him to defeat Orochimaru, Obito Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, and Kato Osamu...
The Eight Gates is powerful, but it has too many limitations. If the enemy is focused on hiding, he is powerless to stop them...
"It seems Itachi has been following you for a long time, and the Uchiha Clan coup was also orchestrated by you and Orochimaru behind the scenes..."
Upon seeing Kato Osamu appear with Itachi Uchiha, Obito Uchiha realized he had been tricked. If he hadn't retrieved Kakashi Hatake's Sharingan, he wouldn't have gained anything from this battle.
"The Uchiha Clan's coup has nothing to do with me... Did I create the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan? It's simply a matter of the victor taking all the credit..."
"Hmph, what happens to the Uchiha Clan is none of my business. Kato Osamu, don't forget our deal..."
"As long as you remember, I will never forget..."
"Zetsu, let's go..." Obito glanced deeply at Kato Osamu, then without even looking at Kakashi, he suddenly vanished into thin air as a ripple. He no longer wanted to be involved in the Konoha Uchiha coup. Since Itachi was already Kato Osamu's man, the last Akatsuki member could only be Deidara from the Land of Earth...
"Want to continue, Jiraiya? I'll keep you company to the end..." After glancing at Might Guy and the already dead Fugaku Uchiha, Kato Osamu slowly drew his black sword. A strong wave of energy spread throughout the entire battlefield. Feeling this aura that far surpassed Orochimaru's, Jiraiya stared at Kato Osamu, remaining silent for a moment.
"Kato Osamu ... a former subordinate of Minato Namikaze, a disciple of Orochimaru ... I never imagined he would grow to such a level..." Jiraiya's eyes were cold as he looked at Kato Osamu and Itachi Uchiha behind him. He had figured out most of the whole story.
Looking at Kakashi Hatake, who was no longer capable of fighting, and feeling the dwindling Chakra within him, Jiraiya's heart sank. Perhaps Might Guy could still put up a fight, but the defeat was irreversible...
The repercussions of this battle had already spread throughout Konoha. With virtually no powerful enemies hindering her Setsuna Uchiha had completely taken control of the situation in Konoha and immediately headed to the site of the battle...
From afar, Setsuna Uchiha and the others were shocked by the destruction caused by the battle. The entire outer forest of Konoha had been completely wiped out, the earth seemed to have been turned upside down, countless rocks were scattered all around, and the burned ruins crumbled into dust with the slightest touch.
They also saw the group facing off, and were especially stunned to see Fugaku Uchiha lying lifeless in the deep pit.
"It's Chief Fugaku Uchiha... What's the Chief doing here!"
"The clan chief is dead? How could that be?"
Inabi Uchiha and Tekka Uchiha immediately went to check on Fugaku Uchiha, and seeing his empty eyes, anger resurfaced on their faces.
"Elder Setsuna, the clan leader's Sharingan is gone..."
Upon hearing this, Setsuna Uchiha narrowed his eyes slightly, but gently pressed one hand down, signaling the two to keep quiet. He then turned to look at Orochimaru and Kato Osamu, and seeing that they only chuckled and didn't seem inclined to speak, Setsuna Uchiha coughed lightly and looked at Jiraiya and the other two.
"Jiraiya, this is not something our Uchiha Clan wanted to see..."
"But now, Konoha is leaderless... This battle should end here..."
Setsuna Uchiha glanced at Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy, then paid them no further attention. The time for the Eight Gates had expired, Might Guy was now lying down next to Kakashi Hatake. The two unfortunate brothers, back to back, silently looked at Jiraiya...
"The Uchiha Clan is excellent... colluding with missing-nin, overthrowing Konoha... killing the village's Kage... nothing like this has ever happened in the Shinobi World before..."
Jiraiya still harbored resentment, giving Setsuna Uchiha a cold glance, seemingly unwilling to give up.
"Jiraiya, ask yourself honestly, did the Third and Danzo leave any way out for the Uchiha Clan? Today, if it weren't for the Uchiha Clan's valiant resistance, it would have been the Uchiha Clan that was wiped out. Is it only the Hokage who is allowed to wield the Hokage's knife, while the Uchiha Clan is left to be slaughtered?"
"The annihilation of the clan? What exactly happened?" Jiraiya frowned, looking at Kakashi Hatake. The scroll the Third gave him only mentioned the Uchiha Clan coup, and that he had been fighting ever since he returned to Konoha. He had initially thought the Uchiha Clan had colluded with Orochimaru and Kato Osamu to betray Konoha, but now it seemed there was more to the story?