Impure World Reincarnation

A secret known to two people was no longer a secret.

More than two people had seen Uchiha Fugaku's Susanoo.

Besides Uchiha Itachi, hidden in the corridor's shadows, there were the patrolling Konoha Military Police Force officers and informants bought by ANBU and Root.

So, early the next morning, before dawn had fully broken, an urgent report landed on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.

The newly replaced desk still smelled of wood varnish. He had smashed the old one with a slap the day before.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind it, clutching the report as his expression shifted wildly.

His pipe lay on the desk. The tobacco had burned out without him noticing; he was too busy staring at the words on the page.

"Uchiha Fugaku was attacked last night. He awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and manifested Susanoo!

"The attacker appeared to be a Shadow Clone, yet split into three, each unleashing an exceptionally powerful Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere..."

With tensions running high and civil war liable to break out in Konoha at any moment, the two Hokage Advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, had stayed overnight at the Hokage Building alongside the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

When they heard there was urgent intelligence, they came at once.

By the time they finished reading, both looked grim.

"Uchiha Fugaku!"

"You really have... given me one hell of a surprise!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed through gritted teeth, set down the report, and slowly raised his head.

A storm-cloud gloom settled over his wrinkled face. Anger and lingering fear churned in his eyes.

Last night, he had nearly ordered ANBU to fight Danzo's Root!

If Mitokado Homura had not held him back, if the word "Uchiha" had not forced him to calm down, ANBU and Root would already have torn each other apart.

And Uchiha Fugaku, that meek Uchiha Clan Head who normally dared not even make a peep, would surely have seized the chaos to unleash Susanoo and lead the Uchiha against whoever won!

He would have reaped the rewards and sent both him and Shimura Danzō packing!

Treacherous bastard!

The words echoed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.

Everything Uchiha Fugaku had done over the years suddenly looked different to him.

That endless yielding, that almost self-destructive patience, that weakness which had made both him and Danzo dismiss Fugaku—it had all been an act!

"We underestimated him."

Mitokado Homura's voice was dry and hoarse. "All these years, he's been pretending... pretending to be a coward, a fence-sitter, a man without a backbone. We believed every bit of it."

Utatane Koharu pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded slowly.

They had believed it all: when Uchiha Fugaku named his younger son Sasuke, they thought he was trying to curry favor with the Hokage; when he kept backing down before Danzo's relentless pressure, they thought he was genuinely timid.

When Uchiha Clan members were slaughtered and Uchiha Fugaku dared not stand up for them, they thought he was truly incompetent.

But how could an Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan, an Uchiha capable of manifesting Susanoo, possibly be worthless?

Across the Uchiha Clan's entire history, only a handful had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan: Madara Uchiha, Uchiha Izuna, and legendary figures known only from clan records.

Every pair of Mangekyō Sharingan meant the emergence of a fighter who was at least Kage Level.

Yet Uchiha Fugaku had secretly awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, then disguised himself as a harmless coward for all these years.

"What is he after?" Mitokado Homura's voice rose, a vein bulging on his forehead. "What opportunity has he been waiting for all this time?"

Utatane Koharu said coldly, "Isn't it obvious? He's waiting for unrest in Konoha, for Konoha's best shinobi to slaughter each other!

"Then he can lead the Uchiha and seize Konoha's highest authority with every appearance of legitimacy!"

Her voice grew heavier and colder with every word.

"Last night, with Shinnosuke's death... he nearly succeeded!"

The office fell utterly still.

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

When he opened them again, he had forced down the fear and fury in his aged eyes. In their place were the composure of a Hokage and the ruthlessness of a politician.

Perhaps his son's death wasn't so simple!

He had to set aside all anger and grief and handle this with absolute reason!

"Have we found out what Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan ability is?"

A trace of hope crept into Mitokado Homura's voice as he asked.

As disciples of the Second Hokage, they had studied the Sharingan more deeply than most Uchiha Clan members.

They knew Susanoo was merely a standard Mangekyō Sharingan ability. What was truly terrifying was the strange ocular power unique to each pair.

Utatane Koharu also looked expectantly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After a moment's silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly shook his head.

"We haven't found out yet."

Disappointment appeared on both advisors' faces.

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke again, his tone a little more relaxed. "But it probably isn't a powerful ability. Otherwise, Uchiha Fugaku wouldn't have swallowed his pride for so many years."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged glances. Each saw relief in the other's eyes.

The reasoning made sense!

If Uchiha Fugaku had truly awakened an exceptionally powerful ocular jutsu, he would have had no need to keep up the act.

It was precisely because his Mangekyō Sharingan ability was not strong enough to give him a decisive advantage that he needed to lie low, wait for his chance, and make his move only after unrest broke out in Konoha.

Susanoo plus an unimpressive Mangekyō Sharingan ability would not be enough to change the outcome of an Uchiha-versus-Konoha conflict.

Susanoo was powerful, but it was also draining. It was not invincible.

In fact, that was exactly how it was.

In the original story, Uchiha Sasuke would later awaken Susanoo, along with Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi. Yet at the Five Kage Summit, the Kage who saw him had shown no fear whatsoever.

Mitokado Homura changed the subject, his tone turning grave again. "Could Danzo have been the one who attacked Uchiha Fugaku?"

The atmosphere in the office grew tense again.

Utatane Koharu frowned and weighed the question carefully. "He has a motive. The humiliation of being dismissed, the resentment from last night's interrogation—he has every reason to take it out on Uchiha Fugaku. But..."

She paused, choosing her words.

"I don't think Danzo has the strength for it. The Uchiha Clan Compound was heavily guarded last night, with all three factions facing off in secret.

"Could Danzo have slipped up beside Uchiha Fugaku unnoticed and launched a surprise attack under those circumstances?

"And according to the report, the attacker's Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere was abnormally powerful.

Three Shadow Clones used it at once, and every shot had penetrating power far beyond Danzo's own.

Danzo simply doesn't have that much Chakra.

Mitokado Homura was immediately convinced. He knew Danzo's strength. Danzo was formidable, but not formidable enough to come and go freely through the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere was Danzo's signature Ninjutsu, but even he could not unleash such a relentless barrage of it.

"Perhaps..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke suddenly. His voice was cold and heavy with hatred.

It was a Forbidden Jutsu. Something like the Uchiha Clan's Izanagi.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu both went pale.

Of course they knew that name.

Izanagi: a forbidden Uchiha technique that turned reality into a dream, erasing every unfavorable outcome.

The cost was permanent blindness in one Sharingan, but the effect was nothing short of extraordinary.

If Danzo had mastered that technique and other Forbidden Jutsu like it, he could have displayed combat power far beyond his normal level for a short time.

"Danzo..." Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, his tone growing colder. "He's been colluding with Orochimaru for years."

At that, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked a little uncomfortable.

All three of them knew about Danzo and Orochimaru.

They had turned a blind eye when Orochimaru conducted Human Experiments in Root; when Orochimaru defected, Hiruzen Sarutobi had deliberately let him escape.

They had heard rumors of Orochimaru's continued contact with Danzo over the years, too. They had simply pretended not to know.

Orochimaru was obsessed with Forbidden Jutsu and secret techniques, and he had no scruples about the methods he used.

Danzo had Root's resources and had seized Uchiha Sharingan. Add Orochimaru's research abilities, and it was entirely possible that Danzo had mastered the Forbidden Jutsu Izanagi.

And if Danzo had mastered Izanagi, he could have used it to negate the risk of a failed infiltration, then combined it with Forbidden Jutsu developed by Orochimaru to raise the power of Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere to an astonishing level.

"Danzo is indeed a prime suspect! He stands to gain the most from Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan being exposed!"

Mitokado Homura delivered his conclusion gravely.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. A lean figure entered and dropped to one knee.

Gekko Hayate was an ANBU jōnin, pale as though he had not seen the sun in years. He coughed now and then when he spoke, but his tone was as steady as ever.

Lord Hokage, everything is ready.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood. He asked no further questions, merely confirmed in a low voice, "You're certain the sacrifice is suitable?"

Gekko Hayate nodded firmly. "Absolutely! We've verified it thoroughly. He's a thoroughly vile criminal. Murder, robbery, rape, abduction—he was already on death row for multiple offenses."

"Good."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and headed for the door.

His Hokage robes billowed behind him. His steps were steady and resolute, nothing like the old man who had lost control in rage and grief over his son the night before.

The Hokage Building's underground laboratory.

The laboratory was a legacy of the Second Hokage. Its walls were covered in dense Sealing Jutsu formulas that blocked Chakra fluctuations.

Rare experimental equipment was piled in the corners. Some pieces were coated in dust; others still gleamed with fresh metal.

An intricate jutsu array covered the open space at the center. Every rune was drawn with painstaking precision, and a faint chill emanated from it.

The sacrifice bound at the center of the array was a burly-faced middle-aged man. When he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi enter, he thrashed desperately. The cloth stuffed in his mouth reduced his curses to muffled groans.