"What? The Nine-Tails was sealed inside that child? Kill him! Kill him!"
"Kill him! Avenge the Fourth Hokage and Lady Kushina!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill..."
Before the Konoha ninja and civilians blinded by rage, all the Uchiha Clan's previous sacrifices and achievements suddenly counted for little.
Cries for blood filled the Graveyard, their sheer force seemingly enough to tear Uchiha Fugaku to pieces.
Aside from their clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan had brought only a handful of guards.
Compared with the vast crowd of armed Konoha ninja surrounding them, their strength seemed pitifully small.
At the sight, the smug look on Shimura Danzō's face deepened.
Hurry up and become everyone's target, then let their blades hack you to death right here, Uchiha Fugaku!
Once Uchiha Fugaku fell here, the Uchiha Clan would be left without a leader. Combined with the existing crisis of trust, that would surely force Shisui Uchiha to come negotiate with him.
Then those eyes of his, and the ultimate Genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami, will be mine!
And once Uchiha Fugaku and Shisui Uchiha were both gone, the name "Uchiha" would cease to exist in Konoha.
As for whether these enraged ninja and civilians could defeat Uchiha Fugaku, there was no need to worry about that.
He had already made the arrangements. Once chaos broke out, his men would seize their chance to ambush and assassinate Uchiha Fugaku.
Afterward, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi, the other major clans in Konoha, or the Elder Council discovered anything, he could pin it all on the ninja and villagers before him.
But the smile on Shimura Danzō's face froze before long.
Strange. They've been screaming for blood for so long. Why hasn't anyone been hurt?
With so many people present, not a single one had attacked Uchiha Fugaku or his guards.
Where are they...
Where did all the men I stationed beforehand go?!
Could Hiruzen have made his move?
As though something had occurred to him, a ruthless glint flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
You again, Hiruzen!
No!
To stop his men so flawlessly, someone would have to mobilize the full strength of the Anbu and the Sarutobi Clan, along with forces from the village's other major clans.
But what's strange is, what did Hiruzen promise those clans to make them help him like this...?
Hiruzen, what exactly have you done?!
While Shimura Danzō pondered what had gone wrong, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the other side.
Though his expression remained calm, his heart was full of confusion.
What's going on?
Why have only Kakashi and the others shown up? Where is everyone else?
Did that bastard Danzo take them all down?
Impossible!
He had handpicked every Anbu member planted in the crowd this time. They were his most trusted confidants, and their strength went without saying.
Yet now, not one of them was anywhere to be seen...
For a time, the situation grew awkward.
Standing before the graves of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and the others had no idea what had happened.
While they stood there bewildered, somewhere not far from Root Headquarters,
Shisui Uchiha looked at the few ninja before him and nodded slightly.
"Go back and tell your clan heads that I've seen their sincerity. I won't hold their past complicity against them."
"From now on, do your part for Konoha's future."
Two days earlier, Shisui Uchiha had eliminated the ninja from several of Konoha's major clans and sent their heads back.
He had also left a Wood Clone near each clan to keep watch over them.
For every clan that had not gone to Hiruzen Sarutobi or Shimura Danzō, he had used a Wood Clone to meet with them again.
The purpose of those meetings had been simple: get them to join him in wiping out Shimura Danzō's Root.
Afterward, he would give them half of the streets and foreign trade secretly controlled by Root. They had one day to consider his offer.
In the end, they had all agreed.
Because...
First, Hiruzen Sarutobi had met with Uchiha Fugaku the very day after this Senju Ye arrived.
Their clan heads had even visited him personally, using casual conversation to drop hints and probe his relationship with the Uchiha Clan.
Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi had kept his mouth shut. The implications were troubling!
Second, that man named Senju Ye was simply too powerful.
Not only could he subdue the Nine-Tails alone, he could also appear before them without anyone noticing.
Making an enemy of someone like that would be deeply unwise!
Finally, he had only asked for their cooperation.
They merely needed to send men to maintain order covertly at the Graveyard, then dispatch a few ninja each to the vicinity of Root Headquarters to demonstrate their support and assist in the operation.
Such a cost was negligible for their major clans. They only needed to send expendable operatives.
Even if the operation ultimately failed, they could easily extricate themselves from the affair!
"Yes, Lord Senju Ye!"
Upon hearing Shisui Uchiha's words, the ninja bowed respectfully, then slipped into the forest to report back.
Only after they left did Shisui Uchiha turn toward the densely packed figures lurking in the shadows on the other side.
As he looked over, pairs of scarlet Sharingan slowly lifted toward him.
This was the entire fighting force the Uchiha Clan could currently field!
They had even entrusted the protection of Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha to Teacher Chen.
Their goal was to wipe out every one of Shimura Danzō's lackeys in Konoha in a single stroke.
Before everyone's eyes, Shisui Uchiha rapidly formed hand seals, then pressed his palms together.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
"Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!"
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Rumble...
As Shisui Uchiha unleashed one Wood Release technique after another, the entirety of Root Headquarters began to quake.
Enormous vines and trees burst from the earth, trapping both the ninja inside Root Headquarters and those Shimura Danzō had stationed outside in advance to ambush them.
Giant wooden golems swung their fists, mercilessly pounding Root Headquarters.
Explosions rang out one after another.
After doing all this, Shisui Uchiha suddenly shouted.
"Shimura Danzō broke the seal without authorization, released the Nine-Tails, and slaughtered his comrades! He caused the deaths of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his wife!"
"Such a beast and the lackeys under his command have committed unforgivable crimes!"
Clang! Clang! Clang...
The moment Shisui Uchiha finished speaking, the Uchiha Clan's ninja drew their longswords one after another.
Their scarlet Sharingan gleamed.
At the sight, Shisui Uchiha drew his own Kusanagi Sword and roared.
"Brave warriors of the Uchiha, now is the time to show Konoha your strength and loyalty!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill..."
All the Uchiha ninja surged forward, driving back the Root ninja who tried to escape amid the chaos.
Once the Uchiha moved, the ninja from the other major clans exchanged glances, then unleashed their own signature abilities and joined the battle.
"For peace in Konoha, kill!"
Watching the ninja from the various major clans surge forward, Shisui Uchiha turned toward the Graveyard.
His body immediately began to blur.
"The real show is about to begin."
Before you continue