Soon, a single night had passed.
Through certain people's deliberate efforts to spread the news, word went around that the Uchiha Clan had wounded the Third Hokage the previous night and defected en masse!
The Third Hokage had sacrificed his entire clan's lives just to drive the Uchiha back.
The golden giant in the Uchiha Clan Compound last night, the deep ravines within Konoha, and the enormous wreckage outside the village.
Every villager in Konoha knew about them!
Near the ravines, large numbers of casualties were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Some were grateful for the Third Hokage's benevolence, for sacrificing his entire clan to protect the village.
Others worried that the Uchiha could control that enormous giant. What if they came back for revenge?
Many Konoha villagers had actually resented the Uchiha for a long time. Now that something like this had happened, they all condemned the Uchiha.
Those who knew what the Uchiha Clan's reputation was like in Konoha knew.
On top of that, the Uchiha were generally stern and upright, blunt and direct, and their work in the Military Police Force was the sort that offended people.
The Nine-Tails' Rampage a few years earlier, in particular, had intensified the villagers' hatred of the Uchiha.
Back then, many Konoha villagers had lost family members in the Nine-Tails' Rampage, and most villagers had seen that the Nine-Tails' eyes bore the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
The Sharingan had always been said to possess terrifying genjutsu abilities.
It went without saying that many Konoha villagers were either convinced, looking to vent, or kicking others while they were down. In any case, they had all sorts of attitudes.
The result was that most villagers believed the Nine-Tails had acted on orders from the Uchiha leadership.
And Konoha High Command's decision to move the Uchiha Clan to the outskirts only confirmed that claim.
A few days earlier, there had also been rumors that Elder Danzo had apparently died at the Uchiha's hands.
And today, another major incident had occurred.
So most villagers had long since come to hate the Uchiha to the extreme.
Thus, when they learned that the Uchiha Clan had defected en masse, most villagers' first thoughts were actually, So even you Uchiha have come to this, or, You Uchiha really were up to no good!
"I knew those people in the Uchiha Clan were no good. Look, so many people died! Those Uchiha deserve to die!"
"Exactly! I bet they were the ones who released the Nine-Tails. Does being a Konoha Great Clan mean they can do whatever they want?"
"Right, Konoha is finally clean now. Just look at the mess they've made of the village."
"They got off far too easily. Every last one of them should be listed as a wanted rogue ninja and executed!"
"Now that they've left Konoha, I bet they'll have plenty to regret. Just wait, they might regret the decision they made today in a few months!"
A small minority also felt that something was wrong, such as Teuchi and some of the more rational people.
But in the face of ironclad facts, their voices were soon drowned out by the majority's condemnation.
They directed their hatred toward the Uchiha and turned their discontent on the Uchiha.
For a time, the Uchiha became an evil clan that everyone in Konoha denounced.
At the same time, some people were celebrating the Uchiha Clan's departure.
Konoha's ninja clans were even more excited. Although the Sarutobi and Shimura were gone, the families of Konoha High Command, such as the Mitokado and Utatane, were still there.
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu were also thankful. Their families had been housed in the Konoha Commercial District and had therefore escaped disaster.
As for the Sarutobi Clan and the Shimura Clan, although most of their members had died, a small number had survived.
For instance, the Third Hokage's son Asuma, as well as Xinfu from the Shimura Clan, whom Danzo had sent away, and others.
With the Uchiha gone, the interests they had originally held in Konoha were promptly carved up in their entirety by Konoha's ninja clans.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi was no fool. The other ninja clans knew more or less why the Uchiha Clan had left, and they still had to be appeased.
The villagers thought that the Uchiha leaving was just that, and life would go on as usual.
Soon, however, they no longer thought that way.
Elsewhere, the incident had happened at night, and by morning, intelligence had reached the hidden villages of the various nations.
The Land of Earth.
Iwagakure.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, stared blankly at the intelligence on his desk for a moment. Only after a long while did he say, "A golden giant hundreds of meters tall. The Uchiha's Susanoo...?"
"And that vast stretch of ruins and ravines..."
Ōnoki's expression was grave.
For some reason, Ōnoki thought of the shadow that had once hung over him: Madara Uchiha!
Ōnoki had seen Madara Uchiha's Susanoo. It had been a chakra giant hundreds of meters tall, but it had been blue. It had haunted Ōnoki his entire life.
Could it be...?
Suddenly thinking of a possibility, Ōnoki hastily shook his head, telling himself it was impossible.
Yet a gut feeling told him that it might be true...
Unlike the diminutive Ōnoki, Kitsuchi was powerfully built. He asked in a rumbling voice, "Father, what do you intend to do?"
Ōnoki thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "Go make contact with those Uchiha and see whether they're willing to live in Iwagakure."
"If they are, we can offer them some benefits as appropriate."
"Remember, don't get into a conflict with them."
After Kitsuchi left.
Ōnoki inwardly marveled at how terrifying Konoha was. In almost every era, every few years, a few monsters like that would emerge.
It was nothing like their Iwagakure, which did not even have any rising talents.
The only ones worth considering were Deidara and his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi.
The Land of Wind.
Sunagakure.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, Granny Chiyo, Ebizo, and the others sat around an enormous desk.
Rasa studied the intelligence sent back by their spies for a long time, his expression grave and his eyes wary. "Let's hear your thoughts!"
After listening to Rasa's analysis, Granny Chiyo snorted and said coldly, "Those Uchiha could even betray the village they founded themselves. What loyalty could they possibly have?"
Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law had both died at the hands of Konoha ninja, so she had always hated Konoha to the bone.
Let the Uchiha join Sunagakure? It was already generous of her not to kick them while they were down and send people to ambush them.
Hearing this, Rasa nodded. He did not want the Uchiha to join Sunagakure either.
Leaving aside whether that golden giant was real.
That vast expanse of ruins and deep ravines could not be faked. They only needed to send a scout to find out.
To cause damage like that, the Uchiha were very likely extremely powerful.
If the Uchiha were allowed to join Sunagakure, would he, the Kazekage, still have the final say in this hidden village?
"In that case, forget about the Uchiha."
The Land of Lightning.
Kumogakure.
The Fourth Raikage, A, called Dodai into his office.
Dodai had dark skin and white hair.
"Darui, take some men and pay the Uchiha Clan a visit."
"What for?"
"Ask whether they're willing to come live in Kumogakure. If they aren't, hmph, find an opportunity to capture a few Uchiha clansmen and bring them back."
"We in Kumogakure need more kekkei genkai."
Darui nodded at that. "Understood."
The Land of Water.
Kirigakure.
Inside the office, Karatachi Yagura, Mei Terumi, Genji, Ao, and the other members of Kirigakure's leadership opened the intelligence scroll and each took a look.
A long while passed.
Mei Terumi spoke in disbelief. "This intelligence is fake, right? A giant hundreds of meters tall? Is this a joke?"
But all that answered her was silence.
As the oldest person currently in Kirigakure, Genji knew more.
Thus, he was more solemn than anyone else present.
Yagura was deeply wary of the Uchiha. It could even be said that he bore them some hatred.
After all, he had been controlled by an Uchiha's Sharingan for more than a decade, and the entire village had been toyed with at will by the person behind the scenes. Anyone would have felt awful about that.
Even now, the Sharingan left him somewhat haunted.
Although he did not know whether the Uchiha had directed the person behind the scenes, that did not stop Yagura from disliking the Uchiha.
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