The sun sank in the west, staining Konoha's towering Hokage Rock crimson.
Inside the police force courtyard in the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Uchiha Gengetsu stood atop the high bluestone steps, looking down at the Uchiha ninja below as he shouted.
"Listen carefully, all of you! From today onward, the police force is to remain on heightened alert!"
"Increase the nighttime patrol shifts. Any sign of trouble must be reported immediately!"
"Konoha will not be peaceful in the coming days. If anyone slips up and disgraces our Uchiha Clan, don't expect mercy from my blade!"
Gengetsu slowly swept his gaze over everyone below.
"Yes, Captain!"
Below him, dozens of Uchiha ninja straightened sharply and answered in unison.
The Uchiha ninja had always been notorious in Konoha for their defiance.
Yet now, facing this young man of only eighteen on the steps, these proud Uchiha clansmen showed not the slightest trace of contempt in their eyes.
Instead, their eyes were filled with fervor and awe!
Because within the Uchiha Clan, strength was the only ironclad law!
And despite being only eighteen, Uchiha Gengetsu had already reached the level of an elite jonin.
At a recent clan meeting, he had even single-handedly subdued the clan's elders and claimed the position of police force captain.
After dismissing the patrol squads, Gengetsu turned and walked alone along the stone path, his deep black eyes quietly fixed on Hokage Rock in the distance.
By my reckoning, Kushina Uzumaki is due in the next few days. Naruto will be born soon.
The Nine-Tails' Rampage is about to begin, too.
This is also my only chance to become Hokage and activate the system!
Indeed, Gengetsu was not from this world at all. He was a transmigrator.
Just like the formula in every transmigration novel, Gengetsu also had a cheat of his own.
But what frustrated him immensely was that activating his cheat actually required him to become the Hokage of Konoha!
Was becoming Hokage supposed to be that easy?
After all, the Hokage was Konoha's supreme authority, the ultimate goal countless Konoha ninja spent their entire lives pursuing.
Becoming Hokage required not only overwhelming strength unrivaled in the Shinobi World, but also immense political prestige and the support of the various ninja clans.
And Gengetsu? He just had to be a member of the Uchiha Clan!
In Konoha, the Uchiha Clan might have appeared glorious on the surface, but the village leadership had long since pushed them to the margins of power.
The entire Konoha High Command was wary and suspicious of the Uchiha.
An Uchiha becoming Hokage? That was even harder than making a dog Hokage!
But Gengetsu was certainly not someone who gave up easily.
If the conditions for becoming Hokage did not exist, he would create them himself.
Over the years, relying on his foreknowledge as a transmigrator and training far harder than ordinary people, Gengetsu had rapidly grown in strength and risen to become one of the Uchiha Clan's finest.
Gengetsu had not only beaten the clan's old diehards into submission, but also approached the current clan head, Uchiha Fugaku, directly. With an exceptionally thorough analysis of their situation, he had persuaded Fugaku to willingly hand over the real authority of the police force captain to him.
After taking control of the Uchiha's armed forces, Gengetsu had not gone around with an arrogant, superior sneer like the other clansmen. Instead, he had taken the initiative to build good relationships with the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and others.
Gengetsu often used the opportunities his position afforded him to offer Minato Namikaze constructive suggestions on village security, economic development, and defensive deployments.
These suggestions, which incorporated modern management concepts from his previous life, astonished Minato Namikaze every time.
Minato had even remarked privately on several occasions, "Though Gengetsu is young, he thinks like a Hokage. For the Uchiha Clan to produce someone so talented is truly a blessing for Konoha."
But Gengetsu knew very well that this alone was nowhere near enough.
Minato's appreciation could not break through Konoha High Command's deeply rooted prejudice against the Uchiha.
Breaking this deadlock required drastic medicine!
It would take an upheaval powerful enough to overturn Konoha's existing order!
That was why Gengetsu had set his sights on the approaching Nine-Tails' Rampage early on.
In the original course of events, this disaster, orchestrated entirely by Obito Uchiha, had not only claimed the lives of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, but also left the Uchiha Clan falsely blamed for controlling the Nine-Tails to destroy the village, ultimately leading to the clan's destruction.
But now that Gengetsu was here in the Uchiha Clan, he would never allow that to happen.
Moreover, in Gengetsu's view, the Nine-Tails' Rampage was both a crisis and a turning point for the Uchiha Clan.
Handled properly, this disaster would not become the Uchiha's death warrant. Instead, it would serve as the perfect stepping stone for him to reach for the position of Hokage!
Late at night.
After a full day of bustle, Konoha had finally fallen asleep, its broad streets deserted.
Just then.
"ROOOAR!!!"
Without warning, a terrifying, earth-shaking roar erupted in the center of Konoha!
Immediately afterward.
Rumble!
The ground began to shake violently, as though a magnitude-ten earthquake had struck, and an enormous creature suddenly appeared within Konoha.
"What's going on?! What happened?!"
The ninja patrolling Konoha were also startled by the sudden disturbance.
But when they saw the colossal creature that had suddenly appeared in the village, every one of them froze, their scalps prickling and their limbs turning ice-cold as a chill shot straight to the crowns of their heads.
It was a fox!
An enormous demon fox wreathed in burning, tangible crimson chakra, with no fewer than nine massive tails waving behind it!
"Wh-what is that monster?!"
"The Nine-Tails! That's the Tailed Beast, the Nine-Tails!"
"What's going on?! How did the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox get into the village?!"
"..."
While the ninja were still reeling in shock, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox brought its enormous claw down.
Boom!
The entire ground shook violently as a fierce shock wave erupted and spread outward.
Countless houses cracked apart and collapsed. As for the ninja, they were all sent flying before they even had a chance to react.
But that was not the end. With a mighty sweep of its nine enormous tails, the Nine-Tails whipped up a devastating hurricane that flattened entire stretches of houses.
The ninja killed were beyond counting.
Boom! Boom! Boom!...
Explosions rang out one after another. Towering flames instantly set half the night sky ablaze, lighting the darkness as bright as day. Screams and cries intertwined as Konoha became a living hell in an instant.
By then, the Konoha ninja had also reacted.
"Quick! All combat personnel, head to the front line immediately and stop the Nine-Tails!..."
"Medical teams, take your positions! Everyone else, evacuate the villagers! Move!"
The Konoha ninja shouted themselves hoarse, and all those who had recovered their senses sprang into action.
But the Nine-Tails' power was far too terrifying, far too immense. Ordinary ninja like them could not contend with it at all.
With one powerful sweep of its enormous claw, the Nine-Tails instantly sent more than a dozen Konoha ninja who had just approached flying, without even giving them a chance to scream.
The tremendous commotion soon drew the attention of the Konoha Military Police Force as well.
"Reporting, Lord Gengetsu!"
"The Nine-Tails has appeared in Konoha and is wreaking havoc on the village!"
A ninja from the Konoha Military Police Force came before Gengetsu and reported.
Gengetsu was already fully dressed in a practical black ninja outfit, the Uchiha Clan crest on its back and a ninja blade strapped behind him.
Behind Gengetsu, over a hundred Uchiha elites had already assembled!
"Every member of the Uchiha Clan, heed my command!"
"Everyone, move out! Follow me to the front line! Stop the Nine-Tails and protect the village!"
"Yes!!!"
Over a hundred Uchiha ninja roared in unison, making even the air around them ripple slightly.
Led by Gengetsu, they became streaks of swift black shadow, racing toward the compound gates.
Yet just as Gengetsu and over a hundred Uchiha elites brimming with killing intent reached the compound gates, ready to charge onto the streets and reinforce the front line-
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Accompanied by piercing rushes of air, dozens of ninja wearing gray vests and stark white animal masks suddenly descended from above, blocking the gates of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
"Root ninja!"
At the sight of the people blocking their way, Gengetsu could not help frowning.
Then.
Tap... tap... tap...
Accompanied by the dull sound of a cane striking the ground, a withered, gaunt figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
It was an old man leaning on a wooden cane, his right eye and the right half of his body tightly wrapped in thick bandages, with a conspicuous cross-shaped blade scar on his chin.
Without question, this man was the leader of Root, Shimura Danzō!
"Stop."
Danzo stood there, his single eye fixed on Gengetsu at the head of the group, and spoke in a hostile tone.
"The Nine-Tails breaking free of its seal was an unforeseen incident. To prevent anyone from exploiting the chaos to cause trouble, I have been ordered to take control of this area!"
"Every last member of your Uchiha Clan must remain inside the compound tonight. None of you are allowed to go anywhere!"
Before you continue