"Kill!"
"For the glory of the Uchiha!"
The eyes of over a thousand Uchiha clansmen burned with anger and humiliation suppressed for decades. Chakra surged through their bodies like boiling magma.
Everyone had drawn their weapons. At Gen'yō's command, they would become an unstoppable torrent, breaking through Konoha's gates and washing their rebirth clean with their enemies' blood!
Killing intent soared throughout the Uchiha Clan Compound!
Yet just as this feverish atmosphere reached its peak, Uchiha Gen'yō, standing on Susanoo's shoulder like a demon god descended upon the world, slowly raised his hand.
A supremely calm voice reached every clansman's ears with perfect clarity.
"Who said we were charging?"
Huh?
Everyone froze.
Their feverish fighting spirit felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over it. Countless pairs of scarlet Sharingan turned toward their leader, their faces filled with shock and confusion.
We weren't charging?
Then why had we gathered here and made such a huge show of force?
Even Fugaku and Shisui, standing behind Gen'yō, looked bewildered.
"Gen'yō, what are you talking about?"
Fugaku lowered his voice, a hint of urgency in his tone. "The entire clan's morale has reached its peak. This is the perfect moment to tear through Konoha's defenses! Hiruzen Sarutobi and his men just suffered a major setback. Their morale is shaky right now!"
"Uncle Fugaku, you still don't understand."
Gen'yō spoke mildly without turning around.
"War is a continuation of politics, not a butcher's carnival."
"Our goal is to leave. To leave with every clansman and all our wealth, intact and in glory! Not to fight Konoha's scum to the death here. Even if we won, how many of us would be left?"
His voice was quiet, yet it instantly cooled the heads of every hot-blooded clansman.
Indeed. They were not trying to destroy Konoha. They were seeking a new life.
Every clansman was a spark of the Uchiha's future. Losing even one would be an enormous loss.
Watching their eyes gradually regain their calm, Gen'yō's lips curved in satisfaction.
He wanted an army that followed orders and obeyed every command, not a pack of brutes who only knew how to howl.
"What I said earlier was meant for Konoha's ears."
Gen'yō's gaze pierced the night, as though he could see those figures wound tight with tension behind the distant Konoha Gate.
"Right now, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his subordinates must think we're about to launch a suicidal charge to take them down with us. All their attention will be drawn here."
He slowly turned and looked down at the thousand-plus clansmen in the square, his eyes gleaming with the wisdom and cunning of a ruthless leader.
"And that's exactly what we need!"
"Listen to my orders!"
Gen'yō's voice suddenly rose, carrying unquestionable authority.
"Fugaku! Shisui!"
"Here!"
Both men instinctively straightened their backs.
"Each of you will lead one hundred elite Jonin to the front of the compound. Use your flashiest, most spectacular Fire Release Ninjutsu to blanket the area toward the Konoha Gate with indiscriminate bombardment!"
"Remember, make it loud! Make all of Konoha think we Uchiha have gone mad and intend to take them down with us here!"
Fugaku's eyes instantly lit up!
He understood!
This was a feint in the east to strike in the west!
"Everyone else!"
Gen'yō swept his gaze over the remaining clansmen.
"Split into three teams!"
"Uchiha Yashiro will lead the first team. Your target is the clan's secret medicine storehouse! I don't care how you do it-carry it, haul it, or seal it in scrolls. Within fifteen minutes, you must empty it of every finished medicine and precious medicinal ingredient! Don't leave Konoha so much as a blade of grass!"
"Yes!"
The young Uchiha Yashiro answered loudly, his face flushed with excitement.
"Elder Uchiha Shusa will lead the second team. Your target is the ninja tool storehouse! Blades, swords, kunai, explosive tags-destroy any heavy weapons you can't take with you on the spot! In short, don't leave the enemy a single shuriken!"
The old elder, who had always feared Gen'yō, shuddered. Looking into Gen'yō's deep eyes, he felt for the first time that following this young man might truly be the Uchiha's only way forward.
"I shall obey!"
Elder Shusa bowed deeply.
"The third team!"
Gen'yō's gaze fell on the youth who had been standing silently in a corner, a complicated look in his eyes.
"Uchiha Itachi!"
Itachi trembled slightly and raised his head.
"You will lead all noncombatants, primarily the women and children, to the secret passage in the mountain behind the compound immediately! Take a head count and be ready to evacuate at any moment!"
"Me?"
Itachi pointed at himself in disbelief.
"Yes, you."
Gen'yō gave him a meaningful look. "Protecting the clan's future is more important than fighting on the front lines. I trust you can do it well."
A complicated, indescribable warmth welled up in Itachi's heart.
He had always thought someone as domineering as Gen'yō would use him and Shisui as his sharpest blades. He had never expected to be entrusted with the vital task of protecting their future.
"Yes, Lord Gen'yō!"
Itachi nodded firmly, no longer hesitating.
"Very good!"
Gen'yō surveyed everyone with satisfaction. Every clansman had a duty, and their eyes no longer held directionless anger, but resolve with a clear goal.
"Everyone, move out immediately!"
"Remember, we aren't homeless curs. We're kings setting out to forge a new world!"
"Today, we're not defecting. We're-"
Gen'yō raised his arm. The purple Susanoo raised its towering blade with him, pointing straight at the heavens!
"Changing jobs together!"
"Raaah!"
Their pent-up roars became a call to action!
Under Gen'yō's command, the entire Uchiha Clan Compound instantly sprang into high gear like a precision war machine!
Gen'yō himself turned his gaze toward the deepest part of the compound, toward the ancestral shrine that housed all the Uchiha's confidential scrolls.
He had something even more important to do.
That was to prepare a welcoming gift their future new boss, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, could not refuse!
What would this gift be?