Chapter 502: The Night of the Clan's Annihilation
After Sōkai dealt with the four small fries, Ishiro created five porcelain clones. The five clones used the Transformation Technique to take on the appearance of the Anbu and Kakashi, then left the Hatake clan compound.
Seeing this, Kakashi subconsciously raised his hand but ultimately did nothing and said nothing.
Only then did Ishiro speak to him. "Kakashi Hatake, we meet again. I wonder, seeing the current situation in Konoha, what are your thoughts?"
Kakashi sighed. "Everything is as Lord Tsuchikage predicted years ago."
Ishiro chuckled. "The destruction of the Uchiha clan is now inevitable. I'm not here to stop the Hokage's actions."
He glanced at Sōkai, then continued, "We just want to rescue a few more Uchiha children from Konoha. My only purpose in doing this is to fulfill a wish of Sōkai's. I think this is also your wish. I believe we can cooperate."
Kakashi looked at Ishiro, then at Sōkai, his gaze sweeping over the four unconscious Anbu on the ground.
Finally, with a barely audible sigh, he said, "Lord Tsuchikage, I have one request: tonight, you must not kill any Konoha ninja or civilians."
Ishiro scoffed. "Impossible. However, I can guarantee that I will not actively attack any Konoha ninja who are not involved in this operation. If they happen to run into the Anbu during the rescue, they can only blame their bad luck."
Kakashi thought for a moment and finally nodded.
Ishiro looked at the night sky. "My clones have already dispelled. They've left the village. I believe the Hokage has already received the news by now. If there are no surprises, the extermination is about to begin. Let's get moving."
With that, he turned and left the Hatake compound.
Sōkai clenched his fists, then let them go limply. He also followed Ishiro without a word.
Kakashi's mood was no better. He took a deep breath. He knew that after making this decision, there was no turning back.
Whether he ultimately fought against Konoha ninja or not, just standing with the Tsuchikage in front of them, once this got out, there would be no place for him in Konoha.
If Ishiro hadn't come tonight, he might have followed Tsunade's arrangement and left the village. He would have returned, clean and innocent, after the Uchiha were gone. He would still be Konoha's Copy Ninja, the leader of his generation, the most promising candidate for the Sixth Hokage.
But, thinking of Obito, who was drifting farther and farther away from him, Kakashi sighed again.
Looking at the two figures who had disappeared from the doorway, he finally took a step and followed.
What he didn't know was that not long after he left, a wisp of porcelain mud flew in from a distance, formed into a kunai, and slit the throats of the four Anbu.
Ishiro didn't destroy the bodies or frame Kakashi. There was no need. Driving a wedge between him and Konoha was simple. He was confident that, afterward, Kakashi would have no chance to explain himself. And with his personality, he wouldn't want to. He would just take all the responsibility on himself.
A short time later, a barrier rose in Konoha Village, dividing it into two zones.
One was the Uchiha clan's district, which was also the combat zone designated by Tsunade.
The other was the residential area where most of Konoha's villagers lived.
Sensing the invisible barrier rise, Ishiro knew that Tsunade's plan was the same as Hiruzen's in the original story. They wanted to complete the extermination in one night, so that the other villagers would wake up to an established fact.
"It's begun," Ishiro said to Sōkai and Kakashi. "Let's enter the combat zone."
The three of them were not far from the Uchiha district.
The moment he finished speaking, the impatient Sōkai shot off toward the barrier.
"Who goes there?! Enemy intrusion! Prepare for battle!" The Anbu guarding this area spotted him immediately.
A dozen shuriken and kunai shot out, trying to block his path. But in front of the three-tomoe Sharingan, it was all meaningless. Although Sōkai was self-taught and hadn't inherited the Uchiha's complete throwing techniques, dodging was easy.
He didn't get entangled with them. After dodging the sneak attack, he charged into the barrier.
"Command, a three-tomoe Uchiha has breached the barrier from the perimeter," a voice came from the Anbu squad.
"Squads 1 and 2, follow me and kill him! Squads 3 and 4, maintain your positions and await reinforcements!" The squad leader, as if having received an order, immediately responded.
In a street behind them, Ishiro tilted his head as if listening to something. After the Anbu leader had given his orders, a smile appeared on his face.
He softly whispered a name: "Shikaku Nara!"
He glanced at Kakashi beside him, then let out a soft cry. "Sage Art: Porcelain Release: Kunai Rain! Shinra Tensei!"
"Watch out!" The Anbu guarding the area suddenly heard a warning from their command.
But before they could react, a large number of kunai, accelerated by Ishiro's Shinra Tensei, shot out from the darkness at high speed, turning the two Anbu squads into pincushions.
Then, under Kakashi's horrified gaze, Ishiro walked into the barrier.
Kakashi went forward to check on the Anbu, then quickly charged into the barrier as well.
"Lady Hokage, three individuals have breached the combat zone from the peace zone in Sector 7. One of them may be the Tsuchikage. Of the other two, one has a three-tomoe Sharingan and is likely the Mangekyo user, Uchiha Sōkai. The third has not acted. Their chakra is suppressed, so we cannot determine their strength or identity."
In Sector 1, Tsunade and the others were gathered, ready to reinforce any area.
Hearing Shikaku Nara's voice in her ear, Tsunade's expression grew grim. "Shikaku, you and Inoichi be careful. Watch out for a sneak attack from the Tsuchikage."
"I understand," Shikaku replied. "According to intel from Kumo, the Tsuchikage can eavesdrop on our conversations. Lady Hokage must also be careful."
Tsunade grunted in acknowledgement and ended the communication. She looked at the three people beside her. "The target has appeared. Let's go to Sector 7."
One of the three slammed his fist into his palm. "I hope we can give the Tsuchikage a lesson he won't forget."
This man had bronze skin and a powerful build. He was missing one arm but seemed completely unaffected. It was the Fourth Raikage, A.
The second person wore a sand-proof face mask, his exposed eyes extremely gloomy. "I hope to finish the Tsuchikage directly. I will seal off the sky. You three find a chance to engage him in close combat."
This was Rasa. Because Iwagakure was specifically targeting Suna, their situation was the worst of all. He was the Kage who wanted Ishiro dead the most.
The third person stuck out his long tongue and licked his lips. "I'm more interested in that Mangekyo Uchiha. The Tsuchikage is all yours. I'll go and meet him."
Rasa was very dissatisfied with Orochimaru's words, but the current Sunagakure was in no position to order him around. He just snorted heavily.
Tsunade also frowned. She knew Orochimaru and Iwagakure had a deal. This was his way of saying he only wanted to tie down one Mangekyo user. She didn't force him to fight Ishiro with them. "Orochimaru, you are responsible for dealing with the other two, besides the Tsuchikage!"
Orochimaru thought for a moment about the possible identity of the third person and finally nodded.
Seeing this, Tsunade immediately led the three of them toward Ishiro's location.
After entering the barrier, Ishiro said to Kakashi, "Let's split up. Go and rescue the people yourself. After you're done, take them outside the village. I will retrieve them afterward."
Kakashi didn't say a word, just chose a direction and left.
Ishiro used his Mind's Eye to confirm Sōkai's location and began to scan the entire combat zone.
The first he found were, of course, the four who were rushing toward him.
"They really think highly of me," he said to himself with a chuckle, having quickly confirmed their identities.
Next, his Mind's Eye captured Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was with Shisui Uchiha, leading a group of people in a standoff against the majority of the Uchiha clan. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, he could guess.
He sneered. "Still arguing at a time like this. Konoha really can't do without Danzō. If he were here, he wouldn't waste time like this."
Speaking of Danzō, he scanned the area again and finally found him and his Root, ready to move, on the other side of the Uchiha district, outside the village.
"Danzō is being patient this time. He hasn't even entered the combat zone yet," he remarked, then paid him no more mind.
Finally, he focused his attention on a person who was heading for the core of the Uchiha district, Fugaku's clan head residence.
It was Itachi Uchiha.
Of all the Kage-level fighters tonight, Itachi was special. Not because Ishiro couldn't act against him, nor because he was particularly strong, but because he was the only one who could possibly make Fugaku give up his resistance.
Seeing Itachi head straight for Fugaku, Ishiro let out a cold laugh.
The next moment, some mud appeared beside Sōkai, who was searching for children in the compound. The mud formed into a sentence.
Sōkai hesitated for a moment, then gave up his search and turned to intercept Itachi.
The porcelain mud took the two infants Sōkai had just found.
Before coming, Ishiro and Sōkai had an understanding. Iwagakure would not participate in this. Ishiro could act personally, but his goal was not to save the Uchiha clan, but to rescue as many of their children as possible.
According to his request, they would only take infants.
Although the adults' hatred for Konoha was a good thing, their "Uchiha-first" ideology was something he didn't need. He didn't have time to brainwash them. What he wanted was for the Uchiha bloodline to be scattered throughout Iwagakure.
One Sōkai was not enough. Ishiro sent a similar message to a little girl in another location.
"Itachi Uchiha? That traitor!" Izumi Uchiha was stunned when she saw the message.
The next moment, she went to find trouble with him without hesitation.
She knew that porcelain was Ishiro's trademark. She had heard from Fugaku that Ishiro might side with them against Konoha's leadership. So, she didn't doubt the intelligence. She chose to believe it and went to intercept Itachi as instructed. She had another reason for doing this. Her Mangekyo dōjutsu was specifically targeted at traitors of the Uchiha. With Shisui's eyes both gone, Itachi was her best opponent.
Seeing both Sōkai and Izumi heading for Itachi, Ishiro finally turned his attention back to Tsunade's group.
One against four? He thought for a moment and felt it wasn't very safe. So, he turned and headed for Fugaku's position.
Just as he had finished his arrangements, Tsunade received a message from Shikaku.
She thought for a moment and said to Orochimaru, "Orochimaru, you will hold off Fugaku. The three of us will deal with the Tsuchikage."
"Fugaku Uchiha?" Orochimaru only hesitated for a moment before agreeing.
He did not underestimate Fugaku. On the contrary, with the Uchiha clan experiencing a resurgence and producing one pair of Mangekyo after another, he felt that as the clan head, Fugaku should also have one.
Although his current focus was on the Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku, his interest in the Mangekyo was still strong.
Seeing him agree, Tsunade immediately said to Shikaku, "Keep an eye on the third person's movements. Once you confirm his identity, inform Sensei immediately."
"Yes," Shikaku replied.
He then added, "Lady Hokage, Advisor Danzō and his Root have arrived near the battlefield. How should we handle them?"
Tsunade frowned slightly, then sighed. "Maintain surveillance. If he moves against the Uchiha, do not interfere!"
"Understood!" Shikaku replied, then fell silent.
In the command center, Shikaku said to Yamanaka Inoichi, who was sensing the entire battlefield, "Inoichi, expand your reconnaissance range. See if there are any other intruders."
Inoichi asked, "Shikaku, are you worried the Tsuchikage has other backup plans?"
Shikaku sighed, nodded, then shook his head. "I'm worried that he doesn't!"
"So far, the Tsuchikage has only brought two people, and only one has been confirmed: Uchiha Sōkai. But besides him, Iwagakure still has Ōnoki, Ikura, Kitsuchi, Kawakita, the perfect Jinchuriki of the Four-Tails Han, and the Jinchuriki of the Five-Tails Rōshi—a total of six Kage-level fighters. Even if one or two are left to guard the village, that's still four or five. If these people aren't here, where are they?"
"We brought the Raikage and the Kazekage. Do you think the Tsuchikage won't have other moves? Are they all just going to sit obediently in Iwagakure?"
Inoichi thought for a moment. "There's intel that Ikura and Kawakita are at the border. Could they be really planning to invade the Land of Fire?"
Shikaku shook his head. "Unlikely. The Tsuchikage is a smart man. He doesn't fight battles he can't win. An all-out attack on our country would be of no benefit to Iwagakure. What I'm worried about is an Iwa attack on Kumo or Suna."
Inoichi was shocked. "Attack a village? That's impossible, isn't it? It would take more than one or two Kage. It would require a large army. We haven't received any intel about Iwa mobilizing their army. It seems they only gathered about a thousand men when they sent Ikura and Kawakita to the border. What's the use of that? None of their branch bases have mobilized. It's too late for that now."
Shikaku thought for a moment and felt that Inoichi was right, but the faint sense of unease in his heart would not go away.
He sent a message to Hiruzen: "Lord Third, please end this quickly. A delay may bring unforeseen changes."
Hearing this, Hiruzen gritted his teeth, stopped wasting words with the Uchiha elder opposite him, and swung his Adamantine Staff.
Seeing him move, both sides unleashed their prepared attacks.
On the Uchiha side, a flurry of projectiles flew out, and various fire jutsu raged toward Hiruzen.
On the high command's side, they were no weaker. Various targeted water jutsu, secret insect techniques, shadow imitation, mind transfer, expansion jutsu, and the occasional ninken attack. And, most feared by the Uchiha, various Gentle Fist attacks.
Hiruzen had brought the elites of the major clans this time. They had all secretly undergone anti-Sharingan training. So, the moment the fight started, they unleashed their ultimate techniques, catching the Uchiha completely off guard.
The sudden escalation of the battle stunned Shisui, who had been trying to calm his clansmen down.
Unlike Itachi, who had actively offered to be the blade in the high command's hand, the naive Shisui still hadn't figured out that Hiruzen was here tonight to slaughter his clan.
Tsunade and Hiruzen hadn't told him. And his dear little brother Itachi hadn't told him either.
He subconsciously cried out, "Lord Third!"
But no one paid him any attention. Hiruzen and the ninja of the major clans quickly became entangled with the Uchiha.
The moment they clashed, there were deaths on both sides.
Shisui stared blankly at the scene, the newly transplanted three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes stopped spinning.
"Why? Why has our clan come to this?" he murmured, lost.
At this moment, he was like a helpless child, completely at a loss, standing foolishly in the middle of the battlefield.
"Shisui, watch out!" Hiruzen swept away a fire jutsu aimed at him with his staff, then shouted at him.
He was not surprised by this. He knew Shisui's character very well. Or rather, Shisui's character was the result of his guidance.
Shisui mechanically turned his head to look at him, his eyes filled with confusion. He woodenly called out, "Lord Third."
Hiruzen, while fighting, said to him with great earnestness, "Shisui, the Uchiha clan has decided to rebel. The village can only strike first. You must protect yourself. After the battle, the clan will need you and Itachi to rebuild it. The clan's mistaken ideas will need you and Itachi to correct them. Sacrifice is not to be feared. The village has survived by overcoming one enemy after another through sacrifice. As long as the Will of Fire remains, the Uchiha clan will one day be rebuilt. The new Uchiha clan, under your and Itachi's correct guidance, can grow better. Pull yourself together! The village needs you! The new Uchiha clan needs you! You are the inheritor of the Will of Fire that I have high hopes for! You cannot give up because of a small setback! The Uchiha have brought this upon themselves. The responsibility is not yours. Do not put too much pressure on yourself."
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Shisui seemed to find an anchor.
When another Uchiha clansman charged at him, he instinctively dodged to the side, then drew his sword in a flash and performed a horizontal slash.
And so, this Uchiha chunin with two-tomoe, whom Hiruzen had deliberately let through, died at Shisui's hands.
Hiruzen pulled back his original rescue move, a gratified smile on his face.
Then, he no longer held back, and began to go all-out, killing the Uchiha's jonin and elite jonin.
With a Kage of his absolute strength fully engaged, the Uchiha's casualties immediately increased.
One after another, Uchiha members used Izanagi. Some were killed by Hiruzen before they even had a chance to cast it.
The Uchiha's casualties quickly mounted, and their defensive line was pushed back again and again.
"Where is the clan head? Why isn't he here yet?"
"Yeah, where is Lady Izumi? Let her unleash her Mangekyo!"
"What do we do? There's no time to replenish our three-tomoe Sharingan! The pace of the battle is too fast!"
Only now did the Uchiha discover that the Sharingan they had been so proud of was actually not that big of a deal.
With Hiruzen pressing the attack, their casualties were even greater than those of the "small clans" they had always looked down on. And that was even with the forbidden jutsu, Izanagi. Otherwise, many more would have already died at his hands.
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