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The rebel faction of the Uchiha clan was locked in a tense standoff with the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village when a corpse suddenly flew through the air and crashed heavily onto one of the ninja below.
The shinobi who had been struck quickly scrambled to his feet, ready to explode in anger, but the moment his eyes landed on the body lying on the ground, he let out a piercing, ear-splitting scream.
Even amid the noisy chaos of battle, that scream cut through the air with shocking clarity, instantly drawing the attention of every nearby fighter.
Almost immediately afterward, someone shouted at the top of their lungs, "The clan leader has been killed by the Hokage!" In an instant, the entire battlefield erupted into even greater frenzy and agitation.
"The Hokage cannot be trusted at all!"
"If we continue like this, the Uchiha clan will be completely wiped out by the Leaf Village!"
"We must fight back! It's either rebellion or total annihilation!"
"..."
Fugaku's death acted like a heavy layer of oil poured over an already burning battlefield, causing the flames of conflict to explode with uncontrollable intensity.
Shortly afterward, a shinobi hidden in the shadows began taking advantage of the growing disorder to loudly spread inflammatory and provocative statements, deliberately fanning the flames of hatred even higher.
What had previously been limited skirmishes now transformed into an all-out, no-holds-barred battle between the two sides the moment Fugaku's body was thrown out so disrespectfully.
Sasori observed the chaotic battlefield from his concealed position, his gaze never once leaving the mysterious shinobi who was skillfully stirring up trouble amid the confusion.
"Zetsu really is a peculiar individual," Sasori muttered under his breath.
"A battle of this scale will likely deepen the cracks within the Hidden Leaf Village even further," commented Mui, his brows tightly furrowed as he watched both sides descend into madness.
He had witnessed countless battles throughout his life, but this was the first time he had seen villagers engaging in such large-scale, frenzied slaughter against one another—especially when one of the factions was the notoriously powerful Uchiha clan.
"I hope that after this fight, the Hidden Leaf Village ends up collapsing just like the Hidden Mist did. Though, realistically speaking, the chances of that happening are quite slim," Sasori said. His eyes shifted toward the distance, where he noticed the Uchiha shinobi who had been guarding the Five Kage Summit suddenly falling into disarray. Before long, they parted to create a clear pathway. Hiruzen, accompanied by Jiraiya and Shikaku, had arrived on the battlefield.
"The Hokage has finally shown up. It's time for us to make our move as well… I'm not sure if we have enough time, but we need to act quickly," Sasori said, turning to look at Mui. "Can you keep up?"
Mui nodded firmly.
Sasori leaped into the darkness, with Mui following closely behind as they made their way toward the conference hall.
When Hiruzen reached the battlefield, the thick, metallic scent of blood hung heavily in the air. Numerous bodies already lay scattered across the ground, most of them belonging to the Uchiha clan—some from the rebel faction and others from the group tasked with protecting the summit.
As for the other shinobi from the Hidden Leaf Village, Hiruzen had not yet spotted them, but that did not mean they were absent. They were likely engaged in combat on the opposite side of the battlefield.
"Where is Fugaku? Where is Uchiha Fugaku?" Hiruzen shouted loudly.
The Uchiha shinobi behind him hesitated for a long moment before finally answering, "He is dead."
"Dead? How did he die?" Hiruzen froze in shock. He had only separated from Fugaku a short while ago.
Both Jiraiya and Nara Shikaku wore expressions of equal astonishment, wondering if they had misheard.
"He was killed by you," the Uchiha shinobi replied. His eyes burned with a mixture of grief and righteous anger.
Although he had followed Fugaku's orders and taken on the responsibility of protecting the Five Kage Summit, the news of his clan leader's death still left him deeply shaken.
Hiruzen's mouth fell slightly open in disbelief.
I killed Uchiha Fugaku? How could I possibly not know about that?!
...
Midorima frowned deeply, a growing sense of unease settling heavily in his chest.
The timing of the Uchiha clan's rebellion felt far from ordinary.
Of course, given the Hidden Leaf Village's immense size and accumulated strength over many years, even losing the Uchiha clan would not cause the village to collapse overnight. It was simply too powerful and deeply rooted to be destroyed by the sudden betrayal of a single prominent clan.
However, if Akatsuki was secretly orchestrating events behind the scenes, then the situation had become far more serious.
"Are we really just going to sit here and do nothing?" Baki asked, his gaze sweeping across the others as he could no longer hold back his frustration.
Midorima suddenly stood up and began walking toward the exit.
"Where are you going?" Terumi Mei asked anxiously. "This is the Hidden Leaf Village. It would be better to leave everything to the Hokage and his people."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, I'm well aware that Akatsuki's main target is me, so I won't act recklessly," Midorima replied, pointing toward the adjacent room. "I'm going next door to bring the Nine-Tails jinchuriki over here. Right now, there shouldn't be any place in the entire Hidden Leaf Village safer than this conference hall."
Terumi Mei nodded. "Be careful. Whatever you do, don't go anywhere else."
"I know. I don't want to die this early," Midorima said with a nod. He pushed open the door and left the hall.
In the distance, the sky was lit up with roaring flames. It was clear that both sides had become locked in a fierce and bitter struggle.
One side consisted of the Uchiha rebels, while the other was made up of regular Leaf shinobi. The Uchiha ninja assigned to protect the Five Kage Summit were caught awkwardly in the middle.
Midorima had no authority or reason to involve himself in the conflict between either faction. Beyond silently lamenting that the tragic fate of the Uchiha clan had not been altered despite his own involvement in events, there was little else he could do.
When he entered the adjacent room, he found Tsunade pacing back and forth impatiently. The moment she saw Midorima walk in, she hurried over and asked, "What's happening outside?"
Midorima glanced toward the corner of the room, where Naruto was curled up and sleeping soundly. Iruka sat beside the bed and also turned to look at the newcomer. Midorima gestured for both of them to come closer.
Once they were only about a meter away, Midorima lowered his voice and said, "The Uchiha clan has rebelled."
"What?" Tsunade's mouth fell open slightly. She then let out a heavy sigh, rubbing her forehead with a pained expression. "I…"
There were many things she wanted to say, but she didn't know where to begin.
Iruka's face also showed a complicated mix of emotions. After all, some of his students belonged to the Uchiha clan.
"It's regrettable, isn't it? I feel the same way," Midorima sighed as well. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help."
"No, this isn't your responsibility. The opportunity was perfect, but… I just couldn't hold on until the end," Tsunade replied, her gaze complex as she looked toward Naruto in the corner.
If she hadn't been tasked with watching over Naruto, she would have likely rushed to the front lines long ago.
"The Third Hokage has already gone to handle the situation. I believe he can manage it, and Jiraiya went with him as well. No one knows his strength better than you do. Although the process will be difficult, the Third Hokage will eventually quell this conflict. In the meantime, we have our own tasks to complete. Can you bring the Nine-Tails jinchuriki to the conference hall? Although this room is right next door, if a real emergency breaks out, it will be difficult for us to provide immediate assistance."
Tsunade was still preoccupied with thoughts about the Uchiha clan. Only after Midorima repeated his request did she finally nod in agreement. Iruka gently approached Naruto and woke the boy from his sleep.
"Iruka-sensei… has the sun come up already?" Naruto asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes with small fists as he sat up in bed.
"Not yet. I'm going to take you next door. There are many people there who can play with you," Tsunade said softly.
Naruto's eyes lit up with interest. "Really? Are there any kids my age?"
Tsunade looked troubled and glanced helplessly at Midorima.
Midorima could only shrug helplessly. Where could they possibly find children that young in the middle of this crisis?
"There aren't any other kids there, but there is an old man," Midorima said with a smile.
Naruto made a face of obvious disappointment and was about to complain when a deafening explosion suddenly erupted. One side of the wall collapsed with a thunderous crash, and a shinobi carrying a massive sword stepped into the room.
It was Kisame…
The moment Midorima saw him, his expression turned deadly serious.