Itachi's words were like a thunderclap on flat ground, stunning all the Konoha high-ranking officials, clan heads, and elders present into a daze.
"Jiraiya is dead??"
"When did it happen?"
"Did you see it with your own eyes?"
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado both spoke at once, their faces dark as if they'd just lost their dearest.
The two Hokage advisors sat on either side of Hiruzen Sarutobi and had remained silent until now. Even Hiashi's death hadn't stirred them.
But upon hearing of Jiraiya's possible death—even if it might be false—it felt like their hearts had been pierced by kunai.
Iwagakure had attacked as far as Kikyo Castle. The Uchiha rebel group had escaped from the Valley of Judgment…
Even combining both pieces of intelligence, they still didn't compare to the shock of Jiraiya's death.
"No… no… no, Jiraiya can't die, he can't die… He was the chosen one of Mount Myōboku. How could he possibly die?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face went pale, his lips turned purple, and the authority still lingering in his eyes was now replaced with complete bewilderment as he stared at Itachi.
Jiraiya was the one disciple he could still rely on. A ninja who would absolutely step up in Konoha's time of need.
One of the living legends of the village.
How could he just die like that?
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Hiruzen suddenly couldn't catch his breath. He coughed violently, eyes bloodshot, and in his panic, instinctively turned toward the seat where Danzo once sat.
But now, that seat was empty.
"Danzo… Danzo…"
Hiruzen muttered blankly, his mind drifting, slumping into his main seat, his gaze blankly fixed on the ceiling.
"Third Hokage-sama!"
"My Lord!!"
The meeting room erupted in chaos. Panic spread across the faces of those present as they rushed toward Hiruzen.
"Danzo! Danzo!"
Koharu was frantic, eyes wide as she held onto Hiruzen, channeling medical ninjutsu to regulate his breathing.
The clan heads were all shaken. When they saw Hiruzen's complexion finally return to normal, they finally let out a sigh of relief.
With the situation inside and outside Konoha already so grim, if Hiruzen collapsed now, the village would truly fall.
At that point, all the clans could only pack up and scatter.
As for war?
What war?
Jiraiya was dead. The Third was old. Who could possibly stand against Onoki, the aging but still mighty Tsuchikage, personally leading the Iwa-nin forces?
The head of the Akimichi clan, Chōza Akimichi, suddenly had a flash of realization.
That old man Onoki might actually be older than their Third Hokage…
"Third… Lord…"
Itachi called out softly.
His heart, too, was sinking into despair.
After a moment—
Hiruzen's eyes moved again. His color returned to normal, his breathing evened, and he raised a hand, signaling: "It's fine, I won't die. Itachi, continue."
Confirming Hiruzen was all right, the clan heads and the two advisors returned to their seats one by one.
Everyone turned back to Itachi.
"Lord Jiraiya stepped forward to save Clan Leader Hiashi. I saw it with my own eyes… Both of them died by the blade of Uchiha Yu's Susanoo," Itachi said slowly. "My Mangekyō Sharingan was also taken by Yu."
"…"
The room sank into silence once again.
"Uchiha Yu again. Always Uchiha Yu. Everything that's happened to Konoha—this entire mess—is thanks to that man!"
The clan heads looked grim, unable to recall any notable deeds from a nobody named Uchiha Yu during his time in the village.
"Damn it!!"
Hiruzen was seething with rage. His teeth clenched tight as his right fist slammed down onto the wooden conference table.
Bang—
Crack. A sharp sound. The table dented, and the floor beneath it splintered.
Everyone's expression turned solemn.
The fall of the Land of Fire, the death of his son, the death of his disciple—all of it traced back to Uchiha Yu.
There was likely no one present who hated him more than the Third Hokage.
But even so, everyone forced their minds back to the present situation.
Jiraiya and Hiashi had died at the hands of Susanoo.
Susanoo!
For Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage's advisors, and the heads of the various clans, Susanoo was a word that was both familiar and distant.
Back in the Warring States period, the ninja world was still dominated by clan-based power.
Now, the various clans of Konoha had all been thoroughly overpowered by that Uchiha with the awakened Susanoo.
If Uchiha Yu had truly grasped that "godlike power" and easily slain Jiraiya…
Did that mean Yu had reached the same level as that legendary Uchiha from the end of the Warring States era?
Hiruzen didn't know.
The clan heads remained silent.
After a long silence, Itachi, regaining some strength, added,
"Yu's Mangekyō Sharingan doesn't just manipulate a person's spirit—it can absorb their chakra and repurpose it. Only other Mangekyō users with strong spiritual power can hope to resist its corruption."
"Sigh—"
Hiruzen let out a long sigh and stared up at the ceiling, his mind in chaos. He could no longer process Itachi's words.
If Jiraiya had been present and stepped forward to save Hiashi… that was entirely in line with his character.
But to lose one of the Legendary Sannin just to save someone whose life or death hardly mattered…
That was a deal too steep—it chilled the soul.
Hiruzen fell into deep thought.
Not even in the past three Great Ninja Wars had Konoha ever faced such a desperate crisis.
Itachi continued: "Yu absorbed the chakra of the shinobi who had originally pursued them. That's how he was able to activate his Susanoo and wield its power to its fullest extent."
Upon hearing this, the clan heads—aside from Shikaku Nara, who had already pieced together the truth—were suddenly enlightened.
Only now did they fully understand how Yu's rebel squad had managed to escape from the Valley of Judgment.
"This…"
Hiruzen's face froze in place, and a sharp pain gripped his heart.
He was both frustrated and filled with regret.
Once again, he had miscalculated.
According to Itachi, the true reason for the deaths of Jiraiya and Hiashi was…
him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had drawn out the rebel group by leveraging allied forces and manipulating public opinion…
But that carefully crafted trap had killed his own disciple!
His intricate scheme had backfired—and cost him dearly.
Hiruzen could no longer maintain his dignified posture. He slumped back into his chair.
Suddenly, a report came from outside the door:
"Hokage-sama! Fukasaku and Shima from Mount Myōboku request an audience."
Upon hearing that, the tense expressions of the clan heads slightly eased, and they all turned toward the door.
If anyone could confirm Jiraiya's death, it would be the elders of Mount Myōboku.
Itachi's words alone weren't enough to convince them.
"Quickly, let them in!" Hiruzen roused himself and personally got up to greet them.
Shima entered with a scroll tied to her back. The two elder toads walked solemnly into the room, scanning the gathering before noticing Hiruzen approaching.
"Elders… Jiraiya… is he…"
Hiruzen asked the question everyone most wanted answered.
Rustle—
Shima slowly unrolled the summoning contract and pointed to the part where the blood seal had changed. With a heavy sigh, she said:
"Jiraiya is dead. Along with Gamabunta."
The clan heads felt a fresh chill down their spines. They froze in place as their minds flashed back to the Nine-Tails Crisis, when Gamabunta had fought alongside the Fourth Hokage.
"Gamabunta… is dead too…"
Hiruzen completely lost his composure. He stumbled back several steps and collapsed into his chair.
After a long pause, he looked toward Itachi, who was still lying on the ground, and said in a low voice:
"Itachi… step down."
"You've done enough. Go home and rest.
As for the duties and industries once managed by the Uchiha clan, they'll now be handled by the Hyuga clan and others."
Before quelling threats outside, one must stabilize within.
Splitting the Uchiha clan's assets—along with those of the Shimura clan—was the price Hiruzen had promised Hiashi in exchange for helping to lead the crackdown on Uchiha rebels.
Whether Hiashi lived or died, Hiruzen intended to keep that promise. He had to, to keep the Hyuga clan loyal.
Originally, Hiruzen had considered talking things through with Itachi first, slowly negotiating the division of Uchiha assets.
But now that Itachi was crippled, there was no longer any need to tread carefully.
In that regard, he had Uchiha Yu to thank.
Itachi sensed something was wrong and cried out:
"Third Lord Hokage!!"
Hiruzen sighed and ordered,
"Take Itachi back to the Uchiha compound. Watch over him. Let him recover in peace."
"Yes, sir!"
°°°
A/N: Checkout the new Harry Potter/Marvel fic I just recently started posting
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