"What is that?!…"
"No... such enormous chakra—it's coming this way!"
"The size... the density… it's terrifying!"
"Move! Everyone, get out of the way!"
"Damn it, it's too late!"
As the Tailed Beast Ball streaked across the sky, spinning with overwhelming energy, panic erupted among the Sarutobi clan's ranks. The concentrated chakra was monstrous, a terrifying combination of the Nine-Tails' might and the Uchiha's Susanoo amplification.
"Bastard! Uchiha Byakuya—you want to annihilate us?!"
"Everyone, form seals! Defend with ninjutsu, now!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen shouted furiously, his voice hoarse from both fear and fury. The clan's remaining elite quickly obeyed, activating every defensive jutsu they knew: Earth Walls, Wind Domes, Chakra Barriers.
But none of it was enough.
"BOOOOOM!!!"
The Tailed Beast Ball detonated with devastating force. A massive explosion engulfed the region, sending out shockwaves strong enough to flatten nearby terrain. A colossal mushroom cloud rose into the sky, blotting out the dawn sun. The blast cracked the ground open, tore trees from their roots, and vaporized anything within its immediate radius.
Byakuya stood in the distance, watching calmly alongside Kushina. The orange glow of the Susanoo dissipated around the Nine-Tails, which now stood still like a weapon deactivated.
"They're finished," Byakuya muttered indifferently.
Whether Hiruzen lived or died didn't matter. Dead was preferable, but if he lived, the despair would only feed more hatred—more energy for Byakuya to absorb. He turned toward the heart of the village.
"Let's go. We need to unify Konoha."
…
At the heart of the blast zone, silence reigned. A massive crater had formed where once stood part of the Sarutobi compound.
"Crack…"
A dusty arm broke through the cracked earth, followed by a cough. Sarutobi Hiruzen emerged, his face bloodied and robes torn, but alive.
"Agh… I nearly died!"
"Damn you, Uchiha Byakuya…!"
One after another, wounded and battered, members of the Sarutobi clan crawled out from underground. Their defensive jutsu had failed, and at the last moment, Hiruzen had used a mass Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu (Earth Style: Hiding Like a Mole Technique) to burrow the survivors beneath the earth.
They had narrowly survived—barely.
"Father! Are you alright?!"
Shinnosuke rushed to his side, helping him up.
"Cough… I'm alive. What about the others?"
"We're here. Thanks to your jutsu, most of us made it out…"
The clan had suffered injuries, some severe, but their core had survived.
"Good. Then we move. Now!"
Weakened but determined, Hiruzen led the remnants of the Sarutobi clan into the forest. Behind them, the Tenne and Mito clans—also heavily damaged—followed in silence.
…
Morning broke over Konoha, but it brought confusion, not calm.
Ninjas exited their homes to scenes of destruction: crumbled buildings, scorched streets, and collapsed compounds. Craters marked the landscape where battles had raged.
"What the hell happened here?!"
"It looks like a battlefield—was there an invasion?!"
"The Hokage's compound… it's gone!"
"Did someone attack the Sarutobi clan?! But why?!"
Whispers and shouts spread through the village like wildfire. None had witnessed the night's events—none but the wounded, the terrified, and the now-absent clans.
Konoha had changed. The balance of power was shattered.
And Uchiha Byakuya stood at its center.
When the Konoha villagers woke up that morning, they immediately sensed something was wrong.
The air was thick with tension, and a portion of the village—specifically the Sarutobi clan's district—had been reduced to rubble.
"W-What happened here...?"
"It looks like a battle took place… but we didn't hear a thing last night…"
In truth, the chaos had unfolded under a powerful barrier set up by Sarutobi Hiruzen to prevent information leaks and keep the conflict isolated. It ensured that even though the clash between Uchiha Byakuya and Hiruzen's allied forces was intense, it didn't disturb the rest of the village.
Suddenly, the sharp cry of a hawk pierced the morning sky.
"Caw!"
That was the emergency signal for all active-duty shinobi to assemble.
"Emergency assembly order from the Hokage Building!"
"Let's go!"
Without hesitation, Konoha's shinobi raced toward the command center.
Inside the Hokage Building's large conference room, the tension was palpable. The room was already filled with many of the village's elite and key leaders.
"Nara Shikaku! What happened last night!?"
"Where is the Third Hokage!?"
"What's the meaning of the destruction in the Sarutobi compound!?"
"The Sarutobi, the Mitokado, and even the Utatane clans—why are their compounds empty!?"
The questions came like a wave, all directed at Nara Shikaku, Konoha's trusted strategist.
Shikaku calmly raised his hand, his expression grave.
"Please—wait until all the relevant personnel are present. I will explain everything."
As he stood before them, Shikaku knew the truth was heavier than most could bear.
The night before, Sarutobi Hiruzen, alongside forces from the Sarutobi, Mitokado, and Utatane clans, had launched a secret assault against the Uchiha clan, hoping to crush their influence once and for all.
But the plan failed.
Not only did they fail to eliminate Uchiha Byakuya—who had become a fearsome power in the village—but they suffered a total defeat. Hiruzen himself had been forced to flee with what remained of his clan, severely wounded and humiliated.
Even Shikaku, who had long suspected the balance of power was shifting, hadn't expected the Hokage to abandon the village in disgrace.
In that moment, one truth became undeniable.
The era of Sarutobi Hiruzen was over.
A new power now stood at the heart of Konoha.
And that power... was Uchiha Byakuya.
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