Chapter Fourteen – The Temporary Curtain Fall of the Uchiha
The overwhelming force of Susanoo was naturally something Root shinobi could not withstand. Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi constantly tried to mediate, the Root forces still suffered heavy casualties. One could only say that Danzō had trained them exceptionally well—if it had been ordinary shinobi serving as cannon fodder, they would have been more of a hindrance than a help.
Only Shimura Danzō's heart bled; after all, these were his subordinates! Sarutobi didn't feel the pain—easy for him to sacrifice others when they weren't his own men.
"Wind Release—Vacuum Bullets!"
Helpless, Danzō finally joined the battle. In truth, the wound on his shoulder wasn't nearly as severe as he had let on—he had simply been reluctant to fight. But now, with his men being slaughtered in droves, he had no choice but to act.
These Root shinobi were meant to be the foundation of his rise to Hokage—how could he allow them all to perish here?
"Sarutobi, do something! Root shinobi are already dying in numbers. At this rate, Konoha will suffer too great a loss of strength!"
The subtext was clear: You're the Hokage—get in there and take the hits!
Hiruzen stared at the massive Susanoo, momentarily at a loss.
"Enma! Lend me your strength!"
He summoned Enma, transformed into the Nyoi Staff, and struck Susanoo with a heavy blow. It wasn't without effect—at the very least, it made Fugaku stagger. But in the next instant, Fugaku swatted Hiruzen away with a single slap.
After crashing through several walls, Hiruzen barely managed to stop himself, coughing up a mouthful of blood. His complexion paled, and his vigor waned noticeably.
It had to be said: Fugaku was at the peak of his prime as a shinobi, while Hiruzen was old, his legs no longer as swift or sturdy as in his youth. Taking such a blow head-on had left his strength diminished. From then on, he could only use ninjutsu sparingly, harassing Fugaku with caution.
"What a pity. If only Shisui and Itachi had stood by the clan, the outcome of our struggle with Konoha might not have been so certain. But so be it. I have no regrets left."
Uchiha Fugaku felt the continuous drain of his ocular power and knew well—the sealing technique was almost finished.
Sure enough, moments later, the massive Susanoo gradually shed its flesh, leaving only its skeletal ribcage to protect him.
"Finally reaching your limit?"
Both Hiruzen and Danzō breathed a sigh of relief. At least they had barely weathered the storm. Had Fugaku held out longer, Hiruzen might not have lasted—and Danzō would surely have fled.
Watching Fugaku's exhausted expression, neither of them rushed forward immediately. Both were seasoned veterans of the battlefield, wary that this weakness might be a ruse hiding some hidden trump card.
"Fugaku, do you have any last words?"
Hiruzen gazed at the devastated Uchiha compound, a pang of regret in his heart—though chiefly, it was regret that the Uchiha could not be harnessed for Konoha's use.
"I've nothing left to say. From the beginning, I never intended to harm Konoha's villagers. I only wanted to kill parasites like you, the so-called high council."
Fugaku sat cross-legged on the ground, awaiting his end.
"The Uchiha fell because you lacked the Will of Fire—"
"Sarutobi, you damned monkey—have some shame! What 'Will of Fire'? The fire is Uchiha, the wood is Senju. We and the Senju are the rightful masters of Konoha. Spare me your lofty words!"
"The Senju have already been whittled down to a single heir thanks to your schemes. Now, because the Uchiha would not submit, we too are to be exterminated. I wonder—when we are gone, will the Hyūga be next?"
Miles away, Hyūga Hiashi had activated his Byakugan, quietly observing the battlefield. He could not hear the words spoken, but he had certainly heard rumors of the Uchiha's plight.
Hiruzen realized that his oft-effective rhetoric of the Will of Fire could no longer sway Fugaku.
"Fugaku, even if the Uchiha manage to escape, the entire shinobi world will covet them. Do you really think they can live peacefully outside the village's protection? It would be better to return to Konoha. We are willing to accept the Uchiha again, setting aside the past…"
"That won't be necessary, Hokage-sama. The Uchiha will live on peacefully. If we gain the strength one day, we will return openly to seek vengeance. If not, then we will quietly preserve our bloodline."
Seeing Hiruzen's sour expression, Fugaku felt an immense satisfaction. Perhaps this was the most gratifying day since he had become clan head.
"Reverse Summoning Technique! Sarutobi, we shall meet again—in hell! Hahahaha!"
Uchiha Fugaku vanished in a puff of smoke.
"He ran? After him!" Danzō barked at once.
"Forget it, Danzō. Fugaku's already burned out his life force. Besides, with reverse summoning, we can't catch him. What we must do now is settle tonight's chaos."
"You're Hokage—it's your duty to maintain the village's stability. I'll have Root search for Fugaku's corpse."
Hiruzen shot Danzō a long look, quickly discerning his intent—clearly, Danzō was after Fugaku's eyes. But to anyone outside the Uchiha, transplanted Sharingan were a crippling burden. Kakashi was living proof.
"As you wish. I'll go restore order. But Danzō, I warn you—mind your limits. Tonight has already been far too reckless. Just because I choose not to interfere, doesn't mean I cannot."
During the fight, Hiruzen had noted that Fugaku's eyes were only ordinary Sharingan. Yet according to the Second Hokage's records, Susanoo could only be manifested by Mangekyō Sharingan. This left him with suspicions. Even if Danzō did find Fugaku, there was little chance of obtaining a Mangekyō.
As for trying to dissuade him? Hiruzen knew his old comrade too well—Danzō would never give up without trying.
—
At dawn the next day, villagers discovered the ruined Uchiha compound and reported it throughout Konoha. Awe had given way to fear, now replaced with shock.
"The Uchiha clan of Konoha has been annihilated by the traitor Uchiha Itachi. Clan head Uchiha Fugaku fought to the death, refusing to retreat, and perished in battle. Uchiha Itachi has been declared an S-rank missing-nin. Uchiha Sasuke is the clan's sole surviving orphan."
The sensational news spread like wildfire through Konoha, and within days, spies carried it across the Five Great Nations.
The Senju and Uchiha had been top houses since the Warring States era, yet now the Uchiha had perished at the hands of one of their own. The great clans of the world sighed in lament.
Of course, those who truly knew the inside story, like Hyūga Hiashi, would not contradict the official version. But he understood well—without the Uchiha, life for the Hyūga would likely grow harsher.
As for Uchiha Sasuke—he awoke to the news that his entire clan had been massacred, the culprit none other than his own elder brother, Itachi. The boy could not accept it.
But this time, because Uchiha Akira had already evacuated many clansmen, Sasuke never suffered Itachi's beating, nor heard his brother's infamous words: "Hate me."
Uchiha Itachi, S-rank missing-nin of Konoha.
Bounty: 80 million ryō. Dead or alive.