Chapter 48: The Third Hokage Faints
"Hokage-sama! Something's wrong!" At that moment, an Anbu's voice approached from a distance.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled, thinking to himself that something bad must have happened again.
Outside Konoha Village.
Just like in the original story, after Uchiha Itachi dealt with the two Root elites tasked with intercepting him, he arrived at the rendezvous point with Obito.
"You're finally here? How is it, is everything arranged properly?" Obito asked Uchiha Itachi, leaning against a giant tree with his arms crossed.
A gentle breeze blew, scattering leaves everywhere, and Obito's and Itachi's long hair fluttered in the wind.
"Yes, let's go." Uchiha Itachi didn't ask about Sarutobi Shinnosuke's death, nor did he ask about the missing bodies of the Uchiha Clan members.
Among the agreements he had with Obito, one was to turn a blind eye to Obito's actions tonight.
In exchange, Obito would spare his younger brother and promise not to attack Konoha during his lifetime.
"No, we still need to wait for one more person," Obito shook his head.
"Who?" Uchiha Itachi was surprised. He hadn't expected that besides him and Obito, there would be a third person involved in the Uchiha Clan massacre tonight.
"A new member of the Akatsuki Organization," Obito replied indifferently, then said nothing more, waiting quietly.
Before long, a figure rapidly swept over. With each step, he instantly moved dozens of meters, and in the blink of an eye, he had arrived before the two of them.
"You're finally here? Why didn't that little girl come with you?"
Obito stood up and said to the figure in the darkness.
"As for Izumi, I already used the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to send her out of the village. It's not too late to summon her back once she reaches a safe location."
Qianye casually offered an excuse and slowly emerged from the darkness. Under the illumination of the bright moonlight, a fair, youthful face was revealed.
"Fujiwara Chiye… How could it be you…?" Seeing who it was, Uchiha Itachi gasped in shock, his face filled with disbelief.
"Why wouldn't it be me?" Qianye retorted, a slightly playful smile on his face.
Itachi looked sideways at Obito. "What exactly is going on?"
"As you can see, Qianye is now also a member of the Akatsuki Organization. Just as you exterminated the Uchiha Clan and joined the Akatsuki Organization to protect your brother, he chose the same path as you to protect that Uchiha girl. As for the Qianye and the Uchiha Clan girl you killed, they were merely substitutes created by Qianye using special techniques," Obito explained.
Qianye walked over to Obito's side and, despite the latter's extreme disdain, put his arm around his shoulder and said to Uchiha Itachi, "How about it, Uchiha Itachi, who murdered his father and mother? Aren't you surprised? Aren't you delighted? Your proud Mangekyo seems unable to do anything to me."
"Of course, you can also choose to use the ocular jutsu from your other eye against me, but the price of attacking me a second time might not be something you can bear."
Uchiha Itachi looked at Qianye, then at Obito. From the latter's eyes, he saw a hint of apprehension towards Qianye. After much thought, he calmly replied, "I am no longer a Konoha Ninja. Since you have also joined the Akatsuki Organization, I will naturally not attack you again in the future."
"But I am very curious. Madara just said that you made the same choice as me. So, can I understand that you also exterminated a certain family in Konoha?"
"Of course," Qianye smiled indifferently.
While the two were talking, Obito, who had been impatient for a while, flung Qianye's arm away. "Alright, let's talk on the way. It's time to go."
As his voice fell, Obito used the Body Flicker Technique and vanished from his spot. Qianye followed closely behind.
Uchiha Itachi then followed suit, asking, "Which family did you exterminate exactly?"
"On one hand, Danzo threatened Izumi and ordered me to assist you in exterminating the Uchiha Clan. On the other hand, he ordered you to kill me and Izumi. And Hiruzen Sarutobi tacitly approved all of this. I've always been someone who repays grudges. Which family do you think I would exterminate?"
Qianye glanced at Uchiha Itachi, smiling playfully.
"Sarutobi and Shimura?" Uchiha Itachi suddenly understood.
He looked back at Konoha again, and a mix of emotions flashed in his eyes: bewilderment, horror, worry… and a barely perceptible hint of secret joy.
Finally, it turned into a long sigh, and he followed Qianye and Obito, disappearing into the darkness.
He sighed inwardly, thinking, it seems Konoha is truly about to change.
On the other side, the Konoha Anbu, who had just finished collecting the bodies of the Uchiha Clan members, had not even had time to catch their breath when they were again put on high alert.
They were urgently gathered together.
And their destination this time was none other than the Sarutobi Clan Territory.
As far as the eye could see, bodies were strewn everywhere, blood stained the ground and buildings, and the deaths were extremely gruesome.
Even Kakashi and the others, who were accustomed to the horrific state of the Uchiha Clan Territory, couldn't help but sigh, thinking to themselves, what kind of deep hatred could have led to such a cruel act?
It was simply a complete massacre, leaving no one alive.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi, at this moment, felt dizzy and was almost driven mad with rage.
He had just removed the Uchiha, a thorn in his side, only to receive news of his eldest son's death.
And before he could even calm down, more terrible news arrived.
His youngest son's lower body was destroyed, his chest suffered severe trauma, three ribs were broken, and he dragged his heavily injured body out of the Sarutobi Clan Territory, finally collapsing on the street from excessive blood loss. He was discovered by patrolling Anbu and sent to the Medical Department.
The Anbu followed the blood trail into the Sarutobi Clan Territory to investigate, only to see a shocking scene similar to that of the Uchiha Clan Territory.
The entire clan was wiped out, bodies were strewn everywhere, with almost no survivors.
Looking at the piles of clan members' bodies, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart was bleeding.
His consistent development strategy for his family was to silently accumulate wealth.
And the Sarutobi Clan was able to reach its current state, growing from an obscure small family to a large clan no less powerful than the Uchiha.
All of this was the result of his painstaking efforts and meticulous management.
It was the foundation of his livelihood during his time as Hokage.
It was his last reliance.
He had originally thought that after the Uchiha Clan was exterminated, the Sarutobi Clan would have no more threats in Konoha, becoming the sole dominant force and the true largest clan.
The position of Hokage would also be passed down within his Sarutobi Clan indefinitely.
But instead, damn it!
They were all wiped out overnight.
His only surviving younger son and grandson were also castrated.
He himself was old.
His wife had died long ago.
Even if she hadn't.
He couldn't cultivate the land anymore.
The Sarutobi Clan would become extinct from this point on.
How could he remain calm?
How could he be composed?
The more he thought, the angrier, sadder, and more furious he became. Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, couldn't catch his breath, and fainted on the spot.
PS: Second update, please give recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Thank you to [Liu An Yao Xin] for donating 500 Qidian coins.
Thank you to [Yi Tiao Jian Chi Sha] and [Xuan Men Ling Xiu Hong Jun Lao Zu] for donating 100 Qidian coins.
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