A Hokage without the Uchiha—does it even deserve to be called Hokage?
Uchiha Yuzuru's figure raced through the dense forest.
He didn't use Kamui; after all, wasting ocular power on travel was simply not worth it.
Just then, a figure flashed past him in the opposite direction.
The next second, that figure whipped around and blocked Uchiha Yuzuru's path.
"Uchiha Yuzuru!"
Seeing that signature head of silver-white hair, Uchiha Yuzuru raised an eyebrow. "Hatake Sakumo..."
"Where have the Uchiha clan members gone? What are your objectives? Why did you defect from Konoha?"
If anyone could answer the questions weighing on his mind right now, it would probably only be Uchiha Yuzuru standing before him.
Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzuru said flatly, "This village is full of darkness. It has long since betrayed the original ideals we held when we founded it."
"We will follow the same path as before and bring true reform toward peace in the shinobi world."
Hatake Sakumo's heart jolted.
Back then, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had ended the chaotic Warring States period with overwhelming force. Could it be that...
The Uchiha clan wanted to start another war?!
At that thought, Hatake Sakumo said in a heavy voice, "The village now has true peace. The Will of Fire is etched in everyone's heart, and all live together in harmony..."
"Where is this talk of darkness and corruption coming from?"
Hatake Sakumo wasn't much of a talker, but this matter was too important—he could only try his best to dissuade Uchiha Yuzuru.
Perhaps there was still a chance to salvage the situation.
"Hahahaha..."
"Sakumo, where do you get the nerve to say something like that?"
Uchiha Yuzuru let out a few cold laughs. "True peace means a catastrophic Great Shinobi War breaking out every few years, is that it?"
"The Will of Fire means sending five- and six-year-old children to the battlefield as cannon fodder while Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and the rest enjoy supreme power safe in the village?"
"Living together in harmony means ANBU monitoring every move of the Uchiha clan twenty-four hours a day without reason?"
"When the roots are rotten, can the branches still flourish?"
Hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's barrage of questions, Hatake Sakumo found himself at a loss for words.
After a long pause, he finally replied somewhat uncertainly, "This is all for the greater good..."
"Self-deception. These are just disguises worn by those who already hold power."
"When someone tells you to consider the greater good, you're nothing but an outsider in that equation. When someone tells you no cost is too great, you are that cost. When someone tells you to think long-term, they're asking you to give up the interests you deserve right now..."
"This time, we Uchiha will make our own decisions."
Hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's answer, Hatake Sakumo wanted to argue back but couldn't find the words.
In the end, he could only sidestep the issue.
"Uchiha Yuzuru, whatever grievances you have, you must come back with me right now."
"And if I say no?"
Hearing this, Hatake Sakumo drew the short blade from his back, and a terrifying pressure erupted instantly. "Then I'll have no choice but to bring you back by force."
The moment the words left his mouth, Hatake Sakumo's figure had already vanished.
A streak of razor-sharp white light appeared, surging toward Uchiha Yuzuru's chest.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball engulfed the white light, but in the next instant, the light cleaved the fireball in two and bore down on Uchiha Yuzuru with unstoppable momentum.
Clang!
Uchiha Yuzuru drew his long blade and deflected Hatake Sakumo's attack.
Then the two began an exchange of blows at extreme speed.
Blade light flashed constantly throughout the dense forest as fallen leaves, broken branches, and dust continued to pile up.
Even with the dynamic vision of his Mangekyo Sharingan, Uchiha Yuzuru still felt immense pressure.
"Konoha's White Fang truly lives up to his name—this blade work is sharpness taken to its limit. Among all the shinobi I've fought, you can be called the strongest."
Uchiha Yuzuru couldn't help but praise him.
Hatake Sakumo's blade technique was simple—
Fast, precise, ruthless!
Speed pushed to the extreme, every strike aimed straight at vital points.
An ordinary Jonin facing this kind of relentless storm of attacks probably wouldn't last more than a few exchanges.
Compared to Uchiha Yuzuru, Hatake Sakumo was even more shocked.
He had originally thought that defeating Uchiha Yuzuru with his own strength would be a simple matter.
But unexpectedly, his continuous onslaught had all been blocked by Uchiha Yuzuru.
And the opponent was only a fourteen-year-old boy.
Clang!
After another clash of steel, Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Yuzuru separated.
Looking at the still-calm youth, the killing intent in Hatake Sakumo's heart could no longer be suppressed.
If Uchiha Yuzuru escaped, Konoha would be in danger.
"Don't blame me—everything is for Konoha!"
Hatake Sakumo took a deep breath, pushing his spirit and Chakra to their absolute limits.
Then his entire body transformed into what seemed like a bolt of white lightning, instantly piercing through Uchiha Yuzuru's body.
The violent blade energy even severed more than a dozen trees ahead, cutting them clean through at the trunk.
"Is that your strongest attack?"
Uchiha Yuzuru's voice came from behind him, and cold sweat instantly broke out on Hatake Sakumo's forehead.
That strike just now...
Had been dodged?!
He turned around to see a pair of bizarrely patterned eyes he had never seen before, glowing crimson in the moonlight.
Terrifying ocular power spilled out continuously as Uchiha Yuzuru gripped his blade in one hand and walked slowly toward him.
"There's movement over there—quick, go check it out!"
Several shouts came from not far away, and Uchiha Yuzuru stopped in his tracks.
"Let's end today's battle here."
"Sakumo, remember what I told you today. You're destined to become a sacrificial pawn in political struggles."
A ripple in space appeared, and Uchiha Yuzuru's figure gradually vanished, leaving only a voice echoing in the air: "These eyes of mine have already clearly seen your future."
Watching Uchiha Yuzuru disappear from the spot out of thin air, Hatake Sakumo remained in a state of high alert.
It wasn't until more than a dozen ANBU surrounded him that he finally let out a long breath of relief.
That final moment—the sense of oppression Uchiha Yuzuru had given him was simply too overwhelming.
Those eyes...
What were they?
A cool breeze blew past, and Hatake Sakumo couldn't help but shiver.
His clothes—when had they become soaked through?
Land of Fire.
Uchiha Yuzuru's figure materialized out of thin air. Without pausing for a moment, he continued heading in the direction of the Land of Rice Fields.
"Remembering those bygone years, the tears never dry..."
Uchiha Yuzuru hummed a cheerful little tune, clearly in good spirits.
The fight with Hatake Sakumo had given him a much clearer understanding of his own strength.
With just the dynamic vision of his Mangekyo Sharingan, he could handle most of Hatake Sakumo's attacks.
Though his taijutsu and ninjutsu hadn't been able to pose any fatal threat to Hatake Sakumo, Uchiha Yuzuru didn't care.
Taijutsu and ninjutsu only needed to be good enough.
His strongest trump card was Kamui!
Hatake Sakumo's all-out attack—he only needed a simple intangibility to evade it perfectly.
If he hadn't been reluctant to waste too much ocular power, with the strength of dual Kamui, killing Hatake Sakumo on the spot wouldn't have been impossible.
Against the overwhelming might of the Mangekyo Sharingan, traditional powerhouses like Hatake Sakumo were inherently at an absolute disadvantage.
It could be said that at this point in time, very few people in the entire shinobi world could pose a threat to his life.
This is dual Kamui—security maxed out!
"Konoha Village is probably in complete chaos right now, isn't it?"
"But this is only the beginning. I hope Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others can hold on a bit longer, or it'll be too boring."
"And those Konoha villagers who were hostile toward the Uchiha—someday they'll realize just who they have to thank for being able to live in peace."
————
"That's the situation. Uchiha Yuzuru's strength has far exceeded our estimates."
After hearing Hatake Sakumo's report, Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed into a knot.
According to Hatake Sakumo's description, what Uchiha Yuzuru possessed was definitely the Mangekyo Sharingan, no doubt about it.
Who would have thought that after so many years, the power Uchiha Madara had once relied on to pacify the chaos would appear again.
Damn it!
Isn't it just a little hardship?
Can't they endure it for the sake of the village?
Does it really have to go this far?
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen fall silent, Shimura Danzo said coldly, "A brat with the Mangekyo Sharingan can fight Sakumo to a standstill. That kind of power should have been in our hands."
"Hiruzen, now that the entire Uchiha clan has defected en masse and the future Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has disappeared, you as Hokage bear full responsibility!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his aching head.
What kind of timing is this, and Danzo is still fixated on attacking him?
What a disaster.
"Right now, the most important thing is to figure out where the Uchiha clan has gone and what they plan to do."
"If we let them be used by another village, we'll be in serious trouble."
Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's analysis, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado immediately chimed in: "Hiruzen, I think we should send people to wipe out all those evil Uchiha!"
"Right, these tumors threatening the village should have been eradicated long ago!"
"But those Sharingan are Konoha's property—we must retrieve them all."
Watching the two of them speak so righteously, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but say, "The Uchiha clan's strength is not to be underestimated, and now they even have a powerhouse like Uchiha Yuzuru with the Mangekyo Sharingan. How do we wipe them out?"
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