Hiruzen had just spoken when the Anbu behind him hesitated for a brief moment.
But only for a moment.
They were Anbu; obeying orders was their duty.
Two to three hundred people formed hand seals at the same time, and multicolored lights of various ninjutsu flared to life.
Yet Gento was faster.
"Susanoo!"
The yellow giant manifested once more, smashing a fist toward the Anbu crowd!
Boom!
More than a dozen Anbu were sent flying.
At the same time, Shisui and Fugaku stood side by side.
Three Susanoo stood like three war gods, looking down upon everyone present.
"Uchiha clan, hear my command!"
Gento's voice resounded across the entire field:
"Follow me and kill!"
Behind him, hundreds of Uchiha clan members responded in unison and charged toward the Anbu formation!
The battle erupted at once.
Ninjutsu clashed, kunai crossed, and screams and battle cries shook the heavens.
Yet from the very beginning, the situation was thoroughly one-sided.
The three Susanoo were like three war gods, rampaging through the Anbu ranks.
With every punch that fell, several people were blasted away.
With every sword swing, a group collapsed.
The Uchiha clan followed closely behind, harvesting those enemies who had already been broken.
Hiruzen watched with eyes splitting in fury.
He wanted to act, but the three Susanoo had already surrounded him all around.
Gento controlled the yellow giant and smashed a punch toward Hiruzen!
Hiruzen dodged awkwardly, and the ground beneath his feet exploded instantly.
Shisui's green greatsword stabbed in from the side. Hiruzen flipped to evade, but the blade grazed his shoulder, sending blood spraying.
Fugaku's purple giant closed in from behind, its massive palm slamming down!
With nowhere to evade, Hiruzen could only take it head-on.
Bang!
He was blasted away by the strike, crashing heavily onto the ground as blood spurted from his mouth.
Before he could even stand, the yellow giant's fist was already before his eyes.
"Clan Head Gento, please stop!"
An anxious shout came from the distance.
Gento looked up and saw Shikaku Nara hurrying over with the clan heads of Konoha's major ninja clans.
Inoichi Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, Hiashi Hyuga…
One familiar face after another now carried complicated expressions.
Gento's fist stopped just an inch before Hiruzen's face.
He truly wanted to kill Hiruzen right now.
This old thing… keeping him alive would bring trouble sooner or later.
But he also knew that completely destroying Konoha did not align with his interests.
There were still several future dual cultivation partners who needed to grow within Konoha.
Hinata Hyuga, Hanabi Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, Tenten…
Moreover, killing Hiruzen was easy, but what about afterward?
Konoha would fall into chaos, the great nations would watch like tigers eyeing their prey, and the Fourth Great Shinobi War might erupt ahead of time?
Those youthful, beautiful faces, those alluring figures… he could not bear to let them perish in such chaos.
Gento's thoughts raced. Without drawing attention, he collected Hiruzen's blood into his sleeve.
Then he slowly withdrew the Susanoo and coldly gave the order:
"Uchiha, stand down!"
Hundreds of Uchiha clan members immediately stopped upon hearing the command, swiftly retreating and forming ranks behind Gento.
Their movements were perfectly uniform, obeying orders without hesitation.
Hiruzen was helped to his feet by two Anbu, his face pale, blood still hanging at the corner of his mouth.
He looked at Gento, his eyes filled with unwillingness and resentment, yet he no longer dared to act rashly.
Shikaku stepped forward quickly with the clan heads and bowed deeply toward Gento:
"Clan Head Gento, please hear me out."
His attitude was respectful:
"What happened today was indeed mishandled by Hokage-sama. We major clans have long been dissatisfied with Danzo-sama's actions as well."
"But Konoha is, after all, the heart and soul of successive Hokage, a home protected by countless shinobi with their lives. I ask Clan Head Gento to consider the bigger picture and not let the situation worsen further."
Inoichi also spoke:
"Clan Head Gento, whatever your demands are, we can sit down and discuss them. Konoha cannot do without the Uchiha, and the Uchiha also need Konoha. We can absolutely find a solution both sides can accept."
Hiashi remained silent, just watching Gento with a complicated gaze.
After hearing them out, Gento suddenly smiled.
"Clan Head Shikaku, Clan Head Inoichi, everyone–your goodwill is appreciated."
He looked around at the crowd:
"But there is no need."
"The current Konoha has already strayed from the original intentions of Madara-sama and Hashirama-sama when they founded it."
"The higher-ups fight for power and profit, disregarding the sacrifices of shinobi. The Fourth Hokage's orphan is bullied, and those who risk their lives for the village are assassinated."
"Is this still the Konoha it once was?"
Shikaku opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Gento continued:
"I, Gento Uchiha, in the name of the Uchiha clan head, hereby declare: the Uchiha clan will from this day onward withdraw from Konoha."
The Uchiha clan members were stunned for a moment, then erupted into thunderous cheers!
"Withdraw from Konoha!"
"Uchiha independence!"
"Long live the clan head!"
Everyone present changed expressions.
Without giving them time to react, Gento added:
"Additionally, I will be taking Kushina and Naruto with me."
"That mother and son have suffered enough in Konoha; it's time they lived somewhere else."
Hiruzen finally could not hold back and spoke:
"No! Kushina is a Jinchuriki, an important combat asset of the village. She cannot go with you!"
Gento looked at him coldly:
"Cannot?"
He stepped forward, killing intent undisguised in his eyes:
"Then today I will kill everyone who dares to stop me, and then leave with Kushina."
"Do you want to test whether I can do it?"
Under that icy gaze, Hiruzen swallowed the words at the tip of his tongue.
He recalled the terror of those three Susanoo just now… comparable to the Nine-Tails!
And there were three of them… three humanoid Nine-Tails!
Thinking of how he had nearly been smashed to death by a single punch, his face turned pale, then reddened, and finally he could only nod resentfully.
Gento no longer looked at him.
With a wave of his hand, several figures appeared out of thin air.
They were none other than Kurenai Yuhi, Shinku Yuhi, and the other three Konoha shinobi who had been rescued from the Yomotsu space.
He briefly explained what had happened.
Then he looked at Shinku and said:
"Shinku-senpai, I intend to lead the Uchiha out of Konoha and establish our own village elsewhere."
"Kurenai is my woman, I will take her with me. As for you, you are a shinobi of Konoha; whether you stay or leave is your own decision."
Shinku fell silent for a moment.
He looked at Gento, then at his daughter who was tightly clinging to Gento's arm, a trace of struggle flashing through his eyes.
In the end, he let out a sigh:
"My life was saved by you. And that girl has already given her heart to you. At my age, what is there left to hesitate about?"
He stepped behind Gento:
"I'll go with you."
Gento immediately said coldly:
"All non-Uchiha! Leave the Uchiha clan compound within one hour!"
The clan heads of Konoha's various ninja clans exchanged looks, and in the end could only leave helplessly.
The injured Anbu hurried away with the help of their comrades.
Hiruzen was supported by two Anbu, staggering as he left.
Only after going a long distance did he dare to look back, his eyes filled with unwillingness and resentment.
Regardless, Gento no longer paid him any attention.
He turned to Fugaku:
"Fugaku, recall all Uchiha members currently out on missions. Have them return to the clan as soon as possible."
Fugaku nodded solemnly:
"Yes!"
He then brought Shisui into the office and asked:
"How is the intelligence on the Feudal Lord progressing?"
Shisui stepped forward and took out a scroll from his chest:
"Clan Head, this contains the intelligence we've gathered over the years during escort missions in the Land of Hot Water. The personalities, preferences, family relations, and internal conflicts of each country's Feudal Lord are all recorded in detail."
Gento unrolled the scroll and analyzed it carefully:
Although the Five Great Nations were rich in resources, they all had well-established shinobi village systems–the Uchiha could not insert themselves.
Nor could they independently establish their own village there.
As for small countries, they were too poor to support a shinobi village.
At present, the most suitable candidates were second-tier mid-sized nations.
The Land of Tea: An island nation with a favorable geographic position, but relatively scarce resources.
The Land of Bears: Mountainous, easy to defend but difficult to attack, yet inconvenient in transportation.
The Land of Rivers: Situated between two great nations, strategically important but with a complicated situation.
The Land of Hot Water…
His gaze fell on the entry for the Land of Hot Water.
He was familiar with this country.
Over the years, the Uchiha had maintained close cooperation with it. Shisui and the others frequently went there on escort missions.
The Feudal Lord of the Land of Hot Water held a very good impression of the Uchiha and was willing to cooperate long-term.
More importantly, the Land of Hot Water was famous for its hot springs and tourism industry. Its economy was quite prosperous, fully capable of supporting a shinobi village.
It also had the greatest potential to grow into a sixth great nation.
"The Land of Hot Water it is."
Gento closed the scroll:
"Shisui, come with me to the Land of Hot Water. We'll meet the Feudal Lord in person."
"We'll need to use your Kotoamatsukami to control the Feudal Lord!"
Hearing this, Shisui's heart stirred, and he nodded:
"Yes!"
Gento entrusted clan affairs to Fugaku and several elders, then departed with Shisui in silence.
The two traveled day and night toward the Land of Hot Water.
A few days later.
Land of Hot Water, Feudal Lord's Residence.
This was a prosperous town, with shops lining both sides of the streets, crowds flowing endlessly, and a lively atmosphere.
As a nation famous for tourism, visitors from various countries could be seen everywhere.
Gento and Shisui walked along the street, observing their surroundings as they headed toward the Feudal Lord's residence.
As they passed by a casino, Gento's eyes suddenly flickered, and he stopped.
[Ding! Suitable Dual Cultivation Kunoichi detected.]
[Name: Shizune Kato]
[Kekkei Genkai: None]
[Strength: Jonin]
[Overall Evaluation: A-rank]
[Ding! Suitable Dual Cultivation Kunoichi detected.]
[Name: Tsunade Senju]
[Kekkei Genkai: Senju Constitution]
[Strength: Kage-level]
[Overall Evaluation: S-rank]
...
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