The night was pitch-black, thick as ink.
Within the Sarutobi clan compound, the slaughter began.
There were no earth-shaking clashes of ninjutsu. This was a one-sided massacre—an execution carried out by a traitor against defenseless kin.
Squelch!
The shadow extending from the Adamantine Staff pierced straight through the chest of a patrolling Sarutobi jōnin.
The man's eyes widened as he stared at the familiar figure emerging from the darkness, blood pouring from his mouth.
"C-Clan Leader…? Why…?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's entire body trembled. Tears streamed down his aged face, yet his hands did not pause even for an instant.
"I'm sorry… I'm truly sorry…"
"For Asuma… for Shinnosuke… you must die."
He yanked the iron staff free. Blood splashed across his face.
The once-benevolent Third Hokage was now drenched in the blood of his own clan, like a demon clawing its way up from hell.
"Ah! Murder!"
"It's the Third Hokage! The Third Hokage has gone mad!"
Screams tore through the night.
But none of them could escape.
The barrier sealed everything within.
Hiruzen moved through the compound like a rusted yet lethal machine, harvesting lives in a frenzy.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
A massive fireball swallowed entire houses, instantly reducing women and children still asleep inside to ashes.
"Grandpa! Don't kill me! I'm Konohamaru's cousin!"
A child of seven or eight ran out crying, clutching at Hiruzen's leg.
Hiruzen froze.
He stared at the child's face—so similar to Asuma's when he was young—and his heart twisted in agony.
Then, in his mind, Uchiha Tobirama's cold, demonic voice echoed once more:
If you don't kill them all, Asuma will die.
"Waaah—!"
Hiruzen let out a beastlike howl.
The kunai in his hand plunged down.
Squelch.
The crying stopped abruptly.
"Forgive me… forgive me…"
Hiruzen knelt in the pool of blood, sobbing uncontrollably. Yet the despair in his eyes slowly gave way to numbness.
Once enough blood stained his hands, killing became mechanical.
Half an hour later.
The Sarutobi clan compound had been wiped clean. Not a single living soul remained.
Raging flames devoured all traces—bodies, evidence, everything.
Dragging the blood-soaked Adamantine Staff behind him, Hiruzen staggered toward the neighboring clan compounds of Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu.
High above, Uchiha Tobirama watched the scene with cold indifference.
"Shadow clones, go assist him."
"Be quick. Don't let those two old relics escape."
Swish, swish, swish!
Several shadow clones plunged into the sea of fire.
With Tobirama's support and Hiruzen's madness, the other two clans did not last even an hour.
Aside from the two advisors themselves, who were still scheming elsewhere, all other members were executed.
---
Beneath Konoha, within the secret chamber of the former Root headquarters.
This was the hidden base agreed upon by the so-called Konoha F4—and it would also be the end of tonight.
Dim candlelight flickered.
Danzō Shimura, reduced to little more than half a body, lay within a specialized life-support tank. A sinister glint flickered in his single eye.
Nearby, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu paced back and forth anxiously.
"Why hasn't Hiruzen arrived yet?" Homura asked, glancing at the wall clock with a deep frown.
"According to the plan, the special envoy should have caused trouble by now. We need Hiruzen to coordinate the public opinion offensive."
"That indecisive old monkey…" Danzō snorted coldly, his voice hoarse and grating.
"Don't tell me he's hesitating again."
"At this point, there's no turning back. If he doesn't come, we act on our own!"
Just then—
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Heavy footsteps echoed from deep within the corridor.
The iron door was pushed open.
A nauseating stench of blood instantly flooded the chamber.
"Hiruzen?"
Koharu covered her nose, staring at the blood-soaked figure at the doorway. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Y-you… why do you look like this? What happened?"
Danzō's expression changed instantly. As Hiruzen's longtime rival and ally, he sensed something was terribly wrong.
"Hiruzen!" Danzō barked sharply. "What have you done? How is the plan outside progressing?!"
Hiruzen slowly stepped into the chamber and shut the heavy iron door behind him.
He raised his head. His once-clouded eyes were still stained with undried, blood-tinged tears.
"The plan?"
Hiruzen laughed hollowly.
"There is no plan anymore."
"And there is no future."
"Homura. Koharu. Danzō…"
"My old friends."
"I'm here… to send you on your way."
"What?!"
All three were stunned.
"Have you lost your mind?!" Homura roared. "We're in the same boat! We're opposing Uchiha Tobirama together!"
"Exactly because we must oppose him…"
Hiruzen tightened his grip on the Adamantine Staff. His chakra erupted violently.
"…I need to borrow your heads."
"For Konoha—no."
"For my son."
"Kill him!" Danzō screamed hoarsely. "He's betrayed us! Kill him!"
Though Danzō himself could not move, Homura and Koharu were still disciples of the Second Hokage. Despite their age, their foundations remained.
They reacted instantly, drawing kunai to resist.
"Hiruzen! You traitor!"
"I'll fight you to the death!"
However—
Before the Third Hokage, hailed as the ninja hero, these two advisors who had spent years playing politics were as fragile as paper.
Ninjutsu: Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
Tears streamed from Hiruzen's eyes as he formed hand seals.
A storm of shuriken rained down.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Their defenses shattered instantly. Bloody wounds bloomed across their bodies.
"Enma! Transform!"
The staff in Hiruzen's hand extended and thickened, sweeping out with terrifying force.
Bang! Bang!
Two dull impacts.
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu were slammed into the wall like broken sacks, coughing up blood before collapsing to the floor.
They were clearly beyond saving.
Even in death, their eyes remained wide open, filled with resentment toward the comrade they had known for decades.
"Why…?"
Homura stretched out a trembling hand toward Hiruzen—and then breathed his last.
Only Danzō Shimura remained.
Watching Hiruzen approach step by step, genuine fear finally appeared in Danzō's lone eye.
He wanted to flee—but he had no legs.
He wanted to form hand seals—but he had no hands.
"Hiruzen… you can't kill me…"
Danzō's voice shook.
"I am Konoha's Root! I am your shadow in the darkness! Without me, you are nothing!"
"We built Konoha's glory together!"
"You'll regret this! You're a sinner of Konoha!!"
Hiruzen raised the Adamantine Staff.
He looked down at the man who had once been his closest comrade—and his darkest rival.
All the past struggles, schemes, and oaths made for Konoha now seemed unbearably absurd.
"Danzō."
Tears fell again, dripping onto Danzō's terrified face.
"You're right. I am a sinner."
"We're all sinners."
"But this is the fate of a ninja."
"If there is an afterlife…"
"Don't be a ninja."
"No—!"
Squelch!
The staff fell.
Silence followed.
From this moment on, of the so-called Konoha F4, only one remained.
Hiruzen dropped the staff, collapsed between the three corpses, covered his face, and wailed uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry… Homura… Koharu… Danzō…"
"I failed you all…"
Within those sobs were regret, terror, and unbearable pain.
He had severed his own past—and shattered his soul.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Clear applause echoed from the shadows.
Uchiha Tobirama slowly stepped forward, a satisfied smile on his face.
"Magnificent."
"Truly magnificent."
"Hiruzen, you did not disappoint me. This performance—sacrificing one's own family for the so-called greater good—was even more moving than anything on a stage."
Hiruzen jerked his head up.
His eyes, filled with monstrous hatred and killing intent, locked onto Tobirama.
If looks could kill, Tobirama would have been torn apart a thousand times over.
"Uchiha Tobirama!"
Hiruzen roared, each word forced out through clenched teeth.
"Are you satisfied?!"
"My clan is dead! My old friends are dead! I'm alone!"
"Are you satisfied?!"
"It'll do," Tobirama replied calmly.
"But this isn't over yet."
He looked down at Hiruzen, his gaze turning ice-cold.
"Put away your hatred."
"Remember who you are now."
"From this moment on, you are Konoha's S-rank rogue ninja—Hiruzen Sarutobi."
"A madman who opposed my rule, failed in a coup, and went insane—slaughtering both comrades and clan."
"Of course, you'll still work for Konoha in the shadows."
"After all, you are the Third Hokage who carries the Will of Fire."
"…I understand."
"Good."
"There's nothing else for now. I'll contact you when needed."
Tobirama glanced at the time and yawned.
"Dawn is approaching."
"I'll give you ten minutes."
"Go say goodbye to your two precious sons."
Then Tobirama suddenly leaned closer, his eyes sharp as blades.
"But remember our agreement."
"If you dare say a single word about me… or try to take them away—"
"I'll have Asuma waiting for you in the underworld."
"Do you understand?"
Hiruzen trembled violently. The hatred in his eyes was forced down, replaced once more by fear.
"…I understand."
"Go."
Tobirama waved his hand dismissively.
"Perform your final act well."
"And then… get out of Konoha."
Hiruzen took one last look at the three corpses—and then at the lofty figure of Uchiha Tobirama.
He said nothing.
He no longer had the right to speak.
Picking up the conical hat from the ground, he placed it over his head, hiding a face streaked with blood and tears.
Then he turned and staggered out of the chamber.
His hunched back looked like that of a walking corpse.
Tobirama watched him go, a cold sneer curling on his lips.
"The so-called ninja hero—once you strip away that coat called the Will of Fire—is nothing more than a pitiful old man."
He looked around at the corpses scattered across the floor, feeling supremely satisfied.
In the original history, these old relics had driven the Uchiha clan to extinction.
Today, he let them experience what it meant to have their own clans wiped out.
Role reversal.
This—was true fairness.
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