Right at the edge of the Uchiha compound, at the very moment when Red’s and Itachi’s Chakras clashed so intensely that they nearly materialized, causing the very air to warp.
Not far from this small courtyard, in the shadow of the towering Hokage Rock, two figures stood side by side, silently watching everything happening in the yard from their high vantage point.
The moonlight was blocked by dark clouds, casting their long silhouettes and making them appear eerie and mysterious.
“Puff…”
A thick cloud of smoke was slowly exhaled, quickly dispersing in the night wind.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in his white Hokage robes with Red lettering, had his brows deeply furrowed.
His aged fingers held the pipe he had used for many years.
The embers in the pipe flickered in the night, illuminating the deep wrinkles on his face.
The Third Hokage of Konoha, known as the “Professor of Shinobi,” could barely conceal the sheer shock overflowing in his eyes.
Tonight, the Anbu’s surveillance and probing of Uchiha Akahiro was supposed to be a routine boundary-crossing operation secretly sanctioned by Danzo.
Hiruzen was well aware of this and had even tacitly permitted the pressure.
But he never expected that this pressure would actually force out a monster that defied all common sense.
“This kid named Red…”
Hiruzen frantically evaluated the combat power Red had displayed.
How could an ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan faintly suppress the ocular power of Uchiha Itachi, who had awakened his eyes so early and was exceptionally gifted?
What shocked him even more, and even sent a shiver down his spine, was the violent, heavy, abyss-like Chakra radiating from Red.
The sheer volume of that Chakra was simply too massive.
And it was far too heavy.
“Even for me, at my current age… No, even at my peak, in terms of the sheer weight and purity of Chakra alone, I would probably only be on par with him.”
Hiruzen marveled in his heart.
This was not a Chakra capacity a teenage Uchiha boy should possess; he was practically a Tailed Beast in human skin!
“Naturally evil Uchiha brats… they really are a massive threat to the Village.”
A low, raspy voice filled with gloom and prejudice sounded beside Hiruzen.
Danzo Shimura tightened his grip on his dragon-headed cane.
His exposed, cold eye, resembling that of a lone wolf, gleamed with undisguised greed and fanaticism.
He stared intently at the center of the battlefield.
His gaze first landed on Uchiha Itachi.
Seeing the faint outline of the Mangekyo Sharingan beginning to stretch and connect in Itachi’s eyes, Danzo’s breathing actually grew somewhat rapid.
That was the legendary power of the gods belonging to the Uchiha Clan!
“Hiruzen, I told you long ago that we must never show softness when dealing with the Uchiha! Your so-called gentle methods will only allow them to breed even more terrifying monsters!”
Danzo took half a step forward, slamming his cane heavily against the stone, his tone chilling.
“Hand Uchiha Itachi over to me; he is a tool for the Village. As for this variable named Red… my ‘Root’ must act immediately to secretly arrest him and lock him in the Forbidden Jutsu Room for a thorough dissection and analysis! There is something extremely wrong with his Chakra. He must not be left in the hands of the Uchiha!”
Hearing Danzo’s almost frantic proposal, a flash of displeasure crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes.
He turned his head and directly cut Danzo off.
“Enough, Danzo! Say no more.”
Hiruzen’s voice sounded somewhat weary, but it carried the unquestionable authority of a leader.
“The Uchiha are also members of the Village, the founders who helped establish Konoha. We cannot do such a thing to a junior of the Village without concrete evidence.”
“Furthermore, I am the Hokage. I will handle this matter personally.”
Hiruzen emphasized the words, “I am the Hokage.”
“Hmph, Hiruzen, you will pay the price for your hypocritical weakness sooner or later.”
Danzo curled his lip in disdain, his cold face filled with contempt.
However, he also knew that once Hiruzen decided to personally intervene, he would have absolutely no opportunity to touch Red openly tonight.
Hiruzen ignored Danzo’s mockery.
He knew very well that if Red and Itachi were allowed to continue confronting each other or even fight to the death at the edge of the compound, the Uchiha Clan—already strained to their absolute limit—might very well launch a full-scale riot tonight.
When that happened, the situation would completely spiral out of the high command’s control.
The decision had been made.
Hiruzen slowly raised his right hand and gently tapped his pipe against the edge of the hard Hokage Rock.
“Clack.”
A bit of burnt ash fell from the pipe, carrying a faint ember that quickly died out in the night wind, drifting down into the endless darkness.
This action represented the ruler of Konoha’s decision to personally step in and smooth things over.
Sensing Hiruzen’s resolve, Danzo snorted coldly.
He took a deep look in the direction of Red’s courtyard, placing the name “Uchiha Akahiro” at the very top of his hit list in his mind.
Then, Danzo’s figure flickered slightly, vanishing into the endless darkness like an ominous shadow of a demon, leaving the stage to Hiruzen.
Meanwhile.
Inside Red’s small courtyard, the atmosphere had already frozen to a standstill.
The clash of Red’s and Itachi’s Chakras had already caused the surrounding stone ground to shatter in large patches, the air currents letting out a sharp, piercing screech.
At this critical, hair-trigger moment.
“Boom—”
A similarly vast, yet gentle, balanced, and ocean-like powerful Chakra suddenly descended from the sky.
This Chakra was not aggressive like Red’s, but it was boundlessly heavy, acting like a soft yet resilient barrier that forcibly inserted itself into the center of Red and Itachi’s near-riotous Chakra clash.
Under the separation of this vast Chakra, the auras of the two were gently pushed apart.
“Tap, tap.”
Clear footsteps, accompanied by the distinct tar aroma of tobacco, slowly approached from outside the courtyard.
The Uchiha Clan members, who had been highly agitated and tightly surrounding the courtyard, all had their expressions change in the face of this Chakra’s pressure and the newcomer’s identity, their bodies instinctively stiffening.
They involuntarily backed away to both sides, clearing a wide path.
At the end of the path.
Wearing his Hokage cloak and holding his pipe, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, slowly walked into the ruined courtyard with a kind face that nevertheless carried an unshakeable majesty.
“Stand down, my Uchiha compatriots.”
Hiruzen’s gentle yet unquestionable voice rang out clearly in the dark night.
“Seeing the Hokage arrive in person.”
Uchiha Fugaku’s pupils contracted sharply.
Not daring to show the slightest disrespect, he quickly took a step forward, placing a hand over his chest to salute.
“Hokage-sama.”
Standing on the wall, Uchiha Itachi’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly before finally reverting to pitch-black pupils.
He quickly withdrew his surging Chakra, leaped down from the wall, and knelt obediently on one knee behind Hiruzen.
“Hokage-sama.”
In an instant, the Uchiha Ninjas throughout the courtyard lowered their heads one after another.
However.
Amidst this almost worshipful atmosphere, only one person still stood quietly in place.
Uchiha Akahiro stood with his hands in his pockets.
Although the Tyranitar Chakra behind him had been withdrawn, he raised his cold, crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan without any hesitation.
Facing the night wind, he used a flat, almost indifferent gaze.
To look directly into the eyes of Konoha’s strongest ruler.
No fear, no bowing.