Meanwhile, in the Root command room, Danzo stared at the monitors showing Konoha engulfed in a sea of fire, then at the still-motionless Uchiha compound.
His single eye was filled with fury and disbelief.
“Lord Danzo!
The administrative district has been bombed!
Lord Hokage has taken the Anbu to fight the fires!
What should we do?!
Do we continue to besiege the Uchiha, or go provide support?!” A squad leader rushed up to him, his voice laced with panic.
Danzo clenched his fists.
The veins on his bandaged arm bulged, and the Sharingan embedded in his flesh twitched wildly.
He knew he had fallen for a trap.
This explosion was a classic diversion—a ploy to draw away all of Konoha’s defensive forces and create an opening for the Uchiha!
Yet, as he watched the monitors, the Uchiha compound remained dead silent.
There wasn’t even the slightest fluctuation of chakra.
He couldn’t grasp a single excuse to strike.
“Useless fools!
What are you panicking for!” he growled, his single eye brimming with malice.
“Pass down my orders!
The outer blockade is not to move an inch!
Keep the Uchiha locked down tight; don’t let a single soul slip through!
The rest of you, follow me to the administrative district!
I want to see exactly what kind of tricks these Uchiha are trying to pull!” At that moment, in the shadows beneath the Hokage Monument, Uchiha Kei watched the chaotic, boiling mess that was Konoha and slowly tucked away his remaining explosive tags.
The crimson three-tomoe Sharingan flashed in his eyes.
Following his predetermined route, he silently slipped toward the Hokage building.
The first step of the plan was complete.
The entire village of Konoha was drowning in explosions and terror.
No one noticed that deep within the heavily besieged Uchiha compound, inside the underground chamber of the Naka Shrine, a massive teleportation formation was already glowing with a faint blue light.
As the roar of explosions continued to echo through Konoha’s streets, Danzo rushed out of the Root base with two personal guards.
His single eye beneath the bandages remained fixed on the Uchiha compound, a crimson light surging within its depths.
He knew all too well that these explosions were the work of the Uchiha.
It was a diversionary tactic to drag all of Konoha’s defensive forces into the inferno, creating a chance for them to break the stalemate.
“Pass down my absolute command!” He suddenly halted, growling at the messenger ninja behind him.
The killing intent in his voice was almost palpable.
“All Root members currently deployed outside are to immediately abandon fire support and converge on the Uchiha compound!
“Establish all three layers of the blockade!
The barrier squad is to immediately deploy a full-coverage containment barrier—seal it completely, even twenty meters underground!
If anyone from the Uchiha dares to take a single step out of their compound, no matter who it is, kill them on sight!” “Lord Danzo, what about Lord Hokage…” The messenger ninja hesitated for a fraction of a second.
“Lord Hokage has his considerations, and I have my methods!” Danzo snapped his head back.
The sheer brutality in his single eye terrified the messenger into instantly lowering his head.
“If anything happens, I will bear full responsibility!
Execute the order!” The command swept through all Root outposts like a tidal wave.
The Root ninjas scattered across Konoha instantly abandoned their firefighting efforts.
Like a tide of black shadows, they converged toward the Uchiha compound.
The number of sentries doubled in an instant.
The barrier squad ninjas rapidly wove hand seals, and a faint purple containment barrier rose from the walls of the Uchiha compound, enclosing even the sky above it.
It truly became an impenetrable fortress.
Root ninjas wearing animal masks clung to the edges of the barrier, their kunai already drawn.
They stared intently at every inch of the compound, waiting for the people inside to reveal even the slightest flaw so they could pounce and tear their targets apart.
Meanwhile, at the very center of the inferno, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just used Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall to block falling debris from crushing a group of children.
The scorching smoke and dust made him cough uncontrollably.
The sea-willow pipe in his hand had long been crushed to splinters, the wood fragments and embers falling to the ground completely unnoticed by him.
His ears were filled with the wails of villagers, the deafening crashes of collapsing buildings, and the frantic shouts of medical ninjas.
He had been Hokage his entire life, guarding Konoha for a lifetime, yet he had never seen the village in such a state of absolute chaos.
The Hokage Monument had collapsed.
Half of the commercial district was reduced to ruins.
Countless villagers were left homeless, many even buried beneath the rubble.
“Lord Hokage!
We can’t contain the fire in the western residential district!
The wind is blowing that way!” “Lord Hokage!
The medical team is running out of bandages and medicine!” “Lord Hokage!
There are still scattered explosive tags detonating!
Our sweep teams can’t keep up!” Urgent reports battered his ears one after another.
Hiruzen took a deep breath of the smoke-filled air, suppressing the monstrous fury churning in his chest.
He abruptly looked up at the Anbu squad leader beside him, his voice hoarse but carrying an unquestionable authority.
“Relay my orders!
All chunin, genin, and non-combat personnel are to be fully committed to civilian evacuation and firefighting!
The police forces of every district are to immediately establish temporary shelters and gather the affected villagers!
The medical teams must treat the wounded at all costs—requisition any missing medical supplies directly from the Hokage’s storehouses!” He paused, his gaze sweeping toward the Uchiha compound.
It remained deathly silent, forming a glaring contrast with the sea of fire behind him.
He knew in his heart that this was the Uchiha’s true goal—to bog him down in the inferno so he couldn’t spare a single man.
“All remaining Anbu elites and the entire Jonin squad are to immediately head to the Uchiha compound!” His voice suddenly turned ice-cold, enunciating every word.
“Coordinate with Root to completely lock down the entire Uchiha compound!
Without my written order, no one—regardless of age or gender—is allowed in or out!
If you spot any signs of the Uchiha rallying or attempting a breakout, do not wait for permission.
Suppress them immediately!” “Yes, sir!” The Anbu squad leader accepted the order and turned around, leading the remaining dozens of Anbu elites as they sped toward the Uchiha compound.
Over a dozen elite jonin from Konoha’s Jonin squad also assembled immediately.
They dashed through the streets and alleys, quickly merging with Root’s blockade line to cast yet another inescapable net outside the barrier.
The entirety of Konoha had been forcefully split in two.
One half was a disaster zone of raging infernos and agonizing wails, where countless ninjas scrambled through the flames, giving their all to save trapped civilians.
The other half was the Uchiha compound, tightly encircled by two layers of blockades and a massive barrier.
It was eerily quiet inside, without a single lit lamp or the slightest ripple of chakra.
It was like a giant beast lying dormant in the dark.
Even though it was completely sealed off, it inexplicably sent chills down the spines of all the ninjas standing guard outside.
Danzo stood at the very forefront of the barrier, his single eye brimming with greed and ruthlessness.
He could hardly wait.
The moment there was even the slightest movement inside, he would immediately give the order to lead Root charging in and slaughter the entire Uchiha clan down to the last man.