As soon as the order was given, the Root ninjas surrounding the barrier instantly moved.
Countless ninjutsu blasted toward the barrier wall.
Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, Earth Release: Earth Flow River, and a dense swarm of explosive tags smashed into the crimson Blazing Sun Formation like rain.
Deafening explosions rang out continuously, filling the sky with smoke and dust as waves of heat surged.
But that crimson barrier remained as immovable as cast iron.
The fiery patterns on the barrier wall only burned brighter under the bombardment of ninjutsu.
Many Root ninjas who charged too close were instantly swallowed by the rebounding flames, letting out agonizing screams.
No matter how frantically Root attacked, the Blazing Sun Formation remained as unshakable as a mountain.
How could a death formation that required twelve hours to break be shaken in the slightest by their momentary, frantic bombardment?
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood amidst the billowing smoke and dust, looking at the immovable barrier and the Uchiha clan members walking one by one toward the underground secret chamber.
Listening to the continuous urgent reports from the border in his ears, it felt as if all the strength in his body had been instantly drained.
He staggered, leaning against a broken wall nearby just to barely steady himself.
Only endless despair and regret remained in his eyes.
He finally understood that from the very beginning, he had fallen into the trap set by Uchiha Kain.
That earth-shattering explosion, the Scroll of Seals, and even Kumogakure’s sneak attack—all of it was every calculated step made by this eleven-year-old boy.
And he, along with the entirety of Konoha, had been played for fools by this child.
Inside the barrier, Kain stood before the teleportation formation, watching the last batch of clan members step into the blue light.
He then turned his head to look outside the barrier at Uchiha Itachi, whose face was deathly pale and whose Mangekyo Sharingan was locked dead onto him.
A cold smile curled the corners of his mouth.
He made a throat-slitting gesture at Itachi, then turned around and, along with Fugaku, Kei, and the rest of their group, stepped into the deep blue light of the teleportation formation.
The light suddenly flared up, then instantly retracted.
The entire Uchiha compound fell into complete, dead silence.
All that was left was an empty Blazing Sun Formation still burning with fierce flames, and outside the barrier, a group of Konoha higher-ups whose eyes were practically splitting with rage, yet who were utterly powerless.
The explosions outside the Blazing Sun Formation rang out one after another.
The blasts of colliding ninjutsu, Danzo’s exasperated roars, and the sharp cracks of flying rubble all mixed together.
Yet, the crimson barrier wall only rippled faintly under the endless barrage; not a single crack appeared.
Scorching flames surged along the barrier’s patterns, blocking all the frantic attacks on the outside.
Like an indestructible fortress wall, it held up an absolutely safe evacuation space for the Uchiha inside.
There was no panic, no wailing, not even the sound of hurried footsteps.
On the bluestone paths of the compound, the Uchiha clan members formed two lines, walking in an orderly manner toward the underground secret chamber of the Naka Shrine.
Leading the way were the elderly, the weak, the women, and the children of the clan.
Women holding swaddled infants protected their babies in their arms, their footsteps steady; Elders supported by the younger generation clutched ancestral tablets tightly wrapped in brocade cloth to their chests, their backs perfectly straight; Even the half-grown children who had just awakened their single-tomoe Sharingan carried backpacks full of dry rations, following closely behind the line ahead of them without the slightest fuss.
Following closely behind them were the young and able-bodied ninjas pushing sealing crates.
The crates contained the entire clan’s ninjutsu scrolls, secret technique inheritances, as well as the gold and supplies obtained from selling off their properties.
Every step they took was firm and steady.
Flanking them were the elites of the Military Police Force under Uchiha Kei’s command.
Their three-tomoe Sharingan spun slowly, vigilantly sweeping their surroundings, yet they showed none of the tension of impending battle—they knew that as long as the Blazing Sun Formation stood, the people outside couldn’t even dream of taking a single step inside.
Even Uchiha Setsuna, who had constantly been at odds with Fugaku before, was now leading his subordinates to guard the rear of the procession, maintaining the order of the evacuation.
Seeing Mikoto walk past with her child in her arms, he even turned slightly and nodded in respect to the clan head’s wife.
The past factional disputes and ideological differences had long since vanished into thin air in the face of the entire clan’s survival.
Inside the underground secret chamber, the deep blue light of the teleportation formation flowed like a tranquil sea of stars.
Kain stood at the entrance of the teleportation formation, holding the clan’s roster.
His crimson three-tomoe Sharingan swept over every figure that stepped into the light.
After verifying each batch, he would give a slight nod to the clan member recording beside him.
There was no trace of impatience on his face, and even his fingertips were perfectly steady, as if the earth-shattering chaos outside had nothing to do with him.
Fugaku stood beside him, watching the clan members steadily step into the teleportation formation and vanish into the blue light, complex emotions churning in his eyes.
He had guarded this compound his entire life.
From his spirited youth to his cautious endurance after becoming the clan head, every blade of grass, every tree, every brick, and every tile here bore the marks of half his life.
But at this moment, he had no thought of turning back.
He simply took the roster Kain handed him and methodically crossed off the names of the evacuated clan members one by one, his fingertips steady and without the slightest hesitation.
“The elderly, the weak, the women, and the children have all been teleported,” Uchiha Yakugo reported in a low voice as he walked over briskly.
“The supplies and inheritance scrolls have also been sent over.
Nothing was left behind.” Kain gave a slight nod and looked toward the end of the line.
“Have the young and able-bodied ninjas enter in batches.
The elites will bring up the rear.” The order was passed down, and the procession remained completely orderly.
In batches of ten, they stepped into the teleportation formation one after another.
The blue light flared and retracted time and time again.
The number of people in the secret chamber dwindled, yet absolute silence was maintained throughout.
The attacks outside the barrier grew increasingly frantic.
Danzo even struck personally, his Wind Release blades slashing against the barrier and erupting into a sky full of fire, but the Blazing Sun Formation remained as unshakable as a mountain.
The ninjas of the Sealing Team shook their heads frantically at Hiruzen Sarutobi, their faces deathly pale—the twelve hours needed to break the formation could not be shortened by a single minute or second.
There were no shortcuts.
They could only watch helplessly as the Uchiha clan members inside the barrier calmly and unhurriedly completed their evacuation, not leaving them even a sliver of panic to exploit.
An hour later, the entire compound was mostly empty.
After the last batch of ordinary clan members stepped into the teleportation formation, only Kain, Fugaku, and over twenty elite Jonin bringing up the rear—including Uchiha Kei, Taohuo, and Yashiro—remained in the secret chamber.
“Young Master, all clan members have been teleported.
Not a single one was left behind,” Kei said, closing the roster and dropping to one knee, his voice carrying unconcealable excitement.
A faint blue system screen quietly flashed before Kain’s eyes.
The progress bar for the beginner mission steadily jumped to 100%.
The prompt [Beginner mission completed.
System fully unlocked.
Beginner gift pack has been distributed.] slowly lit up on the screen.
He raised his eyes, taking one last look toward the outside of the barrier.
Through the surging flames of the barrier, he could clearly see Hiruzen Sarutobi’s ashen face, Danzo’s madly twisted expression, and standing at the very front, Uchiha Itachi, whose Mangekyo Sharingan was locked dead onto this place as his entire body trembled.