Kain’s gaze swept over the remaining five people, his voice deep.
“The rest of you, follow your respective captains’ orders.
Remember, always put your own lives first; the mission comes second.
Strike fast, retreat even faster.
End the battles quickly, and absolutely no dragging your feet!” “Yes!
We will strictly follow Young Master Kain’s orders!” Sixteen voices converged, carrying a forged, fiery resolve that echoed endlessly within the sealed underground chamber.
The flickering lamplight reflected off pairs of crimson Sharingan, like sparks igniting in the dark night, just waiting for three days to pass before detonating across all of Konoha.
Late at night, the lights of the Hokage building shone glaringly bright.
Inside the top-floor office, the smoke had grown so thick it was almost impossible to make out a silhouette.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk.
The pipe in his hand had long since burned out, yet he remained completely oblivious.
His fingertips pinched the secret report just delivered by the Anbu, his knuckles turning white from the force.
On the desk, urgent dispatches from the border were stacked in a thick pile.
The wax seals were each redder than the last, resembling a stack of death warrants.
The tension he had let go of over the past month snapped back, winding tighter than ever.
Something was wrong.
Something was terribly wrong.
The Anbu’s reports grew more frequent by the day, and the suspicions piled up.
The entire Uchiha clan, aside from a few storefronts facing the street to keep up appearances, had barely stepped half a foot out of their compound.
Even daily grocery shopping and ninja mission handovers had completely stopped.
The chakra fluctuations around the Naka Shrine grew stronger every day.
Sensor-type Anbu reported that a massive sealing formation was operating beneath the shrine, but every time they tried to get close to investigate, they were unceremoniously blocked by Uchiha patrols.
Even the Ninja Cat clan, bound to the Uchiha for generations, frequently entered and exited the compound using Summoning Jutsu.
The Anbu had staked them out for a solid half-month, yet they still couldn’t figure out what exactly was being transported inside.
The reassurance Hiruzen had felt when Fugaku voluntarily surrendered power and requested surveillance had long since been washed away by these mounting suspicions.
“Sarutobi!
We can’t wait any longer!” Utatane Koharu slammed her hand on the desk, her face livid.
“The Anbu have already investigated.
The underground exchange has posted dozens of bounties targeting Uchiha clan members, all of them high-priced hits!
But look at them—not only has the Uchiha clan failed to send anyone to investigate, they’ve locked all their members inside the compound instead.
Is this normal?!
They are absolutely plotting something!” “What’s even more critical is the border!” Mitokado Homura took over, pushing the top two urgent dispatches in front of him.
“The Fourth Raikage A of Kumogakure, along with Killer B and two thousand elite ninja, has already pressed up against the borders of the Land of Fire.
On the surface, they claim it’s a routine military exercise, but they’ve brought enough supplies and rations for a full campaign.
It’s obvious they’re waiting for us to fall into civil war!
Onoki of Iwagakure has also made his move.
Their Earth Release corps is massing at the border.
One in the south, one in the north—they’re just waiting to take a bite out of us!” Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes, feeling his temples throbbing violently.
Only five years had passed since the Third Shinobi World War.
Konoha had lost nearly half of its elite forces and still hadn’t fully recovered.
Kumogakure and Iwagakure were already powerhouse nations in the ninja world.
With them applying pressure from both sides, the cards he had left to play simply weren’t enough to go around.
He remained silent for a long time before finally opening his eyes and looking at the Anbu Commander nearby.
“Pass down my orders.
Have Kakashi lead the First Anbu Squad, along with the elites of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, to the northern border immediately to guard against Kumogakure.
Then have Asuma take the Second Anbu Squad to the western border to keep an eye on Iwagakure’s movements.” “Lord Hokage!” The Anbu Commander’s expression changed.
“If we do that, the remaining Anbu in the village won’t even be able to maintain routine patrols!” “I know.” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s voice was filled with exhaustion.
“But the borders cannot fall into chaos.
If Kumogakure and Iwagakure invade, Konoha will truly be finished.” Mitokado Homura urgently asked, “With the village’s defenses emptied, what about the Uchiha?
If they really rebel at a time like this, who will stop them?!” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s fingertips tapped lightly against the desk, a flash of calculation crossing his eyes.
The Uchiha still had nearly a thousand ninja at their disposal, including many elite jonin.
If he could send this group to the border, it would first fill the manpower gap at the front lines, and secondly, it would transfer the Uchiha’s core fighting force out of Konoha.
By dividing their strength, even if they truly harbored rebellious intentions, they would be left leaderless and unable to cause any real trouble.
“Deliver my written order.” He looked up at the messenger Anbu.
“Go to the Uchiha compound and find Uchiha Fugaku.
Tell him the border is in a state of emergency and Konoha’s survival is at stake.
Order him to immediately draft two hundred elite Uchiha ninja and deploy them to the northern border within three days to assist Kakashi in defending against Kumogakure.” The Anbu acknowledged the order and left, leaving the office temporarily quiet.
But no one expected that a mere half-hour later, the messenger Anbu would return.
With an ugly expression, he reported, “Lord Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku has refused.” “What did you say?!” Utatane Koharu stood up abruptly, shouting sharply.
“Uchiha Fugaku said,” the Anbu kept his head bowed, his voice tight, “the underground exchange is currently flooded with high-priced bounties targeting Uchiha clan members.
The moment the clan’s ninja step out of the compound, they will be targeted by bounty hunters from all over the ninja world.
He cannot use his clansmen’s lives to plug the holes at the border.
Furthermore, the entire clan is preparing for a once-in-a-century ancestral festival.
All core members must participate, so they truly cannot spare the manpower.
He also said that if Lord Hokage is truly lacking in military strength, you can deploy Lord Danzo’s elite Root forces to the border first.
Root’s combat power is no weaker than the Uchiha’s.” “Insolent!” Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the desk, his pipe crashing heavily against the surface as monstrous anger surged in his eyes.
He had been Hokage his entire life, and no one had ever dared to reject his orders to his face like this.
Fugaku’s words were ostensibly an excuse, but in reality, they were a clear declaration of his stance.
He refused to send a single soldier, perfectly willing to sit back and watch Konoha be crushed by border pressure.
At this point, if he still couldn’t see that the Uchiha were up to something, he would have sat in the Hokage’s seat all these years for nothing.
Yet, he was completely out of options.
The pressure from the borders was already at their throats.
He had dispatched all his elite forces and simply lacked the capability to openly tear up relations with the Uchiha.
If a war broke out with the Uchiha, Kumogakure and Iwagakure would absolutely march their armies south immediately.
When that happened, they would be caught in a pincer attack and doomed beyond recovery.
A deathly silence filled the office.
Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and looked toward the figure standing in the shadows by the window, his voice as cold as ice.
“Danzo.” Shimura Danzo stepped out of the shadows, the single eye visible beneath his bandages filled with undisguised mockery.
“What is it?
Lord Hokage, you finally remember me?
I told you long ago that those ungrateful wretches of the Uchiha could never be tamed.
You insisted on keeping the big picture in mind, and look where it got you.
They don’t appreciate your kindness at all.” “Cut the nonsense.” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s expression was incredibly dark.
“I order you to immediately mobilize all elite Root operatives and lock down the Uchiha compound completely.
Set up triple guard posts at all four entrances and exits.
Have sensor-type ninja keep watch twenty-four hours a day.
Do not let a single Uchiha out—not even a fly!”