On the other side, in the Root command room, Danzo looked at the monitor showing Konoha engulfed in a sea of fire, then at the still-quiet Uchiha Clan Compound.
His single eye was filled with fury and bewilderment.
“Danzo-sama!
The Administrative District has been bombed!
Hokage-sama is leading the Anbu to fight the fire!
What should we do?!
Do we continue to surround the Uchiha, or go to support them?!” the Branch Commander rushed before him, his voice full of panic.
Danzo clenched his fists, veins bulging on the arm beneath the bandages, while the Sharingan embedded in his arm pulsed frantically.
He knew he had been tricked.
This explosion was a diversion, meant to draw away all of Konoha’s defensive forces and create an opportunity for the Uchiha!
But as he watched the monitor, the Uchiha Clan Compound remained quiet, without even a ripple of Chakra activity.
He had no excuse to make a move.
“Useless!
Why the panic!” he growled, his single eye full of malice.
“Pass down the order!
The outer blockade is not to move!
Surround the Uchiha tightly; don’t let even a single fly out!
The rest of you, follow me to the Administrative District!
I want to see what kind of tricks these Uchiha can pull!”
Meanwhile, in the shadows beneath the Hokage Rock, Uchiha Kai watched the chaotic mess that was Konoha and slowly put away the Explosive Tags in his hand.
The crimson Three-Tomoe flashed in his eyes.
Following his planned route, he silently crept toward the Hokage Building.
The first step of the plan was a success.
All of Konoha was plunged into explosion and panic.
No one noticed that deep within the surrounded Uchiha Clan Compound, in the underground chamber of the Naka Shrine, a massive Teleportation Array had already lit up with a faint blue glow.
The roar of explosions still echoed through the streets of Konoha.
Danzo had already rushed out of the Root base with two personal guards, his bandaged eye fixed on the direction of the Uchiha Clan Compound, crimson light surging within.
He knew all too well that this explosion was the Uchiha’s doing.
A diversion to drag all of Konoha’s defenses into the fire, creating an opportunity for them to break the deadlock.
“Give my absolute order!” He stopped abruptly and growled at the messenger Ninja behind him, his killing intent almost tangible.
“All Root members outside, immediately abandon fire support and converge on the Uchiha Clan Compound!
Fully deploy all three layers of the blockade!
The Barrier Team is to immediately cast a full-range sealing barrier, sealing everything down to twenty meters underground!
Anyone from the Uchiha, regardless of who they are, who dares to step a single foot out of the compound is to be killed on sight!”
“Danzo-sama, regarding Hokage-sama’s side…” The messenger Ninja hesitated for a moment.
“Hokage-sama has his considerations, and I have my methods!” Danzo turned back sharply, the ferocity in his single eye so terrifying that the messenger Ninja immediately lowered his head.
“I will take full responsibility for whatever happens!
Execute the order!”
The order spread like a tide to all Root outposts.
Root Ninjas who were originally scattered throughout Konoha instantly abandoned their firefighting efforts.
Like a black tide, they converged toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.
The original outposts doubled instantly.
Ninjas from the Barrier Team quickly formed hand seals, and a pale purple sealing barrier rose along the walls of the Uchiha Clan Compound, even covering the sky, truly turning it into an airtight iron barrel.
Root Ninjas wearing animal masks pressed against the edge of the barrier, their Kunai already unsheathed.
They stared intensely at every movement within the compound, waiting for the people inside to show the slightest opening so they could pounce and tear their targets apart.
On the other side, at the very center of the fire, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just used Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall to block falling debris from hitting a group of children.
The hot smoke and dust made him cough incessantly.
The Sea Willow Pipe in his hand had long since been crushed to pieces, wood chips mixing with sparks as they fell to the ground, yet he was completely oblivious.
In his ears were the cries of villagers, the roar of collapsing houses, and the anxious shouts of medical Ninjas.
He had been Hokage for his entire life and had protected Konoha for just as long, but he had never seen the Village in such a state of chaos.
The Hokage Rock had collapsed, half of the commercial street was in ruins, and countless villagers were homeless or even buried under the rubble.
“Hokage-sama!
The fire in the western residential area can’t be suppressed!
The wind is blowing that way!”
“Hokage-sama!
The Medical Corps is running low on bandages and medicine!”
“Hokage-sama!
There are still scattered Explosive Tags detonating one after another; the inspection speed can’t keep up!”
One urgent report after another pounded his ears.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath of the smoke-filled air, suppressing the monstrous rage surging in his chest.
He looked up sharply at the Anbu Branch Commander beside him, his voice raspy yet carrying an unquestionable authority.
“Pass my order!
All Chunin, Genin, and non-combat Ninjas are to be fully committed to civilian evacuation and firefighting!
The Police Force from every district is to immediately set up temporary shelters to take in the affected villagers!
The Medical Corps must save the wounded at all costs; any missing medicine is to be drawn from the Hokage warehouse immediately!”
He paused, his gaze sweeping toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.
It remained deathly silent, forming a stark contrast with the sea of fire behind him.
He knew in his heart that this was the Uchiha’s true goal—to pin him down at the fire scene and keep him occupied.
“All remaining Anbu elites and all members of the Jonin Class, proceed to the Uchiha Clan Compound immediately!” His voice suddenly turned cold as he spoke word by word.
“Coordinate with Root to completely blockade the entire Uchiha Clan Compound!
Without my personal order, no one—man, woman, old, or young—is allowed to enter or leave!
If any signs of Uchiha gathering or attempting a breakout are discovered, strike and suppress them immediately without needing to ask!”
“Yes!”
The Anbu Branch Commander acknowledged the order and turned, leading the remaining dozens of Anbu elites to race toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Over a dozen elites from Konoha’s Jonin Class also assembled immediately, advancing rapidly through the streets.
They soon merged with Root’s blockade line, laying down another inescapable net outside the barrier.
The entire Konoha was forcibly split in two.
One half was the disaster area with a towering sea of fire and cries everywhere, where countless Ninjas rushed through the flames, doing their best to save trapped civilians.
The other half was the Uchiha Clan Compound, tightly surrounded by two layers of blockade and a massive barrier.
Inside, it was eerily quiet, without a single light or a ripple of Chakra, like a giant beast lurking in the darkness.
Despite being surrounded so tightly that not even water could leak through, it made all the Ninjas waiting outside feel an inexplicable chill in their hearts.
Danzo stood at the very front of the barrier, his single eye filled with greed and ruthlessness.
He couldn’t wait any longer.
As long as there was the slightest movement inside, he would immediately give the order to lead Root in and completely exterminate the entire Uchiha clan.
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