The night wind, carrying a strong scent of blood, drifted from the direction of the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood alone on the rooftop of a building, the embers in his pipe flickering in the darkness.
Danzō would send Root elites to assist Itachi, while he, the Sandaime Hokage, stood here, “helplessly” watching that clan grounds being bathed in blood.
This was a decent, impeccable position.
A position that would allow him to say “I did my best” afterwards.
He took a deep drag of his pipe, the smoke blurring the expression on his face.
In the distance, the lights of the Uchiha Clan Grounds were going out one by one.
That was not because they were falling asleep, but because lives were withering away one by one.
The Sandaime Hokage closed his eyes.
“Itachi… truly is a good candidate for Hokage…”
His voice was very soft, so soft that even the Anbu captain behind him could not hear it clearly.
Then he opened his eyes, preparing to turn and go downstairs.
Tonight, he should stay in his office, waiting for the Anbu to deliver an unexpected report.
Then he would feign shock and anger, order the pursuit of “rogue Shinobi Uchiha Itachi,” personally go to the Uchiha Clan Grounds to “inspect the scene,” and mourn for the fallen comrades before the memorial stone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had walked this path for too many years, so familiar that it required no thought.
However—
Boom!
A golden light tore through the night sky.
No. That was not golden light.
That was a Chakra giant, so massive it was suffocating, its entire body burning with golden flames, rising from the very center of Konoha!
It had a long nose like a tengu and a ferocious face mask.
In its hand, it held a Chakra sword capable of cleaving mountains!
“That… that is…”
The pipe in the Sandaime Hokage’s hand slipped from his fingers, and his pupils constricted sharply.
He had, of course, seen this before.
Susanoo!
“How is this possible?!”
The Sandaime Hokage’s body involuntarily took a step back, knocking over the chair behind him.
Who is that?!
What other Uchiha possesses such power?!
Boom!
Susanoo moved.
The Chakra sword swept down, like the judgment of a god.
The houses of an entire street were ripped up by the sword wind, rubble and wood chips tumbling in the air, only to be ground into dust by the golden Chakra.
“Help—!”
“Mon—monster!”
“Run!!!”
Screams came from the center of Konoha, and despite the distance, they were as clear as if they were right next to his ears.
The Sandaime Hokage’s hands were trembling. This story is hosted at g.com.
He had lived for sixty-eight years, experienced three Shinobi World Wars, and seen countless brilliant powerhouses fall.
He thought he would no longer feel fear for any power.
But he was wrong.
At this moment, every sword swing and every step of that golden giant was tearing apart the order he had meticulously maintained for decades.
“Ho—Hokage-sama!!!”
A black shadow flashed in and knelt on one knee at the edge of the rooftop.
It was an Anbu Shinobi, the voice under the mask filled with uncontrollable panic:
“The center of the Village is under attack by an unknown enemy! Casualties are heavy! Requesting instructions!”
The Sandaime Hokage did not answer.
He remained frozen in place, watching that golden giant cleave a building in two with one swing.
He watched his most elite subordinates being blown away like ants, and watched the giant’s footsteps advancing slowly and unstoppably toward the Hokage Building.
Is it looking for me?
This thought, like a cold blade, pierced the Sandaime Hokage’s heart.
“Hokage-sama!!”
The Anbu captain’s voice was almost a roar, finally pulling the Sandaime Hokage back from his daze.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a sharp breath, forcing himself to calm down.
His voice was old yet resonant, carrying the long-lost majesty of a “Shinobi Hero”:
“Pass the order!!!”
“Konoha, enter Level 1 combat readiness!”
“All active-duty Shinobi report back immediately! All Anbu members enter the battle! Notify the heads of all Shinobi clans, assemble all combat forces!”
“The target—stop that Susanoo! At all costs!!”
The Anbu captain was stunned.
Level 1 combat readiness?
This was the highest alert level that Konoha had never initiated since the Kyūbi incident!
This meant the Village was facing an extinction-level threat!
“Yes!”
The Anbu captain and his men vanished on the spot.
The Sandaime Hokage took a deep breath and reached out to tear off his Hokage haori.
The white haori snapped in the night wind, the characters for “Sandaime” stained scarlet by the firelight in the distance.
Underneath, he wore old-fashioned combat armor.
For decades, he had always worn this armor.
Because he had never truly put down his blade.
Because his Will of Fire had always been watered with iron and blood.
“Summoning Jutsu, Adamantine Staff!”
The Sandaime Hokage shouted sharply.
A pitch-black Adamantine Staff flew out from the summoning seal and landed in his palm.
He gripped the staff tightly. This story is hosted at g.com.
His aged joints made a slight cracking sound.
But his gaze no longer trembled.
He was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He was the direct disciple of Tobirama.
He was the “Ninja Professor.”
He was Konoha’s strongest Hokage.
Bang!
The Sandaime Hokage leaped up, carving a sharp arc through the night sky, and sped toward the direction of the golden giant.
Meanwhile…
Uchiha Clan Grounds, outer perimeter blockade.
Danzō Shimura leaned on his cane, standing on a high slope outside the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
At his feet was an invisible barrier set up by Root Shinobi, firmly sealing off the entire Uchiha Clan Grounds.
Behind him were twelve Root elites, Root’s strongest combat force, each one a killing machine that had crawled out of a pile of dead bodies.
He had waited too long for this day.
For decades, he had infiltrated every corner of Konoha.
He incited, bribed, assassinated, and framed.
He sowed discord, created incidents, and caused the Uchiha to be marginalized, suspected, and isolated.
He made the Uchiha walk step by step, step by step, to this point tonight.
In the six years after the Kyūbi incident, behind every escalation of conflict between the Uchiha and the Village, there was his hand at work.
Every anonymous tip-off letter, every decision to strip the Konoha Military Police Force of its power, every rumor about the Uchiha, were all moves he had meticulously designed.
He was the true chess player.
The Sandaime Hokage was just a puppet helping to cover for him.
Itachi was just a blade.
Uchiha Fugaku was just a cowardly and useless catalyst.
They were all pawns.
And now, the chess game was about to end.
The Uchiha would be wiped out overnight, and all the Sharingan would be in his possession.
Senju, Uchiha, Kyūbi—all three supreme powers would be mine, Danzō Shimura’s!
Hiruzen is old; it’s time for him to step down.
The next Hokage…
“Danzō-sama!”
A Root member appeared before him in a flash, kneeling on one knee, his voice urgent.
“The center of the Village is under attack! A powerful, unidentified enemy has appeared! The Hokage-sama has ordered the initiation of Level 1 combat readiness!”
Susanoo?
Danzō’s single eye widened sharply.
He had, of course, seen the commotion in the distance, but he had not expected it to be Susanoo.
This top-tier ocular technique in the Shinobi World, how could it appear in the center of the Village tonight?
Danzō’s brain raced, countless possibilities flashing through his mind.