Kaito nodded, eyes blazing with resolve."Don't worry. I will lead the Uchiha to a new peak."
…
Elsewhere, as the lingering tension began to ease, the Anbu lifted the combat lockdowns. Med-nin, finally permitted to move freely, rushed toward the fallen—toward Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura.
The stench of scorched chakra and burnt ozone clung to the air like smog. The once-silent clearing now echoed with the quiet urgency of healing hands and whispered mantras.
Glowing palms hovered over charred flesh and fractured bones. Vital chakra flowed, careful and controlled, into the two shattered elders.
Their breathing steadied—first a tremor, then a gasp. Moments later, both men stirred.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes fluttered open to a grey sky and the blurred figure of someone standing over him. It took him a moment to register Itachi Uchiha, rigid and unreadable, standing with folded arms.
He blinked, voice cracked and hoarse, "Did… we win?"
Itachi didn't move."We lost," he said, quietly but firmly."But I gave up Shisui's left eye. In exchange, Kaito let us live."
Sarutobi's throat tightened. He didn't respond for a long moment, only exhaled and stared at the sky."I see…"
His words were thin and distant, as if some part of him had expected it all along.
Then, the world around them shifted.
"Kazakaza"
The eerie sound echoed across the landscape like cracking glass.
Heads snapped upward. The sky—no, the world—shimmered like the surface of a mirror. Veins of silver fractures raced across the invisible dome above, spreading wider and wider.
Before anyone could speak, the world detonated.
CRASH!
The illusion of reality exploded in a cascade of falling shards, each fragment glinting like crystal, dissolving into smoke upon contact with the earth. As they vanished, a curtain of blackness replaced the battlefield—an endless void like ink poured over the scene.
Time stilled.
Then, just as suddenly, the darkness peeled away.
The colours of the real world bled back into view. Trees. Stone. Torchlight.
They were back—standing once more in the heart of the Uchiha district.
But all evidence of the war—scorch marks, blood trails, cratered ground—had vanished. No sign of the battle remained.
Silence fell.
Obito narrowed his eyes, murmuring with quiet awe,"So that was… Mirror Space. What a terrifying technique..."
Then—Kaito's voice rang out. Calm, cold, unbothered.
"Alright. I've kept my promise. Now…" A pause, laden with finality."Goodbye."
Everyone turned sharply toward the sound.
Kaito stood atop a high wall with the surviving Uchiha beside him—Izumi, Kaze, several others. His red Mangekyō glowed faintly in the gloom. His expression was unreadable, his tone flat.
"I hope you'll like the gift I left behind."
Itachi stiffened. His instincts screamed.
"What do you mean?" he demanded, stepping forward, voice sharp."You promised not to attack us again!"
Kaito gave him a look—not cruel, not angry, just amused."I did. And I meant it."He raised a single hand. "The gift is just fireworks. A little celebration I prepared earlier. I think you'll find it… poetic."
And then—he laughed.
A short, unrepentant laugh that sent a chill down spines.
"Hahahaha…"
With that, the Uchiha vanished—one by one, blinked out of existence in shimmers of distorted space.
Itachi's eyes followed the space where they stood.
He had a very bad feeling.
…
The highest mountain peak overlooking Konoha offered a breathtaking panorama of the Hidden Leaf, bathed in the soft light of dusk.
Suddenly, with a ripple in the air—a massive flux of chakra—hundreds of Uchiha appeared.
Their cloaks rustled in the high-altitude wind, breath misting from exertion. Some dropped to a knee. Others looked around warily, adjusting to the sudden teleportation.
At the forefront stood Kaito.
But as the dimensional rift sealed behind them, he staggered, his hand flying to his eyes.
"Tch—!" He winced, body trembling slightly as he took an unsteady step back.
"Brother Kaito!" Izumi rushed to his side, catching his arm before he fell. Her voice quivered with concern. "Are you okay?"
Kaito hissed out a breath, then forced a weak chuckle."I'm fine. I just overused my Mangekyō… The strain's catching up to me."
His eyes were bloodshot, the sclera faintly laced with red lines.
The Uchiha clan watched, uneasy. He was their pillar—if he broke now, the price they'd paid would be meaningless.
Izumi held his gaze longer than anyone else, unwilling to let go.
"Why… this place?" she asked, her voice softer now. "Why here, above that… place?"
Kaito turned his gaze toward the distant village below.
"You'll understand soon enough." His smile returned, subtle and dangerous.
All eyes followed his.
…
Back in Konoha, Sarutobi finally allowed his lungs to relax as Kaito disappeared. He rose slowly, pain stabbing his joints, and addressed the remnants of the village forces with the authority of a weary leader.
"He's up to something. We can't relax now—mobilise every available ninja immediately."
BOOM!
A deafening blast shattered the air.
The earth trembled.
Flames erupted high above the village.
"Hokage Rock!" someone shouted.
A massive explosion had ripped through the face of the sacred mountain. Chunks of stone flew like meteorites. Dust blanketed the village like ash.
Hiruzen's face paled."He planted explosive tags in the Rock! That bastard—!"
Danzo, still bedridden but aware, let out a low, rasping laugh."Heh… It's symbolic. He doesn't want to destroy us. He wants to disgrace us. Cripple our pride."
Sarutobi clenched his teeth. "It's not just symbolism. If the back of the mountain collapses, the debris could wipe out half the village!"
"Another explosion!" a ninja shouted as a second blast rocked the landscape.
Boulders rained from above, tremors rippling underfoot.
Sarutobi didn't hesitate. "Anbu—split into two units! One to intercept falling debris with earth-style or barrier jutsu. The other—evacuate civilians immediately! GO!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Anbu scattered, moving like silver ghosts through the streets, barking orders, casting barriers.
Despite Konoha's internal fractures, instinct took over. They moved to protect what little they had left.
But the Root agents didn't move.
They remained by Danzo's side, tending to him, guarding him.
Despite a gaping wound where Kaito's blade had pierced his chest, Danzo refused to die. Senju cells pulsed through his veins, mending what should've been fatal.
Sarutobi saw the inaction but said nothing. Not now. Not yet.
…
Fugaku stirred—his wife Mikoto kneeling beside him, clutching his hand, while Itachi stood nearby like a sentinel. The weight of recent hours hung on his face like years.
Itachi turned from his father and approached Sarutobi, but Root agents stepped into his path.
"Move." Itachi's voice was ice.
They didn't budge.
Danzo's voice came before they responded."Don't worry. Sasuke is safe."
Itachi's expression cracked. "Where is he?""Take me to him. Now."
The Root didn't speak. But their silence was louder than any denial.
Itachi's eyes flickered toward Danzo, burning with fury.
"He's safe, for now," Danzo said smoothly, smug in his control.
BOOM!
Another detonation roared through the sky.
Danzo didn't flinch.
"You see? This is no time for personal reunions. Take whatever Uchiha remain loyal and help the village survive. We'll… talk later."
Itachi hesitated. For Sasuke, he had to play the long game.
He turned away.
Danzo's smirk returned as he watched him go.
"These Uchihas… they were only with us because we had power," he muttered to Hiruzen, venomous.
Hiruzen's face hardened. "They chose to stand with Konoha."
"Out of necessity," Danzo scoffed. "Not loyalty."
He adjusted himself with a hiss of pain, but the gleam in his eye remained cold and calculating.
"They're a threat. You know it too."
Hiruzen didn't answer.
Only the howling wind responded… and the thunder of another explosion.