Kaito's strength was not as overwhelming as it appeared. For all its deadly precision and strange dimensional manipulation, it came at a cost—a steep one.
His unique abilities—warping space, severing timelines, creating mirror realms—drained chakra like blood from an open wound. The longer the battle, the more his reserves bled out.
When he left that night, after eviscerating Root and shattering the Hokage's defences, his chakra reserves had been critically low—his breathing ragged, his vision dimming behind blood-soaked eyes.
He could have finished them. It could have taken Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan to add to his arsenal. But instead...He let them live in exchange for Shisui's eye.
A tactical decision. A gamble.
And that single choice gave Danzo the opening he needed.
After Danzo's calm, chilling analysis, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally saw it: Kaito was not invincible.
With over ten thousand trained shinobi still stationed across the various districts of Konoha—chūnin, jōnin, and special ops alike—they had the numbers. A war of attrition could bring even a devil to his knees.
And so, with his pride bleeding but his authority intact, Sarutobi nodded at Danzo. A silent pact formed.
Together, they would bury the truth in ash and name Kaito the traitor Konoha needed.
And as they left the Root base that morning, relief—twisted and bitter—finally washed over them.
But neither of them realised that by the time the sun rose again…Kaito's strength would have undergone a transformation no one could have predicted.
The village square, where the shattered foundation of the Hokage Tower still smoked, had been hastily cleared. Dust and charred debris had been swept into uneven piles. The broken bodies had already been moved.
In their place stood a raised platform of wooden planks—scorched and crooked—where Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in soot-streaked robes, now addressed the people.
His face was pale and gaunt, streaked with tears, both real and carefully applied. His right arm was wrapped in tight white bandages. His left sleeve hung empty.
The villagers—bruised, burned, and broken-hearted—gathered in the square. The smell of death still lingered. Eyes were red from smoke or grief or both.
And before them, Hiruzen's voice trembled with sorrow as he accused Kaito Uchiha of unspeakable betrayal.
Everything followed Danzo's script—word for word.
"Kaito colluded with forces outside the village. He ambushed our negotiation with Fugaku. He planted the tags that destroyed your homes. He incited Itachi to slaughter the peace-loving Uchiha."
Gasps and cries rang through the crowd. The tension was palpable, as if the air itself could tear.
Faces twisted with fury. Grieving mothers wept. The word "traitor" was shouted, spat, and echoed.
The villagers, blind to the truth, unleashed their rage as Hiruzen and Danzo had hoped.
They didn't question the story. They didn't wonder how one boy could have done all this.
They needed someone to blame.
And seeing the rage diverted entirely onto Kaito, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a small, satisfied nod.
"As expected of Danzo," he thought."This plan was his best idea yet."
The tide had turned.
But when the hate reached its crescendo, when villagers began hurling rocks at the absent spectre of Kaito, Hiruzen raised a hand and stepped forward.
Time was short. He had other matters to attend to—Root operations, rebuilding strategies, funeral coordination, more lies to spin.
His voice cracked with grief, his eyes swimming with tears—part regret, part performance.
"As Hokage, I take full responsibility for this tragedy!"
"If only I had seen the signs earlier… If only I had acted sooner…"
"This village, built over decades, has been destroyed in a single night—because I failed to foresee internal strife!"
He clenched his fist against his chest and let the tears fall, pounding his chest once in a dramatic gesture.
The villagers gasped again—but this time, with sympathy.
They responded exactly as he hoped:
"Lord Hokage, it's not your fault!"
"It's Uchiha—those rebels! You couldn't have stopped them!"
"We trust you, Hokage-sama! Please don't blame yourself!"
They flocked to him like children to a grieving father.
But not all hearts in the square were so easily swayed.
Standing on the edges of the square, away from the crowd, were clan heads and elders—the surviving leaders of Konoha's noble families. Their eyes were cold, unreadable, their faces carved in stone.
They had seen the truth. They knew this speech was a performance.
Because their Anbu operatives, finally released from Root confinement just this morning, had told them everything.
The ambush. The betrayal. The truth behind the massacre.
They watched Hiruzen with something colder than suspicion: calculated detachment.
To the masses, he was still Hokage. But to the clans… he had become a liability.
Whispers passed like blades through silk.
"So… the Uchiha have been eradicated."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen is even more ruthless than I thought."
"Even the ones who stayed loyal to him—wiped out like nothing."
A chuckle cut through the murmurs.
"Fools. They thought siding with Konoha would save them. It just made them easier targets."
But the laughter quickly faded as others voiced what everyone was thinking.
"We shouldn't be celebrating. Do you realise what he's done?"
"They say Kaito fought five Kage-level shinobi—and cut off both of Hiruzen's arms."
"He's only 15…"
The weight of that number sank like lead.
"If he keeps growing like this, he could surpass even Madara and the First Hokage."
"If he ever returns to take revenge…"
"…We're finished."
A pause. Then:
"If that time comes, let the Sarutobi clan face the consequences. They lit this fire—let them burn in it."
The sentiment spread like ink in water.
The Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Hyuga—traditionally close to Hiruzen—stood silently.
From within their group, Hiashi Hyuga gave the faintest of nods.
"Don't worry," he said flatly."I won't endanger the Hyuga clan's future for Hiruzen's mistakes."
Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza looked to Shikaku Nara.
The mind behind every tactical decision. The chessmaster. The one who always saw twenty moves ahead.
Shikaku remained silent for a long while, his eyes unreadable.
Finally, he gave a single, solemn nod.
"If Kaito ever returns with vengeance in his heart…Then we'll stay out of it."
"We'll let the ones who caused this… answer for it."