Chapter 143: That's Not Cowardice, It's Foresight
The slaughter continued, but in a much more efficient manner. After the Shimura clan was annihilated, what remained were the remnants hidden by the Utatane clan. 3 families, once immensely powerful in Konoha, were now completely erased.
Homura Mitokado's clan compound was only 2 streets away from the Sarutobi clan's. "Lord Homura… Lord Homura!" A young Ninja on patrol stumbled and crawled into Homura Mitokado's bedroom.
"Why are you so flustered? What's the meaning of this?" Homura Mitokado's voice echoed in the darkness.
"The Sarutobi clan's… clan compound… something happened!" The young Ninja's voice was tearful. "A purple barrier rose over there, and just now there were huge explosions and screams, but now… now there's no sound at all! It's too quiet, terrifyingly quiet! Lord Homura, the Shimura clan and the Utatane clan compounds are also in that direction, and they are all our allies. Shouldn't we… send people to support them?"
Homura Mitokado immediately lost all sleepiness. What's going on? Could it be that the Fifth Hokage intends to carry out a complete purge? Support? Homura Mitokado's pupils suddenly constricted.
"Shut up!" He suddenly stood up, letting out a sharp cry. The young Ninja was startled, trembling, and froze in place.
"Relay my orders!" Homura Mitokado's voice could no longer maintain its superficial calm. "Immediately close all gates! No one is allowed to enter or exit! All clan members, return to your rooms! Extinguish all lights! Until I give the order, there shall not be a single speck of light, nor a single superfluous sound from the Mitokado clan compound! Do you understand?!"
"But… Lord Homura…"
"No 'buts'!" Homura Mitokado stepped forward, grabbing the young Ninja by the collar, his wrinkled face contorted with a nearly savage fear. "Do you want our Mitokado clan to end up like that?! Do you want everyone to die?! Get out! Go deliver the orders!"
The young Ninja scrambled out of the room. Bang. With a soft thud, Homura Mitokado shut the door tightly. His legs gave way, and he slumped heavily back into his chair. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
Homura Mitokado's mind uncontrollably replayed the scene from before. At Hiruzen Sarutobi's house. "Homura, we can't sit idly by any longer. Uchiha Akira wants to destroy everything we have! I've decided to make one last gamble! This is our last chance. Gather all the power of our 3 clans—no, 4 clans—and eliminate him in one fell swoop…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was filled with a gambler's frenzy. Homura Mitokado hesitated. He looked at his old friend, both familiar and strange, and for the first time, a chill rose from the bottom of his heart.
In the end, Homura Mitokado rejected Hiruzen Sarutobi's proposal. At that time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze was filled with disappointment and contempt. Now that he thought about it… That wasn't cowardice. That was foresight… that saved the lives of his entire clan.
Homura Mitokado lay sprawled on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Relief. Unparalleled relief. If he had acted impulsively and agreed to Hiruzen's plan back then… Then tonight, those towering flames and blood would have unfolded within the Mitokado clan compound. It wouldn't have been 3 families wiped out. But 4.
At the same time, in various corners of Konoha Village, the ancient and prominent clans were all startled. At the Hyūga Clan compound, Hiashi Hyūga stood on the main family's pavilion, his Byakugan already activated. Behind him, the elders' faces were solemn, not daring to breathe loudly. No one suggested offering support. This was the will of the Fifth Hokage. It was the iron fist of a new era.
At the Nara Clan compound, Shikaku Nara stared at a half-finished shogi game, unmoving for a long time. "A troublesome storm is finally about to pass." He gently placed the shogi piece in his hand back into the box. "After dawn, the board will have to be reset."
The Akimichi clan, the Yamanaka Clan… all the major clans in Konoha remained silent that night. No one went to offer support. And no one dared to offer support. They simply waited quietly for this purge to end, waiting for the arrival of dawn.
The next day, the first light of dawn arrived. Sunlight spilled onto the Village streets. The once arrogant Sarutobi, Shimura, and Utatane clans were now reduced to ruins. Charred remnants of walls, huge circular craters, silently spoke of the terror of the previous night.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Several dark figures, like specters, appeared before the bulletin boards in various corners of the Village. They were Anbu. They moved swiftly, firmly nailing a new scroll of announcements onto the wooden boards.
Numerous villagers immediately gathered around. At the front of the crowd, a literate Ninja, trembling, read out the contents of the announcement, word by word. "By order of the Fifth Hokage, Lord Uchiha Akira." "Upon investigation, the Sarutobi, Shimura, and Utatane clans conspired against the Village, betrayed Konoha, and attempted to unite with Kumogakure to overthrow Konoha."
"The evidence is conclusive and undeniable!" Below the announcement, several copies of secret letters were attached. The contents of the letters detailed the specifics of the 3 clans' contact with Kumogakure envoys: times, locations, and bargaining chips. A collective gasp of disbelief erupted from the crowd.
"Betrayal… betrayal of the Village?" "Oh my god! They actually wanted to defect to Kumogakure!" "No wonder… no wonder Lord Fifth Hokage acted so ruthlessly!"
Fear instantly transformed into another emotion. Anger. And… a natural sense of approval. For the villagers of Konoha, nothing was more unforgivable than the words "betrayal of the Village."
Konoha, an unknown underground interrogation room. Uchiha Kenji and Uchiha Shunichi stood silently. On the ground before them lay a cold corpse: Asuma Sarutobi. The power of the Rinnegan had been completely drawn from this body.
"Akira's orders," Kenji's voice sounded. "Dispose of it, leave no trace."
Shunichi nodded. He formed a hand seal with one hand. "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation."
Boom—!!! Surging flames instantly engulfed the corpse on the ground. In just a few short seconds, Asuma Sarutobi was completely reduced to ash.
After a night of deathly silence, at Homura Mitokado's residence, Homura Mitokado sat there, having not closed his eyes all night. Ever since Uchiha Akira became the Fifth Hokage, he had used his advanced age as an excuse to live in seclusion, virtually cutting off all contact with the outside world.
Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane. 3 clans that once stood as his equals, jointly wielding power in Konoha, were wiped off the map overnight. And he, Homura Mitokado, was still able to sit here, breathing the cool morning air.
Only because, in Hiruzen Sarutobi's final desperate plan, he chose to retreat. "Someone." A clan member silently pushed the door open. "Help me change."
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