Chapter 165: This Old Man Arrives Late, Only to Find His Kin Slaughtering Each Other!
Uchiha Compound.
The night sky wailed under the chaotic chakra. The air twisted and groaned from the extreme energy.
A blood-red giant and an emerald-green giant clashed with a thunderous boom!
Susanoo!
Fugaku Uchiha's crimson Susanoo pierced the night with the spikes on its shoulders. Its ribcage armor flickered with an ominous red light, and every swing of the chakra blade it gripped carried the force to split mountains and part seas.
It was the rage accumulated over far too long. It was the roar of a clan head watching his people face extermination!
"Shisui!!!"
Fugaku's roar resonated within the Susanoo, expanding as a tangible sound wave.
The emerald Susanoo dodged nimbly under the crimson blade light. Shisui Uchiha lived up to his name as the clan's greatest genius! His Susanoo was more refined, its form resembling a warrior wielding a spiral sword and shield, its movements filled with genius technique and an ultimate understanding of combat.
The emerald spiral sword was peerlessly sharp, clashing with the crimson longsword with a deafening roar. Every collision sent out shockwaves visible to the naked eye. The watching Konoha ninja and Uchiha clansmen retreated in horror.
Fugaku's eyes were bloodshot, the pattern in his Mangekyo Sharingan spinning madly. He never thought the power he had hidden for so many years would be revealed against his own kin in such a situation. The crimson Susanoo's arm extended, grabbing the shoulder armor of Shisui's Susanoo.
"Look beneath your feet! That is our land! The land where Konoha has corralled us!"
Shisui's emerald Susanoo shook its arm, breaking free, and thrust its spiral sword straight at the eye socket of Fugaku's Susanoo.
"Clan Head Fugaku! You should look!" Shisui's voice was equally filled with grief and indignation, transmitted through his Susanoo. "If this continues, the Uchiha will be truly doomed! Even the Uchiha name will be erased! Do you want to lead all our clansmen to die again?!"
The crimson longsword and the emerald spiral sword clashed once more, sending out blinding sparks.
Beyond the main duel, it was a river of blood.
Ordinary Uchiha clansmen, their eyes burning with vengeance and the will to survive, were locked in a deadly struggle with uniformed Root and Anbu operatives, as well as ninja from other major clans who had been coerced into joining the fray by the Hokage.
Ninjutsu flashed everywhere. The screech of shuriken and kunai tearing through the air was ear-piercing. Blood stained every inch of the Uchiha compound.
"Argh—!"
A young Uchiha boy was cut down by several Root ninja working in tandem. He fell screaming, a blade through his chest. His mother, witnessing this not far away, let out a despairing wail before being pinned to a wall by multiple kunai.
The Uchiha fought with restraint, trying to protect the elderly, women, and children behind them, but thanks to their Sharingan, casualties were mounting on both sides.
Shisui's emerald Susanoo faltered. He saw the misery of his clansmen. Every fallen figure was like a knife in his heart.
"Clan Head Fugaku!" Shisui's voice carried a blood-curdling sorrow, ringing across the battlefield during a lull in their clash. "Do you see this?! Is this what you want?! To let our newly resurrected kin die without a burial because of your ambition! To let our children, our wives, our parents feel the despair of death again! Do you truly want to lead them to extinction?!"
Fugaku's crimson Susanoo paused slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he too saw the casualties. Anxiety and rage threatened to swallow his reason. But he could not retreat! If he retreated, the Uchiha would have no future!
"Shut up! Shisui!"
"If Konoha hadn't pushed us too far, would it have come to this?!"
"Today, either the fish dies, or the net breaks!"
On the outskirts of the battlefield.
Hiashi Hyuga's face was grim, veins bulging around his Byakugan as he took in everything.
Inoichi Yamanaka frowned, arms crossed, seemingly sensing something.
Choza Akimichi's jowls trembled slightly.
Shikaku Nara sighed, whispering, "A bunch of dead ghosts crawled back… what a drag."
Shibi Aburame's eyes were obscured by his glasses, his bugs agitated around him.
Tsume Inuzuka's ninken growled low, her face serious.
They were the heads of Konoha's major clans. At this moment, their hearts were in turmoil. The resurrection and strength of the Uchiha exceeded everyone's expectations. Especially the Susanoo displayed by Fugaku and Shisui—that was legendary power!
"The Uchiha hid their strength so deeply."
"Fugaku! Shisui! Stop this!"
"Continuing this will only weaken Konoha! Outsiders will take advantage!"
But for many clan heads, their thoughts ran deeper. They saw Shisui Uchiha draw his blade against his own clan head for the sake of Konoha. This incomprehensible "loyalty" shook them. Especially those clans who also had geniuses and worried about them being too unruly. Their awe and loyalty to the Hokage deepened.
We must never let a 'Shisui Uchiha' appear in our clan to stand against us. We must never let our clan become the next Uchiha!
Just as the battle grew more chaotic and the stench of blood became nauseating, an aged but commanding voice suddenly rang out!
"STOP!!!"
The Konoha forces retreated. The Uchiha, protecting their women and children, could not pursue.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing his Hokage robes and hat, walked slowly onto the battlefield, surrounded by Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and a group of elite Jonin and clan members. His old eyes, usually seemingly clouded, were now filled with heartbreak.
"This old man arrives late, only to find his kin slaughtering each other to this extent!"
"Fugaku! Shisui! And all Uchiha clansmen, and Konoha ninja! Have you forgotten the First Hokage's original intention in founding this village? Are you going to let this hard-won peace be destroyed by our own hands again?!"
His gaze swept the field, finally resting on Danzo.
"Danzo! This was caused by your excessive impulsiveness back then! You made a grave mistake!"
A flash of gloom passed through Danzo's single eye. But for Konoha's future, he endured. He quickly lowered his head, adopting a pose of "admitting fault."
"It was this old man's mistake. Back then, I discovered the Uchiha were acting so extreme, planning a coup. Fearing chaos in the village, I ordered my subordinates to control the situation first. I never expected it to evolve into this."
Danzo looked up at the Uchiha, a stiff "apology" squeezed onto his scarred face. "People of the Uchiha, I was rash back then. I promise you, Konoha has no intention of harming the Uchiha again. From now on, Konoha will treat the Uchiha well. As long as you lay down your arms and return to the village."
Seeing this, Shisui's emerald Susanoo dimmed. He seized the opportunity and shouted, "Clan Head Fugaku! Everyone! The Lord Hokage has spoken! Lord Danzo has admitted his mistake! This might be the only chance for the Uchiha! Please believe in the Hokage's sincerity!"
Hiruzen nodded slightly, a "gratified" smile on his face, as if praising Shisui's "understanding of the greater good."
In his heart, he sneered.
The division had only just begun. The Uchiha clan, this recovered power, had to be reintegrated into Konoha's order.
And the one who set that order could only be Konoha! Could only be him, Hiruzen Sarutobi!