Late at night.
Konoha Village was deathly silent. Everyone had been ordered to remain inside their rooms, forbidden from going outside.
Under the guidance of pairs of three-tomoe Sharingan, a group of Cloud Village ninja quietly moved toward the edge of the village.
There lay the temporary encampments of four clans: the Sarutobi clan, the Shimura clan, the Utatane clan, and the Mitokado clan.
"The moon is so round tonight…"
Yuzuru hovered in midair, murmuring softly as he looked up at the moon.
In the original story, the Uchiha clan's extermination had also taken place on a full-moon night.
Before long, terrified screams shattered the stillness of the night.
The Sarutobi, Utatane, Mitokado, and Shimura clans were weak to begin with. Now, completely unprepared—
And for the past half month, Yuzuru had already cut off their food supply.
So even without his direct involvement, these four clans had no power to resist at all.
Pshk!
Pshk!
Pshk!
…
The sound of blades piercing flesh rang out again and again, and the air quickly filled with a thick stench of blood.
The moon, once glowing with pure white light, seemed to be draped in a crimson veil.
After tonight, the Sarutobi clan, Shimura clan, Mitokado clan, and Utatane clan would be completely erased from the ninja world.
Time slowly passed, and the screams on the ground grew fewer and fewer.
Finally, at a certain moment, the night returned to silence.
Yuzuru descended. Fugaku, Shisui, Obito, and Itachi instantly appeared at his side.
Their clothes were soaked in blood, and their scarlet Sharingan gleamed with an eerie brilliance in the darkness.
Fugaku adjusted his breathing and spoke in a deep voice.
"Yuzuru, as you ordered, not a single member of the four clans was spared."
"The mission is now complete."
Yuzuru patted Fugaku on the shoulder.
"You've worked hard. Clean everything up before dawn."
Fugaku immediately replied,
"I've already made arrangements in advance."
Yuzuru nodded, then looked toward Obito, Shisui, and Itachi.
"What do you think?"
Shisui said with faint excitement, "This should've been done long ago. Those bastards don't deserve to live in this world."
Itachi's expression was calm as he slowly replied.
"Only now do I truly understand Father's intentions. Leaving these parasites alive would only bring disaster to the ninja world."
"After tomorrow, no ninja clan in Konoha will dare harbor ulterior motives."
Obito said coldly, "Brother Yuzuru, rest assured. They enjoyed the benefits while Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura held power—now they should pay the price."
"Killing them is completely justified!"
Under Yuzuru's intervention, Obito never fell into darkness. Still, he had experienced despair within the world of genjutsu, so he would not show mercy at a time like this.
Seeing that all three looked perfectly composed, Yuzuru nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. You may go."
After everyone left, Yuzuru quietly let out a sigh.
Ever since awakening the memories of his past life, he had been planning unceasingly for this very moment.
Now, he had finally succeeded in rewriting the trajectory of fate.
The Uchiha clan once again held Konoha in its grasp. The Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans were annihilated…
Suddenly, Yuzuru felt an unexpected sense of emptiness.
But the feeling came quickly—and faded just as fast.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were nothing more than jumping clowns. Eliminating them was only the first stage.
To him, the true threat was still the Ōtsutsuki clan.
Before the Ōtsutsuki arrived, he needed to obtain power sufficient to oppose them.
"Looks like I still need to keep expanding the population."
Yuzuru gathered his thoughts, and his figure slowly vanished into the night.
————
————
The Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans—after decades of development—had a combined population nearing twenty thousand.
Being completely wiped out overnight naturally alarmed many people.
The heads of Konoha's various ninja clans had originally been discussing how to divide the spoils in the coming days. Now, all of them had gone pale with fear.
They suddenly realized—
The Yuzuru before them was no benevolent ruler, but an Asura who had clawed his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
The kind of political maneuvering they were used to was utterly meaningless in front of such a person.
This was someone who would wipe out an entire clan at the slightest disagreement!
For a time, the heads of Konoha's ninja clans rushed to Yuzuru one after another, repeatedly declaring their loyalty.
Yuzuru made no comment, merely telling them to return and await further notice.
After several months had passed, Konoha Village had finally begun to take shape.
Although many facilities were still far from complete, the overall planning had largely been realized.
Under Yuzuru's orders, ninja clans were no longer allowed to live clustered together by family. Instead, they were broken up and redistributed among the newly planned residential districts.
All secret techniques, scrolls, and clan assets were handed over.
With the Sarutobi and Shimura clans serving as cautionary examples, no clan dared to disobey.
As for Konoha's original residents and the civilian ninja…
At first, they had been overjoyed. They believed that after Yuzuru killed Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, and the others, they would finally enjoy the same wealthy lives as the people of the Cloud Village.
What they never expected was that Yuzuru would conscript all of them as free labor to build up the Land of Fire.
Eating meals without a trace of oil, working until utterly exhausted every day…
Konoha's people were filled with regret.
If only they had known earlier, why act as they did?
If the heavens would grant them another chance, they would absolutely become the most loyal sycophants of the Uchiha clan!
————
————
Hokage Tower.
Yuzuru sat in the Hokage's seat, quietly gazing out the window.
With experience from reconstructing the Land of Lightning, everything in the Land of Fire was progressing steadily and in an orderly fashion.
Combined with the wealth seized from Konoha's ninja clans—and the free labor provided by Konoha's ungrateful masses—
It wouldn't be long before the Land of Fire became a modern nation on par with the Land of Lightning.
Creak—
The office door was pushed open, and Fugaku quickly walked in.
"Yuzuru, Minato Namikaze wants to see you."
"Let him in."
A moment later, Yuzuru looked at Minato and smiled.
"Minato, how do you feel now?"
"I am already the one in power in Konoha. Everyone has submitted to me. What about you—what do you think?"
Minato's expression was complicated. In the end, he lowered his head and bowed.
"Lord Yuzuru, Minato Namikaze reporting for duty!"