"Konoha won't make a move in broad daylight," Yufeng said calmly.
"At the earliest, they'll act tonight."
"We still have a full day to prepare."
"Grand Elder, first gather all the troublemakers and the strongest clansmen. I'll come back in two hours."
"And remember—keep Fugaku in the dark for now."
The Grand Elder was also influenced by Yufeng's calm demeanor. He glanced at the dust-covered Yufeng.
"Go get some rest first. I'll make the arrangements."
Yufeng nodded slightly, stood up, and left.
As for Itachi, Yufeng neither particularly liked nor disliked him.
Some people judge their stance based on right and wrong.
Others judge right and wrong based on their stance.
Yufeng didn't debate morality—he only judged victory or defeat.
The Hokage Building.
After receiving the report, the Third Hokage furrowed his brows tightly.
Someone had actually survived Danzo's Root ambush—and even counterkilled Root members.
The Uchiha clan's alertness would surely rise. It was unclear whether tonight's operation would go smoothly.
Of course, the Third Hokage knew full well that Danzo had issued the order to annihilate the Uchiha.
But he had to pretend he didn't.
Otherwise, how would one explain why, in the original timeline, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived almost immediately after the massacre—before the bodies were even cold?
Many matters inconvenient for Hiruzen to handle were handed over to Danzo. The tacit understanding between them needed no explanation.
In any case, the losses were Root's. Appropriately weakening Danzo's power wasn't a bad thing.
The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe. "Where is Sasuke right now?"
"Reporting to Hokage-sama, Sasuke is still at the Academy. Kakashi is watching over him."
At this time, Kakashi was still in ANBU—and was even an ANBU captain.
For a task as important as guarding Sasuke, only someone truly trustworthy would do.
The Third Hokage nodded slightly. "Keep an eye on Danzo's side. Inform me immediately if there's any news."
"Yes!"
Root Headquarters.
"Useless trash! You managed to mess things up this badly!"
"Three squads—and you still couldn't take down a single Uchiha Yufeng!"
Danzo raged at the people below him.
After issuing the extermination order to Itachi, all Uchiha clansmen out on missions were naturally added to the kill list.
In Yufeng's squad, only Yufeng himself was a Three-Tomoe Sharingan expert.
The other two were merely genin-level rookies who hadn't even awakened their eyes.
Danzo had sent out three full squads—nine Root members—in an ambush.
And yet they were wiped out in reverse.
Three of them even had their heads taken.
Outsiders might not recognize Root members—but Danzo's people certainly would.
Uchiha Yufeng was clearly making a statement.
What angered Danzo wasn't just the loss of those men.
Itachi had already coordinated with Danzo—tonight was the night of action.
With so many Uchiha, without Root's cooperation, Itachi alone wouldn't be able to finish the slaughter even if he was killed from night till dawn.
Worse still, an incident like this right before the operation would greatly increase the Uchiha's vigilance.
It could very well ruin his entire plan!
"Any word from Itachi?" Danzo asked coldly.
"Reporting, my lord—none for now."
Danzo tapped his cane lightly.
"Recall all our people. Tonight, I will not allow any accidents."
"Yes! Lord Danzo!"
The subordinate vanished in a flash.
Uchiha Clan Compound.
"Xiyue, I'm back!"
As soon as he opened the door, Yufeng called inside.
"Brother, you're back!"
A girl's voice responded from within, but no one came out.
Yufeng immediately crossed the room in a few quick steps.
A bright-eyed, delicate, and obedient little girl was struggling to push a wheelchair toward the door.
But she only had one arm, and her movements were slow.
Pain flashed through Yufeng's eyes. He hurried forward and pulled his little sister into his arms.
"That's great, Brother—you came back safely."
Held in Yufeng's embrace, Xiyue's anxious heart finally settled.
Recently, the Uchiha had lost many clansmen—many who left never returned.
If it weren't for making a living, Yufeng wouldn't have taken such a dangerous mission knowing full well the risks.
"Brother… don't leave again, okay? I've heard a lot of bad rumors lately."
Xiyue spoke softly, her voice already tinged with tears.
Yufeng was her only family. She was terrified.
Yufeng carefully lifted Xiyue up. Though she wore a skirt, beneath it there was nothing.
Below her thighs, her legs were gone. Her left arm was severed at the wrist as well.
The only intact limb she had was her right arm.
Holding his feather-light sister, Yufeng gently patted her back.
"Don't worry. I won't be going out for a while."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Xiyue rubbed herself against Yufeng's chest. She had missed him far too much.
"Really. From now on, I'll try not to go out anymore."
After comforting her for a while, Yufeng glanced around.
"Where did Zhiyu go?"
Uchiha Zhiyu was their neighbor, Yufeng's childhood friend.
After Xiyue was crippled seven years ago, Zhiyu had been helping care for her, since many things were inconvenient for Xiyue.
More importantly, she was afraid Xiyue might develop suicidal thoughts.
Only in the past two years, after Xiyue gradually emerged from the shadows, did Zhiyu occasionally step away.
At the mention of Zhiyu, Xiyue's eyes flickered slightly.
"Sister Zhiyu went out to buy some things. She'll be back soon."
Then Xiyue rested her head on Yufeng's shoulder and asked softly,
"Brother… what's really happening in the clan?"
Yufeng gently stroked Xiyue's cheek. "Nothing serious. Just some changes in the elders' positions. It doesn't really concern us."
"Mm…"
Xiyue obediently didn't ask further, simply leaning against him.
"Brother, you just got back. Go take a bath first."
She sniffed lightly—the smell on Yufeng rushed straight into her nose.
Yufeng smiled and lightly scraped her nose.
"I'll clean up first. Tonight I have duty—how about letting Zhiyu keep you company?"
"Huh? You just got back and you're already on duty?"
Yufeng carefully set Xiyue back into her wheelchair and patted her head.
"If I'm not going out on missions, I still have to do something."
"Alright… I understand, Brother."