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"So what, old man? Planning to make a move right here and pull out this so-called 'poison of Konoha'?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and glanced at the countless villagers surrounding them. In the end, reason won out over impulse.
"Fighting here would only harm innocent people. As Hokage, I will never allow that to happen."
"But don't get cocky, Uchiha Akira. It won't be long before you pay for what you've done."
"Heh. Is that so? Then I'll be waiting."
Akira flicked his hair indifferently, a faint hint of anticipation even flashing in his eyes.
"Oh, and I suggest you hang this guy up properly. Don't make me force your hand later."
He pointed toward Hyuga Tokuma in the distance. He hadn't forgotten about this one.
By now, Hyuga Tokuma had put his clothes back on. The way he stared at Akira was filled with overwhelming hatred.
"Hmph! Don't even think about it. I will never lay a hand on Konoha's ninja!"
Sarutobi snorted coldly. The Uchiha clan, already marked for annihilation, had long been kicked out of the ranks of Konoha's ninja in his mind.
Akira didn't bother to explain. Hands in his pockets, he leisurely headed toward home. The crowd instinctively parted, opening a path for him.
Fear lingered in nearly every pair of eyes.
So young, yet already so ruthless. The Uchiha really are the embodiment of evil. That was what most people present were thinking.
Watching Akira stroll away without a care, Sarutobi's face darkened to a frightening degree. It seemed the Uchiha extermination plan needed to be pushed forward as soon as possible.
When the time came, not a single Uchiha would be left alive. Even Uchiha Itachi, the vanguard of the massacre, would be discarded afterward.
Akira's performance today had completely overturned the earlier idea of "leaving a couple alive."
This time, Sarutobi intended to erase the Uchiha from the shinobi world entirely.
"Third Hokage, could we find somewhere quiet? I have something important to discuss with you."
Hyuga Hiashi, his expression just as grim, stepped forward.
Noticing the seething hatred in Hiashi's eyes, Sarutobi nodded knowingly.
"Come with me."
—
"Even though the Third Hokage targets our Uchiha at every turn, he is still the Hokage, the leader of the village.
"Humiliating him like that in front of so many people… I'm afraid our situation in Konoha will only get worse."
On the way back to the clan compound, Fugaku hesitated for a long time before finally voicing his concerns to Akira.
This time, he'd learned his lesson. His tone was carefully restrained, without outright scolding Akira for going too far and dragging the entire clan into it.
He even lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear.
"Heh. You really think that without today's incident, that old bastard would've let the Uchiha off?"
Akira shot Fugaku a sidelong glance, his expression full of disdain.
"Stop being so naive. With or without today, the Third would still wipe out the Uchiha. It's just a matter of sooner or later."
Fugaku fell silent, clearly unconvinced.
In his view, if the Third ever truly carried out a plan to annihilate the Uchiha, it would definitely be because of Akira's outrageous actions.
"Ah… troubled times. Truly troubled times."
Fugaku sighed toward the sky.
"Enough with the sighing. Instead of wasting breath, you'd be better off preparing for the coming extermination."
Akira rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, then continued.
"I humiliated that old man pretty thoroughly today. In a fit of rage, he might make a move against the Uchiha tonight."
So you do know how vicious your actions were… Fugaku thought to himself.
After thinking it over again, Akira nodded, his tone firm.
"Yeah. The odds are very high. Tonight will be the night of the Uchiha massacre."
The moment those words fell, the Uchiha following behind them exploded into chaos.
"What?! The Third is going to wipe out the Uchiha tonight?!"
"No way! Even if the Third dislikes us, I don't think he'd really go as far as exterminating a whole clan!"
"Hmph! Fake? I don't think so at all. I've seen through that old man's intentions. He's wanted to wipe out the Uchiha for a long time!"
"…"
Ignoring the uproar, Akira turned to Fugaku beside him.
"It's not too late yet. Hurry up and prepare. Don't end up like fish on the chopping block in the Third's hands."
"Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
Fugaku still didn't believe it. Sure, the Third had lost face badly today, but would he really destroy an entire clan over this?
"How many times do I have to tell you? The extermination of the Uchiha was planned long ago. What happened today just sped things up."
"Forget it. Believe it or don't, it's up to you. You're the clan head, not me. Anyway, someone will make a move when the time comes.
"It's just that when the fighting starts, the ordinary people in the clan will probably suffer heavy casualties."
Akira spoke casually. After walking a few steps, he turned back again.
"If you trust me, start organizing the clan to evacuate. If you don't… heh."
Watching Akira's retreating figure, Fugaku's old indecisiveness resurfaced.
Should he believe him or not?
Would the Third really launch an attack on the Uchiha tonight?
Should he organize an evacuation in advance?
But that would be incredibly troublesome. And if the Third didn't attack tonight, how was he supposed to explain it to the clan?
Fugaku was torn.
Huff.
After a long while, he finally let out a deep breath and made his decision.
"Yakumi."
Fugaku called out a name in a low voice. Soon, a stern-faced Uchiha stepped forward.
"Clan head, what are your orders?"
Uchiha Yakumi spoke stiffly, by the book.
"Go. Immediately gather all the ninja in the clan. I have a matter concerning the survival of our family to discuss with everyone."
"Yes!"
Yakumi didn't waste a word. The moment he received the order, he vanished in a flash of Body Flicker.
"Clan head… are we really going to trust that, um… Young Master Akira?"
An Uchiha asked hesitantly.
"Whether to trust him or not, I'll decide that myself. Regardless of whether the Third attacks tonight, it's better to be prepared than caught off guard."
Fugaku replied solemnly.
He had no intention of evacuating the entire clan just yet, but he did plan to gather all the clan's ninja.
If anything happened, at least the ninja could arrange for the civilians to take shelter.
"..."
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