The Night of the Nine-Tailed Fox

"No!"

A roar filled with grief and indignation, accompanied by a violent gust of wind-style chakra, swept in. Sasuke Uchiha, who had already sensed this, showed no intention of fighting back, letting the tangible gale sweep away the mangled body of Shinnosuke Sarutobi.

As a survivor of that day, Sasuke was all too familiar with what was to come!

really!

The moment I looked up.

A red and white Hokage robe trembled slightly, and his whole body exuded a more familiar grief of losing a loved one. He was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just led the team to the scene!

"Shinnosuke, hang in there...!"

Looking at Shinnosuke, who was still on the verge of death, his green vest soaked in blood and too weak to even open his mouth to answer, even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had already "taken life and death lightly," couldn't help but feel a desire to faint and escape reality.

This is Shinnosuke!

He is the son of the Third Hokage, the youngest Captain-Commander in the history of the Anbu, and the most qualified candidate to succeed the Fifth Hokage in the next few years.

Everything had been planned out, and all obstacles in our path had been cleared away...

but now!

Shinnosuke, who should have been the pride of his Sarutobi clan and led Konoha to the pinnacle of the ninja world once again, was now lying dying in his arms.

Bang!

With an angry iron fist slamming into the ground, another furious roar erupted.

"Medical team, what are you all standing there for!"

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was not a specialist in medical ninjutsu, as a ninjutsu professor, how could he not realize that Shinnosuke's heart was completely shattered and his internal organs were severely damaged in the impact? Apart from those legendary forbidden techniques, there was no hope of saving him.

But as Shinnosuke's father, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only hope for a miracle, however...

Hahahahaha...

A burst of unrestrained, liberated laughter echoed throughout the arena. Hiruzen Sarutobi, still vigilant despite his grief, immediately turned his attention back to the boy in front of him who was covering his forehead and laughing wildly.

That familiar smile...

Just like that afternoon decades ago, the terrifying man standing amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, time and space seemed to gradually overlap at this moment, causing Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was slightly dazed, to tremble slightly backward.

"Uchiha Sasuke, what have you done?!"

Fear brings more than just retreat; especially after the buried unbearable feelings are stirred up, Hiruzen Sarutobi is like an angry lion, roaring loudly and furiously at Sasuke Uchiha.

He was just a boy of about ten years old. Even with those evil eyes, he was no match for the former Asura of the Ninja World.

Having served as Hokage for over thirty years, even though he was filled with immense grief and indignation, he quickly calmed down and analyzed the pros and cons while considering the next course of action.

too suddenly!

Since that bizarre and drastic change more than a month ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been feeling uneasy. He originally thought it was a spy from an enemy village causing trouble in the dark, but he never expected that the crisis would come from the Uchiha, whom he no longer considered a threat!

but!

Danzo...

As the Hokage's assistant who was most hostile to the Uchiha bloodline in Konoha, and also the first dark figure in the ninja world to rush out after discovering Susanoo, Shimura Danzo, who should have been at the forefront of the charge, didn't even see a single shadow of him.

That's not all!

Despite the significant commotion, the number of ninjas arriving at the scene to provide support was far fewer than expected.

All of this exuded a strange, familiar feeling, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression gradually become even more gloomy. However, compared to the trivial matters of settling scores later, dealing with the increasingly dangerous Uchiha Sasuke was the priority.

Is this the evil of the Uchiha clan's bloodline? Not long ago, he was just a child with some talent, at most comparable to some weak and trashy Chunin, and he was incomparable to Kakashi Hatake of the same age.

But this evil Uchiha, after awakening those terrifying eyes, actually possessed the terrifying power to instantly kill elite Jonin.

In an instant, Hiruzen Sarutobi regained his composure after analyzing the pros and cons. He handed Shinnosuke Sarutobi's body to the medical team that had arrived, and once again straightened his body and looked in the direction of Sasuke Uchiha.

"Now you should be able to understand my pain... Answer me!"

As Sasuke Uchiha gradually recovered from his maniacal laughter, he glanced disdainfully at Hiruzen Sarutobi not far away, his tone full of playful mockery.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! ...Uchiha Throwing Technique!

With the blessing of the Mangekyou Sharingan, countless kunai suddenly tore through the sky, drawing mysterious trajectories in the void, almost completely sealing off all of Hiruzen Sarutobi's escape routes. Any Jonin would likely have been severely injured by this attack.

But obviously!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not among them. In response to Sasuke Uchiha's greeting, the Third Hokage also took out a kunai and effortlessly shot down all the incoming arrows.

"Everyone, stand by!"

Instead of pressing his advantage after receiving the next attack, Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped the Anbu and a small number of ninja reinforcements who wanted to rush forward.

"Stop, Uchiha Sasuke!"

"In the name of the Third Hokage of Konoha, I order you to immediately cease resistance and return to the village with me for investigation. Trust that the village will give you a fair trial; the Will of Fire will never wrong an innocent person!"

Although Hiruzen Sarutobi wished he could kill Sasuke Uchiha right now, he had already realized what Danzo had done behind the scenes, and was unwilling to risk his life against a Mangekyou Sharingan user.

The best-case scenario is to suppress the out-of-control Sasuke first, and once he gathers the core strength of the entire Konoha, even if Madara Uchiha were to be resurrected, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble... right?

Uh……

Madara Uchiha might not be able to say for sure, but Sasuke in front of him definitely wouldn't be!

tsk...

Seeing that his greeting had no effect, Uchiha Sasuke was not disappointed at all. After all, how could the old man in front of him, who was known as the "Strongest Hokage," be so worthless?

However, Sasuke Uchiha's smile grew increasingly amused by the clattering of Hiruzen Sarutobi's calculations in his words.

"stop?"

Although Sasuke Uchiha didn't possess the Nine-Tails' ability to read people's hearts, the powerful insight granted by his Mangekyou Sharingan allowed him to easily see through Hiruzen Sarutobi's frantically suppressed rage...

"It's not entirely impossible?"

Sasuke Uchiha's answer surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi, but it did not reassure him at all. Instead, his hands under his sleeves unconsciously clenched into fists!

really!

next moment!

"If your Sarutobi clan is willing to commit suicide, then I might be able to stop!"

"In this way, Konoha avoided civil war, and the village's peace was preserved. I am also very regretful that I have not found any other way..."

"Of course, I won't consider you a rogue ninja of Konoha and put you on a wanted list for capture... dead or alive! The Uchiha clan will give you a dignified end!"

Um!!!

The memories of his dead body suddenly surged in his mind, making Hiruzen Sarutobi's face look extremely ugly.

These words...

How could Uchiha Sasuke possibly know? Under normal circumstances, Uchiha Itachi would never tell Sasuke about their conversation that day!

unless……

But since Uchiha Sasuke was able to know these words and even use them to mock him.

Does that mean that the hidden dangers within Konoha right now are not just the pair of Mangekyou Sharingan in front of us?

Itachi... even you are going to betray Konoha!

……

at the same time!

In another corner of Konoha, two groups of people were facing off.

On one side were the Root members, dressed in Anbu uniforms but led by Danzo Shimura, and on the other side were ninjas from various clans, including the Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, and others, who were on their way to the battlefield to provide support.

"What are you trying to do? Get to the people and evacuate them right now!"

A Root member ruthlessly kicked over a Chunin who tried to rush forward, then fearlessly surveyed the group of ninjas in front of him with a kunai in hand.

As the strongest hidden force in Konoha, Root's power allows them to act without restraint, even when outnumbered, without needing to worry about their "comrades" in the village.

The will of the roots is absolute within Konoha!

"But...but we have to..."

The group that had been kicked over wanted to say a few words in protest, but before they could finish speaking, they were kicked away again by a Root ninja. This scene angered the ninjas who wanted to rush to the battlefield to provide support.

Just as these ninjas were about to forcefully break through the Root's blockade, a cold, sinister figure brought everyone present to a calm.

"Preserving the life of Konoha from harm is the Hokage's order. Are you trying to disobey?"

Leaning on his cane, Shimura Danzo spoke slowly and deliberately, his cold eyes scanning everyone present like a venomous snake.

Uh……

Although the order in front of them is somewhat absurd, similar things have happened many years ago on the night of the Nine-Tails. Especially for the group of ninjas who were protected back then, none of them dared to stand up and refute Danzo, the high-ranking Hokage's assistant in Konoha.

Bang!

Danzo Shimura slammed his cane against the ground again. Seeing that his aura had overwhelmed everyone, he continued to speak to the crowd in a gloomy tone.

"As for what happened over there, the Third Hokage has already led his men to handle it. Don't you trust our Hokage?"

"So why aren't you getting back there right now to evacuate the people? Do you want to repeat the tragedy of the Nine-Tailed Fox Night?!"

With two serious accusations leveled against him, especially against Shimura Danzo, the head of Root, everyone present was instantly silenced. Even though they vaguely sensed something was amiss, they couldn't bring themselves to refute it.

What was that saying again?

A ninja who abandons a mission halfway through is trash, but a ninja who doesn't know how to cherish his comrades is even worse than trash!

Although Danzo Shimura's reputation in the village was terrible in the past, his words were both a mission from the Konoha leadership and a way to protect his comrades from a repeat of the tragedy of the Nine-Tails' night...

No problem!

In this complex and critical moment, the vast majority of ninjas chose to obey orders, while the very few remaining were simply unable to penetrate the iron wall constructed by numerous Root members...

In no time, the large and orderly evacuation team, under the command of the Konoha ninja, headed towards the refuge point.

Huh~

Looking at the bustling crowd seeking refuge, and the gradually benevolent gazes of some of the people, Shimura Danzo inwardly sneered with disdain.

Hiruzen, you didn't expect that, did you!

Yes!

The moment he saw Susanoo, Danzo Shimura did indeed want to disregard everything and lead the Root to surround and kill that Uchiha remnant who should have been killed long ago.

As for whether it will be affected by the threat posed by Itachi Uchiha back then?

If anyone dares to lay a hand on Sasuke, I will reveal Konoha's secrets to the enemy country!

Are you kidding me!

Who in the entire Hidden Leaf Village has leaked more secrets than Shimura Danzo? You have to know that the Root's tentacles have long since extended into the territory of the Five Great Nations. Some of the necessary intelligence transactions are many times more numerous than what Uchiha Itachi knew. He wants to threaten me with outdated information from who knows how many years ago.

What a childish joke...

It was because Danzo was too taken aback by Itachi's naivety that he failed to seize the opportunity before Itachi left to properly mock this stupid idiot who wiped out his own clan.

As for now...

While gathering the Root members, Danzo saw the Anbu also rushing to the battlefield, which instantly calmed him down from his initial aggressive desire to eliminate them all.

Logically speaking!

As the greatest enemy of the Uchiha clan, Shimura Danzo should be at the forefront.

However, recalling the ending of the last Nine-Tails Night, an even more wonderful idea instantly formed in Shimura Danzo's mind.

Tsk...isn't this the perfect opportunity for me, Shimura Danzo, to rise to power?

You should know that his old friend once gave him a real demonstration of what it means to be able to turn the world upside down with a flick of the wrist.

He suppressed the Uchiha clan as the villain, dispatched his direct ANBU squads to organize ninjas and villagers to take refuge, and ultimately successfully boosted his reputation to wash away the shame of the Third Shinobi World War, once again successfully "temporarily" residing in the Hokage position for a long period of time...

If Hiruzen Sarutobi could do it, why couldn't Danzo Shimura?

And now is the perfect time!

The turmoil occurred near the Sarutobi clan's territory, and whether as Hokage or as the head of the Sarutobi clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi had to choose to be at the forefront.

Having faced Danzo, who had broken through the Root's blockade even after Shisui had one eye gouged out, I have a deep understanding of how terrifying a berserk Mangekyou Sharingan can be.

Isn't this just a replica of Nine-Tailed Night?

Heaven help me!

...(End of this chapter)