Fugaku's declaration, "The Uchiha Clan secedes from Konoha!", intertwined with Hizashi's resounding "The Hyuga Clan's branch family secedes from Konoha!" Like twin thunderclaps, they crashed down over the ravaged Uchiha Clan's compound, striking deep into the heart of every Konoha's Ninja present.
Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi, Hiashi, Tsume… the clan heads and Jonin… watched with profoundly grim expressions, their eyes complex as they gazed upon the burning homeland and the resolute survivors.
The Senju Clan had long since faded into the general populace. And now, the other great founder, the Uchiha, was leaving in such a tragic, bloody manner?
The very foundation of Konoha was shaking violently tonight.
In the shadows far away.
"Khu khu khu... What a truly spectacular play. What do you two Hokage-sama think?" Orochimaru's hoarse voice held an amused lilt, his golden serpentine eyes observing the reactions of the First and Second Hokages, controlled by his Impure World Reincarnation.
Hashirama's face was devoid of its usual cheer. He covered his face with his hands, a low, pained sound escaping between his fingers, "I knew it... I knew that Danzo was unreliable! But I never imagined it would come to this..."
Tobirama stood with his arms crossed, his stern face impassive, but his eyes were sharp as daggers, fixed on the distant figure of the woman on the high wall, "Brother! What's the use of saying that now? Saru's handling was flawed, but the bigger problem undoubtedly lies with the Uchiha!"
"Especially that Uchiha woman standing beside the masked man... I can feel it. The power hidden within her is terrifyingly strong, even... giving me the illusion of seeing Uchiha Madara in his prime! A dangerous existence like that is itself a source of instability!"
"Madara..." Hashirama lowered his hands, his face etched with memory and pain, "Back then, when Madara wanted to leave the village, all the Uchiha Clan's members chose to stay. That was undeniably their trust in me, the First Hokage, in Konoha! But after my death... what have you done to the Uchiha? To make them prefer trusting an outsider and betraying the village they helped build?!"
Tobirama snorted coldly, "While I have always been wary of the Uchiha's power, for the sake of the village's balance and peace, I gave them sufficient authority and status! The Konoha's Military Police Force, responsible for the entire village's internal security… was that not enough trust and power? I even took Uchiha Kagami as my student, instructing him diligently! Was what I did still not enough?"
"Kagami... that child?" Hashirama's expression softened slightly, as if recalling that excellent junior, "He truly was a good boy with clear eyes who loved the village."
That made him all the more confused and heartbroken, "Could even someone like Kagami not mend the rift? Then what... what exactly has Saru done?!"
Orochimaru interjected at the perfect moment, his voice like a serpent's hiss, carrying a hint of provocation, "First Hokage-sama, Second Hokage-sama, perhaps you are not aware. That Uchiha Shisui, who was ambushed by Shimura Danzo, had his eye stolen, nearly killed, and now stands with the Star Ninja... is the biological grandson of that 'good boy' Uchiha Kagami you speak of."
"He inherited Kagami's will, always striving to maintain peace between his clan and the village. A pity... the 'reward' he received seems to have been even more brutal than his grandfather's."
"What?! Kagami's grandson?!" Hashirama jolted as if struck by lightning, his face a mask of disbelief and grief. His shoulders slumped, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over him, "In just a few decades... has Konoha... truly become like this...?"
After a long while, he slowly raised his head, his gaze turning towards Orochimaru, who was manipulating all of this from behind. A trace of confusion entered his eyes, "By the way, you... who are you again?"
The smile on Orochimaru's face stiffened for a fraction of a second.
Then he resumed his nonchalant demeanor, giving a slight bow, "My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Orochimaru. I once had the honor of being a student of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen."
…
Back on the main battlefield.
With the resolute declarations of the Uchiha and Hyuga, this 'theater' directed by Shura had undoubtedly reached its climax.
Menma hovered in the air, his gaze behind the white three-eyed fox mask calmly sweeping over the Konoha's Ninjas below, their expressions varied.
His goal was achieved. The seeds were sown. Now, it was up to Konoha's internal forces to digest this earth-shattering upheaval.
How would Hiruzen and Danzo face the doubts of the various clans?
He was looking forward to it.
"Wow, so exciting! So exciting!" Kokyu poked her head out from Menma's collar, munching on something, her eyes shining as she watched the battlefield below.
As a Chakra-formed tailed beast, she didn't understand human's hearts, but she loved a good spectacle.
Menma patted her head, then issued orders to the Star Ninja.
"Kanon, lead the Second Squad, escort all survivors in the retreat."
"Hikari, Kisame, lead your teams, cover the rear and engage the enemy!"
The commands were concise and clear.
"Yes, sir!" Kanon acknowledged immediately.
"Natsuhi! Hotarubi! Lead the team to cover the Uchiha Clan's survivors! Hizashi! Your people, follow!" The golden Adamantine Sealing Chains danced once more, organizing the surviving Uchiha elderly, weak, women, children, and the Hyuga Clan's branch family's members, beginning an orderly withdrawal.
Hikari and Kisame narrowed their eyes, leading the Star Ninja and the Uchiha volunteers who chose to stay and cover the retreat, standing firm like a rock at the front!
Hizashi glanced at the fierce battlefield, then at a weary-looking Neji, and said to Kanon, "Please take Neji and go first."
"Father!" Neji looked up at his father's face, seeing a gentleness there he had never witnessed within the Hyuga Clan's walls.
Hizashi ruffled Neji's hair softly, "Go. Seek your freedom, Neji."
Then he looked towards the figure floating in the air, his eyes filled with resolve, "As for me... I have already found mine."
Tokuma, Tetsu, and the other rebellious branch family's members stepped up beside Hizashi, smiling at Neji.
"Neji, if I die here, remember to tell Yuji what kind of man his father was!"
"And Kotaro, that kid is so reckless, please look after him, big brother."
"Hey, my daughter is so well-behaved, she really admires you, Neji. If you two get married in the future, remember to offer me some extra sake."
Neji looked at these uncles, who were usually so stern and formal, now chattering away with completely changed personalities. Tears welled in his white eyes.
"Stop them! We cannot let them take the traitors!" Hiruzen roared, forcefully suppressing the storm in his heart. He knew he couldn't hesitate now.
He had to stabilize the situation. Even if it meant paying a heavy price to deal with Danzo later, he had to capture the 'traitors' now!
Hiruzen turned to the clan heads and Jonin beside him, "Everyone! I will personally ensure Shimura Danzo gives you all an explanation later! But right now, we cannot allow the Uchiha and Hyuga traitors to escape Konoha with the Star Ninja's help! The consequences would be dire! For the future of the village, I ask for your assistance!"
Shikaku, Inoichi, and the other clan heads exchanged glances, seeing the resignation and resolve in each other's eyes.
They knew this was not the time for internal conflict. Regardless of the higher-ups' failings, stopping the defection and maintaining the surface stability of the village was the top priority.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"
"Mind Body Switch Technique!"
"Fang Passing Fang!"
The elites of the various clans joined the fray. The great battle erupted once more, even more intense than before!
The Star Ninja, relying on Hikari's Mangekyo coordination and Kisame's ferocity, clashed violently with the Konoha's forces!
"Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique!" Kisame grinned savagely as he formed hand seals. A massive water-style shark roared towards the masked Anbu Commander, Sarutobi Shinsuke!
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!" Shinsuke reacted swiftly, the ground beneath his feet turning into a mudslide, attempting to wash away the shark.
"Protect the Hokage! Hold them back!" He shouted.
The Uchiha Clan's compound was completely transformed into a hellscape of interwoven flames and Ninjutsu.
Amidst this sea of fire, Shisui's emerald Susanoo stood like an undefeated war god. Each swing of its massive Chakra Sword created terrifying wind pressure and shockwaves, smashing the Konoha's Ninja's lines into disarray, carving a path for the retreating group.
Fugaku's heart ached as he looked at the burning compound and his fallen clansmen.
Then, he noticed in a nearby skirmish, the already severely wounded Yashiro, covering for Inabi behind him, was caught off-guard by a Konoha's Anbu. A cold sword brutally pierced his chest!
"Yashiro!!" Inabi's eyes nearly burst with fury.
The Anbu tried to deliver a finishing blow but was forced back by Inabi's frantic Fire Release.
Inabi held the collapsing Yashiro. This elder, like a father and brother to him, had blood gushing from his chest, his life fading rapidly.
"Yashiro-san!" Inabi let out a bestial howl of grief. He and his brother Tekka had been raised by Yashiro. Now Tekka had died tragically at the Police Station, and the man he saw as a father fell before his eyes. Extreme pain and hatred instantly overwhelmed him!
Yashiro, blood foaming at his lips, his eyes beginning to glaze over, grabbed Fugaku's sleeve as this clan head flickered over.
With his last ounce of strength, he rasped, "Clan Head... my... forehead protector... score it... I don't want... to die as a Konoha's Ninja..."
Fugaku's hand trembled as he picked up a kunai from the ground. On the blood-stained Konoha's forehead protector, he deeply scored a mark!
As if severing all past bonds and faith!
Hearing the grating sound of metal, a trace of a relieved smile seemed to touch Yashiro's lips. His head lolled to the side, and he breathed no more.
"Yashiro-san!!" Inabi's wail was heart-wrenching.
Fugaku gently set down the kunai, his voice unbearably heavy as he spoke to Inabi, "I'm sorry... Inabi... It's all my fault... I, as the Clan Head, was too incompetent... I let everyone..." His words cut off abruptly.
Because he saw Inabi, kneeling before Yashiro's body, suddenly lift his head!
In those eyes, where the three tomoes had been spinning wildly, extreme grief, rage, and despair converged, compressed, and transformed!
Within the crimson pupils, the three tomoes twisted, deformed, extended...
Finally morphing into three jet-black, kunai-shaped patterns that seemed to bear endless pain!
It was a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan never seen before!
Under this ultimate emotional impact, Inabi had awakened his own Mangekyo Sharingan!
Fugaku felt both shock and a profound, sorrowful understanding.
'This power... must it always be paid for with the most heart-wrenching pain?'
…
On the other side of the main battlefield.
As if responding to Inabi's towering hatred and sorrow, an even more violent, colder, more destructive Chakra erupted from Hikari at the center of the battlefield!
A dark red Chakra, the color of congealed blood, shot towards the sky, rapidly condensing and taking shape!
A dark red Susanoo, taller, more ferocious, and radiating an aura of ominousness and savagery than Shisui's emerald one, rose from the ground!
Its massive form seemed forged from hellish magma and resentment. In its hand, it coalesced an enormous Chakra Sword wreathed in dark red flames!
Two sky-scraping Susanoo!
One green, one red!
Like mythical titans descending upon the mortal world, their terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire battlefield, suppressing all sounds of combat!
Countless Konoha's Ninjas looked up in terror at this apocalyptic scene, crying out in despair:
"A-another one?!"
"What kind of monsters are these?!"
"It's Uchiha Madara's power!!"
Fear spread like a plague. Many Ninjas who had experienced the Nine-Tails Attack turned deathly pale, as these two giants reminded them of that horrific night!
High above, the shock on the faces of Hiruzen and Danzo finally transformed into unconcealed horror.
In Hiruzen's eyes, there was even a trace of... regret?
Since Madara, this was the first time they were witnessing the legendary third power hidden within the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyo Sharingan!
They were seeing this terrifying combat power, enough to change the course of battles, even overturn the Ninja World!
And now, this power was not under their control. Instead, they had personally driven it into rebellion, pushing it into the hands of the mysterious Shura and the Land of Stars!
"The Uchiha... actually have two..." Hiruzen's voice was unbearably dry.
Danzo's single eye was filled with greed, apprehension, and profound gloom. He clenched his fist so tightly his nails nearly dug into his palm.
'So this is the power Uchiha Madara possessed?! Damn it... Shisui's eye... and that Uchiha Hikari…!' Danzo's extreme unwillingness frantically intertwined, 'Why could a one-eyed Shisui manifest the Susanoo, while I could only grasp the preliminary power of that right eye?!'
'I could have completely resolved the Uchiha problem for Konoha and utilized their Sharingan on myself!'
'And now, everything was out of control!'
'Not only had we handed over this originally Konoha-owned, world-shaking power to outsiders...'
'Now this very power was turning around to destroy Konoha!'
This bitterness and miscalculation stuck in their throats, their faces extremely grim.
On the ground, Fugaku watched the green and red Susanoo wreaking havoc, recalling Shisui's report about his battle with Hikari: "As expected, she is a Ninja as powerful as Madara was."
And now, Hikari had become the hope for the Uchiha Clan's escape from the abyss.
Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan turned towards the figure sitting high in the sky as if watching a play. He murmured, "Then let Konoha see clearly... exactly what they have lost-"
The pattern in his Mangekyo Sharingan spun wildly as Fugaku released his Ocular Power to its limits!
Boom!
A deep blue Susanoo rose from the ground under the trembling, despairing eyes of the Konoha's Ninja.
"A th-third one?!"
"How is this possible?!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"This is... the power of Konoha's number one prestigious clan, the Uchiha..."
Seeing the green, blue, and red giants standing opposed to the Konoha's Ninja, even the old face of Hiruzen could no longer maintain its composure.
In the distant shadows, even Tobirama was filled with shock, 'The Uchiha Clan of this era actually possessed three Ninjas with strength approaching that of Uchiha Madara!'
Hashirama was completely disappointed. His body went slack, and he slapped a hand over his face.
"Saru... what in the world have you done-"