Chapter 73: The Great Retreat, Fishing in Troubled Waters
At dusk, the sky was a gloomy gray.
Danzō found Hiruzen, his face a grim mask, and delivered the terrible news.
"What did you say? The Uchiha are making a move?" Hiruzen leaped to his feet. "What's happened? Do you have proof?"
It had only been two days since their break. Was Fugaku really so foolish as to launch a coup now, with no preparation? Or had he been secretly planning it all along, with Itachi's death just being the spark that lit the fuse?
But the ANBU are also watching them, Hiruzen thought. Why haven't they reported anything?
He couldn't trust Danzō anymore. Not after the transplanted Sharingan, the secret Wood Release research, the attempt on his own life... Was this just another of his schemes, to provoke a conflict and then reap the rewards?
"Why is it that the ANBU report that the Uchiha compound is on high alert, with no one entering or leaving?" Hiruzen asked, his voice stern.
"The ANBU have only seen the surface," Danzō retorted. "My Root have detected subtle movements within the compound. They're hiding something."
But Hiruzen was not convinced. To conclude that they were plotting a coup based on a few faint noises... Danzō was being paranoid. If he were to send a large force into the Uchiha compound now, it would be a disaster. He would not be the one to fire the first shot.
"I've already told you, Danzō," he said, his voice weary. "We must have the support of the other clans. And we have no justification to act."
Late that night, nearly a thousand Uchiha, mostly women, children, and the elderly, slipped through a tunnel dug by the clan's earth-style users and gathered at the base of the northwest wall of the village.
Neji had sent Darui and Karui to assist them.
"To think that the Uchiha, the co-founders of Konoha, would be driven to this," Darui muttered, a look of shock on his face.
On the wall above, a man in a hooded cloak and sunglasses stood like a statue. Aburame Torune. At his feet lay the bodies of a Konoha patrol team, being silently devoured by his insects.
Neji had spared his life for just this purpose.
A short while later, the first group of Uchiha had slipped through a gap in the barrier, created with a password provided by Shisui, and were gone.
The ANBU and Root sentries, all stationed on the east side of the compound to prevent an attack on the village, had noticed nothing. They had never imagined that the Uchiha would try to flee.
As dawn broke, Fugaku stood before the second group of refugees, the young and able-bodied. "Shisui, Hachidai," he said, his expression grim, "I'm counting on you."
"Even if it costs me my life, Fugaku, I will get them out safely," Hachidai declared.
"Don't speak of death so lightly," Fugaku said with a rare smile. "The Uchiha will need your counsel in the Hidden Cloud."
He then turned to Shisui. "The future of the clan is a heavy burden, Shisui. I know this is difficult for you."
"My life belongs to the clan now, Fugaku-sama," Shisui replied, his voice calm. "I will do what is necessary."
Fugaku watched them disappear into the tunnel, then he turned to the hundred or so ninja who remained. They were all in their forties, at the peak of their strength. They were the rear guard.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"We are," they replied as one.
Less than an hour after the second group had left, the ANBU and Root finally noticed that something was wrong.
In their inn, Neji and Yugito sat back-to-back, waiting.
Just then, they saw several figures in masks racing across the rooftops, heading for the Hokage's tower.
The opportunity has come.
They both stood up, put on their own black masks, and leaped out the window.
Neji stopped two kilometers from the tower, hiding in a nearby residence and observing it with his Byakugan. He had only one chance. He had to wait until Hiruzen had left.
A short while later, he saw him, dressed in his black combat suit, leading a group of several dozen elite ANBU toward the Uchiha compound.
The Uchiha have been completely exposed, Neji thought. The Third Hokage is going himself. I hope Fugaku can hold out for a while.
He then slipped out of the window and made his way toward the tower.
At the same time, in a nearby inn, Obito's red eye scanned the Hokage's tower, a faint smile on his lips. His right eye swirled, and he was gone.
Neji had no idea that he was not the only one fishing in these troubled waters.