Next, the villagers saw Shikaku leading the Nara Clan. As if seeing a savior, they swarmed toward him.
"Shikaku-sama, why is this happening so suddenly?"
"Yeah! Why?"
"Did we do something wrong?"
"Why is everyone suddenly leaving Konoha?"
Shikaku held out his hand and pressed down.
Seeing this, the surrounding villagers fell silent. The villagers in the back still wanted to speak, but seeing those in front quiet down, their herd mentality made them silent as well.
In just twenty seconds, the noisy street became incredibly quiet, and everyone looked at Shikaku.
"We will wait at the gate for half a day. If you want to leave with us, follow. We won't wait past the deadline."
As soon as he said this, the silent scene became awkwardly quiet.
After a while, a villager carefully raised a hand and asked, "Where are we going?"
Shikaku said, "Wherever the Uchiha go, we go."
Hearing Shikaku's reply, the villagers immediately began to chatter and ask questions.
"Why weren't we notified in advance?"
"Why did the Uchiha clan leave first?"
"Why give up on Konoha?"
"Why didn't you discuss it with us?"
Facing these chattering voices, Shikaku didn't speak but held out his hand again to press down. This time, the villagers quieted down faster, but there was more noise, mostly complaints about not being told in advance.
"Follow if you want to follow, we will wait for five hours." Shikaku said.
The villagers' dissatisfaction erupted again.
"Wasn't it half a day? How did it become five hours?"
"Shikaku-sama, what on earth is wrong with you?"
"You still haven't said why you're giving up on Konoha."
Only a few villagers' eyes widened as they hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd to go home and pack their things.
Shikaku's expression remained as calm as before. He said, "We simply wish to follow behind the Uchiha clan. If you want to come, hurry home and pack. We will only wait for four hours."
"Ah?"
The villagers were momentarily dazed.
Immediately after, they became even more dissatisfied.
"Didn't you just say five hours?"
"Exactly! Why did you change your mind again?"
However, even more people's eyes widened as they realized the situation, and they hurriedly rushed home to pack.
Shikaku calmly answered several more times, further reducing the waiting time. Ultimately, he settled on a two-hour waiting period.
Of the thousands of villagers who had been surrounding them, only about three hundred remained, leaving the street somewhat empty.
At that moment, a villager ran over carrying large bags and small bundles, approaching a familiar ninja with a fawning smile. Several others followed suit.
By now, even the dimmest villager could see—if they didn't go home to pack now, it really would be too late.
Some incredulous elderly villagers looked at Shikaku as if they were looking at a traitor to the nation. With huffing breaths and glaring eyes, their faces flushed red and their bodies trembling, they pointed at Shikaku. "You, you..."
Shikaku glanced at them and then looked away, preparing to lead the clans behind him forward to leave the village.
Just then, Hiashi appeared beside Shikaku using the Body Flicker Technique, looking hurried and apologetic.
"Sorry, some issues arose within the clan."
Shikaku nodded without asking much and continued leading the group forward.
Hiashi and Hizashi, leading a Hyuga clan that had been reduced by half, followed at the very rear as they all left Konoha together. Then, they waited a hundred meters outside the village entrance.
As time passed, more and more villagers ran out carrying their large bags and small bundles.
At this point, a group appeared from within the village, led by the Hyuga Second Elder, blocking the villagers who wanted to leave.
The villagers looked at their armaments with some unease.
"Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire shall ever burn."
The Hyuga Second Elder scanned the villagers before him and continued with righteous indignation, "Think carefully. Once you leave the village, you are no longer people of Konoha. In serious cases, this will be handled as desertion."
When the villagers heard "Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire shall ever burn," a question mark first popped into their heads.
"?"
Then hearing the subsequent mention of "desertion," countless more question marks surfaced.
"???"
Why don't you say that to Shikaku and the others?
Oh right, there are only a few hundred of you, and there are over ten thousand of them.
Then why don't you go say it to the Uchiha clan, who have fewer people?
Oh right, they are so strong that a single clan can rival a village.
Some villagers didn't care at all what he said, they only wanted to follow and leave. They lowered their heads and tried to bypass them.
The ninjas behind the Hyuga Second Elder did not stop them. The villagers breathed a huge sigh of relief and hurriedly ran out as if escaping.
Seeing this, other villagers followed suit and bypassed them.
The Hyuga Second Elder snorted coldly, watching with a chilly gaze as if they would later come begging him to return to the village.
One villager who came later couldn't help himself and muttered, "What a retard."
The Hyuga Second Elder's expression turned icy. A ninja behind him made a swift throwing motion, and a Kunai shot out, aimed straight for the villager's back.
Swish!
The villager didn't even know what had happened when he was suddenly covered by a massive shadow.
Turning his head, he realized the shadow had risen up, causing the Kunai to stop.
Recalling his previous ignorance, the villager was now terrified. However, no one was looking at him at this moment.
"Shikaku! You have already betrayed the village! Do you still want to make an enemy of Konoha!" The Hyuga Second Elder shouted, as if standing on the highest moral ground.
Shikaku's expression, which had always been calm, turned dark for the first time. "If you want to die, fine, but don't drag others down with you."
As soon as he spoke, thousands of ninjas behind him stepped forward. Their footsteps were synchronized and deafening, making the ground tremble slightly.
"Whoever wants to leave the village, leave. I'll see who dares to stop them!"
Shikaku stood on the main road, the shadow beneath him converging into a straight line that connected to the forest on the left. Within the forest, a massive shadow several tens of meters tall rose up. It was incredibly fierce, like a shadow monster.
Behind him, Choza narrowed his eyes and instantly transformed into a giant over ten meters tall, his presence staggering.
The Yamanaka clansmen's gazes were filled with mental pressure, the Kikaichu around the Aburame clansmen buzzed loudly, the Inuzuka clansmen bared their teeth like their ninja dogs, and the veins at the temples of the Hyuga clansmen bulged as their Byakugan surfaced...
Instantly, the atmosphere became tense and volatile, making the faces of the Hyuga Second Elder's group look unsightly. The Hyuga Second Elder hadn't expected this group of traitors to be so arrogant.
Even some of the civilian ninjas behind him wavered, wondering if they had picked the wrong side.
Meanwhile, the villagers still in the village who wanted to run out breathed a massive sigh of relief.
Ultimately, the Hyuga Second Elder snorted coldly and led his people to the Hokage Building to confirm if any of the heritage left behind by Konoha was missing.
Hiashi had said they wouldn't take those things. No matter how precious those things were, and even if 90% of the village was leaving, those things still belonged to Konoha.
—
The Hyuga Second Elder never returned.
As soon as the two hours were up, Shikaku led the group away.
Some villagers in the back shouted urgently, "Wait! Wait for me!"
To this, Shikaku did not waver. Even when they caught up, Shikaku did not take them under their protection.
These villagers started by cursing, saying they wanted to go back to Konoha, but seeing that no one paid them any mind, they began throwing tantrums. Still, no one paid them any mind.
They tried to grab onto people, but as soon as they touched someone, a cut would appear on their body, and blood would flow. In desperation, they could only think of hiring ninjas.
But on the main road, besides Shikaku's group, where were there any other ninjas?
And because of the villagers' earlier behavior, the ninjas had a very poor impression of them. At the same time, they were afraid of being kicked out of the group because of it, so they all looked to Shikaku.
Shikaku was not a heartless person. He sighed softly and said, "Hand over all the property on your person, and you can be taken under protection."
When those people heard this, they were naturally unwilling. The reason they were late was precisely to take more things.
Especially the things other households hadn't had time to take. They had gone in to search, expanding their assets dozens or even hundreds of times over.
Hand it over now? How could that be possible?
To them, it was equivalent to asking for their lives.
Seeing this, Shikaku didn't care anymore.
"Hmph! With money, can I not buy guards?"
Those shrews and thugs left. There were few of them, and they weren't weighed down by the elderly. Those with children carried them, and when they met a passerby, they pulled out money to buy labor. Honest passersby were naturally willing, and insidious, cunning passersby were also naturally willing.