Behind the Uchiha procession, Feng Ye and Uchiha Setsuna were leading a unit of elite Ninja, following closely.
Because the group included many ordinary clan members, the entire procession appeared quite long, but fortunately, no one was rushing the journey.
After all, Konoha was currently at war, so there were virtually no Ninja available to pursue them, and their destination was the southeastern direction of the Land of Fire.
That area was a vast, boundless coastal region, bordering only a country called the Land of Bears.
Compared to other regions ravaged by war, this place was far from the smoke of battle, relatively quiet and peaceful.
"Feng Ye, look! That is the barrier set up by Konoha ahead." Uchiha Setsuna stretched out a finger, pointing toward the front of the moving procession.
Following the direction he pointed, one could see a faint, mysterious glowing barrier lying across their path.
Hearing Uchiha Setsuna's words, Feng Ye nodded slightly, acknowledging the information.
Suddenly, dazzling lightning flashed in his eyes, and immediately afterward, his figure flickered, swallowed by the lightning.
In the blink of an eye, he instantly arrived at the very front of the procession.
"Feng Ye, everything depends on you now." Uchiha Shien stared intently at the suddenly appearing Feng Ye, his expression extremely solemn, his gaze fixed firmly on the mysterious barrier ahead.
The barrier emitted a faint light, resembling an impenetrable shield that separated them from the outside world.
Just then, Uchiha Fugaku also noticed Feng Ye's arrival. He was slightly startled and instinctively took a small step back.
Feng Ye, meanwhile, walked unhurriedly towards the barrier, each step steady and powerful.
When he finally stood still before the barrier, his deep eyes suddenly burst forth with brilliant light, and the eternal ocular power shot out like a surging torrent.
Takemikazuchi! Immediately following, a terrifying bolt of lightning, thick as a giant python, suddenly appeared on the barrier.
The mighty spatial power roared like a fierce beast, forcibly tearing open a massive hole in the barrier.
Seeing this scene, Uchiha Fugaku, who was behind him, couldn't help but widen his eyes, his eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.
His face was full of shock as he sensed the heart-stopping Ocular Power. When exactly had his Mangekyo awakened? How could his Ocular Power be so immense?
At the same time, Uchiha Shien and all the other Ninja were extremely excited, their exhilaration evident on their faces.
They stared unblinkingly at Feng Ye, their eyes shining with fervent admiration.
"Hokage-sama! This is bad! The entire Uchiha Clan suddenly left their clan grounds without warning and are rapidly heading outwards!!"
A Ninja rushed into the Hokage Building, looking panicked and out of breath, urgently reporting this shocking news to the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was sitting at his desk.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been sitting and handling documents, abruptly stood up upon hearing the news, thinking to himself, "It finally happened, didn't it? What exactly are those guys planning?!"
"How many Ninja can we mobilize right now?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked anxiously, hurrying toward the window to look outside.
The messenger Ninja showed a troubled expression, hesitating for a moment before replying, "Hokage-sama, the number of Ninja remaining in Konoha Village is down to just a few squads."
The frontline fighting was intense; aside from the Ninja performing necessary patrol and sensory missions, most of the others had already rushed to the battlefield.
What was worse, even some civilian students from the Ninja Academy had been forced to graduate early and were hastily sent to the front lines as cannon fodder.
After hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face became frighteningly grim.
He knew very well that some Ninja within his own Sarutobi Clan had not yet been sent to the front, but that was his reserve force.
In utter helplessness, he gritted his teeth, waved his hand signaling the few remaining ANBU Members behind him to follow, and then sped forward without hesitation.
Before long, he finally caught up to the target location. When he looked closely, the sight left him dumbfounded—the entire Uchiha Clan was uniformly carrying their luggage, and the whole procession resembled a winding, long dragon, stretching farther than the eye could see.
Seeing this scene, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank abruptly, and he understood everything instantly.
It turned out that these Uchiha Clan members intended to leave Konoha Village entirely!
Ever since the horrific Night of the Clan Massacre, the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha had deteriorated to an irreparable state.
But even so, Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen still firmly believed that deep down, the Uchiha Clan yearned for Konoha's power, especially the position of Hokage, which symbolized ultimate authority.
Before this, Hiruzen Sarutobi had anticipated that the Uchiha Clan might take certain actions during the chaos of war, yet he never expected them to simply choose to leave.
His thoughts were scattered. When he suddenly regained his senses, he roared furiously at the front of the line: "Stop!!"
This roar exploded like a clap of thunder, instantly drawing the attention of all the Uchiha Clan members moving in the latter half of the procession.
Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned their heads toward the source of the voice.
At that moment, a figure slowly walked out from among the Ninja; it was Uchiha Setsuna. He stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a sneer and said coldly, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, what is it? Did you come specifically to see the Uchiha off today?"
"Setsuna! What are you doing?" The Sandaime arrived at the rear of the procession. As soon as he approached, all the Uchiha Ninja at the back drew their weapons, their expressions wary.
The Sandaime noticed this reaction, but kept his eyes fixed solely on Uchiha Setsuna.
"What are we doing? You Konoha people excluded us, and now we Uchiha are done with it! Of course we're leaving!" Setsuna looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Where can you go? Who would take in the Uchiha?" The Sandaime chuckled.
"Why should we rely on others to take us in? Can't we Uchiha establish our own path? Don't forget that Konoha itself was founded by us and the Senju together!" Setsuna's face was full of pride and disdain.
"You want to build your own Village?! Then where exactly do you plan to build it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened, veins throbbing on his forehead. He struggled to suppress the raging fury that was about to erupt like a volcano, demanding in a low, authoritative voice.
Just then, Feng Ye, who had just successfully torn open the barrier, returned to stand before the crowd.
He looked completely calm and slowly said, "Naturally, we chose a location within the Land of Fire. The area is rich in resources and has flat terrain; it is undoubtedly the best choice."
"Nonsense!!" Before Feng Ye could finish speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer contain his rage and roared.
"Every inch of the Land of Fire belongs to the Daimyo! He would never allow the Uchiha Clan to act so recklessly! You are simply seeking your own destruction!"
However, facing Hiruzen Sarutobi's outburst, Feng Ye responded dismissively, "Oh? Is that so? The truth is, we have already reached an agreement with the Daimyo, and he has consented to us establishing a Village here. So, you should just focus on being the Hokage of Konoha Village, and don't trouble yourself with the matters of the Uchiha Clan."
"Impossible!! Absolutely impossible! How could the Daimyo agree to such an absurd thing!"
But Feng Ye seemed unwilling to argue further; he casually waved his hand, signaling the procession behind him to continue moving forward, completely ignoring Hiruzen Sarutobi's presence.
"Stop right there!" Hiruzen Sarutobi was already beside himself with rage, not just because of the Uchiha's secession, but also because of Feng Ye's disdain for the position of Hokage, as if the Hokage were merely a minor figure.
Moreover, if the Uchiha truly established a Village, the Hokage's status in the Land of Fire would inevitably drop significantly, perhaps even becoming a laughingstock among the other Kage.
He absolutely could not allow this to happen!
Hiruzen Sarutobi ripped off his Hokage attire, revealing his battle suit underneath.
"Are you going to fight?" Uchiha Setsuna sneered. "With just these small fry?"
"Fire Release: Fire Ball!" Hiruzen Sarutobi wasted no more words.
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