"The Sound and Sand have jointly declared war on Konoha. The Third Hokage is dead. I never expected Orochimaru—who always preferred to work in the shadows—to be this blatant."
Moonlight poured down like water.
In Konoha's cemetery, a lone figure slowly approached a gravestone and crouched down. After glancing up at the moon, he placed a bouquet of flowers into the empty bamboo holder before the stone.
"That useless bastard—what was the point of keeping him alive?"
He muttered softly, then took out a cloth and gently wiped the gravestone.
After a while, the moonlight dimmed.
The figure looked up again and saw the moon retreat behind thick, black clouds.
"…Rin."
He whispered her name toward the clouds.
In the next instant, a spiral-shaped vortex appeared out of nowhere, swallowing his entire body in the blink of an eye.
A few breaths later, a pitcher plant swayed as it emerged from the ground where the figure had stood. The plant split open, revealing a face divided cleanly into black and white.
"He was already acting strange this morning. Looks like he might've known about Konoha being attacked back then."
"We only got the news from the bounty exchange close to nightfall. During the day, he was still around Kannabi Bridge. Could he be hiding secrets even we don't know about?"
"Huh—now that you mention it, even Pain probably doesn't know yet. They haven't contacted us in a long time. Should we send the intel over?"
"Of course."
Nara Clan Compound
Exhausted, Nara Shikaku walked to the door of his study, weighing a thick stack of documents in his hand as he opened it.
Just as he stepped inside, Shikamaru suddenly appeared in the hallway.
"Dad, there are some things I need to confirm with you."
Shikaku lowered his head and saw that his son wore the same heavy expression Shikaku himself had worn earlier in the Hokage Tower meeting. He nodded.
"Come in."
The two sat down by the desk. Shikaku sighed and placed the documents down.
"What do you want to confirm?"
Shikamaru glanced at the files beside him.
"The candidate for Fifth Hokage—has it already been decided?"
Shikaku frowned.
"Who told you that?"
"Has Advisor Danzō already secured the daimyo's approval and the support of the ANBU captain?"
Shikaku's expression changed sharply.
"…How do you—"
"Then it's true."
Shikamaru rubbed his chin and continued.
"Did Uncle Inoichi and the Aburame clan head abstain during the first round of the jōnin confidence vote?"
"And did you personally speak with the two elders, hoping they'd recommend Jiraiya-sama to enter the Fifth Hokage selection?"
Crash—
"Did Danzō contact you?!"
Shikaku shot up from his chair, his face dark as thunder.
"No."
Shikamaru shook his head, his gaze complicated.
"Then who told you all this?"
Shikaku sat back down, half-doubting.
"Some of what you said—I didn't even know myself. Like the Aburame clan abstaining."
"I can tell you who gave me the information."
Shikamaru looked at his father with an innocent expression and forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
"But are you sure you want to know who it was?"
"Don't say it!"
The words barely left Shikaku's mouth when a terrifying thought struck him. His face turned pale.
"…It was him?!"
Shikamaru shrugged.
"You figured it out yourself."
"You little brat—you set your own father up!"
Shikaku stared at him darkly.
"Why would he tell you this? And how does he even know such classified information?"
"…Tenzō?"
"He didn't say."
Shikamaru's expression turned serious.
"But he told me that after the Third Hokage's funeral tomorrow, we'll need to start preparing early."
"We?"
Shikaku's eyes sharpened.
"Something big is coming."
Root Headquarters
At the same time, Danzō returned to the Root base entrance with two guards, his expression full of satisfaction.
"Kō, Otsu—take off your masks. Starting tomorrow, Root will be fully merged into ANBU. You won't need code names anymore."
"Yes!" ×2
The two guards removed their masks, revealing their true faces—Yamanaka Fū and Aburame Torune, Danzō's most trusted subordinates.
Danzō turned slowly, nodding to the left.
"Fū, you did well this time. If you hadn't suggested forming an emergency committee by gathering the unit heads and seizing the initiative, the meeting with the daimyo wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
Fū straightened, speaking solemnly.
"Lord Danzō, we still need to stay vigilant. I've heard that Nara Shikaku and the two elders have already approached Jiraiya."
"The Nine-Tails jinchūriki's guardianship is still under Jiraiya's control. With his reputation as one of the Sannin, if he chooses to compete—"
"He won't get the chance."
Danzō chuckled coldly.
"The Sound and Sand attacked the arena. The Third Hokage died in battle, yet Jiraiya never showed up. He didn't even act when civilians needed protection."
"If it weren't for reports saying he was guarding the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, I'd suspect him of harboring other intentions."
"Protecting the jinchūriki was a task given by the Third. But now that the Third is dead, protecting the daimyo and foreign dignitaries is what counts as visible merit."
"Once I become Fifth Hokage, the jinchūriki's guardianship should be reclaimed as well."
The Next Day
9:00 a.m.
The sky was gray, heavy clouds hanging over Konoha as the Third Hokage's funeral began.
On the rooftop of the Hokage Tower, everyone stood in black. The three elders stood at the front—Danzō in the center, with Homura and Koharu on either side.
After Danzō finished reading the eulogy, the crowd began offering flowers.
After the funeral, the clouds still hadn't dispersed.
Hiashi Hyūga led Hinata, Neji, and the others back to the clan grounds. Instead of entering the buildings, they stood in the open courtyard of the main house.
"Are you ready, Hiashi-dono?"
Neji knelt at the center of the courtyard and pressed his hand to the ground.
"Before long, our Fifth Hokage will assume office."
Poof.
A burst of smoke exploded, revealing a sophisticated machine on the ground.
At the same moment, at Irihiko Hill Villa, Kurama Yakumo and Kurama Unkai saw an identical machine appear before them.
Elsewhere, Sasuke entered his bedroom.
Poof.
His black cloak vanished, replaced by his usual dark-blue combat outfit.
He walked to the window, stared coldly at the Hokage Rock for a moment, then opened the window and jumped into the courtyard below, forming the Reverse Ram seal.
Flash!
Neji appeared behind him.
"You sent me over a dozen signals. What's so urgent?"
Sasuke turned calmly.
"I'm leaving Konoha."
"That's it?"
Neji smiled faintly.
"You think I'd stop you?"
"No."
Sasuke shook his head.
"I intend for the Uchiha to leave Konoha the same way the Hyūga are leaving. I need to borrow something from you."
"I understand."
Neji created a shadow clone.
"I'll bring you a projector immediately. But you should know—Uchiha Itachi is already heading toward Konoha."
"What did you say?!"
Sasuke's Sharingan flared open, killing intent spilling out.
Neji's clone vanished. At the same time, Naruto suddenly appeared, handed Neji a wrist guard, then dispersed into smoke.
"I said Itachi Uchiha is heading for Konoha. In about two days, you'll see him."
Neji tossed the wrist guard to Sasuke and vanished.
Snap!
Sasuke caught it. His expression shifted rapidly before settling into resolve. He slammed his palm onto the ground.
Hokage Tower – Conference Hall
The Fire Daimyō entered with his officials, while Danzō and the advisory council entered from the other side.
The daimyo sat at the head of the square table, officials to his right, Konoha's advisors to his left.
Danzō sat closest to the daimyo, followed by Koharu, Homura, the ANBU captain, and Shikaku.
"Given the current circumstances—and based on the vote—I hereby appoint Danzō as the Fifth Hokage!"
A flash of joy crossed Danzō's eyes. He was about to speak—
BOOM!
A violent explosion shook the building. The ANBU captain rushed out instantly.
"What's going on?!"
"That's Hiashi Hyūga!"
"Look at Irihiko Hill—that's the Kurama clan's young lady!"
"And over there—that's Uchiha Sasuke!"
The hall erupted in shouts. Still shaken from the previous day's attack, the Fire Daimyō's hand trembled as he waved his fan.
Danzō narrowed his eyes and strode onto the balcony, the other advisors following.
They froze.
Above Konoha, in three different directions, three gigantic projections—each hundreds of meters tall—hovered in the sky.
"I am Hiashi Hyūga. From this day forward, the Hyūga clan formally withdraws from Konoha!"
"I am Uchiha Sasuke. From this day forward, the Uchiha clan formally withdraws from Konoha!"
"I am Kurama Yakumo. From this day forward, the Kurama clan formally withdraws from Konoha!"
Their voices thundered across the sky.
Danzō's face twisted. He slammed his cane down.
"Guards!"
Two ANBU appeared instantly—only to be interrupted as the ANBU captain leapt back.
"Hokage-sama! The Forbidden Jutsu Vault has been attacked!"
"Team One and Team Two—move to the Hyūga and Kurama clans! Send pursuit units after the Uchiha!"
Danzō turned, fury blazing, and rushed toward the vault—only to receive an urgent mental transmission from Yamanaka Fū.
Minutes later, Danzō returned to the Root base and descended to the lowest level.
Three ANBU were trapped inside a barrier.
"Lord Danzō!"
Torune knelt.
"They're dead—Edo Tensei. But they haven't lost their minds!"
"Excellent."
Danzō laughed in rage.
No wonder that snake killed the Third and vanished without a word.
He stormed down another corridor. The vault door had been blown open. Inside, two more ANBU were present—being forced by Fū to slaughter each other.
"These were the vault's guards!" Fū reported.
Danzō's heart sank.
He rushed to a wall and pressed his hand against it.
"The formula's still intact."
Relief flickered—until the door opened.
His left eye went wide.
"BASTARDS!"
Every Sharingan he'd collected… gone.
A crushing sense of dread surged.
He spun around—
"ANIMALS—!"
Outside, Root members heard their leader's scream echo unnaturally long.
Then—
A vast black curtain surged outward.
BOOOOM!
Two streets away from the Hokage Tower, a pitch-black sphere over a hundred meters wide appeared—then vanished.
On the Hokage Rock, Naruto—disguised as ANBU—watched the massive crater silently.
"So the Inner Four Symbols Seal using Edo Tensei as a vessel finally reached its intended power. About twenty seconds."
"That means Danzō still has nine eyes left."
Smoke cleared. Danzō emerged unscathed—his cane gone.
"Hokage-sama!"
ANBU swarmed in.
"Reinforce protection around the daimyo immediately. Summon the elders and all clan heads to the Hokage office!"
His calm voice sent chills down spines.
Half an hour later, Danzō's roar echoed through the tower.
"The Forbidden Vault was completely looted! The Hyūga and Kurama clans vanished—thousands of people, gone!"
"Uchiha Sasuke escaped! Fine—very fine!"
"List them all as missing-nin! Issue bounties across the entire shinobi world!"
"Bring the jinchūriki back to me at once! With this much chaos, his safety must be ensured!"
"What?! Jiraiya left immediately after the funeral?! Who approved sending the jinchūriki to Mount Myōboku?! That's treason!"
"What?! The Fourth Kazekage demands we release the captured Sand ninja—and return the One-Tail jinchūriki?!"
"A conspiracy! This is all a conspiracy against Konoha!"
Night – Nara Residence
Shikaku returned home troubled. After greeting Yoshino, he called Shikamaru into his study.
After a long silence, he asked:
"Did you know Jiraiya took Naruto to Mount Myōboku?"
"Naruto left?"
Shikamaru looked surprised.
"I haven't seen him since the funeral. That's a tough question, Dad."
"If you didn't know, then forget it. The Fifth Hokage has issued a gag order."
Shikaku sighed.
"The Hyūga, Uchiha, and even the long-declined Kurama clan all left Konoha on the same day as the Third's funeral…"
"The funeral was already over," Shikamaru said mildly.
"And they publicly declared their withdrawal. Calling it 'defection' isn't accurate. There's never been a case of entire clans defecting—let alone three at once, two of which were founding clans."
"Enough."
Shikaku glared, then changed the subject.
"You said that friend gave you an opportunity last night."
"What opportunity?"
"This one."
Shikamaru formed the Reverse Ram seal.
A phantom figure appeared.
By the next morning, the shinobi world was in uproar.
All villages were shocked that Danzō had become Fifth Hokage.
But even more shocking—
Three great clans had withdrawn from Konoha in a single day.
Land of Spring
Naruto stood alone in the center of a spacious training hall.
After a while, Sasuke entered, wearing a white lab coat.
"You summoned me—why?"
He had been observing Keijirō's cloning experiments when Naruto's shadow clone suddenly called him.
"You've always wanted the truth," Naruto said, walking toward him.
"After this step, I'll let you see the truth of the Uchiha massacre with your own eyes."
"Now?"
Sasuke froze.
The surroundings warped. As Naruto drew closer, an overwhelming, terrifying presence surged from him.
"Genjutsu?"
Sasuke sneered. His Sharingan flared open.
"Let me show you my dōjutsu."
"Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Reversal!"
PS : I've decided to give a special discount for our consistent readers.Just visit my Patreon, join as a free member, and message me there.I'll personally give you a discount so it's easier and more affordable for you.
Please If you're enjoying the fic, even a little , supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent . → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789