Inside Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya changed into a clean set of robes and hurried to the grand shrine.
There, he found not only the Great Toad Sage, but also the two elder sages, Fukasaku and Shima. It was glaringly obvious that a major crisis had erupted.
"Great Sage, what is the reason for summoning me so urgently?"
Jiraiya was thoroughly perplexed. Over the past period, he had been deep in isolation on Mount Myoboku, preparing not only to refine his Sage Mode but also to master several other secret arts of the toad clan.
Yet, his training had been abruptly interrupted by the Great Sage's summons.
"Konoha has fallen into disaster. The Uchiha clan has colluded with the Hidden Sand to launch a rebellion. Right now, the village is facing the greatest crisis since its founding."
Plagued by constant nightmares lately, the Great Sage's sleep quality had plummeted, causing him to doze off incessantly.
Therefore, Fukasaku and Shima, who had already thoroughly analyzed the situation, took charge of the briefing.
The Uchiha rebellion had set Konoha ablaze, throwing the entire village into absolute chaos.
Though the Third Hokage was fighting with everything he had to stop the instigator, the raging inferno currently tearing through the village raised a grim question: in what state of ruin and devastation would Konoha be left after today?
In the past, Mount Myoboku rarely interfered so directly in the affairs of the mortal world. However, this matter directly concerned the future peace of the ninja world.
If Konoha were to be destroyed in this internal strife, there would be no force left on the entire continent capable of checking Sunagakure's power.
Mount Myoboku absolutely could not allow such an outcome. Therefore, under the explicit instructions of the Great Sage, Fukasaku and Shima decided to have Jiraiya halt his advanced senjutsu training and immediately rush back to Konoha to reinforce the village.
"Hey, father of my children," Shima muttered quietly as Jiraiya rushed off, "do you think little Jiraiya can really shoulder the responsibility of the Hokage?"
According to the prophecies received from the old sage, the probability of the Third Hokage's defeat and potential demise tonight was exceptionally high.
Consequently, Mount Myoboku had to prepare early to help stabilize the village's foundation.
Sending Jiraiya back to Konoha was not simply to rescue the Third Hokage, but to ensure that a leaderless Konoha would immediately find a core pillar, preventing a figure like Danzo from seizing power and ascending to the position of Hokage.
Evidently, even Mount Myoboku held a rather low opinion of short-sighted men like Danzo.
Not only Jiraiya, but Orochimaru had also received the intelligence regarding the Uchiha clan setting Konoha ablaze.
Compared to Konoha's formidable external barrier, this fire ignited from within was effectively tearing the village apart. Orochimaru lapsed into a long, pensive silence before letting out a cold sneer. "That old man... it looks like he won't be able to hold on much longer."
Though he mocked the Third Hokage for growing old and weak, the smirk quickly vanished from Orochimaru's face.
"However, exactly when that old man gets to die is a decision that belongs solely to me. Therefore, he absolutely cannot die tonight."
With those words, Orochimaru's body gradually sank into the floor, vanishing entirely from his hidden base.
The brutal battle raged on without pause. The massive, blood-red sun hovered ominously over Konoha, its ambient temperature and the resulting inferno growing more violent by the second.
Conventional Water Style techniques and standard sealing arts were utterly useless against the spread of these flames.
Faced with this reality, the Konoha higher-ups decided to prioritize evacuating the citizens before figuring out a way to extinguish the fire. Consequently, the vast majority of the village's shinobi forces were diverted into rescue operations.
The sole exception was the Uchiha compound, where a relentless deathmatch showed no signs of stopping!
Uchiha Fugaku and the bulk of the Uchiha clansmen were locked in a lethal clash against the elite forces of the Foundation (Root), Itachi, and Obito.
Watching his familiar clansmen fall one by one beneath the blades of the Foundation, Itachi's expression remained completely unreadable as he pressed his fierce assault against Fugaku.
This absolute lack of hesitation or wavering caused Uchiha Mikoto's face to turn entirely pale. During the initial evacuation, she had chosen not to leave with the elderly, women, and children.
Instead, she stayed behind to stand firmly by her husband's side, solely because she could not bear to watch her husband and son slaughter one another.
"Where is Sasuke?"
As the battle reached its zenith, Itachi realized that despite the astronomical commotion, Uchiha Sasuke had failed to appear. He couldn't help but demand an answer mid-strike.
"Sasuke? Why don't you ask the Foundation lapdogs beside you where they have taken him!"
At the mention of Sasuke, the killing intent in Fugaku's eyes flared with terrifying intensity. He had originally planned to have Sasuke evacuated to Sunagakure along with the other children.
However, the moment the Ninja Academy let out, Sasuke had failed to return home. A swift investigation revealed that members of the Foundation had been active near the school grounds.
It was painfully obvious that Danzo had made his move and abducted Sasuke.
Hearing that Sasuke had been captured, Itachi's eyelids twitched violently. The situation had once again completely spiraled out of his control.
At that moment, Obito interjected casually, "The Foundation only secured Sasuke to gain an extra bargaining chip to control you. He won't be in any immediate danger for the time being."
"Humph!"
Fugaku's expression remained ice-cold. The majestic aura of his Susanoo surged violently once more, unleashing a powerful shockwave of raw chakra directly toward Itachi.
As the latter swiftly maneuvered to evade the blast, Itachi's own Susanoo abruptly unleashed a torrent of specialized black flames, burning directly onto Fugaku's armored specter.
Amaterasu!
The pitch-black flames raged across Fugaku's Susanoo, continuously eating away and destroying the solidified chakra armor defending it.
Faced with Itachi's relentless, suffocating pressure, Fugaku's expression remained completely unfazed, devoid of a single shred of fear or retreat. "This is the final strike. Prepare yourself, Itachi!"
"I am sorry, Father..."
"The things you need to apologize for are far too many."
The ultimate clash concluded as the two Susanoo ripped past one another. Uchiha Fugaku stood entirely motionless for a long time.
A moment later, the leader of the Uchiha clan coughed violently, a trail of fresh crimson blood spilling from the corner of his lips.
Her eyes overflowing with tears at the tragic sight of father and son tearing each other apart, Uchiha Mikoto's strength gave out, and she sank to her knees.
Right at that exact millisecond, Obito materialized directly behind her, his blade ruthlessly piercing clean through her throat!
The moment Uchiha Fugaku breathed his last, the light within his Sharingan instantly dulled into a dead gray, as if his entire ocular power had been violently extracted by an unseen force. This sudden phenomenon caused the expressions of both Itachi and Obito to shift drastically.
It wasn't just Fugaku. Across the entire battlefield, the Sharingan of every single fallen Uchiha clansman lost its luster the exact millisecond they died, their ocular power harvested by a mysterious, invisible force.
"I'm afraid it has something to do with that bizarre sun in the sky," Obito muttered grimly.
At the exact moment the Uchiha clan leaders met their demise, high above Konoha Village, the blood-red sun bathed the earth below in its blinding light. Within its core core area, a half-formed Sharingan Orb materialized.
Following Fugaku's death, his Mangekyo ocular power was funneled directly into the Sharingan Orb.
In an instant, the interior of the colossal sun shifted, rapidly morphing into a specialized, ominous Sharingan crest.
A bizarre, dark atmospheric wave gradually radiated from the crimson sun. The moment the citizens below inadvertently locked eyes with the colossal Sharingan in the sky, they were instantly ensnared by a powerful genjutsu, rendered completely paralyzed.
"What have you done?!"
By the time the Third Hokage realized what was happening, it was already far too late. This ominous, blood-red sun and its specialized Sharingan crest inflicted a devastating second wave of destruction upon Konoha.
The shadow of death loomed heavily over the hearts of everyone in the village. Even Hatake Kakashi felt an inexplicable, visceral dread grip his soul the moment his own Sharingan aligned with the colossal eye dominating the sky.
Kaede stepped forward one slow pace at a time, gripping his dual flaming katanas tightly. "With every Uchiha clansman that falls tonight, its power and the force of their accumulated resentment will amplify exponentially."
For Fugaku and the rest of the Uchiha warriors, even if their lives were forfeit and their clan faced destruction, Konoha had to be forced to pay a devastating price.
It was precisely for this reason that they had willingly agreed to assist Uchiha Kaede in executing this specialized, forbidden art!
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon.com/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.