On the other side, Hiruzen and Danzo personally led the elite Anbu and Root forces, rushing to the small house where Naruto lived with the speed of a gale.
But the scene before them was completely opposite to the extremely critical situation Kakashi had described moments ago.
The entire street was as quiet as usual, without a single trace of a fight. The cold night wind swept through the alleyways, leaving only a sense of desolation.
"What's going on?" Danzo frowned deeply.
Before he finished speaking, several figures landed steadily in front of Hiruzen using the Body Flicker Technique.
The man at the front wore an Anbu vest, his demeanor calm and reserved. He was the current captain of the Anbu, the Third Hokage's eldest son… Sarutobi Shinsuke.
His usual duty was to specialize in monitoring and protecting the Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto.
Seeing his son safe and sound, Hiruzen's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, suddenly relaxed. But immediately, it was replaced by a deeper confusion.
Before they set out, seeing that 'Kakashi' covered in blood and barely alive, he had even prepared for the worst, that Shinsuke might have been harmed or even killed.
Suppressing his turbulent emotions, Hiruzen spoke sharply: "Where are the Uchiha?"
Hearing this, Shinsuke and the Anbu's members under his command were all stunned, their faces full of bewilderment.
"Hokage-sama, what are you talking about? The Uchiha should all be inside their district. How could they possibly be here?"
He understood the principle of addressing by title while working.
But this answer left Hiruzen and his group collectively frozen in place.
"Where is Naruto now?" The Third Hokage lowered his voice and pressed further.
Shinsuke blinked, even more confused: "Sleeping in the house."
"Impossible!"
Danzo shouted harshly, his tone carrying an unquestionable brutality. "Then where did Kakashi's severe injuries come from?!"
"Kakashi?" Shinsuke and the Anbu beside him were completely baffled, looking at each other. "What does this have to do with Kakashi?"
For a moment, the entire scene descended into chaotic confusion.
Just then, another figure broke through the night, approaching at high speed.
Itachi, wearing an Anbu vest, arrived quietly. Seeing the large group of people gathered before him but no sign of Obito, his brows instantly furrowed tightly.
Everyone's gazes locked onto him.
Danzo spoke first, his tone carrying the command and pressure of one in a superior position: "Itachi, what are you doing here? Is that side handled?"
Itachi gave him a cold glance, a hint of barely concealed impatience in his voice: "I heard from Kakashi that someone was going after the Nine-Tails. What's the situation now?"
'Kakashi again.'
Everyone's expressions changed simultaneously.
An elaborately planned deception was, at this moment, completely exposed.
"Damn it! We've been tricked!"
Itachi's pupils shrank sharply, realization dawning in an instant.
'The Kakashi who had appeared at the district entrance, covered in wounds, was a fake!'
The atmosphere instantly exploded.
The group made an immediate decision, splitting into two teams: one team headed straight for Kakashi's residence to confirm his identity, and the other team, led personally by Hiruzen, rushed back to the Uchiha Clan's compound like madmen.
By the time they returned, the district had already become a living hell.
The few Uchiha who had narrowly survived woke from their unconsciousness. Looking at the cold corpses of their families scattered everywhere, they let out heart-wrenching screams and wails, their piercing cries echoing through the night sky.
Hiruzen's expression changed dramatically. He immediately gave a harsh order: "Do it! Dispose of them all!"
Itachi, meanwhile, had already rushed towards his own house like a madman.
When he saw Sasuke lying unconscious at the entrance, breathing weakly but still alive, his taut nerves relaxed slightly.
But when he stepped inside and saw the scene before him—
Itachi's body suddenly froze, the blood in his veins seemingly freezing in an instant.
His father, Fugaku's body lay quietly in a pool of blood, his eye sockets empty. His eyeballs had been forcibly gouged out, leaving only two bloody, horrifying, and conspicuous hollows.
"Who is it—!!"
Overwhelming rage shattered all reason. Itachi let out a guttural roar, his entire face contorted with fury.
"Clan head! It's terrible, Clan head!"
Panicked shouts came from outside the door.
Itachi's eyes hardened, his killing intent surging.
There were still survivors.
At this point, he had no way back, no choice.
The butcher's knife rose again, the cold blade now aimed at his own clansmen.
No matter what, the Uchiha Clan must completely disappear from history tonight.
The only one allowed to survive was his younger brother.
Yes, all for the peace of the Ninja World.
Inside the Konoha Orphanage, the night was deep, but the players… Airi, Yukino, and the others, had no desire to sleep.
Makoto still hadn't returned. Anxiety spread like vines, wildly gripping everyone's hearts.
"No, I'm going to find Makoto." Airi finally couldn't contain her unease and stood up abruptly.
But at that moment, after being silent for over two years, the long-dormant voice of the Reincarnation System suddenly rang in their minds:
[Congratulations, players. You have cleared the dungeon: Night of the Massacre. You will soon be transported back to the real world. Countdown: 9, 8, 7…]
Airi, who had just stood up, along with Yukino, Hachiman, and the others nearby, instantly froze, their expressions shocked beyond measure.
"What's happening?" Hachiman murmured incredulously. "We… haven't done anything yet."
Beside him, Chizuru spoke softly: "Could it be… that Nishikawa-kun completed the mission alone?"
Hearing this, the others also showed looks of shock.
Indeed, only Makoto was currently missing. All the other players had been staying in the orphanage.
The only explanation was that Makoto had solved the entire dungeon mission by himself.
"Great! We can finally go home!" Eriri trembled slightly with excitement.
As a fan of anime and manga, when she first transmigrated to this world full of superpowers and bloody battles, she had felt a brief moment of excitement, but then came an overwhelming sense of fear.
Not to mention, she had parents waiting for her in the real world.
Then, Eriri remembered something else and muttered softly: "Speaking of which… hasn't Nishikawa-kun come back yet? After we get back, I definitely need to thank him properly."
Even though she was a Tsundere, she knew how to repay kindness.
If Makoto had indeed completed the mission by himself and brought them home, she would never forget that debt of gratitude.
Yukino's expression was slightly strange.
In her original impression, Makoto was nothing more than an impulsive brute. She never imagined that he would go alone to complete such a dangerous mission.
'Could it be… that he was actually a cold exterior hiding a warm heart?'
At that moment, Yukino's impression of Makoto quietly began to change.
As everyone was discussing,
[5, 4, 3, 2…]
The countdown entered its final stage.
The moment the numbers hit zero, the world before their eyes suddenly spun, exactly as it had when they were pulled into the other world two years ago.
In a daze, the orphanage dormitory before Airi and the others had transformed back into the Shuchi'in Academy's gymnasium, which they had left for two years.
Around them, homeroom teachers were organizing students from various classes to return to their classrooms.
Clearly, as the Reincarnation System had said, they had spent a long time in the other world, yet not a single second had passed in the real world.
"We're back! We're finally back!" Eriri cried tears of joy, her eyes reddening.
Seeing her like this, the students of Class 1-B around her were utterly confused.
"What's wrong with Eriri-san?" Mouri Ran, whose hairstyle resembled a unicorn, asked in confusion.
Beside her, Suzuki Sonoko and Kudo Shinichi also looked bewildered.
Nearby, Yukino looked at her hands, which had transformed from a child's body back to a girl's, and murmured softly: "Was that just now… really not a dream?"
For someone who believed in materialism like her, this kind of cross-world experience was simply too fantastical.
Yukino instinctively formed a hand seal. When the familiar flow of Chakra within her body confirmed that everything had indeed happened, she finally confirmed it was real.
"Makoto!"
In Class 1-F.
Seeing Nishikawa Makoto standing quietly beside her, Airi could no longer contain her excitement and directly threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.
Seeing this, the corners of the mouths of the surrounding classmates twitched.
'What's going on? Sudden public display of affection?'
The male students nearby watched this scene, casting envious and jealous glances.
"Heh… hehehe…"
Makoto, held in Airi's embrace, suddenly lowered his head and laughed.
The laughter grew louder and crazier, as if he were possessed by the Four Uchiha Maniacal Laughter.
"Haha… hahaha… AHAHAHA!!!"
Finally, Makoto suddenly raised his head and laughed maniacally towards the sky, his voice echoing through the entire gymnasium.