UTBW: Ch. 53

The only troublesome part was finding a breakthrough through Danzō, first sever the Third Hokage's left and right arms, then slowly dismantle the current leadership.

Just like how the council did to the Uchiha clan.

"I spotted hidden sentries!" A clansman suddenly spoke up, the Sharingan spinning in his eyes, glowing an eerie crimson.

"Go take care of them," Junichi ordered.

Swish swish swish!

The team immediately dispersed, each targeting a different sentry.

"Who's there!?" The Root ninjas at the sentry posts instantly became alert. But it was useless. The people Junichi had brought were all elite ninjas with fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan.

Their blades rose and fell swiftly, flames wrapping around their swords, and with their three-tomoe eyes spinning and bursting forth at full power, not a single Root ninja could withstand them.

"It's the Uchiha!"

"Why are they here!?"

"Quick, report to the base!"

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding sentries were completely wiped out. The ground was now littered with charred corpses.

Up ahead, inside the Root base, the remaining Root ninjas were also alarmed by the sounds of fighting outside.

"What's going on?" A man without a mask stepped out, frowning as he asked.

"Captain, someone is attacking the base! The outer sentries have all been killed," someone answered. "It's the Uchiha clan!"

"Uchiha?" The captain froze for a moment upon hearing the name, "Weren't they supposed to be getting wiped out? How could they still have manpower... Wait!"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence, a sliver of unease flashing through his heart.

Could it be that the plan failed?

No, impossible!

Danzō had meticulously planned everything, even diverted most of Root's forces elsewhere. With the help of the ANBU and Itachi from within, the extermination couldn't possibly fail!

The captain quickly calmed himself.

"These are just the surviving remnants of the Uchiha. All we have to do is hold the base. With the barrier in place, they won't be able to break in." As he spoke, he looked at the team in front of him and issued the command.

"Plan C. Take your positions!"

"Yes!"

The team members bowed slightly, then moved to the barrier's key points, ready to channel chakra to maintain its stability.

---

At the same time, outside the base, Junichi and the others stepped over the burning corpses littering the ground and arrived at the entrance of the base.

He raised his eyes to survey it. To the naked eye, it looked like an ordinary small mountain. But inside, it had long been hollowed out and transformed into a special facility. Compared to other places, this little mountain lacked the "breath of life," as if it were a dead object.

Yet oddly, the surface was lush and vibrant, teeming with vegetation, clearly abnormal. It was this abnormality that allowed him to pinpoint the Root base accurately.

The clansmen looked at Junichi with anticipation.

"Hm." Junichi gave a light nod and unsheathed Oni-me. Everyone held their breath and widened their eyes. They had the fortune of witnessing Junichi's awe-inspiring swordsmanship up close.

They absolutely couldn't miss this moment! They had to watch carefully and etch it into their memories!

Shua!

In the next instant, he struck.

Oni-me turned into a red line, instantly extending hundreds of meters, slicing through the small mountain ahead.

The air was torn apart like fabric, slowly splitting into two halves.

---

"Fugaku, for the sake of peace, please lend me your strength." Hiruzen's heartfelt plea pulled Fugaku back to reality.

He looked at the sincere face in front of him and deliberately showed a hesitant expression, "It's not that I don't want to… it's just… sigh!"

A long sigh escaped him, filled with deep conflict.

Seeing this, Hiruzen felt a surge of joy in his heart. The others' eyes also lit up.

Hesitation was good!

Hesitation meant Fugaku's stance wasn't firm, he could still be persuaded.

I knew it, Fugaku can be won over to our side, Hiruzen thought to himself with a quiet smile, then turned to signal Danzō with his eyes.

Time to add more pressure, old friend.

Got it!

Danzō nodded subtly and took a step forward, speaking angrily toward Fugaku, "Do you really think Konoha has no means to deal with the Uchiha clan? Look around at who stands here!"

He pointed around him, naming each person one by one.

"Hiashi, Hayate, Shibi, Guy…"

Everyone who was named wore a solemn expression and turned their gaze toward Fugaku.

"Do you really think the Uchiha clan can stand against all of Konoha's might?" His eyes locked onto Fugaku as he sneered word by word. "Pure, wishful, thinking!"

"The only ones who will lose will be you! We're the ones unwilling to see the village soaked in blood, that's why we've held back. Fugaku, don't be so foolish—"

Before Danzō could finish, Hiruzen interrupted sharply, "Enough!"

"Hmph, Hiruzen!" Danzō pretended to grumble resentfully, but his face remained hostile.

"This..." Fugaku's expression turned even more hesitant, as if Danzō's words had deeply shaken him.

Hiruzen, carefully observing Fugaku's face, grew even more delighted.

At the back, Koharu and Homura exchanged subtle nods, Hiruzen and Danzō's double act was getting more and more seamless. Their performance was so natural it left almost no trace.

"Fugaku, I don't want to force you. I just hope you'll think carefully," Hiruzen said with a gentle smile, full of quiet confidence. He understood Fugaku well, he was sure he had already moved him.

Now, only the final push was needed.

Hiruzen secretly signaled to the side.

Shikaku caught the signal instantly and spoke up, "At this point, a truce is the best outcome."

"Yeah, what problem can't be resolved by sitting down and talking?" Inoichi chimed in.

Chōza also added, "Just nod your head, we'll treat this as a workout run. Tomorrow we'll still be comrades of the same village."

Seeing this, the other clans also spoke up at just the right time:

"It's not yet the point of no return."

"The Uchiha clan is one of the founding clans of Konoha. Would you really destroy your ancestors' legacy?"

"We've also been bearing and restraining ourselves ever since the Nine-Tails incident eight years ago."

"Exactly, everyone actually believes in the Uchiha."

"There are outside forces trying to sow discord among us."

With each word of persuasion, the atmosphere grew lighter and more hopeful. Fugaku's face gradually showed more emotion as well.

Until finally, he suddenly closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This action made everyone present beam with joy, they had finally succeeded.

No need to fight anymore!

But unexpectedly, when Fugaku opened his eyes and slowly raised his arm, he revealed the embroidery on his sleeve, "Thank you all for your painstaking efforts to persuade me. Unfortunately... you've mistaken the person."

Everyone froze, they stared in disbelief at his sleeve, the emblem embroidered there was the exclusive insignia of the Uchiha clan elders.

"I am no longer the leader of the Uchiha clan," he said with a faint smile filled with ridicule and mockery.

Boom!

It was as if thunder exploded inside everyone's minds, blasting their consciousness into a blank.