UTBW: Ch. 42

Hokage's office, Hiruzen and Danzō stared blankly as Susanoo dissipated before their eyes.

"Itachi... lost?"

They couldn't believe it. But the scene before them clearly showed that he had been defeated.

Despite possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan and having unleashed the powerful Susanoo, he had been cut in two with a single strike from an unknown foe.

"What do we do now?" Danzō asked uneasily, his scalp tingling.

That terrifying swordsmanship, he had never even heard of such a thing. Not even Hanzō or Sakumo in their prime could compare.

When did the Uchiha clan produce such a powerful swordsman?

"There's no choice." Hiruzen took a deep breath and spoke solemnly, "Deploy all available forces! At this point, we can't back down! If the Uchiha turn the tables, you, me, the entire village—will be thrown into chaos!"

Danzō's heart trembled at these words, cold sweat forming on his forehead. Hiruzen was right.

He had almost failed to realize it.

This was a battle of life and death between them and the Uchiha!

The moment Root was sent in, it had already torn apart any pretense. Even if they wanted to call it off now, the enraged Uchiha members would never stop.

This battle would only end when one side was completely crushed.

"I understand." Danzō took a deep breath and nodded forcefully. "Aside from essential guards, I'll transfer all Root personnel to the front."

"Good." Hiruzen nodded, then turned to a shadowed corner of the room. Following his gaze, an ANBU agent stepped out from the darkness.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Send someone to inform the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, especially Shikaku. Tell him my plan for tonight and ask for his help in keeping the rest of the village calm," Hiruzen instructed.

"Yes!" The ANBU bowed and withdrew.

"Danzō, let's head to the battlefield!" Hiruzen turned back to Danzō.

"…Alright!" Danzō hesitated briefly, but ultimately nodded. Given the current situation, high-level leadership was needed on the front lines. They had no choice.

Even though Hiruzen alone would have sufficed, Danzō's presence was key for another reason: collecting the Sharingan would be difficult without him there.

With Hiruzen around, it can't possibly go so wrong as to result in a loss… he thought to himself optimistically. At worst, we'll pay a heavy price, but we'll handle the Uchiha.

Thinking this way, he settled his nerves and even felt a surge of anticipation about heading to the front lines.

If he could lead the effort to defeat the Uchiha, his prestige would skyrocket. Perhaps even the position of Fifth Hokage could become his?

"Let's move." Unaware of Danzō's internal scheming, Hiruzen stepped briskly out of the office. His brows were furrowed, mind working quickly.

He had hoped for a swift resolution—wipe out the Uchiha before anyone else could react. Once the dust settled, no one would be able to do much about it.

But now the battle had dragged on. Other ninja clans would soon realize the Uchiha clan was under attack, and that might stir unrest, sympathy and fear for their own fate.

The rear must not fall into disorder right now… As Hiruzen exited the office, he gestured for a Sarutobi clansman to come over. Besides being the Hokage, he was also head of the Sarutobi clan.

At the moment, aside from the ANBU, the Sarutobi were the only force he could directly command.

"Go." He issued instructions, then let the clansman depart.

If worse came to worst, the Sarutobi clan would join the battle as soldiers to face the Uchiha clan.

He could not lose. If he lost, the Sarutobi would fall with him. So the Sarutobi had to stand firm.

---

At Nara clan compound, the clan heads of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio sat together in one room. An ANBU ninja stood before them, detailing the events of the night and the Third Hokage's plans.

After hearing everything, the three clan heads of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio looked extremely grim.

They wanted to say something but held their tongues, emotions surging in their hearts. From the Warring States period onward, their three clans had always been loyal supporters of the Sarutobi clan. Their relationship was that of retainers and lord.

In the end, Shikaku and the others could only let out a long sigh, unable to speak their minds.

"Sigh…"

"The situation is urgent. Please act quickly!" The ANBU ninja, unconcerned with their complex emotions, urged them into action.

"Understood." Shikaku gave him a silent glance, then stood up and left. Seeing this, the ANBU gave a slight bow and returned to the Third Hokage.

---

At the same time, ninjas from all over the village, from various clans, were staring solemnly in the direction of the Uchiha compound.

When Susanoo first appeared and was then cut down, most of the ninjas already sensed that something was wrong.

"So… they finally decided to move against the Uchiha?"

"I just wonder what the situation is now."

"That was Susanoo earlier, right?"

"The Uchiha clan has produced another Mangekyō Sharingan."

"But if I'm not mistaken… that Susanoo was defeated, wasn't it?"

Many had seen Susanoo dissipate with their own eyes.

Instinctively, they believed the Uchiha clan had fallen into a disadvantage. Even the hidden Mangekyō Sharingan had been defeated by Konoha's forces.

"When did the Third Hokage gain such a powerful swordsman under his command?" many wondered aloud.

And along with that curiosity came unease.

If even the Mangekyō Sharingan was no match, then wouldn't the rest of them, who weren't even as strong as the Uchiha, be even easier for the Third Hokage's forces to crush?

While they were thinking, suddenly, members from the Ino-Shika-Chō began visiting various clans one by one.

"Everything is under control."

"Please remain calm."

"It will all be over soon."

"The Hokage will explain everything to you personally."

While these words were meant to soothe, some people started feeling something was off. If the Uchiha were clearly at a disadvantage, why did those words sound like it was the Hokage who was struggling?

"Could it be…" Some of the ninja clans began to reconsider things. They didn't like the Uchiha, the Nine-Tails incident was still a thorn that pricked their hearts constantly.

But on the other hand, the Third Hokage had ruled for far too long! A bunch of old men hogging power, keeping the younger generation from rising.

That too, was unbearable.

In fact, their private resentment toward the Third Hokage might run deeper than their dislike of the Uchiha!

---

At the Uchiha clan grounds, Junichi looked down at Itachi's corpse, shaking his head slightly, emotions mixed.

Back when he read the manga in his previous life, though he thought Itachi was mentally unstable, he still had feelings for the character and high expectations.

But now, all he felt was boredom.

When Itachi stood before him, he didn't even feel like wasting words. He didn't want to persuade, didn't want to reason—he just wanted to cut down this fool with one stroke.

The anger he had imagined didn't even appear. Instead, there was only a deep sense of anticlimax. That emotional dissonance stirred something within him, stimulating a special gland in his brain to secrete a unique Yin Release chakra.

That chakra flowed through his pathways, pouring into his eyes.

Crack!

In that instant, Junichi felt as if a barrier had been shattered.

His visual prowess broke past the limit of the three-tomoe Sharingan, surging rapidly toward an even higher realm.