Decades ago, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju formed a bond over skipping stones and competing to see who could piss the farthest. It was that very bond which laid the foundation for the Hidden Village system and gave birth to Konoha. Without the Uchiha or the Senju, the village as it stands today would simply not exist.
You could say the Uchiha and the Senju were the soul of Konoha.
Legend has it that at the village's inception, two other major clans stepped forward to join them. It was the addition of these families, alongside the Senju and Uchiha, that forged the prototype of the hidden village. Later, the Hyuga, the Inuzuka, and others followed, gradually shaping the Konoha of the present.
If the first two were the soul, these two clans were the body.
They were the Shimura and the Sarutobi.
Today, the Senju are history. The Uchiha have been decimated, with hardly one in ten surviving. The Shimura clan has long since perished due to his hardline decisions and them being the first to be chosen for Root, leaving behind a single, solitary survivor: Danzo.
Of the four founding families, only the Sarutobi remain.
Not only do they remain, but they thrive. They live in comfort, their numbers having swelled to a massive figure.
The Hyuga, ostensibly Konoha's "noble" house, count for nothing before them.
The Sarutobi are the uncrowned kings of Konoha.
And yet, this powerful clan was nowhere to be seen during the Nine-Tails Rampage, the Konoha Crush, or Pain's assault. Their first major appearance was in the late stages of the Fourth Great Ninja War, only when victory was all but assured with atleast dozens of Jonins.
One can only conclude that the Third Hokage lived up to his reputation, he protected his own family exceptionally well.
The Sarutobi estate sits to the east of the village. Like the Uchiha compound, it is removed from the bustling center, but the difference in prosperity is stark. This place is far wealthier than the land the Uchiha were once allotted. Not to mention it wasn't filled with surveillance devices for spying.
It is a nation within a nation, a village within a village.
Everything Konoha has, this place has in abundance. What Konoha lacks, this place possesses.
"Truly decadent."
Even Mui, the Warden of Hozuki Castle, a man used to corruption, couldn't help but sigh at the sight of the Sarutobi grounds.
It made sense, in a way. Konohamaru, was constantly shadowed by a Special Jonin, Ebisu, acting solely as a private tutor. Compare that to Naruto's childhood. Despite being the son of a Hokage, let alone having a tutor, he couldn't even be guaranteed a proper meal.
Here is a cold, useless fact: Kushina was once the Princess of the Land of Whirlpools.
Even more interesting is the Reaper Death Seal, the trump card of the Uzumaki Clan. The Fourth Hokage knew it because Kushina taught him. So why did the Third Hokage know it? Surely the Fourth didn't teach him?
Especially after the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, Konoha's collection of sealing jutsu is now best preserved within the Sarutobi clan.
One can only guess why.
The absurdity continued. While the borders were being breached by the Sunagakure and Otogakure alliance, and the village's Jonin were fighting to the death, the Sarutobi compound was alive with song and dance.
It gave off a strong impression of "keep the music playing, keep the dancers spinning," regardless of the fire outside.
The location was tactically brilliant, an enemy could not reach the Sarutobi without destroying the rest of Konoha first. It was the polar opposite of the Uchiha, who were placed against the barrier's edge, destined to be the first line of defense, and the first to die, during an invasion.
As for political influence, Naruto's ascension to Seventh Hokage in that canon timeline undoubtedly required Sarutobi backing.
"Hold it right there."
Before they could reach the compound gates, a Sarutobi ninja spotted them and blocked the path.
With the massive crowd trailing Naruto, avoiding attention was impossible. Since leaving the exam venue, the subordinates of the various Daimyos had arrived one after another to join the procession.
There was the trio from the Land of Snow, Mui's crew, the new generation of seedling ninjas, and the Fuma clan.
Incidentally, the Zero-Tails, much like Moryo, had been stuffed unceremoniously into the Box of Ultimate Bliss by Naruto. As for Shinno, it had taken Doto considerable effort to pry him out of the earth. When they finally dug him out, blood was spurting from every inch of his body, he looked absolutely wretched.
Now, Shinno was being hauled around by Doto's subordinate, Nadare Roga.
"Pay us no mind," Naruto said breezily. "We're just waiting for someone."
"Waiting for someone?" The Sarutobi ninja eyed Naruto with suspicion. He hadn't heard the elders mention any guests. Exercising caution, he signaled a clansman to keep an eye on the group while he turned to run back toward the main house.
"Uzumaki-sama, forgive our lateness."
The guard hadn't gone far when a group of Root operatives rushed onto the scene. Or rather, Uchiha disguised as Root.
"Not at all, not at all."
"Root? Danzo? This is bad!" The Sarutobi sentry watching Naruto saw the uniforms and immediately panicked.
The Chunin Exams were raging outside, yet Root had suddenly appeared at the Sarutobi estate...
This meant Danzo was making a move.
Anyone else might hesitate, but Danzo had a record, he had once plotted to assassinate the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Root attack!?" the guard screamed, turning to flee toward his kin.
A kunai buried itself in his spine before he took a second step.
What else could he expect from showing his back to an Uchiha?
"How bold!"
A Sarutobi Elder, rushing to the scene, arrived just in time to see his clansman fall. His eyes instantly bloodshot with rage, "How dare you? How dare you?! Where are the Sarutobi guard?!"
At the Elder's shout, ten Sarutobi ninjas materialized behind him using the Body Flicker. Their blades flashed with cold light, killing intent locked onto the Root intruders.
Perhaps since the death of the Third, the Sarutobi lacked top-tier powerhouses. But in terms of sheer numbers and population base, they were the undisputed heavyweights of the shinobi world.
Unfortunately for them, they were facing the Uchiha, and Uchiha whose strength had been exponentially enhanced.
The ten Sarutobi ninjas didn't even survive the first exchange. In a single breath, swords flashed, throats were slit, and they dropped dead instantly.
'Why is that movement so familiar?'
Sasuke stared intently at the "Root" operatives, his Sharingan tracking their every twitch.
'Why does that look so much like... Uchiha Kenjutsu?'
"My dear brother." Naruto patted Sasuke on the shoulder, his voice resonating directly within Sasuke's mind. "I know you have many, many doubts right now."
"But please... no matter what you see next, do not show surprise. Suppress your questions for the moment."
"When this is all over, I will explain everything."
"If you trust me."
"Do you trust me, Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked at Naruto and nodded firmly.
For the Naruto standing before him now, his trust was unconditional. If Naruto handed him a blade and told him to commit seppuku, he would do it without hesitation.
"Wa-Wait! Wait!?" The Sarutobi Elder stammered, clearly not expecting Root to strike with such lethality, nor for his own elite guards to be so fragile.
"By order of the Fifth Hokage, Danzo-sama."
The lead operative flicked the blood from his blade.
"Exterminate the Sarutobi Clan."
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