On the outskirts of the Uchiha Clan's compound, far from the noisy, bloody battlefield, atop a giant ancient tree with lush branches sufficient to overlook the entire chaotic scene of the Uchiha Clan's compound, space twisted slightly.
Obito, wearing his orange-red tiger-striped mask, appeared silently. His single scarlet eye peered coldly through the mask's aperture at the compound below, which had turned into a hellscape.
Flames shot into the sky, Ninjutsu explosions roared, screams and howls were unceasing.
The towering, awe-inspiring emerald green Susanoo, radiating heart-palpitating power, made the scene especially surreal, absurd, and cruel.
The tree trunk beside him writhed like a living thing as the black-and-white Zetsu slowly emerged.
"So much for the clan extermination, how did it turn into a massive brawl?" White Zetsu waved his arms exaggeratedly, his tone excited, enjoying the chaos, "Wow~ It's completely fallen apart!"
"Obito! The plan has completely failed! That Shura guy actually brought so many people to crash the party! Forget exterminating the clan, we can't even get the Sharingan from the Uchiha we worked so hard to kill now!"
"The power of that woman..." The gloomy Black Zetsu added in a low, hoarse voice, its gaze warily scanning the distant, steadfast figure of the woman on the high wall, "...is more troublesome than we anticipated. And that Shura beside her... unfathomable."
Obito remained silent, frowning beneath his mask.
His gaze swept over the chaotic battlefield, settling on the figure of Danzo standing beside Hiruzen, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.
"How did he know the time and place of the extermination?" Obito's voice was low and full of doubt, as if asking Zetsu, or muttering to himself, "Itachi only came to me today on a whim, deciding to act tonight to avoid complications. Yet Shura could set an ambush so precisely... Unless..."
A cold glint flashed in his single eye.
"Unless the information was leaked from within Konoha's higher-ups. Or even... Danzo's own side has problems." He considered Danzo's greedy nature and the possibility that his Root wasn't as monolithic as it seemed.
After all, this extermination operation was pushed forward single-handedly by Danzo. His Root had been circling the Uchiha Clan's compound like vultures, ready to harvest the spoils… those precious Sharingan.
It was entirely possible that someone inside had leaked the information, or that Shura had intercepted the intelligence through some unknown means.
White Zetsu tilted his head, "So what do we do now? The plan's totally sunk! If Shura really takes all these Uchiha survivors back to the Land of Stars, won't they be even harder to deal with later? He already has that Uchiha Hikari, plus so many Sharingan-"
Obito's gaze turned wary again towards the two figures on the distant high wall.
Even with his Kamui, he wasn't confident he could gain an advantage against those two.
"Things have come to this, it can't be stopped anymore." Obito's voice returned to its usual apathy, as if the tragedy before him was just a play unrelated to him, "However, watching Konoha being torn apart by the Uchiha they forced to rebel and the mysterious Star Ninja joining forces... this theater... has its own unique flavor."
He let out a low, ambiguous chuckle, his figure slowly merging into the vortex of Kamui and disappearing.
Zetsu also silently sank into the tree trunk as if it had never appeared.
Meanwhile, in the core area of Konoha Village, a silent assault was underway.
Just as almost all of Konoha's elite forces were drawn into the massive vortex of the Uchiha Clan's compound, Kisame, leading the Star Ninja's Third Squad, like the sharpest blade, silently tore through a weak point in Konoha's defenses, striking directly at the heavily guarded Root Base located in the shadow of the Hokage Rock!
"Water Release: Exploding Water Wave!" Kisame grinned ferociously as he formed hand seals. A massive torrent of water, like a burst dam, instantly washed away the defensive structures at the Root Base's entrance and the caught-off-guard left-behind Ninja.
"Enemy attack! It's the Star Ninja!" A shrill alarm sounded, only to be drowned out by more violent attacks.
Oyashiro Jin's Ketsuryugan manipulated blood into sharp blades. Yusuke's figure was like a phantom, the senbon in his hand accurately embedding into enemies' throats. Other Star Anbu's members used their various skills with seamless coordination.
The Root Base's personnel were mostly non-combat researchers, intelligence analysts, and a few guards. Before this elite Anbu squad, fierce as wolves and tigers, they were no match at all!
Resistance was quickly crushed. The corridors were littered with the bodies of Root's members.
"Clear the area! All documents, scrolls, experimental materials, take everything! Not a single piece of paper left behind!" Kisame ordered in his hoarse voice, the restless Samehada slung over his shoulder.
The Star Ninja immediately acted like efficient machines, swiftly breaking into various laboratories and archives, looting everything of value.
Countless dark secrets, experimental data, and forbidden technique materials accumulated by Root over the years were packed into special sealing scrolls.
Kisame himself strode towards the living quarters deep inside the base.
Kisame looked around. It was unusually quiet, the empty corridor seeming devoid of people.
He stopped and spoke in a low voice: "By order of Shura-sama, I'm here to provide support."
The sound echoed in the empty corridor.
A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows on one side.
It was Kabuto.
He adjusted his glasses, surprised that Menma's actions were so swift and direct, actually sending people to storm the Root Base to extract him during this perfect opportunity!
"Commander Kisame?" Kabuto cautiously confirmed.
"Yeah. Time is short. Follow me." Kisame was brief.
Kabuto pushed his glasses up, the lenses reflecting a cold light as he carefully examined Kisame before him and the startlingly efficient Star Anbu looting the base behind him.
He had heard of this man, former Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who defected and joined the Land of Stars, appointed by Shura as the Anbu Commander.
Confirming the identity was correct, he quickly weighed his options.
'Danzo was inherently suspicious. With the Root Base suffering such a heavy blow, if he, as an important personnel, remained unscathed, I would inevitably face reckoning afterward.'
'Taking advantage of the current chaotic situation to leave with the Star Ninja was undoubtedly the only and best choice.'
"I'll go with you." Kabuto made his decision, his voice calm.
Just then, footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.
Yusuke, wearing his white bird mask, and two other Star Anbu escorted an unconscious young man over.
"Commander, target mission [Katasuke Tono] successfully captured." Yusuke reported succinctly.
Kisame grinned, revealing his shark-like teeth, "Good. Mission accomplished, retreat!"
The group departed as swiftly as they arrived, taking the large amount of confiscated materials and the two key personnel, quickly withdrawing from the already ravaged Root Base.
They encountered several waves of Konoha's patrol Ninja who had heard the news and come to support, but before Kisame's elite Anbu, these sporadic resistances were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, quickly crushed.
They fought their way through and finally successfully reached the main battlefield at Uchiha Clan's compound, successfully reuniting with the main force.
By now, the Uchiha Clan's compound had completely transformed into a meat-grinder of a battlefield.
The surviving Uchiha Clan's members, supported by the Star Ninja, erupted with astonishing combat power, fighting a brutal battle against their former fellow Konoha's Ninjas.
Hatred, rage, despair, the will to survive...
Various emotions intertwined, making every clash bloodier.
Shisui's emerald green Complete Body Susanoo was like a war god descended to earth. Each swing of its massive Chakra Spiral Sword stirred up destructive storms, forcing the Konoha's Anbu and large numbers of Ninjas trying to organize and advance to retreat repeatedly, suffering heavy casualties!
Its existence greatly reversed the situation on the battlefield.
Itachi's eyes continuously streamed blood from the corners. The overuse of his Mangekyo placed a huge burden on him.
He struggled to evade the Susanoo's attack aftershocks while also dealing with attacks from all directions, from both friend and foe!
The Konoha's Anbu and Root saw him as a fellow traitor, while the Uchiha Clan's members wished they could eat his flesh raw!
He seemed to have become an isolated island on the battlefield, battered by waves of hatred from both sides.
'I must preserve myself to be of use... for Sasuke's sake... I must survive.' This thought supported Itachi. Gritting his teeth, he used his superb Body Flicker and Genjutsu to strugglingly break free from the entanglement.
His figure leaped a few times, disheveledly disengaged from the battle group, temporarily hiding himself, the confusion and pain in his eyes almost overflowing.
On the other side, Kanon, Natsuhi, and the others also successfully broke through the heavy encirclement, escorting the defecting Hyuga Clan's branch family's members, Hizashi, Neji, and others, to the main battlefield, reuniting with Menma and Hikari.
"Sir, the surviving Hyuga Clan's branch family's members have been brought. Mission accomplished." Kanon reported with a slight bow, the golden chains behind her slowly retracting.
Almost simultaneously, Shikaku, Hiashi, Inoichi, Choza, Tsume, and the other heads Konoha's major clans and elite Jonin, leading large support forces, finally arrived at the edge of this bloody battlefield!
When they saw the scene before them, everyone was shocked beyond measure!
The tragic state of the Uchiha, the Star Ninja's intervention, the Hyuga Clan's branch family's defection, and that terrifying Susanoo...
Menma hovered in the air, the white three-eyed fox mask looking down upon the gathering 'audience' below, who represented almost all of Konoha's top power.
He knew that this [Night of the Massacre] theater, directed by Konoha's higher-ups but thoroughly disrupted by him, had finally reached its climax.
He slightly turned his head, his gaze seeming to penetrate space, glancing at Minato and Kushina hiding in the shadows far away, unable to bear joining the fight, and at Orochimaru, who was silently manipulating the First and Second Hokage through the Impure World Reincarnation.
Those trump cards, which are sufficient to completely overturn the battle situation, were not yet all to be played.
Just like in a game of cards, you don't lead with your best card right at the start.
He gave a slight nod to Hikari beside him.
Hikari understood. A faint light flowed in her scarlet Mangekyo Sharingan.
Instantly, a clear, calm voice sounded in the minds of all Star Ninjas… an instant command link established through the Chakra Seal Betwork!
Under Hikari's command, the Star Ninja's actions instantly became more coordinated and orderly, their offense and defense transitions moving as one.
Meanwhile, Menma slowly floated forward a distance, looking down from a high position like a deity judging mortals.
His voice, coming through the mask, wasn't loud, but carried a deep penetrative power, clearly suppressing the battlefield's noise and reaching the ears of everyone present:
"The audience, it seems, has all assembled."
His gaze slowly swept over the livid-faced Hiruzen, the gloomy-eyed Danzo, and all the Konoha's Ninjas with expressions of shock, confusion, and anger, finally settling on Hiruzen.
"Then, let's begin, Third Hokage-sama."
Beneath the mask, the corner of his mouth seemed to curl into a cold arc.
"Please, in front of all the Konoha's Ninja Clans, tell everyone properly-"
"How you and the elder Shimura Danzo beside you meticulously planned to completely exterminate the Uchiha Clan, one of the founding clans that rendered outstanding service to Konoha?"
As these words fell, the entire field was shocked!
The entire battlefield seemed to be muted.
Even the roaring Ninjutsu and the clashing of blades seemed to grow faint at this moment.
All eyes, whether from the surviving Uchiha, the defecting Hyuga Clan's branch family, the Star Ninja, or the clan's heads and Jonin of the various Konoha's Ninja Clans who had just arrived-
All turned in unison, with endless shock, doubt, and inquiry, focusing on the man known as the [Professor], the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen!
The moment of truth's judgment had finally arrived.