Chapter 152: Remedial Measures — The Truth Behind the Nine-Tails Rebellion
The battlefield finally fell silent.
Fugaku stood atop the remnants of his towering Susanoo, the crimson energy still hissing faintly around him like dying embers. His chakra was nearly spent, and the Hidden Cloud Village lay in ruins beneath him — a testament to his overwhelming power.
"It's true," he muttered, his voice calm but edged with fatigue. "Ten minutes isn't enough to gather much… Let's go down."
With a deep breath, Uchiha Fugaku leapt from the giant's shoulder, dispelling the Susanoo. The spectral armor dissolved into the air like fading firelight, leaving only the scent of scorched stone behind.
Uchiha Setsuna, Hyūga Hiashi, Tsunade Senju, and the rest followed, descending in fluid arcs of chakra-enhanced leaps. Uchiha Yashiro landed last, the unconscious Nii Yugito slung over his shoulder like a trophy of war.
The red light faded. The storm was over.
Tsunade watched quietly, her golden eyes reflecting the dissipating glow. A faint chill ran through her as realization sank in — she had fought beside many strong men in her life, but Fugaku's power… it was something else entirely.
This man… truly stands shoulder to shoulder with Madara.
He had done what few dared to imagine.
In a single night, Uchiha Fugaku — the Fifth Hokage — had razed one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
The fall of the Hidden Cloud was only the beginning.
With its resources now flowing into Konoha, the village would rise again stronger than ever — a phoenix reborn from the ashes of war.
All because of one man.
The thought made Tsunade's heart twist. If the other great nations learn of this, they'll tremble… and then unite against him. The power to destroy a village singlehandedly belongs only to legends — to Madara Uchiha and my grandfather, Hashirama Senju.
And now, Fugaku had joined their ranks.
Below, Konoha's shinobi had already scattered, moving like shadows through the broken streets. Some used clones, others brute strength, sweeping up spoils and capturing survivors.
Ten minutes later, they began returning — arms laden with silver and valuables.
Tsunade's jaw nearly dropped. "In ten minutes?! What the hell—"
The men were grinning from ear to ear, coins glinting in their pouches.
"I earned a full million ryo!" one chūnin bragged.
"That's more than an A-rank mission!" another laughed.
Tsunade blinked, muttering under her breath, I should've gone too.
She clenched her fists, mentally scolding herself. Eight percent share? Ha! I've been robbed blind!
Still, she couldn't bring herself to demand anything back. Too many recognized her — the great Tsunade of the Sannin — and pride wouldn't allow her to stoop that low.
She sighed, whispering to herself, "It's fine… it's fine… how much could they even collect in ten minutes, anyway?"
Before she could sink deeper into her thoughts, Fugaku's calm voice carried through the camp.
"It seems everyone's had quite the harvest."
Laughter and cheers answered him.
"Yes, Hokage-sama! The Cloud was filthy rich!"
"Hahaha, this trip alone covered my retirement fund!"
Fugaku let their joy run its course before raising a hand for silence. The crowd quieted instantly.
"Ahem," he began, his expression turning grave. "There's something I need to tell you all. It concerns… the Nine-Tailed Fox."
The laughter died on the wind.
Dozens of faces stiffened. Some clenched their fists. Others looked away, haunted by memories of that night — the screams, the fires, the faces of comrades crushed beneath tails of crimson chakra.
Tsunade straightened. The Nine-Tails? Now?
She hadn't been in the village when it happened, but the reports had shaken her to the core. The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze — gone. Countless shinobi dead. And though civilians were spared, the village itself had been left in ruins.
The Third Hokage had never named the true culprit, only that the Nine-Tails had been controlled by a Sharingan.
At the time, suspicion naturally fell upon the Uchiha.
Is Fugaku… planning to speak the truth now? she wondered.
Perhaps he means to clear his clan's name while Konoha stands united behind him.
Fugaku's gaze swept across the assembled ninja, calm and unwavering.
"Do you remember the night I killed the Third Hokage?" he asked quietly. "That same night, I confronted a man in the forest — a rogue of the Uchiha clan. He was the one who unleashed the Nine-Tails upon the village."
The words hit like thunder.
Gasps rippled through the ranks. A few shinobi exchanged uneasy looks; others froze completely.
Only Hyūga Hiashi's eyes narrowed in thought. He remembered — during that chaotic night, he had glimpsed a chakra signature disturbingly similar to Fugaku's, dark and warped by hatred.
So that was the one… another Uchiha, twisted by the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But why had Fugaku called him a "rogue"? The clan should have protected one who possessed such a rare power… unless that power had already been turned against them.
Fugaku continued, his tone like iron.
"Some of you may know his name. Others may not. But you will all recognize this — he was once the disciple of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
A stunned silence followed.
Tsunade's breath caught. The Fourth's disciple…? Then—
Fugaku's eyes darkened, Sharingan gleaming faintly under the pale light.
"That man's name," he said, "is Uchiha Obito."
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