"Our Uchiha clan's young lord, Sasuke, won't trouble Konoha with 'protection.' You'd be better off protecting the successors of the other clans."
The representatives of the other clans exchanged glances.
So Konoha had been monitoring other clan leaders' children too?
Uchiha Iwadai kicked Kakashi, who lay at his feet.
"Our Uchiha eyes—we will reclaim every single one of them!"
"Exactly how many Danzō stole, we know very well."
"Our Uchiha clan is ready at any time to receive the Sharingan in Danzō's possession."
"And we are also ready to go to war with you—until the last drop of blood is shed!"
Iwadai slapped his long blade, his words utterly resolute!
The Third Hokage's face was extremely ugly.
The Uchiha were practically stepping on his face, yet he dared not make the slightest move.
He could only watch as Uchiha Iwadai led Ufeng and the others back into the Uchiha ranks.
Under the First Elder's command, the entire clan began to withdraw slowly.
In this situation, the number of ANBU was limited.
Not to mention a direct clash between Konoha and the Uchiha—other clans would not help.
After suffering heavy losses, Konoha would be completely unable to resist invasions from other villages.
Konoha simply could not afford the price of a civil war with the Uchiha.
Many of the issues raised by the Uchiha had always existed within Konoha.
But under the mutual compromises of all the clans, they had endured them.
Now, the Uchiha had detonated everything at once.
Most crucially, the Uchiha had united into a single rope and bared their sharpest fangs.
Three pairs of Mangekyō Sharingan!
They were also warning every clan:
If you want to be used as a gun, first consider whether you can bear that cost—
And whether Konoha is even worth dying for.
After the Uchiha clan completely withdrew, the Third Hokage waved his hand.
"Thank you for your hard work. I will personally investigate Danzō's matter. Everyone, please disperse."
The clans wore different expressions, exchanged a few perfunctory remarks, and then departed one by one.
At this moment, the ANBU dragged Kakashi and the other two back.
After a brief examination, they reported to the Third Hokage:
"Hokage-sama, they aren't seriously injured. Only Kakashi's Sharingan was taken."
The Third Hokage calmly waved his hand, indicating he understood.
The Uchiha had somehow turned Itachi back to their side.
They had also reclaimed Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan.
The other clans had effectively been threatened—both softened and beaten—at the same time.
With the balance shifting, the Hokage faction was now truly stuck.
Aside from calling Jiraiya back, the Third Hokage was also considering whether he should use his final trump card.
Kamui Space
After escaping into this place, Obito finally caught his breath.
He had nearly died.
The Kamui space was his eternal safe harbor.
As long as he returned here, his heart could finally settle.
He removed his mask.
The spare three-tomoe Sharingan had already turned gray and white—completely ruined.
Obito sat on a stone platform, his expression unreadable as he pondered.
Why did the Uchiha know the weakness of Kamui?
Was this entire operation a trap deliberately set by Uchiha Itachi?
"And whose Amaterasu was that? It definitely wasn't Itachi."
When his entire body had been engulfed in Amaterasu, he had no time to distinguish his attacker.
But out of the corner of his eye, he had seen Ufeng's figure.
Amaterasu had appeared more than once in Uchiha history.
Obito wasn't ignorant of that Mangekyō technique.
But with Itachi very likely possessing a Mangekyō—
Another Mangekyō had appeared among the Uchiha.
And more importantly, that person knew that he became tangible while attacking.
That alone completely ended Obito's habit of treating the Uchiha as his personal backyard.
The Uchiha didn't even have a treasury—going there now was simply not worth the risk.
After all, one more Amaterasu, and he really would be dead.
What he didn't know was whether the Uchiha and Konoha would clash tonight.
All these unknowns made Obito feel extremely passive.
Besides that, there was one most critical issue.
The Three-Tails jinchūriki, Yagura Karatachi, had broken free from his control.
That meant the Land of Water could no longer supply the Akatsuki with funds and resources.
Previously, Obito had relied on those to maintain a barely acceptable cooperation with Nagato and Konan.
Now that those resources were gone, changes were inevitable.
And he had no idea what Yagura would do next.
However, the Mist Village was far away.
He decided to first observe the situation in Konoha.
Having made up his mind, Obito moved swiftly within the Kamui space.
No matter what, he had to return and replace his Sharingan first.
But Sharingan…
He was running out of them.
Uchiha Clan Grounds
After returning, the First Elder, Ufeng, Fugaku, and the others settled the clan members.
Then they convened a meeting of all the leadership.
Those present included Itachi, Mayumi, Kihiko, Yūsuke, and Rinto.
As well as the Second Elder, Third Elder, and their supporters—Seiji, Tomohisa—
And Fugaku's supporters, Yūsuke and Ryōshi.
This was now the entirety of the Uchiha high command.
Aside from the three elders, most of them were young.
Because in the Uchiha clan, power was earned through strength—and the mortality rate was extremely high.
All three elders had fought their way up.
Only the Second and Third Elders had withdrawn from active combat due to severe injuries.
The heavy losses the Uchiha suffered in recent ninja wars had led those two elders to advocate peaceful coexistence with Konoha.
Although this battle with Root had been a complete victory with almost no clan casualties—
It had also made them realize that Konoha's intent to destroy the Uchiha had never faded.
After returning, the First Elder Uchiha Iwadai had viciously berated Konoha.
While Fugaku was arranging the rest of the clan, he also berated the Second and Third Elders until they didn't dare utter a single word.
"Ufeng, you speak," the First Elder said.
Seeing that the Second and Third Elders had settled down, he handed the floor to Ufeng.
Though Ufeng looked only seventeen, in the ninja world, strength spoke for everything—age was irrelevant.
"The Uchiha may have survived this crisis," Ufeng said calmly, "but this is only the beginning."
He skipped all pleasantries and went straight to the point.
"Although I used this incident to divide Konoha's leadership from the other clans, preventing them from becoming tools of the upper echelon—"
"The Third Hokage's strength is far more than just these ANBU."
"That is precisely why I didn't seize this chance to launch a violent coup."
Expressions changed around the room.
Fugaku asked,
"Ufeng, you mean the Third Hokage still has hidden power?"
Ufeng nodded.
"Everyone knows the Fourth Hokage and his wife died in battle—"
"And that the Third Hokage took possession of their legacy."
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