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Sarutobi Hiruzen's words made Shimura Danzo scoff repeatedly.
Only Konoha's fools would fall for that—no, wait. Not all of Konoha were fools.
Didn't he see how the heads of the major clans were just paying lip service? Their expressions didn't change at all.
No, he was wrong again. There were indeed fools among Konoha's clan leaders.
Take Uchiha Fugaku, for example, standing there in his fan-emblazoned uniform, shouting indignantly:
"Third Hokage-sama! Konoha belongs to all of us! If a powerful enemy dares to invade, we will never—"
"Any enemy who sets foot in Konoha will meet only one fate—death!"
Danzo twitched at the sight of Fugaku's sincere expression.
Damn, he never expected this! He had always wanted to wipe out the Uchiha, yet their clan leader turned out to be such an idiot.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have hesitated.
All that wasted time, all that unnecessary caution!
If he had a pile of Uchiha corpses by now, his research might have already made a breakthrough.
Too bad it was too late. He was already dead, and Sharingan was useless to him now.
Hearing Fugaku's words, Hyuga Hiashi almost threw out a Eight Trigrams Palm at him.
Damn it! If you want to pledge your loyalty, don't drag me into it!
No matter what happens, Konoha won't be destroyed.
Besides, that Ron Stark guy knows Wood Release—he's probably a descendant of the Senju.
The founders of Konoha are fighting with the current rulers—what does that have to do with me?
Damn brainless idiot! No way—I need to stay away from him. Can't risk getting dragged into this mess.
As for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Nara Shikaku quietly tugged on the other two's sleeves, signaling them to stay silent.
Just recently, they had been talking about getting Tsunade back. Now was not the time to start trouble.
Who knew what kind of game Sarutobi Hiruzen was playing?
If they didn't understand it, they wouldn't get involved. If they didn't know what was happening, they'd stay far away. No risk, no problem.
Their three clans always acted together. Shikaku had no time to explain, but the other two understood—if the Nara clan wasn't speaking, neither would they.
The other clans followed suit, keeping their mouths shut and watching Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Fugaku glanced around, his once determined gaze becoming uncertain.
What the hell? An enemy is attacking the village, so why is no one speaking up?
This was the downside of not being part of the inner power circle—no allies, no information.
Last time there was a meeting, Hiruzen didn't even invite him. Instead, he had been ordered to lead the Police Force on patrol under the pretense of maintaining order.
So, while he knew there was trouble, he had no clue who was causing it.
And no one had bothered to tell him that Ron Stark had Wood Release.
If he had known that, even if he wanted to get into Konoha's core power structure, he would have thought twice before speaking out.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eye twitched—he was utterly speechless at Fugaku's stupidity.
This was the perfect example of shooting yourself in the foot.
Danzo sneered. "Alright, enough stalling."
"Ron Stark called you out by name. He wants you dead, so go out there and die already."
"If you don't, and he storms into the village, wrecking everything, don't say I didn't warn you."
"Shut up, you traitor!" Fugaku turned and snapped at him.
"You went after our clansmen first, and now you're leading the enemy right to us. And you still have the audacity to speak?"
Danzo narrowed his eyes and let out a cold snort.
No point in arguing with this fool now.
Once he controlled Konoha, he would deal with the Uchiha once and for all.
He looked at Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, you don't want to see Konoha's reputation get ruined, do you?"
Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
Danzo smirked. "Go out there and see for yourself."
No way was he going down alone. If he was getting screwed, he'd make sure his good buddy went down with him.
He glanced around, but unfortunately, Jiraiya wasn't here.
Otherwise, he would have made sure that disgusting toad got taken out too.
That way, once he took over Konoha, there would be no one left to challenge him.
But it was only a matter of time.
With Kushina's condition, there was no way Minato would sit still for long.
Once something happened to Minato, Jiraiya would follow.
And anyone else who might stand in his way—he would make sure they pissed off Ron Stark.
Ideally, they'd all die.
Then Konoha would finally be clean, and he would take control just as it should be.
Obito's dark, hollow eyes scanned the crowd, sweeping over a few individuals.
The onlookers felt a sudden chill run down their spines.
Meanwhile, on the northern side of Konoha—
A ghostly figure flickered through the barriers and seals, moving like a shadow.
"Huh? Why is there no one here?"
Uchiha Obito frowned in confusion.
Then, without warning, he smacked himself across the face.
Slap!
"Damn it! What am I even thinking? No one's here—that's a good thing! This means I can retrieve Rin's body quickly and get out of here. I need to hurry back and—"
Obito suddenly froze. "Wait...!"
"What was his name? Where am I even supposed to find him? It's been days… He should still be at the base, right?"
"But what if he's not...?"
"Damn it! Why was I in such a rush to leave?! Why didn't I ask more questions?!"
Regret gnawed at him, but it was already too late.
Even though fear gripped his heart—the fear that Ron had deceived him—he had no other choice.
Rin was dead.
Black Zetsu had lied to him, maybe even tricked Uchiha Madara as well.
And that mysterious man… His words proved it. The whole Infinite Tsukuyomi plan was a lie.
Obito had nothing left. No way forward except to trust this stranger.
"I hope you're not lying to me. You have to bring Rin back!"
"If you can make me see Rin again—I'll do whatever you ask!"
"But…" Obito's eyes darkened. "If you're lying—I'll kill you. I swear it!"
Clenching his fists, Obito leaped forward, vanishing into the ground.
With practiced ease, he arrived at Nohara Rin's gravestone. He gently placed a hand on the cold stone.
"Rin, just wait a little longer. We'll see each other soon. I'll protect you. Always."
His body slowly sank into the earth, disappearing into the grave.
Ron: …
If this guy were in the world of Grave Robbers' Chronicles, he'd be the ultimate tomb raider.
No need for tunnels. He can just pop in and out whenever he wants.
When Obito emerged again, his whole demeanor had changed. His energy was back. His determination was stronger than ever.
He had Rin's body. Now, all that was left was to find that man and make him bring her back.
But just as he turned to leave—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the ground behind him.
Instinctively, Obito spun around. His eyes widened.
"....."