Outskirts of the Uchiha Clan District – A Few Minutes Ago
A massive crowd of elite shinobi had gathered, staring at the distant clash between two towering chakra giants. The scale of the battle shook them to their core.
"T-That… that's the ultimate Uchiha technique, isn't it?" Hyuga Hiashi's voice trembled as he activated his Byakugan, watching the chaos unfold. "That's Susanoo… the legendary power of the Mangekyō Sharingan?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood beside him, his face solemn and voice low.
"Yes. That's the Uchiha Clan's strongest ocular technique—Susanoo."
"But… why are there two of them?" Hiashi asked in disbelief. "Only Uchiha Itachi is known to have awakened the Mangekyō!"
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, his expression grim.
"If I had to guess… it means Fugaku awakened the Mangekyō in secret. That other Susanoo likely belongs to him."
Hiashi's eyes darkened.
So Fugaku… that man had been hiding this level of power?
As the head of the Hyuga Clan, long regarded as the Uchiha's equal in status, Hiashi felt an unpleasant bitterness gnawing at him. Seeing those two giants tear through the landscape with ease, he realized something terrifying:
The Hyuga had no counter to this.
The so-called equality between their clans? A joke.
But then, he sneered in his heart. So what if they had such power? Tonight, the entire Uchiha clan would be wiped from the earth. After tonight, the Hyuga would truly become Konoha's greatest clan.
Hiruzen, seeing the conflict in Hiashi's eyes, offered a faint smile and calmly reassured him.
"We should be grateful we moved early. If we had hesitated, those Susanoo would've been crashing through the Hokage Residence."
He turned to face the battlefield.
"With Itachi as our vanguard, we can let them tire each other out and take the prize with little effort."
"And don't forget," Hiruzen added, "Danzo and his Root operatives are the ones leading the charge. My old friend has prepared thoroughly. We can rely on him."
"All we need to do… is wait. Make sure no Uchiha escapes."
He said it with such casual calm. As if he were talking about sweeping up the ashes of a clan, not its extermination.
Of course, he had no idea that Itachi's Mangekyō had only awakened after Shisui died—meaning Fugaku wasn't the one controlling the second Susanoo at all.
But that just made him feel all the more pleased with his cunning. To destroy a clan that boasted three potential Kage-level Mangekyō users? It would be the crowning achievement of his legacy.
Elsewhere, in the Uchiha Compound's Perimeter
Another large force had assembled, each shinobi masked—members of Root, led by Danzo himself.
They watched the titanic clash from afar, as the red and purple giants laid waste to the surrounding buildings. The shockwaves alone were enough to rattle their bones.
"This… this is what we're supposed to fight against?" a Root ninja whispered, cold sweat pouring down his face. "How can normal techniques stop that?"
He unconsciously took a step back. Even his voice trembled.
"Hmm? Are you afraid?" came a cold voice from behind.
The Root shinobi froze. He turned slowly—and dropped to one knee, face pale.
"N-No, Lord Danzo, I was just—"
"Enough," Danzo cut him off sharply. "Root does not tolerate weakness."
"If this were a normal day, I would've executed you for that pathetic display."
"But," Danzo sneered, "I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. You'll lead the charge when the attack begins. If you survive, I'll forget your cowardice."
The Root operative's heart plummeted. That was a death sentence. A suicide order. He had no choice but to obey.
"…Understood," he muttered, rising to his feet and stepping to the front lines.
With the Tongue Curse Seal of Root etched into his soul, resistance was never an option. He didn't even own his own voice.
All around him, the other Root members remained silent, motionless, like puppets on strings. No sympathy. No emotion. No one even acknowledged what had just happened.
Danzo's lips curled slightly.
Yes… This was how Root should be. Emotionless. Obedient. Tools.
Still, he made a mental note: the training regimen needed to be even more brutal. No more room for hesitation or fear. Only death would forge unfeeling weapons.
He turned his attention back to the battlefield—specifically, to the two Susanoo giants.
And despite the sheer terror of the scene… his lone eye gleamed with ecstasy.
Two Susanoo.
Two Mangekyō Sharingan.
He knew one belonged to Uchiha Itachi. The other? Almost certainly Fugaku's.
Danzo clenched his fist.
That damn snake. Pretending to be a harmless clan leader, while hiding this level of power? Of course he was planning to rebel.
But it didn't matter now.
Soon, both of those Mangekyō would be his.
Danzo's tongue slid across his lips in greedy anticipation. Already, he was mentally planning how to transplant not one, but two pairs of Mangekyō into his body.
With four Mangekyō?
He would become invincible.
No one—not the Hokage, not the Sannin, not even the gods—would stop him.
And the Hokage seat?
His for the taking.