Decades ago, Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama first became acquainted over a contest of stone-skipping and distance urination. It was through the bond the two forged back then that the Hidden Village system was born, and Konohagakure came into existence. Without either the Uchiha or the Senju, the current Konoha would never have been founded.
One could say that the Uchiha and the Senju are the soul of Konoha.
It is said that in the earliest days of the village, two other great clans joined as well. With their addition alongside the Senju and Uchiha, the framework of what would become Konoha took shape. Later, clans such as the Hyūga and Inuzuka would join in succession, gradually forming the Konoha we know today.
These two other clans can be called the very body of Konoha—
The Shimura clan and the Sarutobi clan.
Now, the Senju have long faded into history, the Uchiha have been nearly wiped out, and the Shimura are entirely gone, leaving only one solitary survivor: Shimura Danzō.
Of the original four great founding families, only the Sarutobi remain.
Not only do they still exist—they are thriving. Their prosperity has reached the point where their population is vast enough to assemble what they call a "Sarutobi army" of three thousand.
Of course, that "three thousand" is not to be taken literally as three thousand shinobi, much less jōnin—it's a figurative expression. Even so, it speaks volumes about the Sarutobi clan's size.
Compared to them, the so-called "Number One Noble Clan" of the Hyūga is barely worth mentioning.
They are the uncrowned kings of Konoha.
And yet, this mighty clan did not appear during the Nine-Tails' Night, the Konoha Crush, or even Pain's Assault. Their first on-screen appearance was late in the Fourth Great Ninja War—when victory was already assured.
Truly worthy of the Third Hokage—he kept his clan perfectly safe.
The Sarutobi clan compound lies in the eastern part of Konoha. Like the Uchiha district, it is away from the village's commercial hub—but unlike the Uchiha's plot, theirs is far more developed and bustling.
One could even call it a "country within a country"—or rather, a "village within the village."
Everything Konoha has, they have—and they also have things Konoha doesn't. Everything here is the very best.
"Such extravagance." Even Mui, lord of the Hozuki Castle, could not help but remark in awe when he saw the Sarutobi compound.
And indeed, it made sense. Take young Master Sarutobi Konohamaru, for example—he was accompanied at all times by a special jōnin, Ebisu, serving purely as his private tutor.
Now compare that to Naruto's childhood as the Hokage's own kin—no private tutor, barely even guaranteed food and shelter.
And here's a useless but interesting bit of trivia—Kushina Uzumaki was once a princess of Uzushiogakure.
More intriguingly, the Dead Demon Seal was the Uzumaki clan's trump card. If the Fourth Hokage could use it because Kushina taught him, then how did the Third learn it? Surely not because the Fourth taught him?
Especially after Uzushiogakure's fall, the Sarutobi clan has held the most sealing technique expertise in Konoha.
Care to guess why?
Even more outrageous was the fact that while the rest of Konoha was being invaded by the combined forces of the Sand and Sound during the Chūnin Exams—jonin fighting to the death—the Sarutobi compound was alive with music and dance, like the saying goes: "Keep playing, keep dancing."
The location was so well-chosen that you'd have to destroy the entire village to even reach the Sarutobi district. The Uchiha's district, by contrast, was right up against Konoha's perimeter barrier and got hit first in any invasion.
Even when Pain attacked in the original timeline—not a single Sarutobi died.
In terms of influence, even Naruto's rise to Seventh Hokage in the original worldline owed no small part to Sarutobi backing. And judging by Konohamaru's treatment in Boruto, his succession as Eighth Hokage is all but guaranteed.
"Please halt, honored guests."
They hadn't yet reached the Sarutobi gates when several clan shinobi spotted them and blocked the path.
Naruto's entourage was large enough to draw attention whether they wanted it or not.
From the earlier gathering of lords to here, each daimyo's retainers had rejoined them—Snow Country's Three, Mui's men, the new generation of young shinobi, the Fūma clan…
For the record, the Zero-Tails—like the Mōryō—had been stuffed by Naruto into the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Shennong, on the other hand, had to be scraped off the ground by Kazahana Doto's men. When they first pulled him up, his entire body was gushing blood—a truly pitiful sight.
At the moment, Shinno was being carried on the back of Doto's retainer, Rouga Nadare.
"Don't mind us—we're just here waiting for someone."
"Waiting for someone?" The Sarutobi guards looked Naruto over suspiciously. They hadn't been told by the elders that any guests were expected today. Erring on the side of caution, one stayed to watch the group while the other ran toward the compound.
"Uzumaki-sama, I apologize for arriving late." Before that guard had gone far, a squad disguised as Root operatives—actually Uchiha—rushed onto the scene.
"No, no, you're right on time."
"Root? Danzō? This is bad!" The Sarutobi guard watching Naruto immediately realized something was wrong.
The Chūnin Exams were underway outside—and yet Root had suddenly appeared at the Sarutobi compound…
That could only mean one thing: Danzō was moving against the Sarutobi clan.
And if anyone would, it was him—he had, after all, once attempted to assassinate the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Root attack!" the guard shouted as he turned to run back to the compound—only for a kunai to bury itself in his back.
Turn your back on an Uchiha? That's suicide.
"How dare you!" A Sarutobi elder, rushing over, arrived just in time to see his clansman fall. His eyes blazed red with fury, his voice shaking as he pointed at Root and roared, "How dare you?! How dare you?!"
"Sarutobi shinobi—where are you?!"
At his shout, ten Sarutobi ninja vanished in a blur, their swords flashing with cold light, all aiming for the Root squad.
Perhaps since the days of the Third, the Sarutobi clan had produced no top-tier fighters—but in sheer numbers and population base, they were the largest clan in the ninja world.
To provoke the Sarutobi was to kick the largest hornet's nest in existence.
Unfortunately for them, their opponents were Uchiha—Uchiha whose power had been greatly amplified.
The ten Sarutobi didn't survive even a single exchange—each was cut down with a sword through the throat, dead in an instant.
That sword style… why does it look so familiar?
Sasuke stared hard at the Root attackers, his eyes scanning their movements.
That looks exactly like Uchiha-style kenjutsu…
"My dear little brother," Naruto's voice sounded in Sasuke's mind as he clapped him on the shoulder, "I know you have a lot of questions right now.
"But whatever you see next—don't be shocked. No matter how many doubts you have, hold them back for now.
"When all this is over, I'll explain everything—one by one.
"If you trust me… then do you believe in me, Sasuke?"
Sasuke looked at Naruto and nodded firmly.
At this point, he could trust Naruto unconditionally—even if Naruto told him to commit seppuku, he would obey.
"You—!" The Sarutobi elder clearly hadn't expected Root to strike with such cruelty, nor for his clansmen to fall so easily.
"By order of the Fifth Hokage,Danzō-sama—"
"—exterminate the Sarutobi clan!"
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