Clan extermination was just a cold term in the original work. At its most complex, it was just the Night of the Massacre.
Real clan extermination was the brutal slaughter of countless flesh-and-blood people.
The Uzumaki clan extermination, the Uchiha clan extermination, the Fūma clan extermination, the Kaguya clan extermination, and many unrecorded exterminations.
After a clan is exterminated, they can be arbitrarily insulted and maligned, as if their extermination was entirely their own fault.
It's not because they were heinous, but because there is no one left to refute it.
Konoha still has two or three good people, could it be that the Uchiha clan didn't have a single good person?
Konoha Village delivered the final verdict on the Uzumaki clan's extermination.
The Uzumaki clan was exterminated because they greedily sought to seize Kirigakure's Three-Tails, bringing about their own doom.
As for whether it was truly due to the Uzumaki clan's greed, no one cared anymore.
After Uzumaki Yuka calmed down, she wiped her tears and began processing the scene.
All the research scrolls were taken away by Uzumaki Yuka using sealing techniques.
Yōkō, meanwhile, placed explosive tags on the heads of every corpse, first destroying these experimental materials, then used Earth Release to bury the entire cave.
Carrying the two unconscious Uzumaki Guardian Ninja, Yōkō and Uzumaki Yuka went outside the base.
Holding Uzumaki Yuka tightly, Yōkō said:
"I'm sorry, Yuka. I can't accompany you to the Land of Rain. I still have to deal with Root's subsequent investigation. This is all the help I can offer for now."
Uzumaki Yuka had regained her composure, no longer as panicked as she was after hearing about her father. She said:
"I understand, Fox. Investigating within Konoha is fraught with danger, far more perilous than us hiding in the Land of Rain. You must be extremely careful too.
Thank you for letting me know about my father, for allowing me to see him one last time, to send him on his final journey. I am content.
You also rescued two clansmen, Uzumaki Kaichō and Uzumaki Genchō, both Jōnin. I will treat them well; they will recover.
I'm sorry you took so many risks for us."
Yōkō just held Yuka, feeling her breath against his neck.
"Yuka, Uzumaki Nagato is currently with Konoha's Jiraiya and is safe for now. Do not make contact with Uzumaki Nagato. His surroundings are dangerous, not something you can intervene in."
"Okay, I understand. I'll listen to you." Uzumaki Yuka said: "Fox, if possible, could you use the Stone Panda's Reverse Summoning to come see me sometime?"
Yōkō said: "I'm about to become an ANBU Battalion Commander. Once I become Battalion Commander, I'll have much more freedom. I will come to the Land of Rain to see you then."
Uzumaki Yuka first summoned the Stone Panda Hakuji, then Hakuji disappeared.
Hakuji, in the Land of Rain's bamboo forest, Reverse Summoned Yuka and the two unconscious Uzumaki clansmen.
Yōkō also quickly returned to the main camp.
As the top combatant of the Yellow Dog Battalion, being absent from Yellow Dog's sight for so long during a critical period of the war wasn't very appropriate.
Yōkō had prepared his story and wasn't afraid of Yellow Dog's suspicion.
He entered Yellow Dog's tent. Yellow Dog immediately signaled for others to leave.
"Fox, you've been gone for several days. What were you doing?"
After the great victory in the ambush battle, there were still many matters for Yellow Dog to handle. Without Fox, many of Yellow Dog's arrangements couldn't proceed.
Yōkō first glanced at the assistant Butterfly nearby.
Yellow Dog said: "Butterfly is absolutely reliable. No need for suspicion."
Yōkō said: "Battalion Commander, I had a premonition that the Hōzuki clan or Kirigakure would seek revenge again, so I went to the coastline for advance reconnaissance.
As a result, I discovered Hoshigaki Kisame killed a certain Konoha ninja. And that Konoha ninja..."
Yōkō paused, then said: "...was Root's Otsu!"
"Otsu?" Yellow Dog stared at Fox in surprise. "Are you sure it was Otsu?"
Yōkō said: "Absolutely certain. I performed missions with Otsu in the Land of Rain. Otsu is an Elite Jōnin from the Aburame clan, extremely powerful.
But he was no match for Hoshigaki Kisame.
I don't know why the two encountered each other, but judging from the scene, with Parasitic Destruction Insects dead everywhere, I suspect Otsu has been killed by Hoshigaki Kisame."
Hearing this, Yellow Dog felt excited inwardly.
Otsu was Danzo's most important subordinate.
'Kō' was Orochimaru; Danzo gave Orochimaru the number one Root code name 'Kō' more out of respect.
'Otsu' was Aburame Ryoma; he was truly Danzo's most capable subordinate.
Without Otsu, many of Danzo's affairs couldn't be arranged, just like how Yellow Dog felt he had lost an arm without Fox.
For high-level officials, a capable subordinate was more important than family.
A capable subordinate could simplify many arrangements and increase one's control.
Now Fox had investigated that Otsu might have been killed. If it were someone else, like Hippo or Yak, they would never have been able to discover intelligence of this level.
Yellow Dog said: "This is critically important. I'll go to the Command tent immediately to see if Otsu is still there.
By the way, Fox, don't leave the main camp these next few days. We will soon go to the border of the Land of Whirlpools to meet Advisor Mitokado Homura.
Advisor Mitokado Homura will lead the peace talks with Kirigakure. The war is almost over."
"Understood."
Yellow Dog entered the Command tent and found that not only was Otsu missing, but Danzo was also gone.
Uchiha Kane said he didn't know where the Commander had gone either.
Yellow Dog thought, Something major has definitely happened in Root. Could Otsu really be dead?
Location 20 kilometers southeast of the Whirlpool Country capital.
Danzo, accompanied by four Root ninja, arrived near the secret base.
The entire base was completely destroyed, with only a lone explosive tag wall proving a secret base once existed here.
Danzo stood before the explosive tag wall, looking at the numerous explosive tags.
Someone had used powerful sealing techniques to crack the 'This Place is Not a Barrier' and entered the base through the real entrance.
Hei stepped forward and said: "Sir, we will begin excavation immediately, trying to salvage something."
"Don't waste the effort." Danzo said:
"The enemy is proficient in sealing techniques and must have destroyed everything inside completely.
Digging it out would be futile.
To easily break 'This Place is Not a Barrier', the enemy can only be Uzumaki remnants.
Is there still no news from Otsu?"
Hei said: "Sir, Otsu went to meet the Wandering Shrine Maiden. There is still no news."
Just then, Tei quickly came before Danzo and said: "Sir, someone found the Shrine Maiden's signal by the seaside. She left a scroll for you to review."
Danzo opened the small scroll. It stated that after Hoshigaki Kisame was deceived, he became enraged and had been hunting her relentlessly.
Otsu intervened to stop Hoshigaki Kisame but unexpectedly died at his hands.
Yakushi Nonō also said that Jin and Ki were killed, someone swapped the intelligence scrolls, provided false intelligence, leading to the Kiri-nin Swordsmen's failure and her own exposure.
Yakushi Nonō was now facing overwhelming pursuit from the Kiri-nin, that this was her last contact with Root recently, and she would be unable to appear for the time being.
After reading the scroll, Danzo crushed it to pieces.
Yellow Dog...
The monkey brat has grown up and wants to bite now, actually destroying all my arrangements?
***
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(Chapter End)