A trace of greed flickered in the eyes of the Hyūga branch-family jōnin.
He had never thrived within his clan, and as a branch member, he truly needed a dazzling achievement to prove himself.
The Inuzuka and Akimichi jōnin were no different—both of them brightened at once.
They shared the same ambition.
After hearing Asuma's analysis, even the Inuzuka jōnin, who had earlier considered retreat, felt his heart stir restlessly.
Only Kurenai Yuhi felt worry for Yingyue.
She desperately wanted to ask him face to face—why he had done all this.
"Everyone, don't worry," Asuma said with a confident smile.
"There are at most a dozen Uchiha in their group. No need to panic—I have a backup plan."
Hearing this, the remaining jōnin's concerns vanished completely.
Kurenai's anxiety deepened instead.
She had to go with them. Even if she couldn't save Yin Yue, she would not allow him to be humiliated after death.
She felt nothing for Danzō.
She felt even less for ANBU or Root.
If those people died, then so be it.
She simply did not believe—
That Yingyue would betray the village.
The five figures turned into shadows and vanished into the night, with the Hyūga and Inuzuka jōnin taking the lead in tracking.
Late at night, nearing midnight, the busiest district of Konoha gradually fell silent.
The Hokage Tower.
At the main gate, two rows of elite ANBU—elites among elites—stood ready.
Their backs were straight, ninja blades strapped tight, animal masks concealing their faces as killing intent radiated outward.
By sheer presence alone, they were far more formidable than the ANBU vanguard units.
In the darkness, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane paced back and forth, waiting for news from the advance force.
Like Danzō, both served as Hokage advisors—figures of authority and influence.
Yet now, tension and unease were etched deeply into their aged faces.
"Why hasn't any news come back yet…"
Homura muttered, his brow deeply furrowed.
Koharu reassured him coldly:
"No need to panic. The Uchiha clan must be destroyed tonight—if they don't want to die, we'll help them die with dignity."
Homura fell silent for a moment, then said,
"Summon Hiruzen. The timing should be right—we'll need him to clean up the aftermath."
They had played crucial roles in Danzō's proposed Uchiha Extermination Operation and had firmly supported it.
If the Uchiha harbored thoughts of rebellion—
Then those thoughts had to be crushed in the cradle.
They couldn't resolve the long-standing conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha—
So they chose to eliminate the Uchiha instead.
At that moment, a badly injured ANBU used Body Flicker and appeared before them, dropping to one knee.
Seeing his miserable state, both advisors felt a surge of unease.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
Had the Uchiha fought back?
The ANBU hurriedly reported everything that had occurred in the Uchiha district.
Upon hearing it—
Koharu and Homura's pupils dilated violently. Their bodies trembled as shock and disbelief replaced anxiety.
Their faces turned ashen, as if they had swallowed something rotten.
Without another word, the two strode side by side toward the Hokage's office.
The Uchiha clan had been destroyed as planned—
But Danzō was dead.
Root and the ANBU vanguard had suffered catastrophic losses!
"Senior… what happened?"
Yamato whispered to the fox-masked ANBU beside him.
Kakashi replied bluntly,
"Didn't catch it. But—"
Crash!
From the brightly lit Hokage office came the sound of a cup shattering against the floor—
Followed immediately by the furious roar of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Every ANBU stiffened.
How long had it been since the Third Hokage—always so kind and gentle—had erupted in such rage?
Something terrible had happened to the village.
Kakashi instantly fell silent.
Yamato dared not ask another word.
The forest surrounding the Uchiha district.
Large numbers of ANBU once again infiltrated the area that had only recently seen fierce combat.
At the front was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
His aged face was grim, the Hokage's hat resting atop his head, the white ceremonial robe on his back fluttering sharply as he led the way into the forest.
The two advisors and elite ANBU followed closely behind, while others took up high ground around the perimeter.
The scent of blood filled the air.
Hiruzen's expression darkened. His hands clenched behind his back as his gaze swept casually over the corpses.
In an instant, he reconstructed what had happened—
The ANBU vanguard had entered carelessly and stumbled into a Root ambush.
Root casualties exceeded eighty percent.
The ANBU vanguard had lost over half its members.
"That damned old bastard Danzō… truly deserved to die!!"
The anger in Hiruzen's chest had nowhere to go. With a sharp wave of his hand, he ordered:
"Evacuate all wounded. Recover the bodies!"
The ANBU commanders nodded and began cleanup—routine work for ANBU.
Kill. Clean. Burn.
As the Hokage's personal guards, Kakashi and Yamato remained by his side.
Seeing the devastation, both sighed inwardly.
This operation had cost Konoha dearly.
Just cultivating these fallen elite Root and ANBU alone would take countless years.
Hiruzen strode deeper into the forest, his face dark.
Then everyone saw the enormous pale tree.
The two advisors froze before a hollow in its trunk, staring at the familiar aged face embedded within.
"Dan… Danzō…"
Homura adjusted his glasses, his forehead wrinkling tightly. He stepped forward, placing his fingers beneath Danzō's nose, then against his carotid artery.
Moments later—
Homura lowered his head, turned around grimly, and shook it.
No sign of life.
Koharu stepped forward as well, her expression heavy. She retrieved medical instruments from a storage scroll and examined Danzō carefully.
She specialized in medical ninjutsu and had once served as a medical ninja in the Second Hokage's elite guard.
The electronic medical equipment showed no response.
Her heart sank completely.
"There are no vital signs," she said.
"From a biological standpoint… he is dead."
Danzō's death carried massive implications for Konoha.
First, the intelligence division would be thrown into chaos—many agents outside the village might never be recovered.
Second, without Root, Konoha had lost a sharp blade used to balance internal power.
Hiruzen's eyes widened as his anger surged. His throat filled with blood, which he forcibly swallowed before stepping forward to inspect the body himself.
His gaze settled on the ninja blade embedded precisely through Danzō's heart.
It was an Uchiha blade.
Hiruzen's thoughts exploded like thousands of detonating tags.
Had Danzō lived all these years like a dog?
Unable to even deal with a single ordinary Uchiha—dying only after dragging Root and ANBU into ruin with him.
He truly deserved death!
"Danzō really was killed… by that Uchiha named Yingyue."
Hiruzen pulled the blade from the tree.
The rage he had suppressed finally burst free.
He spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered backward several steps.
"Hiruzen!!"
Koharu and Homura rushed forward to support him, steadying his body.
"Don't worry about me," Hiruzen said hoarsely.
"Take his body back. The Mokuton-derived substances on him contain First Hokage cells."
His old eyes lowered as he tossed the blade aside and forced himself upright.
Then he looked toward the Uchiha district.
"First—we go to the Uchiha compound."
The full moon sank westward.
Night gave way to dawn.
Northwest of Konoha, eighty li away, within the No. 007 abandoned training ground—an untouched primeval forest—
Yin Yue continued leading the team northwest.
With chakra circulation, they covered in two hours what an ordinary army in his previous life would have marched in a full day.
No one spoke along the way.
Until they passed a ruined campsite—
An Uchiha youth carrying Tamo-o cried out in alarm:
"Captain Yingyue—Tamo-o has passed out!!"
Yin Yue stopped and turned back.
Suddenly, text appeared in his mind:
[Side Quest]: Heal a Teammate
[Option]:
Heal the teammate
[Reward]: Green Medicine
(End of Chapter)