The clan members behind them gradually came to a halt as well.
Most of their faces were flushed with killing intent, blood boiling in their veins.
For more than a hundred Uchiha combatants, seventy or eighty Root members were nowhere near enough to satisfy them.
They still wanted to fight—to kill more.
The murderous aura on their faces was far too obvious, causing a wave of unrest on Konoha's side.
The First Elder stepped to the front of the formation and made a stopping gesture.
The clan members calmed down somewhat, many of them seizing the moment to recover their stamina.
However, every Uchiha with activated eyes kept their Sharingan open.
Rows of crimson eyes stared unblinking toward Konoha.
"Senior Ufeng?"
Itachi asked softly.
Ufeng turned around and saw the hesitation and worry in Itachi's eyes.
He patted Itachi on the shoulder.
"Relax. I didn't lie to you."
Itachi felt a weight lift from his heart.
Ufeng glanced at Fugaku, who was clearly itching to move.
"First Elder, come here for a moment."
Hearing Ufeng's call, the First Elder strode over with the bearing of a seasoned warrior.
Lowering his voice, Ufeng spoke to Itachi and the First Elder:
"In a moment, you'll need to say this…"
"First Elder, you coordinate like this…"
He laid out his entire plan in detail.
After listening, a contemplative look flashed through the First Elder's eyes.
Fugaku frowned. "Ufeng, won't this just give Konoha more time to prepare?"
Ufeng shook his head slightly.
"My head's perfectly clear. I'll tell you the follow-up plan later."
Fugaku wanted to say more, but when he turned and met the First Elder's stern gaze, he immediately shut up.
Tonight's command authority belonged to Ufeng.
Whatever Ufeng decided—that was how it would be done.
Sasuke's life was still in the First Elder's hands.
The First Elder nodded decisively.
"I'll follow your lead, Ufeng."
The Uchiha compound had long since been relocated to the very outskirts of Konoha.
Right now, there was only a single street separating them from Konoha's forces.
Though they didn't understand why the Uchiha had stopped advancing, the Third Hokage was more than happy to stall for time.
At the very least, he needed to wait until the elites of the other clans arrived.
The Uchiha's combat power was terrifying—if he didn't drag more people into this, his own direct forces would suffer catastrophic losses.
Especially since the Root survivors who had just fled back brought critical new intelligence:
Mangekyō Sharingan.
The Uchiha had three of them.
Itachi. Fugaku. Ufeng.
All three.
Konoha Village.
As the sound of countless footsteps echoed—
Representatives from the major clans arrived one after another.
Utatane, Mitokado, Hyūga, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka…
All of them.
Hiashi, Shikaku, Chōza, Inoichi, and the others stood behind the Third Hokage.
Everyone's expression was grim.
They all knew how frightening the Uchiha were in battle.
After tonight, no one knew how many would be left lying here forever.
All eyes were on the Third Hokage, waiting for his command.
The Third Hokage, meanwhile, was trying to gather as much manpower as possible—so he could wipe out the Uchiha in one decisive strike.
On the Uchiha side, Ufeng quietly reviewed the plan once more with Itachi and the First Elder, while waiting for Konoha's forces to finish assembling.
When most of the major clans had arrived, Ufeng gave the First Elder a look.
The First Elder nodded, then led Ufeng, Fugaku, and Itachi into the middle of the street.
With powerful breath, he shouted toward Konoha:
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! Step forward and speak!"
The Third Hokage and the First Elder were of the same generation—had even fought on the battlefield together.
But calling him by name like this was a clear sign of hostility.
Konoha's side stirred.
The Third Hokage stepped forward with Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Hyūga Hiashi, and Nara Shikaku.
"Uchiha Iwadai!" the Third Hokage demanded coldly.
"Your Uchiha clan openly attacked Danzō and hunted down Root operatives. Are you trying to defect from the village?!"
He immediately slapped the label of treason onto them.
But the First Elder did not fall into the trap of self-justification.
Instead, he roared back:
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! Danzō Shimura issued an order to exterminate the Uchiha clan, attempting to seize control of the Nine-Tails and launch a coup to take power—were you aware of this?!"
At that moment, Itachi stared coldly at Sarutobi and the two advisors, watching to see how they would respond.
Before Itachi, Sarutobi had always played the role of the conciliator.
And in front of the other clan leaders, he could not possibly admit that he had given such an order.
But if he claimed ignorance, he would fall straight into Ufeng's trap.
Koharu, who had coordinated with Sarutobi for years, immediately understood his difficulty and spoke up:
"Nonsense. It was Uchiha Itachi who reported that some among you harbored rebellious intentions. Danzō only brought people to investigate!"
The First Elder said nothing, merely giving Itachi a signal.
Itachi stepped forward and addressed the assembled ninja:
"Our Uchiha clan never had any intention of staging a coup. Everything I reported was done under Danzō's orders."
"His goal was to seize the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, control the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and become Hokage himself."
Hiashi, Shikaku, and the others exchanged looks.
Their expressions were dark and unreadable.
The situation had developed in a direction none of them had anticipated, yet none spoke up, waiting to see what came next.
Sarutobi, Homura, and Koharu all wore ugly expressions.
They knew full well that Itachi was lying—because the Uchiha had planned a coup.
But Danzō was Sarutobi's white glove.
At a time like this, he had to be protected.
Homura spoke coldly:
"On your word alone, you dare slander the Hokage's advisor?!"
Itachi remained calm and replied clearly:
"Then aren't you all curious why I attacked Danzō in the first place?"
Aside from Sarutobi's faction, the representatives of the other clans all showed curiosity.
Without waiting for questions, Itachi continued:
"Because two years ago, Danzō stole Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan."
"And implanted it into his own eye."
"The reason he keeps that eye wrapped in bandages is to conceal the Mangekyō Sharingan he stole!"
His voice carried far.
Every clan present heard it clearly.
An uproar broke out instantly.
A village's leadership scheming to seize a bloodline limit from its own people—this was a blood feud that meant life or death.
Koharu's eyes flicked, and she spoke calmly:
"Itachi, Danzō's eye has already been dug out. What proof do you have that what you took was Shisui's eye?"
Itachi fell silent, as if he had already anticipated this line of argument.
At that moment, the First Elder, Uchiha Iwadai, stepped forward forcefully:
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! Everything Itachi just said is the truth."
"Believe it or not, our Uchiha clan has no interest in trading words with you."
"If Konoha's upper echelon wants the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan—then we are prepared to fight to the death!"
Behind him, Fugaku, Itachi, and Ufeng simultaneously activated their Susanoo.
A massive storm of chakra swept across the battlefield.
Every ninja present felt their hearts jolt.
Many couldn't help but draw their weapons.
Yet the leaders of the various clans all had flickering gazes—
And not a shred of fighting intent.
Because the Uchiha's stance…
Didn't look fake at all.
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