"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion shattered the night in Konoha, jolting countless civilians awake.
Unlike shinobi, civilians lacked any kind of acute sense, so the earlier explosions hadn't alarmed them much.
But this time was different. The sheer force of the blast snapped them all out of sleep.
In that moment, they noticed a surge of unimaginable energy erupting from below the Hokage Rock, near the Hokage's building.
An unbearable heat radiated from that direction, even shattering many windows!
"What's going on—did someone attack the Hokage?"
Many wondered, worried and fearful, while shinobi who had stayed put until now leapt into action.
They quickly donned their gear and raced toward the Hokage Rock, filling the village with a flurry of activity.
"Has the fighting already reached this level?"
Uchiha Fugaku, who wasn't far from the Hokage's building, felt the terrifying shockwave and frowned deeply.
He fully supported Yuhara confronting Danzo. After everything he'd considered and the conclusions he'd drawn on the way here—
He even thought that if Yuhara asked their clan to gather and overthrow the Third Hokage, he'd support it!
But Fugaku was relatively calm. He knew killing Danzo and killing the Hokage were two very different things, and the clan couldn't afford an all-out war with Konoha.
"Uncle, what's happening? Isn't that where Grandpa Hokage works?"
Naruto, eyes wide, stared at the distant flames and asked curiously.
He'd been sleeping when someone had woken him up and brought him here, and he now stood beside this older man.
At first, Naruto had been scared—but the man's eyes were warm and full of pity, instantly easing Naruto's fear.
In that moment, Naruto knew: this uncle was not a bad person!
Sure enough, when the uncle introduced himself as an Uchiha, Naruto was sure he was good.
Naruto had always been grateful, never forgetting the kind older brother he'd met a few months ago.
The one who'd asked him a strange question, treated him to ramen without any hint of prejudice, and also carried the Uchiha name.
He'd even asked Sasuke about him later, but Sasuke had said they weren't close—though they shared a clan, they weren't all that familiar.
But that didn't matter. Naruto had remembered the name Uchiha Yuhara.
And now, because of that name and the uncle's kind eyes, Naruto followed him without hesitation.
Even though he didn't know what was happening, he went willingly, which made Fugaku feel incredibly guilty.
"This is the Fourth Hokage's child... the son of my wife's best friend..."
Fugaku sighed inwardly, determined to look after this boy in the future.
"It's not the Hokage building. That's the lair of Konoha's corruption and decay."
He shook his head and took a deep breath to compose himself before smiling at Naruto.
"Hang on, Naruto. I'm going to pick up the pace."
"Okay, Uncle!" Naruto beamed, eyes shining with trust, which made Fugaku sigh even harder.
Yes, he'd take care of the Fourth Hokage's son—he'd take care of the son of his wife's best friend.
They rushed forward. When they reached the scene, Fugaku's eyes widened in shock.
"Looks like the Uchiha really are going all out tonight."
Not far away, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio felt the terrifying shockwave, and Nara Shikaku sighed.
They'd always known the Uchiha were strong, but not this strong.
After all, their family records mentioned Uchiha Madara's power, but none of these Uchiha could possibly reach that level.
"But one thing is clear: the Uchiha haven't attacked the Hokage. Their target is obvious."
Yamanaka Inoichi nodded. He'd cross-checked earlier reports with the explosions at the Uchiha compound.
"It's probably not good. They're here to settle a score with Danzo."
Shikaku smiled, nodding. "Let's go. Since it's not the Hokage they're after, we don't need to fight."
He walked calmly ahead, at ease. After all, as long as the Uchiha weren't attacking the Hokage, he saw no reason to interfere.
As for Danzo, nobody in Konoha liked him—especially the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
But when they reached the scene, all of them—leaders and clansmen alike—froze.
"Danzo, hold on!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen had quickly dressed and gathered the ANBU from the Hokage building.
It took time to prepare his forces—especially since he didn't know how far the Uchiha's rage would go.
He also didn't know if they'd retained any sense of reason, and ANBU wouldn't allow him to act alone.
It hadn't taken long to get ready, but the shockwaves and chaos had delayed them.
Fortunately, ninja weren't easily deterred, so they pressed on.
Sarutobi Hiruzen worried deeply for Danzo—and for how much this incident might reveal.
When he and the ANBU arrived, his face changed instantly.
Under the silver moonlight, a half-body Susanoo floated in the sky.
It had no armor, but it carried a massive chakra blade, looking every bit like a reaper.
"Susanoo..."
Hiruzen's pupils widened—he recognized the jutsu instantly, and memories of the man who'd wielded it before flashed in his mind.
That man had once shrouded all of Konoha in fear—standing nearly equal to the First Hokage himself.
The giant moved. Its wielder within spoke coldly, his voice echoing in the night.
"I am Uchiha Yuhara, the blade of the Uchiha. Face your destined death."
In the next instant, the colossal Susanoo swooped down like a bird of prey, its massive sword slashing through the air.
"Stop!"
Hiruzen's voice cracked with rage and desperation.
But with a cold snort, the sword swung down, unstoppable.
(end of this chapter)