Naruto doesn't lose control for no reason.
If he goes berserk, then either the Nine-Tails' seal is failing—or someone has attacked him.
The Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately thought of two possibilities: the Uchiha inside the village… or that mysterious masked man who caused the Night of the Nine-Tails.
His expression darkened.
If something happened to Naruto, the consequences would be catastrophic.
The village could not handle both the Uchiha Guard and the Nine-Tails at the same time. That would turn tonight into another full-scale disaster—like the Night of the Nine-Tails all over again.
Fortunately, as time passed, the scene of Kurama rampaging through Konohagakure never appeared.
Hiruzen relaxed slightly.
But only slightly.
At that moment, a guard from the Hokage Building rushed over and whispered urgently:
"Hokage-sama… the Hokage Building was attacked half an hour ago."
Hiruzen's brows snapped together.
"Why wasn't I informed immediately? How serious is the damage?"
"No casualties," the guard reported. "The attacker's target was the Scroll of Seals. After taking it, he fled. We suspected it might be a diversion and didn't dispatch large pursuit forces."
The Scroll of Seals…
One crisis after another.
The Uchiha issue wasn't resolved. Naruto's situation was unclear. And now the Scroll of Seals had been stolen.
Fortunately, there was a backup copy. The techniques recorded wouldn't be lost.
But the real danger wasn't the scroll itself—it was what was written inside.
Forbidden jutsu capable of shifting the tide of war. Techniques that could alter the ninja world itself.
Then the guard added hesitantly:
"Danzō-sama has personally gone to pursue the criminal."
Ah.
That explained it.
No wonder Danzo Shimura hadn't appeared.
With Danzō's methods, capturing a scroll thief should've been easy.
And yet—
Hiruzen felt uneasy.
Everything tonight was spiraling out of control.
Not long after, Danzō returned with ROOT forces to the outskirts of the Uchiha district.
Hiruzen immediately noticed something wrong.
Danzō's face was grim.
And the number of ROOT shinobi with him had been reduced by more than half.
That was… abnormal.
Unless—
The pursuit had failed.
And if even Danzō failed—
How strong was the attacker?
Before Hiruzen could question him, a figure appeared.
Perched on a utility pole.
Kunai still dripping with blood.
Itachi Uchiha.
ANBU instantly tensed.
Itachi's crimson Sharingan swept over them.
Even seasoned ANBU felt their spines go cold.
In a flash, Itachi appeared beside Danzō.
"I have stopped the Uchiha coup," he said quietly. "If anything happens to Sasuke in this village, I will expose every secret Konoha has."
Danzō didn't respond.
But his eyes flickered.
Itachi continued calmly:
"You're free to send assassins after me, Danzō-sama. Just don't waste my time with trash."
Danzō's pupils shrank.
So the assassination attempt failed.
Again.
First he couldn't capture the Jinchūriki.
Now he was being threatened by a teenager.
Tonight was not his night.
After delivering his warning, Itachi glanced once at Hiruzen—
Then dissolved into crows and vanished.
Hiruzen hurried to Danzō.
"Did you capture the ninja who stole the Scroll of Seals?"
Danzō's voice was cold.
"Yes. It was your precious Jinchūriki."
"…Naruto attacked the Hokage Building?"
Hiruzen didn't believe it.
This sounded like an excuse to seize control of Naruto.
"It is a fact that the Jinchūriki defected," Danzō replied flatly. "Ask your ANBU if they haven't lost contact with him."
Hiruzen froze.
Kakashi hadn't reported anything.
Danzō continued meaningfully:
"Your method of 'guiding with kindness' failed. The ANBU monitoring him were already eliminated."
Hiruzen's heart tightened.
"Then… you've captured Naruto?"
Danzō's expression stiffened for a fraction of a second.
He couldn't admit that he tried—and failed.
Naruto had forced him to use Izanagi just to survive.
From that perspective, Hiruzen had indeed cultivated a terrifying Jinchūriki.
Seeing Danzō's silence, Hiruzen assumed confirmation.
He began considering how to handle Naruto.
At the very least, Naruto needed to explain why he stole the Scroll of Seals.
Naruto was a child who believed in the Will of Fire.
Defection?
Impossible.
Handing him over to Danzō?
Absolutely not.
Danzō's training methods were extreme.
Yes, curse seals could restrict behavior.
But a Jinchūriki was one of the village's strongest assets.
You don't control that kind of power with shackles.
You bind it with bonds.
With love.
But that was later.
Right now, the Uchiha situation required attention.
ANBU soon reported back.
"Hokage-sama… there was a massacre inside the Uchiha compound. Many were killed in their homes. Initial judgment suggests Itachi Uchiha. However… their Sharingan have been gouged out."
"…The eyes were removed?"
Hiruzen glanced sideways at Danzō.
Danzō had motive.
And capability.
But he had been nearby the entire time.
Could Itachi have taken them?
Danzō frowned as well.
His experiments—and emergency Izanagi—required Sharingan.
Orochimaru's cloning techniques couldn't replicate them.
Before they could conclude anything—
Several Konoha shinobi landed nearby.
They were members of the village defense force.
Hiruzen's brows knitted.
"Why have you abandoned your posts? Was the village attacked?"
"No, Hokage-sama," one replied urgently. "The Uchiha garrison attacked the city wall guards and left the village with a large number of clan members."
"They're defecting."
Defecting?
Hiruzen and Danzō exchanged looks.
If the Uchiha defected—
Then whose corpses were inside?
The shinobi presented visual evidence.
After reviewing it—
Their expressions turned heavy.
A realization formed.
Itachi hadn't stood with the village.
Everything he did may have been a smokescreen—to cover the clan's escape.
But then—
Why were so many Uchiha dead?
Was that sacrifice merely to facilitate withdrawal?
Hiruzen couldn't understand it.
Perhaps only another conversation with Itachi would reveal the truth.
…
Meanwhile.
At Naka Shrine.
Itachi waited atop the shrine roof.
He had agreed to meet the masked man here.
Though the genocide operation failed—Shisui had escaped with more than half the clan—the coup had been prevented.
Now he would infiltrate the masked man's organization and gather intelligence for the village.
Leaving with Shisui?
That thought never crossed his mind.
Once you choose to guard the village from the shadows—
You don't expect sunlight.
Space rippled.
A masked figure appeared.
Obito Uchiha.
"You lied," Obito said coldly. "Shisui is alive. He remained in the security building. I couldn't eliminate the garrison."
"I miscalculated," Itachi admitted calmly. "But Shisui shouldn't be beyond your ability."
"He isn't," Obito replied. "But eliminating him wasn't part of our agreement."
Then he smirked.
"So, Itachi. Will you remain in Konoha? Or join your fleeing clan? Though… I doubt they'd welcome you."
That was putting it mildly.
After tonight, Itachi had nowhere to go.
Not the clan.
Not the village.
He was a shinobi without a home.
"I have severed ties with Shisui," Itachi said quietly. "I will join your organization. We will carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan together."
"But can the Eye of the Moon Plan truly succeed?"
Obito extended his hand.
"If there's even a sliver of hope to build a world without war or pain, it's worth trying."
Itachi stared at him for a long moment.
Then asked, "What is your name? And the name of your organization?"
Obito turned slightly.
"Names are meaningless."
"But long ago… people called me Uchiha Madara."
Itachi didn't believe that for a second.
But information—true or false—was still information.
"The organization is called Akatsuki," Obito continued. "The dawn."
"A new dawn."
…
Deep within the forests of the Land of Fire—
Under elite escort, the Uchiha clan retreated from Konoha.
They paid a price.
Several dead.
Dozens injured.
Even high-level Three-Tomoe jōnin.
After dozens of kilometers, Shisui Uchiha ordered them to stop.
It was risky to camp within patrol range.
But the wounded couldn't go farther.
Medical shinobi began treating injuries.
Shisui stood guard instead.
He wasn't a medic.
Helping might only make things worse.
Sitting on a tree trunk, he sighed.
He hadn't planned to lead the clan out.
But fate had forced his hand.
He seized leadership.
Issued the evacuation order.
And then—
Itachi betrayed them.
His closest friend stood on the opposite side.
For the clan, they escaped extermination.
For Shisui, the real trial had just begun.
They needed a new homeland.
They needed to avoid encirclement.
In many ways, they resembled the Uzumaki clan of the past.
A clan destroyed by fear and politics.
He had no clear solution.
Everything changed because of a mysterious man who saved him from suicide.
Choice mattered more than effort.
As he pondered the future—
A familiar voice echoed behind him.
"Isn't this Shisui, the great leader who ran off with half the clan?"
"Why are you brooding alone? If your followers see you like this, they might start panicking."
Shisui's eyes snapped open.
He looked up—
And saw Naruto standing there.
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