All Sides Enter the Fray

Once Danzo had fully confirmed Xu Yue’s intentions, he was practically ecstatic.

Having had an arm suddenly severed by the terrifying speed of the Flying Thunder God, Danzo had developed a deep wariness of Xu Yue’s strength, even though the arm had been reattached afterward without any lasting effects.

Especially now that Xu Yue had obtained Kotoamatsukami, Danzo had practically wanted to avoid him every day.

For a time, he had even wavered in his ambition to become Hokage.

Young, powerful, prestigious, with an unfathomable temperament—such a terrifyingly outstanding figure in every regard. Aside from Danzo’s seniority, he could not think of any qualification that allowed him to compete with Xu Yue.

But now, this fellow had suddenly cut himself off from the public eye. Wasn’t such earthshaking good news worth supporting with all his might?

Even if Xu Yue said he would not abandon his identity as a Konoha shinobi and would continue taking on an unseen role within Konoha, that was enough for Danzo.

In any case, don’t even think about becoming Hokage. If you want to keep serving, then serve. I’d even give you my position!

Unseen, immensely powerful, utterly loyal to the village, cunning, and capable—wasn’t he the perfect successor for Root? Once Danzo became Hokage, Xu Yue would be his finest partner.

For a moment, Danzo had even decided who would carve his Hokage monument.

Shaking his head to suppress those stray thoughts, Danzo finally confirmed it. This fellow truly had the same obvious character flaw as Shisui and Itachi!

No matter how scheming or capable he was, he was still far too kind…

Though Xu Yue was much more capable and could even see through Danzo’s intentions, their weaknesses of character were simply too easy to seize upon.

This time, I win again…

Xu Yue truly did not know how to describe Danzo’s personality.

Originally, he had merely intended to make the most of the massacre, trading his temporarily useless reputation for tangible benefits.

Yet he had not expected Danzo’s attitude toward him to be completely different from the way he treated Itachi and the others. Xu Yue instantly sensed the fervor in the man’s eyes as Danzo readily took everything upon himself, saying he would persuade the Third Hokage.

Xu Yue remembered that even after Itachi had paid such a price and done so much for Konoha, Danzo had still sent Root members to hunt him down. Thus, aside from the mission rewards, Xu Yue had not expected much in the first place.

Yet after Danzo understood his "intentions," he began fussing over him in every possible way, making Xu Yue feel rather unaccustomed to it.

But after thinking it over, Xu Yue understood Danzo’s plans and intentions. He was probably being groomed as Root’s successor.

Danzo was already trying to build a relationship so Xu Yue would support him in becoming Hokage?

Indeed, if he participated in the massacre, his identity would have to remain hidden. He would no longer pose competition or a threat to Danzo.

And in Danzo’s eyes, Xu Yue was not truly a member of the Uchiha Clan after all…

Come to think of it, the Uchiha Clan truly did not have much time left.

The strongest clan in the shinobi world in the past… how ironic.

Wearing a Cat Face Mask, Xu Yue’s Wood Clone appeared within the Uchiha Clan compound and arrived at Fugaku’s home.

When he reached the door, he heard Fugaku’s slightly weary voice from within.

"Is that Yue? Come in."

Pushing open the door and entering the living room, Xu Yue saw Uchiha Fugaku’s tired expression and single eye. He had to admit that after losing one eye, this man’s strength had likely increased rather than diminished.

He possessed the Mangekyo while also attempting to break free from its constraints. In every regard, he was probably much stronger than he had been during this period in the original story.

With such strength, combined with Shisui, Itachi, and himself, if they truly went all out, they would have a real chance of Change Heaven and Earth in Konoha.

But unfortunately…

That would not help his ultimate goal at all…

"Haha, I spoke with Itachi at the shrine last night, only to discover that my good son seems not to trust his father."

Fugaku offered no special reception after Xu Yue entered. He casually gestured for him to sit, then laughed at himself.

Although Itachi had shown nothing unusual that night, as his father, Fugaku understood his son’s temperament quite well. He already knew that Itachi had made up his mind.

It simply was not the resolution Fugaku wanted to see. In the end, had it still come to this…

"Itachi is outstanding. Sasuke is outstanding as well."

Xu Yue removed his mask, his expression calm.

Xu Yue’s Wood Clone had kept a close watch on Sasuke and Naruto, the two children of destiny, during this period, though he had not yet interacted with them.

A carefree childhood… Unfortunately, Uchiha Sasuke would soon suffer the greatest blow of his life.

"Yes, they are both outstanding. They are both children I am proud of."

Fugaku’s expression became complicated, carrying both nostalgia and pride.

"Do you need me to do it when the time comes, so Itachi won’t…"

"No! Please make sure that I meet Itachi at the very end. This is a road he must walk, and a burden he must bear!"

A flash of determination crossed Fugaku’s face.

If Itachi could not overcome this hurdle, then even if Yue took his place, Itachi would surely be unable to endure the torment in his heart afterward.

As his father, Fugaku had to become the final whetstone that sharpened him! As long as Itachi could overcome this, then with Sasuke, he would be able to keep living on.

Though…

Living would be painful too…

"Very well. Then when the time comes, I likely will not be able to see you off in person."

"This time…"

"May also be our last meeting."

Slowly putting the Cat Face Mask back on, Xu Yue’s scarlet eyes beneath the mask met Fugaku’s lone eye one final time before he rose to his feet.

"I’ll leave Itachi and Sasuke to you."

"I will take care of them."

After speaking in unison, Xu Yue vanished from the room in an instant, like a fading illusion…

Within the camp of the "external members," the selected leadership was engaged in an intense discussion.

"The Anbu has already sent word. Tonight’s deployment has changed again."

"Is it real this time? Martial law has been in place for a month already."

"It must be real this time. We also learned from the Ninja Academy that there will be a survival drill today, and school will end very late."

"Right, according to the intelligence, one member of the Uchiha Clan survived—Itachi’s younger brother. He probably escaped disaster because of this drill."

"Looks like those people from Japan really did not lie to us. Konoha was truly the one that struck against the Uchiha Clan!"

"In that case, we will join the slaughter according to the scale they suggested. Konoha must also be urgently in need of someone to take the blame."

"Besides, with Lord De Gaulle entering the field, that will be enough to suppress the entire situation."

"With a massive number of Single Tomoe Sharingan, we can evolve a great number of Three Tomoe Sharingan at almost the lowest possible cost, greatly enhancing our army’s perception and Illusion Technique abilities!"

"…"

For a legion, no amount of importance was excessive when it came to high-end abilities that could be mass-produced!

In another relatively secluded wooden house in Konoha, the atmosphere was equally grave.

"They should still be happily celebrating their gains from the Single Tomoe Sharingan."

"But De Gaulle is the one who entered this time. That is rather troublesome."

"The Force is simply too versatile. He is absolutely the opponent we least want to face among those of the same level."

"Mr. Qi, how is it? Are you confident?"

Everyone turned to look at the person who had been sitting quietly in the shadows beyond the lamplight. When he raised his head, it was none other than Qi Xieyuan, one of the Beiyang Army’s overseas-trained members!

"At present, I am indeed probably no match for De Gaulle."

Qi Xieyuan was confident in his abilities, but he possessed sufficient self-awareness as well. Ultimately, he still lacked a little polish compared to those true big shots. His abilities were enough to handle ordinary big shots, but against De Gaulle, there was indeed still a gap.

Though De Gaulle could be considered one of France’s rising stars and was even younger than Qi Xieyuan, he had entered the Reincarnation Space much earlier. He had become famous long before even Sun Chuanfang, having already established immense prestige during World War I.

"But do not worry. I have invited an assistant. Together with your Mr. Muto, it should not be difficult for us to suppress them head-on within Konoha in this Mission Space…"

____________________

My shoulder is hurting again. This is seriously driving me crazy. I need to find a master to loosen it up when I have time.