"What a pity… In the end… I still couldn't become Hokage…"
This was Danzo Shimura's last thought before his consciousness dissipated.
Dark blood erupted from his body like a fountain, instantly soaking his tattered robes. The viscous black blood spread across the ground, forming a pattern of curses. The Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Jutsu was fully activated, and a black sphere, hundreds of meters long, suddenly expanded! It began to greedily devour everything within its range—soil, trees, rocks, the earth.
However… The Nine-Faced Beast, which should have been devoured, vanished like a mirage at the last moment.
In the distance, Menma's hand rested on Shisui's shoulder. The light of the Flying Thunder God Jutsu flickered in the night wind, and their figures instantly disappeared from their original spot.
"Whoosh—"
When they reappeared, they were standing on a cliff on the outskirts of Konoha. From here, they could clearly see the giant black sphere gradually collapsing. Like a sated beast, after devouring all matter within a radius of several hundred meters, it slowly dissipated into the night.
Only a strange circular clearing remained, silently testifying to what had happened there.
The wind whipped up scorched dust, sweeping past the two of them. Shisui silently took off his mask, revealing the newly transplanted Sharingan. He gazed at the dead silent clearing.
Finally…
Konoha's "Root," the Ninja World's "Shadow," Danzo Shimura—had completely fallen.
"Even at the very last moment, he still believed he was righteous." Menma chuckled softly, "Heh… To walk this path to such an extent… In the entire Ninja World, he's probably the only one."
"Truly… beyond saving."
Silence spread between the two. After a moment, Shisui slowly spoke. "…Danzo is dead."
His voice was a bit hoarse, "The Uchiha clan members are still at the 'Ashes' stronghold… Besides joining 'Ashes'… I…"
"It seems there's no other choice."
Menma turned his head, "Hmm, you won't regret it." He paused, a hint of playfulness in his tone. "I've never killed an innocent person… Does that bring you comfort?"
Shisui gave a wry smile. "…It's alright."
He looked up, a flicker of complexity in his Sharingan. "So, are we returning to the stronghold now, Leader?"
The title made Menma pause slightly. He shook his head. "No, wait a bit longer. I still need to inform the Third Hokage of his old friend's death."
"Uchiha Itachi should be going too. For the Uchiha Clan Leader and his wife… I'll go 'warn' her again. You wait for me here first."
Shisui hesitated, then finally spoke. "Leader… About Uchiha Itachi…"
"Hmm, I know."
Menma interrupted him, "After her 'plan' is complete, I will arrange for you to meet. "
He turned, his black robe cutting an arc in the moonlight. "Then you can do whatever you want with her."
Shisui's fists clenched unconsciously; this answer he had long awaited now made his chest feel heavy. The night wind blew, carrying the smell of scorched earth and blood, and he could only nod bitterly.
The night wind rustled through the forest, leaves whispering. Menma had just taken a few steps, preparing to dispel his Shadow Clone, when suddenly—
"Ugh!"
A violent Chakra disturbance erupted from within his body, as if needles were crashing through his meridians. His body swayed violently, and he dropped to one knee, pressing his palm tightly against his chest. His face beneath the fox mask instantly turned pale.
"Leader!"
Shisui instantly appeared, steadily supporting Menma's swaying body. He could feel the rapid and disordered breathing from behind the mask.
"What's wrong?" Shisui's Sharingan spun rapidly, scanning his surroundings vigilantly, "Is it an enemy jutsu?"
Menma gritted his teeth, feeling the chaotic Chakra within him, forcing himself to sort it back into order with his mental strength, bit by bit. After several seconds, he finally managed to raise his hand, making an "I'm fine" gesture.
"It's nothing… Just a small… accident."
His brows were tightly furrowed beneath the mask. Menma knew very well what this meant—to cause such a violent Chakra disturbance in a Shadow Clone, it could only be that the main body had encountered a powerful enemy.
Had the main body already confronted Uchiha Itachi?
— — — — — —
"It's getting late."
The night wind gently blew. After passing the last row of food stalls, Naruto and Satsuki finally arrived at the gates of the Uchiha Clan Estate.
The deep red scarf they had been sharing earlier had been taken off, neatly folded and put away in Naruto's ninja pouch. Satsuki's ear tips still had a faint blush—although she secretly wanted to continue sharing the scarf with Naruto, in front of her clan members, she still had to maintain the proud image of an Uchiha.
If her older sister and mother saw her… she would definitely be teased again…
Thinking of this, Satsuki unconsciously quickened her pace.
Naruto looked up at the moon, then glanced at the depths of the Uchiha Clan Estate—according to the plan, Menma should have already completed the "fake massacre" operation.
"It's alright," he turned to Satsuki, "If Mikoto Auntie hasn't saved dinner for you, I'll take you out for a late-night snack later."
"Mom wouldn't forget me!" Satsuki retorted indignantly, "It's all because you insisted on trying every single food stall, otherwise we would have been back by now."
She didn't notice that Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It's a good thing he stalled for enough time… If Satsuki had witnessed the clan members being relocated…
Naruto feigned helplessness. "The limited edition fried meat cutlets are hard to get, you know…"
"…But those snacks tasted pretty good."
Satsuki turned her face away, the moonlight casting a silver glow on her delicate profile. Her voice grew softer and softer.
"If you invite me next time… I might not be able to go…"
Before she finished speaking, her body suddenly stiffened. She unconsciously looked up, her eyes fixed on a utility pole not far away.
Just now… was there something there?
The utility pole was empty, with only the wailing of the night wind blowing the power lines. But Satsuki was sure that for a split second, she had seen some kind of reflection.
"What's wrong, Nizhu Zi?" Naruto leaned closer and asked, his blue eyes shining with concern in the moonlight.
Satsuki slowly shook her head, "Nothing, maybe it was just my imagination. Also, don't call me Nizhu Zi…"
Suddenly, her voice cut off.
Wait… The lights in the Uchiha Clan Estate were unusually dim. No, there were no lights at all. At this time, it wasn't yet bedtime, but the entire Uchiha Clan Estate was eerily quiet.
The next moment, a faint, almost imperceptible smell of rust wafted into her nostrils, mixed with the night wind. Satsuki disliked this smell… Satsuki, still a Ninja Academy student, wasn't very familiar with this scent yet.
This was the smell of blood…