Chapter:45

At this time, the Third Hokage and Danzo were still unaware that their clans had been exterminated.

"Who is it?"

Seeing his son's miserable condition, Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer maintain his usual gentleness and kindness and spat out these two words through gritted teeth.

The ferocious expression and bulging veins on his temples made the surrounding Anbu ninjas shudder.

At this moment, everyone present knew that the Third Hokage, renowned as the "strongest Hokage of all time" and the "Ninja Hero," was furious.

"No, I don't know. It was already like this when we discovered it," the Anbu ninja next to him replied timidly.

Before Sarutobi Hiruzen could respond, a team of Anbu led by Kakashi rushed over from the Uchiha clan's territory.

"Hokage-sama, Sasuke Uchiha is the only one left alive in the Uchiha clan, but he is trapped in a genjutsu and is in a deep coma. And..."

Kakashi's expression under his mask was particularly complicated. He hesitated before continuing, "We also found Kirito's body. It seems he was hit by a powerful genjutsu, similar to Sasuke's, before he died. Then he was stabbed through the chest and killed with a single blow. His mask and sword are missing. The body has been recovered."

Kirito was the disciple of his good friend Kurenai Yuhi, Naruto's mentor, and the teacher's orphan. Kakashi himself had also taught Kirito ninjutsu and had a very good impression of him.

No one wanted to see Kirito die, especially Kurenai. Kakashi, more than anyone, understood her concern for him. During the year Kirito joined Anbu to monitor the Uchiha clan, Kurenai frequently asked about him, and Kakashi could only assure her of his safety without revealing any details of his mission.

It was hard to imagine how devastated Kurenai would be upon hearing of Kirito's death.

After hearing about Kirito's demise, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a sense of comfort. But being an old fox, he noticed Kakashi's low mood and suppressed his own grief and murderous intent. He feigned regret and said, "Kirito died protecting the Uchiha clan of Konoha. He is a hero. Once the bodies of the Uchiha clan are dealt with, arrange for Kirito's burial."

"As for Kurenai, Kirito was her disciple, so go notify her personally."

"Yes, Lord Hokage," Kakashi responded respectfully. He was deeply moved by the Third Hokage's thoughtfulness toward his subordinates.

After Kakashi left, the Third Hokage's eyes turned cold as he ordered sternly, "Start counting the number of deaths in the Uchiha clan and identify each one. Additionally, send Shinnosuke and the others' bodies to the analysis department. I want to know who killed them."

He suspected there was someone else in the Uchiha clan besides Itachi, capable of such carnage. It was unlikely that his son, an elite jonin, and four capable assistants could be killed so easily. Moreover, it could be the same mysterious person who had severed Danzo's left arm and taken Shisui's right eye.

With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen led his Anbu group into the Uchiha clan's territory. His goal was not only to find the murderer who killed his son and clan members but also to find someone to take the blame for the Uchiha clan's massacre.

Though much of the blame could fall on Uchiha Itachi, the influential families of Konoha would not be easily fooled. He knew the intricate relationships between the Uchiha and Konoha's upper echelons like the back of his hand. One misstep could throw Konoha into chaos and endanger his position as Hokage—a situation Sarutobi Hiruzen could not afford.

Someone else needed to shoulder the blame, and that person was none other than his good friend, Danzo Shimura.

There were two benefits to this move. First, it would quell the dissatisfaction among Konoha's influential families. Second, the power of the Root had grown too large to control, and Danzo no longer respected him, the "strongest Hokage of all time."

This was an opportune moment to weaken the Root's influence. This is why Sarutobi agreed to let Danzo oversee the Konoha Guard.

As for Danzo's secret attempts to recover the Sharingan, Sarutobi knew all about it. He would consider it Danzo's compensation.

Poor Danzo thought he had won big after the Uchiha clan's annihilation but didn't realize that Sarutobi Hiruzen had been manipulating him all along.

Of course, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't fare much better. His eldest son and daughter-in-law had been killed, and most of his clan had been wiped out by Kirito.

In secret, Kirito had observed everything. His decision to fake his own death was spur of the moment, aimed at creating the illusion for Konoha's upper ranks that someone was impersonating him and destroying the Sarutobi and Shimura clans.

He had no other choice. He couldn't abandon his disciple, Anko Mitarashi, like Orochimaru had. Kurenai was still in Konoha, and this act also served as a way to protect her indirectly.

Regardless of whether Sarutobi Hiruzen discovered that Kirito had killed members of the Sarutobi clan, Kirito was already "dead," and Sarutobi Hiruzen could only swallow his anger. When Kirito returned to Konoha, it would be time to implement the Konoha collapse plan.

"It's time to see Kurenai."

Considering that the Root Ninjas hadn't seen the full extent of Kyoka Suigetsu's powers, Kirito carefully retrieved the bodies of Uchiha Izumi, Mikoto, and the three crows he used as decoys. He also took the bodies of Fugaku and several nearby Uchiha clan members with three-tomoe Sharingan to serve as distractions.

Finally, he left the Uchiha clan territory quietly.

At the same time, at Konoha Guard Headquarters, Danzo suppressed the pain in his stomach while directing the Root Ninjas to retrieve more Sharingan, feeling both pain and pleasure.

At that moment, a Root ninja approached. "Lord Danzo, the death count has been completed. All the Konoha Guards have been killed, except for Uchiha Fugaku, who is in the Uchiha clan's territory. As you requested, I have sent the death list to the Third Hokage, but..."

He hesitated before continuing, "Most people had their eyes gouged out. There aren't many three-tomoe Sharingan left."

"That damn bastard," Danzo muttered in frustration. He was aware of this because it was part of his deal with Obito—Obito would help him wipe out the Konoha Guard, and in return, Obito would take half of the Sharingan. However, from what this subordinate reported, it seemed Obito had taken more than his share.

"Lord Danzo, what should we do next?" asked the Root ninja.

"Leave a few men here to continue collecting Sharingan. The rest, follow me to the Uchiha clan's territory," Danzo ordered.

(End of Chapter).

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