114: Escape From Konoha (End)

"Destiny..."

Deep within the main hall of Mount Myoboku, an aged-looking toad, none other than the leader of Mount Myoboku's toads, the Great Toad Sage.

As if sensing something, its deep yellow eyes gazed outside the main hall towards the mountain ranges and forests brimming with natural vitality.

"Elder, is something wrong?"

Fukasaku, who was meditating nearby, opened his eyes, interrupting his meditation, and looked towards the Great Toad Sage.

"Minato..."

"Minato?"

"...That child Minato is dead..."

"!?"

Fukasaku widened his eyes, staring at the Great Toad Sage in shock.

"Minato... is dead?"

"Go to Konoha and retrieve something."

"Something?"

Still recovering from the shock and grief, Fukasaku was now puzzled by the Great Toad Sage's command.

"You'll understand once you get to Konoha..."

The Great Toad Sage closed its eyes and began his deep sleep.

...

Fukasaku bowed his head and contemplated for a while, then jumped down from his meditation platform. At the entrance of the main hall, he glanced back at the weakened Great Toad Sage.

Did the Great Sage use some kind of jutsu just now? He's become so weak... Fukasaku felt a deep sense of reverence.

The Great Toad Sage, who had survived since ancient times and was the founder of Mount Myoboku, commanded respect from the depths of Fukasaku's heart. However, there were times when he found the Great Toad Sage's actions incomprehensible, leaving him in doubt.

…

In Konoha, in the emergency room.

Minato lay on the operating table, his face pale. Several medical ninjas surrounded him, desperately trying to save his life. On the side, Tsunade, too, had a pale face, directing them as if she feared the blood flowing from Minato's body.

The medical ninja using medical ninjutsu to save Minato's life was sweating profusely, and the nurses were bustling around as well.

"It's no use; the heart and lung injuries are at this level, it's already..."

One medical ninja said with extreme despair.

Though the other medical ninjas were still working to save him, they knew that Minato's chances of survival were almost zero. Miracles couldn't happen.

Half an hour later, Tsunade took a deep breath and her eyes showed a look of sadness. She told them, "Alright, it ends here. You've done your best."

"Ts-Tsunade-sama?"

The medical ninjas looked at Tsunade.

"The one who did it was also a medical ninja, just like you. Do you think he'd foolishly let you save him?"

Tsunade's fist struck the wall, and she clenched her teeth.

That little brat!

Her fist trembled, and her eyes showed a complicated and bitter expression.

After finding out that Shiraishi was the one who caused the riot last night, Tsunade still couldn't believe it. Why would that man do such a thing?

Tsunade was caught in self-blame for her foolishness. Be it Nawaki, Dan, or the village left by her grandfather, she hadn't protected any of them.

What did he want to achieve? Tsunade felt both helpless anger and confusion.

Why did Shiraishi do this? Taking away members of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, was it all the doing of Danzo and Sakumo?

Moreover, why hide his true strength?

What else had he been doing secretly that she didn't know about?

Now that Minato was dead, how was she going to explain this to Jiraiya?

Tsunade's emotions were in turmoil, and she finally took a deep breath. After a considerable effort, she managed to regain her composure. She took a last look at Minato's body on the operating table, which could now be considered a 'corpse.' It was becoming increasingly difficult to bear and turned to leave the room.

Beep, beep...

Tsunade froze.

The medical ninjas were also taken aback.

The lines on the monitor began to fluctuate, no longer a straight line.

"He... He's alive?"

"H-How is this possible?"

"Wait, what's this?"

The medical ninjas stared in amazement as a seal with the word 'Sage' appeared on Minato's body, emitting a faint green light, enveloping Minato's cold body.

Minato's complexion began to recover, and his heart began to beat. His fingers were moving slightly.

They understood that the seal with the word 'Sage' was working tirelessly to restore Minato's life.

'Wasn't that the symbol of the Sage from Mount Myoboku?' Tsunade furrowed her brows.

She vaguely sensed that the truth of the matter was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

As one who had made a contract with the slug from Shikkotsu Forest, known for its gentle nature, and who had survived since ancient times, it knew many secrets of the Shinobi world. Occasionally, it would share some Shinobi world secrets with her.

There was information about two sacred places, Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave.

According to the slug, in the hands of Mount Myoboku's Great Toad Sage, there is a mysterious and powerful sage's scroll.

It is the most precious treasure among all of Mount Myoboku, capable of bringing people back from the brink of death.

However, due to its power to resurrect, using it inevitably comes with some heavy cost.

Why would such a precious and costly treasure be deliberately placed on Minato, and what does that Great Toad Sage intend to do? Tsunade narrowed her eyes, her thoughts racing.

It seems necessary to make a trip back to Shikkotsu Forest to ask the slug about the Great Toad Sage. She thought to herself.

…

Noon.

"Elder Sora, are you feeling better?"

In the courtyard, Rindo approached and saw Elder Sora sitting leisurely on the corridor, sipping tea and admiring the rainy scenery outside.

The torrential rain had not stopped since last night. In this gloomy weather, it had a unique charm when observed at this moment.

"I'm feeling a bit better. Please, have a seat. How was the damage in the village last night?"

Elder Sora cleared his throat, indicating that he was fine, though his complexion was weak.

Rindo sat across from him, took out a report, and summarized its contents by saying, "According to the latest statistics, there are more than five hundred injured, with eighty-six casualties. Among them, it's said that the Hyuga clan lost several high-ranking members. If we add the branch ninja who defected..."

This was essentially bleeding the Hyuga clan dry.

Rindo expressed his condolences to the Hyuga clan, who shared the same bloodline limit as his clan.

Compared to the Hyuga clan, the losses of the Uchiha clan were insignificant. Moreover, this was something Elder Sora had intended.

"For their clan, the more high-ranking members they lose, the safer our position in the village becomes. This should be a good thing."

Elder Sora said nonchalantly, taking a sip of tea, completely indifferent.

"That aside, the village seems to have some grievances against our Uchiha clan."

Rindo put the statistics away and glanced at Elder Sora.

"Because the Uchiha clan didn't participate in the battle last night?"

"That's right. They're dissatisfied with this matter."

"The Police force's job is to prioritize the safety of the village's citizens. We were just following the regulations. If they want to argue, they should ask that brat, Danzo, to come over in person. I'm too old to be bothered."

Elder Sora snorted.

Without even thinking, he knew who was behind this deliberate spreading of the matter.

Apart from Danzo, no one else would do such a thing Even if some people wanted to, they wouldn't dare to act like this.

Rindo nodded without expressing his own opinion. He didn't have any negative feelings toward the village's upper echelons, but he didn't have any positive ones either.

He only needed to serve his clan.

"In that case, should we keep the truth of this matter from Ruri? When she left, she must have been full of disgust and hatred for you."

Rindo looked at the rainwater in the courtyard with a sigh.

The rain was getting lighter. Drizzling still fell.

"It doesn't matter. Do you know why I didn't let Ruri go to the Root for trouble?"

Elder Sora contemplated for a moment, put down his tea cup, and looked deep and calm.

"To make Ruri completely disappointed in the village's upper echelons?"

"Exactly."

Rindo asked tentatively.

Ruri's previous bond was with both the clan and the village, but after experiencing the ambush by the Root, she was left with only the clan in her heart.

For her, the village was only relevant because of her connection to the clan, and she continued to exist as a Konoha ninja because of that connection.

And Elder Sora had previously severed her attachment to the clan personally, making it impossible for the village and the clan to accommodate her will, so leaving was the inevitable choice.

That was Rindo's perspective.

Elder Sora's murky eyes revealed nostalgia for the past.

"This is just one of the reasons. In fact, the Will of Fire passed down by Hashirama Senju is not suitable for our Uchiha clan. It's not that it's not accommodating enough, but it's too weak. Our clan's blood can only shine brilliantly in battle. Konoha... has restrained our clan's nature. Thus, Konoha ends up making enemies everywhere."

"So, you chose Rur because she reminded you of someone you once admired?"

"You mean Madara-sama? He was just an anomaly."

Elder Sora made this comment.Rindo was surprised.

"Anomaly?"

"Would you admire someone who killed his friends within the clan to obtain the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan? I only felt fear when it came to Madara-sama and Izuna-sama at that time."

Elder Sora looked coldly at Rindo.

Rindo lowered his head in silence. Indeed, he wouldn't admire someone like that.

"If Ruri was willing to harm herself and her loved ones to obtain the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, I would have done whatever it took back then to destroy her."

Elder Sora took out a glass vial from his pocket.

Inside it were a pair of eyes. A pair of Sharingan eyes with intricate patterns. Known as the Mangekyo Sharingan.The supreme doujutsu of the Uchiha clan.

Elder Sora looked at the pair of eyes with a complex tone. "Although I unlocked these eyes, I was also enslaved by the power and curse of these eyes. I couldn't control such darkness, so I replaced them with the eyes of deceased clan members."

He understood better than the current clan members the darkness and power carried by these eyes.

When he felt that his will, even his arrogance and extremism, were being guided by these eyes, he didn't hesitate to abandon them.

He had a premonition that if he continued to use the power of these eyes to control the Uchiha clan, sooner or later, he would lead the clan into the abyss.

"The Will of Hashirama Senju is love in weakness, powerful but lacking in fierceness. Madara-sama's will is extreme in love, strong but not endearing. Neither of these wills is the hope for the future of the clan."

The current radicals, although retaining their fierceness, had already been influenced by the Will of Hashirama Senju, and they couldn't help but aspire to the position of Hokage.

They wanted to prove the Uchiha's strength.

As one of the founding clans of Konoha alongside the Senju, the Uchiha clan's ninja took great pride in this.

The conservative faction within the clan had become nothing more than the lackeys of the Will of Fire.

Although they held the honor of the clan, they had already been eroded by this love that was perceived as weakness.

From the Warring States period, through the bloodshed that followed while following Uchiha Madara, to the founding of Konoha alongside the Senju, and then Uchiha Madara's departure from Konoha and the battle to the death with Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End.

With Madara's defeat, Uchiha Madara disappeared, and Hashirama Senju, after returning to Konoha, passed away within a few years.

Afterward, the First Great Ninja War broke out, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was killed in action. His disciple, Sarutobi Hiruzen, succeeded him as the Third Hokage.

Elder Sora had personally experienced all of these events.

He was an old man who had witnessed the transition from the Warring States period to the era of a unified nation and villages.

He looked at everything that happened with the perspective of an observer.

So, he had always been pondering how to save the clan.

"Indeed, you've been planning this for a long time."

Rindo didn't know all the details of the plan, but he could guess some of it.

If Elder Sora had been planning from the moment Rur was ambushed by the Root, or even earlier, then perhaps the actions of the Root were also within his expectations. 

This included the series of reactions and countermeasures from the higher-ups, as well as Ruri's growing resentment toward them, which had been guided.

The conservative faction within the clan, who had been considered 'ignorant,' had gradually become disappointed with the higher-ups, prompting Ruri to seek like-minded allies within the clan.

Little did she know that those so-called 'allies' had all been prepared by Elder Sora in advance to rebuild another foundation for the Uchiha clan.

"He's a cunning and sly old man" Rindo sighed inwardly.

"But in all these plans, the biggest concern is whether Ruri would harm those around her to gain power. That's what I was most worried about. She's equally obsessed with power, and I was afraid she'd follow the same path as Madara. Fortunately, Ruri's choice ultimately didn't disappoint me."

Everything could be arranged, but there was one thing that Elder Sora was most concerned about and uncertain of.

That was whether Ruri's attachment to power would corrupt her true self when faced with the allure of power.

Uchiha Madara, in the past, hadn't resisted temptation and had killed his friends within the clan to gain power.

Someone who could abandon their own family and friends, who could never feel the warmth of the world with a loving heart, would also fail to care for their clan members.

All they saw in their eyes was darkness, extremism, and emotions driven by extreme fanaticism, which they called the truth and reality of the world.

They had willingly accepted the 'curse' of their clan, calling it the unchangeable fate of their clan.

Arrogance prevailed as a matter of course.

Elder Sora had once been such a fool, filled with both arrogance and ignorance, so he had a deep understanding.

It was precisely because of this that he had entrusted the part of the clan to be led by Ruri.

The charisma of a leader, strength was just one aspect of it, and love and tolerance for those around them were also essential qualities.

"But there's one thing you didn't tell me."

Rindo suddenly said.

"What didn't I tell you?"

Elder Sora furrowed his brow, thinking he hadn't overlooked anything.

"That is, you didn't tell me that a medical ninja named Chiba Shiraishi would be such a formidable guy."

As he said this, Rindo looked at Elder Sora with a complaining expression.

Honestly, when he tried to assassinate Shiraishi, he was genuinely surprised.

His original plan was to beat Shiraishi to near death and delay him with small talk until Rur returned.

But instead, he was given a harsh lesson by Shiraishi, his assassination target, and then subjected to Ruri's genjutsu torture for quite some time. Looking back on it now, he still felt a chill.

"If I had told you in advance, how could the drama have played out so realistically?"

Elder Sora smiled and sipped his tea. So that's what this was all about.

"You knew all along, didn't you?"

Rindo's eyes were even more accusing.

"Who knows? By the way, have all the leads regarding Kosuke and Miyoko been severed?"

Uchiha Kosuke and Uchiha Miyoko were Ruri's parents.

They had played a significant role in this plan, having advance knowledge of Suna's attack on Konoha.

However, as a result, all traces had to be completely erased, even if there was only a one in a million chance.

"Not yet. I was thinking that if there were any issues with the Uchiha on that side in the future..."

"Since they've already separated from Konoha, the Uchiha on that side are no longer our concern. That little brat Danzo has a keen nose. To eliminate a problem, you have to uproot it completely, whether it's in battle or intelligence work."

The Elder's tone was extremely resolute.

The sound of rain gradually lessened, and droplets of water gathered and dripped from the eaves.

"Alright, I'll take care of it later. From now on, they are no longer Uchiha of Konoha. Their resources will no longer be shared either. Speaking of which, over the years, they have also accumulated quite a bit of wealth on their side. Plus, they still have the connections the Uchiha clan had before. That should be enough for them to rise in the Land Of Demons."

Rindo sighed with regret.

"In that case, I can retire peacefully now."

Sora let out a sigh of relief.

"Retire?"

Rindo looked surprised at Sora.

"What are you so surprised about? I'm already quite old. I should have retired and stopped bothering with these trivial matters a long time ago."

"But... who will lead the clan next..."

Rindo was a bit at a loss. Without the Elder, he didn't know what the Uchiha in Konoha would become.

"Fugaku is fine. Leave it to him. From now on, he is the head of the Uchiha clan, the highest authority in the clan."

Hearing the Elder say this, Rindo felt that the appointment of the clan head was a bit too casual.

"Does Fugaku have the ability for this?"

Rindo wasn't questioning Fugaku's strength; in fact, Fugaku's strength surpassed his own. However, Fugaku's personality wasn't suitable for leading the radicals; he was more inclined toward the conservatives.

The problem was that the Uchiha clan currently had a strong radical faction.

"Seeking the position of Hokage for the radicals is a path to death. Fugaku still has a slight chance of becoming Hokage because, like Uchiha Kagami, whom I killed, he is one of the few in the clan who respects the Will of Fire. Hashirama Senju's will still influences the Uchiha today. It depends on whether Fugaku knows how to use it."

The Elder recalled some unpleasant memories and snorted.

Rindo sighed but didn't say anything. He was the one who had worked tirelessly and suffered.

"Take this with you; I no longer need this power."

The Elder handed a glass vial containing a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan eyes to Rindo.

After taking the item, Rindo left the Elder's residence.

The rain had completely stopped, and the sun was slowly emerging. There was still a dampness in the air.

The Elder looked at the gradually clearing sky, thinking that Ruri and her people should have reached a safe place by now.

Konoha couldn't assemble a decent pursuit force at the moment, as they were already overwhelmed dealing with the war.

The timing was just right.

"In the future, the fate of the Uchiha is in your hands, Ruri..."

Hashirama Senju's will was too weak, and Uchiha Madara's will was too extreme.

However, those who could overcome the curse's constraints, maintain unwavering beliefs even in the face of overwhelming power, and not become slaves to power, were those who could keep their minds unclouded.

"People with dark thoughts can never see the light in human nature; they only criticize the world from a dark and pessimistic perspective. The Sharingan is the eye that reflects the soul's path. Keep moving forward on the path you firmly believe in, Ruri, and this so-called curse will eventually... But maybe I won't live to see that day."

The Elder sighed and smiled. Why was he thinking so much?

This new era was no longer something an old relic from the past like him could interfere with.

Konoha had its flaws, but it was very suitable for him to retire here.

In this village where there was no trace of the Uchiha left, a village that had suppressed the Uchiha's nature, the rise and fall of it didn't concern the Elder.

He simply rejoiced in the fact that this village would likely be slowly corrupted by power, and he could watch Hashirama's will gradually sink into the abyss. For him, as an Uchiha, it was the supreme pleasure.

Upon careful reflection, there was nothing more deserving of applause and celebration than this.

He walked back into his house, closing the door tightly.

…

Hyuga Clan.

In the corridor of the hallway, Hiashi sat calmly.

In front of him was a birdcage, inside of which was a bird.

When he opened the cage, the bird, perhaps having forgotten how to soar in the sky, remained indifferent, pecking lightly at its food inside the cage.

"Aren't you leaving yet? She's already gone, and it's pointless for you to stay here... Fly away, be free."

Hiashi urged the bird inside the cage again. The bird continued to peck at its food without responding.

"Hiashi-sama, no matter how you ask, a bird won't answer that kind of question."

A young man who resembled Hiashi, his brother, Hyuga Hizashi, walked up to the corridor and said.

Hiashi's expression showed slight surprise; he hadn't expected Hizashi to say such words.

"Indeed, what's the matter with that guardian of yours? Is she so important to you?"

"She's a very special presence."

"Don't say such things to the elders. When she left last night, she killed many clan members."

"I understand. I am the leader of the Hyuga clan. But last night, so many birds flew freely. There will be even more in the future. I can't imagine such a thing. Once a person's natural disposition for freedom is released, it becomes an unmatched will and spirit, and death no longer seems worth fearing or hesitating."

Hiashi said with awe in his tone.

He closed the door of the birdcage. If the bird didn't want to leave, then it could stay.

"The biggest difference between humans and birds is that humans are creatures who can break free from their destiny."

Hiashi stood up, picked up the birdcage, and repeated this sentence as he left toward the end of the corridor.

Only those who were unwilling to accept their fate could paint a rich and colorful picture in the world.

Could the future Hyuga clan paint such a colorful sky? As he looked at the clear sky, Hiashi buried a big question in his heart."

End of Volume 1.

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