Evil Uchiha Itsuki

"Boom!!!"

"Rumble!!!"

The sound of violent explosions erupted, and the ground trembled.

Moreover!

The ground was shaking non-stop.

It didn't seem like an explosion.

An earthquake?

A large number of ninjas rushed out, alarmed, to check the source of the tremors.

There!

A giant was swinging a long staff, smashing a frail ninja into pulp with just a few strikes, leaving him completely and utterly dead on the spot.

"No!"

A roar of anger echoed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, along with the members of the Anbu, rushed over quickly.

Seeing the dead ninja, Hiruzen's body trembled.

That was his nephew!

He was a direct descendant of the Sarutobi clan!

A jōnin!

A pillar of the clan!

And now, he was dead?! Killed in public, brutally beaten to death by the Ino-Shika-Chō!

"Torifu Akimichi!" Hiruzen Sarutobi roared, "What have you done?"

*Swish!*

The Anbu members instantly surrounded Torifu Akimichi, ready to strike at any moment.

Torifu expression remained calm, not caring in the slightest. He said, "Lord Hokage, one of our Ino-Shika-Chō members went missing yesterday. Today, we discovered that this man was responsible. I came to capture him, but he tried to defect from the village. I had no choice but to kill him."

"That's nonsense!" Hiruzen Sarutobi bellowed.

"And what makes you say I'm lying?" Torifu, still in his expansion jutsu form, replied in a booming voice that could be heard across half the village. "We have evidence to prove it, Lord Hokage. I'm curious—how are you so certain that he wasn't the one responsible?"

"You... you..." Hiruzen's face contorted with rage.

Evidence?

What kind of evidence could they possibly have?

Hiruzen, still the Hokage and in control of Konoha's operations, had already investigated. The person who made the Yamanaka clan member disappear had nothing to do with anyone from Konoha.

It was likely tied to Iwagakure.

But could he say that?

Would anyone even believe him?

He had no evidence, and the culprit had already disappeared after the act.

And now, when he was already troubled by this, the other side had dared to target someone from his Sarutobi clan.

Hiruzen glared coldly at Torifu Akimichi and said, "You're eliminating your political opponents even before your son, Torifu, becomes Hokage?"

"Lord Hokage, I don't understand why you would think that." Torifu sighed. "I've told you, we have evidence. You, on the other hand... Are you forgetting your role just because the man is your nephew? You are still the Hokage of Konoha, not just the Hokage of the Sarutobi clan!"

"How dare you!" Hiruzen nearly spat blood in anger.

What did he mean by that?

Did he think there was something wrong with him?

Did he think Hiruzen had ordered his men to target the Ino-Shika-Chō?

Did he think Hiruzen was being biased?

And the surrounding people—many of them didn't even know what was happening.

But!

Torifu kept insisting he had evidence, and even though he hadn't presented it yet, people's impressions of him were favorable.

Moreover!

Hiruzen's recent actions had been so poor that people had lost confidence in him.

When someone you trust repeatedly disappoints you, that admiration can turn into disgust, even hatred.

These feelings had reached a breaking point after so many Sarutobi clan ninjas had been exposed.

So!

There was an almost instinctive rejection of Hiruzen Sarutobi from the crowd.

He had already lost the trust of the people of Konoha.

"Hmph!"

Torifu Akimichi snorted coldly, took a heavy step forward, and left the scene.

"Lord Hokage!" 

The Anbu members signaled, asking if they should take action.

Hiruzen Sarutobi only panted heavily without saying a word.

Much less giving an order to arrest Torifu Akimichi.

Starting a civil war—he didn't have the courage for that.

His reputation was already bad enough, and he was on the verge of being forced to step down. If he sparked a civil war now, he would be overthrown for sure!

He would become the first Hokage in history to be overthrown.

Not only would he die, but his clan would be finished as well.

So, he didn't dare!

...

At this moment!

In Iwagakure, inside the Tsuchikage's office.

Onoki's forehead bulged with veins.

"Rentu acted? Why? Who gave him the order to target a member of the Yamanaka clan?"

Onoki's roar shook the windows, making them rattle.

Nothing that happened in Konoha escaped his notice.

However!

To his shock and fury, the disappearance of the Yamanaka clan member was indeed the work of Iwagakure's spy.

The problem lay here!

He hadn't given any such order!

Why?

Why would Rentu, his undercover agent, do such a thing?

Onoki couldn't understand it.

Could it be that the Yamanaka clan member had discovered his spy?

Or maybe that Yamanaka member was hiding some secret that made killing them necessary?

Kurotsuchi, confused, asked, "Old man, what's going on? I saw that Konoha almost broke out into a civil war. Rentu did a good job. If we add fuel to the fire, Konoha might tear itself apart."

"Hmph!"

Onoki snorted coldly. "First of all, Rentu is my subordinate. How could he act without my orders as the Tsuchikage?"

"Second, this situation might not be a good thing."

Onoki furrowed his brows deeply.

He estimated that the three factions in Konoha were all aware that Rentu was his spy.

Yet they had still allowed this confrontation to happen publicly.

Onoki closed his eyes, deep in thought.

After a long while, he said, "Find Rentu immediately and figure out what's going on."

Besides that, there was nothing he could do.

He wanted Konoha to break out in civil war.

But was that really an easy thing?

Right now, they needed to avoid any unnecessary actions.

Unnecessary actions could easily backfire!

Just as this thought crossed his mind, another piece of intelligence was delivered.

Onoki picked it up, his face turning grim.

"Heh!"

He let out a cold laugh, squinting his eyes.

"What is it?"

Kurotsuchi's curious face was full of questions.

Onoki thought for a moment, then tossed the report to his successor.

"Kurotsuchi, he made a move too? Took out a jōnin from the Nara clan?"

Kurotsuchi was stunned. "Old man, was this your order?"

"What do you think?" Onoki looked at her like she was an idiot.

If it had been his order, why had he been so angry just moments ago?

Kurotsuchi frowned. "Then I don't understand. Without your order, why are your spies acting one after the other? Did they plan this together?"

"This is clearly a plot aimed at us!"

Onoki said coldly, "The only thing I don't know is who is behind it."

Whoever it was, they were formidable.

They had accurately located his spies.

Then, they had manipulated the spies.

They had ordered those spies to target Konoha's jōnin.

And they knew the exact whereabouts of those jōnin.

Most importantly, they had erased the traces of the battles, ensuring they wouldn't be exposed.

Someone capable of all this was definitely no ordinary person.

Several names flashed quickly through Onoki's mind.

Danzo Shimura!

Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Shikaku Nara!

The Fourth Raikage!

Itsuki Uchiha!

...

Other than the few who hold power in Konoha, the rest are the Kage of the major ninja villages.

Even the newly appointed Kazekage of Sunagakure might not have this kind of strength.

"They all want Konoha in chaos but none of them want to take action. They just throw everything onto me. Keep dreaming!"

Ōnoki sneered and said, "If you want to play, fine, then let's make it exciting!"

The assassination began!

This time, Ōnoki wasn't going to be passive anymore! He actively contacted some spies from Iwagakure and ordered them to assassinate the Ino–Shika–Chō trio.

Yes! Only the Ino–Shika–Chō! He aimed at that group and went for the kill!

As for Shimura Danzō and Sarutobi Hiruzen, he couldn't care less about them.

At the same time, he informed Danzō and Hiruzen about some undercover agents from Sunagakure and Kumogakure.

What they decided to do was their business.

He didn't believe they would just sit there and do nothing!

By the way, he kindly warned those spies that they'd been exposed and should watch their backs.

And so!

Chaos erupted in Konoha.

The constantly targeted Ino–Shika–Chō trio were the first to explode in fury, launching attacks against the Sarutobi clan.

"If I lose one person, I'll kill two of yours. Don't say it's not you unless you can prove it."

Danzō, having received intelligence from his spies, was quite pleased, thinking this was his chance to make a great contribution to Konoha, which would be a huge advantage for his future as Hokage.

But little did he know!

When his ninjas went to capture these spies, the first capture went smoothly, but the second one ended in an ambush.

A fierce battle broke out between both sides, with casualties on both ends.

The last spy, in a desperate attack, caused a massive disturbance.

Even then, Danzō's side held the absolute advantage and successfully eliminated the enemy.

And then!

Civil war broke out!

Konoha's tensions had long been stretched to the breaking point.

The Ino–Shika–Chō trio and Sarutobi Hiruzen clashed almost directly. Danzō's moves created suspicion and fear among them, so they struck first!

In the stunned eyes of the other ninja villages, Konoha became a sea of fire.

All three sides wanted the other to submit.

All three sides wanted to suppress the other.

All three sides wanted to be recognized as legitimate.

All three sides had reasons they could not back down.

The battle began!

Konoha was divided into three parts.

The entire ninja world was dumbfounded.

This was something no one could have dreamed of.

But in reality, it was inevitable.

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't abandon his clan—it was thousands of people, not just a few, not even just dozens or hundreds.

Thousands!

Including his own son and grandson!

A weak clan, when growing rapidly, inevitably had to bear darkness.

If this darkness was discovered by the newly appointed Hokage, Akimichi Torifū, what would happen?

Could Hiruzen take that gamble? As Hokage, he could empathize with Torifū—if he were Torifū, would he strike against such a large clan?

Yes! He would!

Because Hiruzen himself had constantly been squeezing the Uchiha clan's living space.

So, Hiruzen would not back down!

He couldn't let the Sarutobi clan become another Uchiha.

The Sarutobi clan wouldn't have an Uchiha Itsuki to lead them and establish a new ninja village.

Would Shimura Danzō back down?

No way!

The word "Hokage" had become his obsession.

He had no children, and the meaning of his entire life rested on that title. If he couldn't become Hokage, he would never rest in peace.

Sometimes Itsuki even wondered if Danzō would destroy Konoha just to become Hokage.

As for Akimichi Torifū, he was the most easily persuaded of the three.

But!

Sarutobi Hiruzen had gone too far.

He'd asked Torifū to come out of retirement, only to use him as muscle and possibly set him up—why should Torifū accept that?

Back in the day, he wasn't as good as Hiruzen, but that was in an overall sense.

In terms of pure strength, except for Kagami, who did Torifū fear?

Additionally, the Ino–Shika–Chō trio truly desired the Hokage title and wanted to see one of their own ascend to it.

So, the three factions fought fiercely within Konoha.

Fortunately.

The fighting was confined to the Ino–Shika–Chō, Sarutobi, and Shimura clans.

Even the ANBU, under direct command of the Hokage, chose to step aside in this conflict.

Other ninja villages and shinobi hid on the sidelines, not getting involved in the situation.

Even so.

The scale of this internal war was unprecedented.

The Sarutobi clan originally had 3,000 ninjas. After Itsuki's repeated attacks, they had lost more than half.

But!

Those 3,000 ninjas were all in their prime, combat-ready shinobi.

If you included the very young and the elderly, the number would double.

This time, Hiruzen was desperate.

He pulled out every combat-capable ninja, assembling another 3,000 Sarutobi warriors!

The combined forces of the Ino–Shika–Chō trio numbered over 1,000.

But among the three factions, they were the weakest.

Once again, Danzō surprised everyone.

The Shimura clan wasn't able to provide much help to Danzō—just over 1,000 members.

But!

The Root!

The ANBU didn't support the Hokage, but the Root supported Danzō.

The "Curse Mark of Absolute Obedience" forced those Root members to fight for Danzō with their lives.

There were hundreds of them.

With Danzō's high standards, you can imagine—the Root members were the elite of the elite.

In no time, the Sarutobi clan was forced to retreat again and again by Danzō.

The three sides became a brutal meat grinder, tearing each other apart without care.

This shocking spectacle stunned the ninja from other villages.

Even Orochimaru was speechless!

Could things really play out like this?

Orochimaru, especially, after his initial shock, felt a deep sadness in his eyes.

"Teacher! You gave up on me for power, and now, do you regret it?"

"If I were Hokage, none of this would have happened."

Though Orochimaru had a dark heart, in many ways, he was a perfect fit for Hokage.

Yet not only had he not become Hokage, he had been forced out of Konoha by Hiruzen.

If he were there, Konoha would never have reached this point!

Even Jiraiya!

The usually reclusive Jiraiya was roused from his isolation by the commotion, stepping outside only to find himself utterly confused by the chaos.

If he had become Hokage, Konoha wouldn't be like this!

Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya, sneering.

Though he looked down on Jiraiya, he still recognized his abilities.

Orochimaru didn't know!

Among the three Sannin, only Tsunade would eventually become Hokage.

But!

In terms of pure capability, Orochimaru and Jiraiya both surpassed her.

Orochimaru had mastered all kinds of forbidden jutsu.

And Jiraiya, as he aged, only continued to grow stronger.

As for Tsunade, while she had her accomplishments, her performance during the Pain assault on Konoha was somewhat lacking.

(End of chapter)