Inside the Hokage Building, silence reigned.
After a long pause, the Third Hokage finally spoke, "Since you agree, then return to your Uchiha Clan Compound."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Uchiha Kaede stepped forward.
"Wait!" Just as they were about to leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi called out to them.
"May I ask where Uchiha Itachi is?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly froze and became heavy.
"Uchiha Itachi? Heh, you mean that traitor, right? I already killed him." Kaede turned around and spoke with a smile, though his eyes were filled with coldness.
"Just you?" Utatane Koharu sounded dismissive. Uchiha Kaede looked too young, barely fifteen years old.
"Just me!" A sinister wave of Chakra abruptly appeared. The Hokage Trio stared at his eyes in disbelief as profound patterns slowly manifested.
Instantly, several Anbu appeared in front of the Hokage, gripping Kunai and looking wary. Uchiha Setsuna and the two Elders immediately activated their Sharingan, and both sides began to face off.
"Haha, just kidding. No need to be nervous." Kaede laughed and withdrew his Sharingan, acting as if the person who had just been full of killing intent wasn't him.
Everyone's tense bodies relaxed, but the Anbu members did not leave.
"Then where is Itachi's body?" The Third Hokage forcefully suppressed his look of horror.
"Naturally, it was destroyed." Kaede knew his objective had been achieved. After answering, he winked at the Clan Head, and the group walked straight out.
Only the few Hokage figures, whose expressions shifted between gloom and uncertainty, and the Anbu, who had lowered their weapons, remained.
After the Third Hokage dismissed the Anbu, the two Advisors could no longer hold back.
"Hiruzen, the Uchiha threat is too great! We must deal with this immediately!"
"Exactly! Look at that Uchiha brat, how old is he?! He's a genius even more terrifying than Itachi, and that genius isn't on our side!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but take a deep breath and asked sternly, "How do you think we should solve this?! Should we commit all of Konoha's Ninja?!"
Before long, the trio fell silent again.
Then, Homura Mitokado seemed to think of something, and his eyes lit up.
"Hiruzen, do you remember that organization Uchiha Itachi mentioned earlier?"
"That's right! Hiruzen, that organization supposedly full of S-Rank Missing-Nin!" Utatane Koharu also suddenly recalled it, looking excitedly at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hmm." The Third Hokage pondered. He knew this seemed to be the only feasible solution, and the method that would result in the least loss for Konoha.
Even if it meant losing some resources, it would be worth it as long as they could destroy the Uchiha.
"Call Danzo here. Have him search and make contact." The Third Hokage made his decision.
"Kaede, won't this expose our strength?" After returning to the Uchiha Clan Compound, Uchiha Setsuna was a little worried.
"It doesn't matter. We wouldn't be able to hide it for long anyway," Kaede denied.
Now both sides have entered a stalemate. Neither side wants to make a move easily, as neither can afford the cost.
Unless one side can invite outside help, but besides the other Four Great Shinobi Villages, who else would have extra Kage-Level Experts to assist them?
Kaede narrowed his eyes. There really was one place: Akatsuki!
Konoha's best choice right now is undoubtedly Akatsuki. If they ask the other four Shinobi Villages for aid, those villages might not leave once they arrive.
That being the case, it seems he needs to find a way to weaken Konoha's strength.
Otherwise, if Akatsuki teams up with Konoha, the current Uchiha might not be able to stop them.
"Clan Head-sama!" Thinking this, Kaede said to Uchiha Setsuna, "Immediately withdraw our clansmen from The Guard Squad positions, and then have the elites within the clan patrol the perimeter of the Uchiha Clan Compound. Report any anomaly immediately."
Konoha's security has always been handled by the Uchiha's Guard Squad, and this is also where the Uchiha receive the most complaints.
Given the attitude of Konoha's residents, combined with the arrogant temperament of the Uchiha clansmen, it was like dry wood meeting a raging fire.
"Alright!" Uchiha Setsuna didn't hesitate. Even if Kaede refused to be the Clan Head, they basically all listened to him now.
Kaede nodded and separated from them, walking alone on the streets of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
Although it was called the Uchiha Clan Compound, this area hadn't faded much compared to the rest of Konoha. The foundation of Konoha's Number One Noble Clan was still present. However, in the original work, after the Uchiha Clan was annihilated, he never saw Sasuke use the Uchiha's internal resources.
Even the Ninjutsu Sasuke used was taught by Kakashi, except for the Great Fireball Technique, which he had practiced before the Uchiha Clan was destroyed.
Where did all those resources and Ninjutsu go? Undoubtedly, they flowed into the Sarutobi and Shimura Clans. The Sarutobi Clan's Three Thousand Ninja in the future likely had a contribution from the Uchiha.
"Hmm?" Kaede's expression was playful as he looked at the familiar figure not far away—it was one of the two main cheats in the original plot, Sasuke the King of Forced Drama!
However, Sasuke currently looked somewhat dejected, walking alone on the street. Everyone who saw him showed a hint of disgust in their eyes, a stark contrast to the respect they usually displayed.
Sasuke's mind was a mess. Last night, his Teacher forced them to stay after class, and he returned to the compound very late.
As soon as he got home, he found his Mother crying. Before he could react, his Father immediately told him that his favorite Older Brother had just been killed for treason against the clan.
Sasuke was completely stunned, frozen in place and unable to move. Subsequently, confusion and sadness surged over him like a tide. He cried loudly, wanting to find his Older Brother, until he finally cried himself to sleep.
When he woke up this morning, he still hadn't fully processed it. But his Parents told him he didn't have to go to school.
He had no choice but to walk aimlessly down the main street of the Uchiha Clan Compound, surprised to find that all the clansmen looked at him with extreme anger.
Some people even wanted to rush up and hit him, only being held back by others.
Sasuke walked to a forest inside the compound; he truly couldn't stand the looks from the clansmen anymore.
Could what his Father said be true? Did his Older Brother really commit treason? Sasuke leaned against a large tree with one hand, staring blankly at the roots.
Sasuke turned his head and saw Uchiha Kaede slowly walking toward him.
"Who are you?" Sasuke bent down warily, tensing his body. He remembered the murderous expression someone had earlier and felt extremely nervous.
"I am Uchiha Kaede." Kaede said with a smile, and then cast a Genjutsu on Sasuke's eyes.
Sasuke felt his vision blur, and the world around him began to spin. He widened his eyes, looking at a huge Red Moon in the sky.
"Where is this?" Sasuke looked around in horror, only to realize he was in his own clan compound.
"Older Brother!?" As shouts and screams rang out, Uchiha Itachi's Slaughtering Blade swung mercilessly at the Uchiha Clan members. From the elderly down to infants, all died by his hand.
Whether they were acquaintances or strangers, relatives or Parents, they all died right in front of him.
Seeing this scene, Sasuke was on the verge of collapse, yet he could do nothing.
Until he saw himself. The version of himself in the vision angrily demanded Uchiha Itachi explain why, but Itachi merely said it was to test his own capacity.
He was then easily subdued by Itachi using Genjutsu, and subsequently, a blood-stained blade struck his body. Sasuke, watching outside the vision, seemed to feel the pain too, trembling with fear.
By the time Uchiha Kaede retracted the Genjutsu, Sasuke's back was soaked with sweat, and he looked at Uchiha Kaede with a pale face.
"You saw it, didn't you? That was the consequence if I hadn't stopped Uchiha Itachi yesterday. Everyone, including you, would have been killed by him!" Kaede said expressionlessly.
"Whether that was Genjutsu or not, you can ask the people in the clan, or your Parents."
"Why?" Sasuke murmured, his face filled with anger and confusion. The scene just now was too realistic, as if he had personally experienced the Clan Annihilation.
Coupled with everything he had witnessed today, the anger he felt toward Uchiha Itachi in his heart was now hardly less than in the original work.
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