Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 163 Sarutobi, what are you still hesitating for?!

For the next few days, both Konoha and the Hyuga clan remained calm.

The members of the divided family, who had been expecting a storm of retribution, were surprised to find themselves facing no retaliation whatsoever.

It's like Hyuga Higo, who was truly afraid.

Although the investigation into the murderer is still ongoing, it is only the most basic and routine questioning, no longer as brutal and domineering as before.

Even the attitudes of the main family members have softened considerably, and no one is resorting to beatings and scoldings as they used to.

Even if someone habitually adopts a superior attitude, their arrogance will gradually be suppressed once the person who split up musters the courage to look up and stare intently at the other.

The branch family members were overjoyed when they realized these changes, attributing it all to what Hyuga Kumokawa had said that day.

Hyuga Kumokawa's position in the branch family was completely secured. In addition to the respect that Hyuga Hizashi once showed him, the way the other members of the branch family looked at him now also showed a fervor that even Hyuga Hizashi had never experienced.

However, while the branch family was overjoyed by the improved treatment they received, they were unaware of the undercurrents surging within Konoha.

Not only the Hyuga clan, but also the Uchiha clan.

The moonlight struggled to pierce the thick clouds, sparingly outlining the trees and casting a swaying, distorted shadow.

呲!
With a short, faint thud, a figure in the woods suddenly froze.

A warm, viscous liquid gushed out, carrying a nauseatingly sweet and pungent smell, splashing onto Fugaku's face, which was right next to him.

Fugaku Uchiha stood there expressionless, retracting the kunai that had pierced the heart of his clansman.

thump.

Losing his support, Uchiha Tekka, his face filled with disbelief and fear, collapsed forward to the ground, his life extinguished in his wide-open eyes.

Just as the corpse fell to the ground, a pale-faced white Zetsu silently walked over.

Soon, a figure that looked exactly like Uchiha Tetsuka, with even the smallest features perfectly replicated, appeared and walked towards the direction called "home".

The entire process was completed in one go, with movements so swift and precise it was chilling, as if they had rehearsed it countless times.

"Hehe, you're getting more and more skilled. It won't be long before you've killed them all."

Zetsu's strange laughter came from behind, and in the shadows behind Fugaku, a tall, slender figure stood silently.

Uchiha Itachi silently watched everything unfold before him, the pale moonlight outlining the cold, indifferent profile of his face.

He ignored Jue's teasing and joking, and instead looked down at the small notebook open in his hand, picked up his pen and lightly drew a line on the notebook.

laugh.

A cold and cruel red line cleanly and decisively covered the name written in ink.

—Uchiha Tekka.

By the faint, almost negligible moonlight in the night sky, one could vaguely make out the names listed on the notebook.

All of Uchiha Itachi's names, including "Uchiha Tekka," have been lightly crossed out with horizontal lines.

This means that countless vibrant lives have been physically erased.

The red lines crossing out the black names seemed to ooze thick, pungent blood.

Itachi Uchiha's gaze swept over the names that hadn't been crossed out, as if he were examining an ordinary to-do list.

Soon, he raised his head and his gaze fell on his father's back.

Moonlight pierced through the swaying branches, illuminating half of his face. Blood droplets slowly slid down Uchiha Fugaku's calm face, leaving a striking dark red streak that resembled a tear.

Meanwhile, in Uchiha Fugaku's mental space.

It's no longer a heart-wrenching struggle of anger. Nor are there painful and desperate questions.

Here, there was utter silence.

A bottomless, chilling silence.

Beneath Shisui's Mangekyou Sharingan, which hung high in the sky like the sun.

What should have been a green ocean has now turned into a crimson sea of ​​blood.

"Iron fire..."

"who is the next?"

"Is it Nobuhiko? Or Tadasuke?"

Fugaku Uchiha knelt on the black reef, no longer roaring or struggling, his eyes blankly staring at the sea of ​​blood before him.

He was like a stone that had lost all its luster, numbly experiencing everything he was going through at that moment.

Aside from being unable to control his body, he could feel everything his body did.

To kill one vibrant life after another with your own hands, to watch them fall, to feel the warmth of life slipping away through your fingers...

Looking at those clansmen who once respectfully called him "Lord Fugaku," seeing those familiar faces frozen in shock and fear...

Not only did he kill his clansmen with his own hands, but Itachi also erased their existence.

They used clumsy imposters to impersonate the lives of their clansmen, deceiving their loved ones who were waiting for them to return home, completely unaware of the truth...

At this moment, dozens of figures floated in the sea of ​​blood before Fugaku, each one a clansman he had personally killed.

The faces beneath the water rose, staring intently at him kneeling on the rocks, their expressions twisted with pain, resentment, and savagery…

These are the souls of our clansmen who died, filled with resentment and anger. They were all thrown here by Hyuga Kumokawa using the Box of Paradise, so that Fugaku could experience the pain and despair that his clansmen had endured.

This twisted sense of guilt and pain was about to exceed Fugaku's limit, and the immense psychological trauma numbed his consciousness.

The only clear thing was the constantly repeating, overlapping faces of death, and the touch of blood splattered on his face, still warm with the lingering warmth of life.

"I killed them, with these hands..." Fugaku Uchiha murmured, "Why, why can't it stop..."

"Itachi, Shisui, isn't that enough? Isn't this enough?"

He slowly raised his head to look at the Mangekyou Sharingan in the sky, asked in a hoarse voice, and then lowered his head to look at his trembling hands that he was slowly raising.

"How much more blood must my hands get on them before I stop..."

"It's my fault, it's my fault that you've all been ruined..."

"sorry Sorry……"

Meanwhile, in the air above him, Hyuga Kumokawa's consciousness looked down at Fugaku, and at the souls of the Uchiha clan who were floating in the sea of ​​blood after their deaths.

"Now, we're just waiting for that day to come."

With these thoughts in mind, Hyuga Kumokawa connected with the scroll Orochimaru always carried and closely monitored the progress on the other side.

The scroll shows that Orochimaru has already sailed across the ocean and arrived at that other continent.

As long as Orochimaru finds the Grell Ruins there and discovers the "Space-Time Hole" within them, Hyuga Kumokawa will immediately take action to seal and control it.

Only when the surging undercurrents of the Uchiha clan fully erupted was Orochimaru able to open the "Space-Time Hole".

At that time, Hyuga Kumokawa will make the existence of the 'Virtual World' fully manifest, allowing the 'Virtual' to appear in Konoha and even throughout the entire ninja world.

Konoha was the most prominent stage in this grand drama he had personally orchestrated.

------

At the root base, inside the cold and lifeless human laboratory.

The stark white light poured down from above, illuminating this underground space with an eerie atmosphere, making it resemble a morgue.

Danzo Shimura lay alone on the cold operating table, turning his head to look at his bare arm.

It was a bizarre arm that seemed to be twisted and fused together from wood and muscle, with a human face protruding from its shoulder.

His skin was a sickly pale, bloodless color, covered with raised textures like the roots of an old tree.

The skin of the arm was covered with a complex seal, and several shackles tightly locked up the power of the arm.

However, Danzo Shimura could clearly sense that the Hashirama cells in this arm were still restless, trying to break the crumbling seal and shackles.

Each impact brought a piercing, excruciating pain.

It was a pain originating from the constant erosion at the cellular level, causing Danzo's wrinkled face to twitch slightly and fine beads of cold sweat to seep from his forehead.

"Lord Danzo." A researcher in a white coat wiped his sweat and said in a low voice, "The invasiveness of the Hashirama cells is too strong. This is the limit of what we can do."

Upon hearing this, Danzo's eyes turned sinister, but he did not reprimand them.

He knew that as he got older, the erosion of the intercolumnar cells in his arm would become stronger, and his aging body would soon be unable to hold on.

Amputating this arm might solve the problem.

However, how could Danzo possibly give up the power of Wood Release and the Sharingan?

You can also use the same arm.

But he can't contact Orochimaru at all now. That bastard seems to have vanished into thin air. He lost all trace and information a long time ago!

Without Orochimaru to prepare a new arm for him, and unwilling to give up his powerful strength, Danzo Shimura now only has one choice.

He needs to transplant more Sharingan eyes to suppress Hashirama's cells!

Just then, a ghostly black figure silently appeared in the shadows a few steps behind him, kneeling on one knee.

"Lord Danzo."

The newcomer's voice was deep and cold, carrying the distinctive flavor of a Root ninja.

Danzo didn't turn around, nor did he even shift his gaze. His voice was icy as he asked, "Explode, what's the Uchiha clan's recent activity?"

"Discontent within the Uchiha clan continues to build, and their suspicion and hostility toward the village are deepening, but there have been no extreme actions recently."

The Root ninja codenamed 'Explosion' calmly said, "The Third Hokage's move to transfer Itachi Uchiha to the Anbu and entrust him with an important mission has appeased the emotions of some Uchiha clan members."

“Especially Fugaku Uchiha, whose attitude has softened. Although the radicals are still dissatisfied, they have temporarily held back under Fugaku’s suppression.”

"..."

Shimura Danzo remained silent for a long time, only coldly sweeping his gaze over the Root ninja.

Seemingly sensing something, his eyes flickered slightly.

After a moment of silence, he sat up, put on his clothes, and said, "Okay, change your clothes and come with me to see the Third Generation."

'Boom', who was kneeling on the ground, stiffened, seemingly surprised by the order.

Without any hesitation, he immediately replied, "Yes, Lord Danzo."

------

Hokage Building, Hokage Office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was buried in a mountain of documents, his brow furrowed with exhaustion, and the embers in his pipe flickered in the dim light.

Tuk-tuk-tuk.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in," Hiruzen Sarutobi said without looking up.

Click.

Danzo Shimura was the first to enter. Upon smelling that familiar scent, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up and frowned habitually.

Although he was already used to this "old friend's" visits, this guy always brought him some trouble each time he came.

However, when Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the figure following Danzo, dressed as a Konoha ninja but exuding a chilling aura, his fingers holding the pipe paused involuntarily.

Root ninjas?
Realizing the man's identity, Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.

Danzo actually brought the Root ninjas directly in front of him?

He understood Danzo as well as Danzo understood him. In Danzo's mind, the Root ninjas were shadows that could not see the light of day, destined to remain hidden beneath the tree of Konoha for their entire lives.

Therefore, Danzo would never bring Root ninjas to him, the Hokage, on his own initiative. In Danzo's view, getting too close to the "light" would only make these shadows have unrealistic expectations.

but now……

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank, but he remained calm and composed, even displaying a perfectly appropriate hint of doubt.

"Danzo, what's the matter so late?" he asked.

"Naturally, I've come to report on the latest developments of the Uchiha clan."

Danzo Shimura replied in a hoarse voice, then turned slightly to reveal the Root ninja following behind him, and said, "Let him tell you the details..."

'Boom' seemed to be stunned for a moment, and subconsciously took a step forward, just as he was about to speak to report.

puff! !
With a muffled thud as flesh was instantly pierced, 'Boom's' body stiffened abruptly, filled with disbelief, astonishment, and bewilderment.

He stiffly and slowly looked down at himself, only to see a cane piercing through his chest, blood seeping out and staining his dark robes red.

"you……"

'Boom' opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

But Danzo, standing behind him, expressionlessly pulled out his cane.

Blood gushed from his chest, causing his body to go limp as if all his strength had been drained, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

"..."

Upon seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi involuntarily frowned.

Although he had already guessed Danzo's ulterior motives, he did not expect that Danzo would kill someone right in front of him.

"A spy? Or what?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked. "How did you find out?"

"He talks too much."

“No one at the root would speak to me with such strong subjectivity.”

As Shimura Danzo calmly explained, he squatted down, pinched the man's cheeks, and exposed his tongue.

"Hmph, as expected, they were manipulated by illusions or secret techniques."

Looking at the "Tongue Calamity Eradication Seal" on his tongue, Danzo's gaze narrowed slightly, and he couldn't help but sneer, "Not all members of the Uchiha clan are brainless idiots..."

Just as he was about to say something more, a strange change suddenly occurred the next second.

The Root ninja, who had been killed with his chest pierced, had his skin, muscles, and bones twisted and deformed like a melted wax figure.

As soon as the corpse began to change, Danzo instantly moved away from it and appeared beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, his pupils constricting as he watched the changes in the corpse.

Under their astonished gazes, what finally appeared before them was a humanoid creature with a deathly pale complexion.

"Danzo, what is this?!"

The calm on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face vanished, replaced by unprecedented shock and solemnity.

But Danzo beside him was also staring intently at the white humanoid creature, the muscles on his face trembling violently with extreme shock and anger!

“It’s not illusion manipulation! It’s not even human!” he said hoarsely. “This means…”

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression immediately changed, and he said in a deep voice, "This damn thing can not only perfectly imitate appearances, but also perfectly disguise its aura. Even I can't detect it!"

Even Danzo's seal of exterminating the root of tongue disaster was copied by this guy.

So, what the hell is this thing?

Is there only one or more of these humanoid creatures?
If even the most heavily guarded roots have been infiltrated, how much of the entire Leaf Village has been infiltrated by this monstrous substance?!
Realizing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a chill instantly engulf his entire body.

"Danzo!"

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and stared at Danzo, who was equally solemn, asking in a low and serious voice, "What exactly happened?"

"..."

Danzo Shimura's single eye gleamed as he met Hiruzen Sarutobi's serious gaze.

"The ninja that this thing was impersonating was someone I sent to monitor the Uchiha clan," he said coldly. "Now that person has been replaced, what does that mean?"

"Also, that ninja was only responsible for monitoring one member of the Uchiha clan. To prevent any mishaps, I had several people take turns monitoring him."

"But no one noticed anything unusual from beginning to end. What does that mean?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned grim, and an unprecedented sense of crisis welled up in his heart.

Of course he knew what that meant.

This means that there is more than just one white creature in front of us; all those who went to monitor the Uchiha clan have been replaced!
This means that the Uchiha clan is trying to hide something, and not only has it succeeded, but it has even begun to infiltrate the Root organization and even its higher-ups!

With the terrifying camouflage abilities of this white creature, who knows if the Hokage has been infiltrated!?

Moreover, and most importantly, Itachi Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha did not report this matter at all!

Was it complete ignorance, or was it deliberate concealment?
Considering Uchiha Shisui's strange behavior over the past few days, Hiruzen Sarutobi already had the answer in his heart.

But he still held a sliver of hope, and opened his mouth to summon the ANBU ninjas, only to be interrupted by a muffled sound.

dong dong dong! !

"Hiruzen!"

As if seeing through his thoughts, Danzo suddenly stomped his cane, his voice rising involuntarily with shock and anger: "Don't you understand yet?"

"My 'eyes' were replaced right under my eyelids, silently, but was it only my roots that were infiltrated? What about your shadowy parts? Who can guarantee they haven't been replaced?!"

"If one of these white creatures is killed, do you think the Uchiha clan will be completely unaware? As long as the other white creatures aren't wiped out, they will definitely receive the news immediately!"

"When they realize their secrets have been exposed, do you think they will choose to sit and wait for their doom, or will they take desperate measures and launch the coup they have been secretly preparing for?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's throat bobbed, and he could only stammer, "Shisui and Itachi wouldn't do that. There must be something we don't know about..."

"Hiruzen!"

Before he could finish speaking, Danzo interrupted him.

His heart was filled with anger at Hiruzen Sarutobi's indecisiveness, but he still suppressed his roar and growled, "Are you going to gamble the entire Hidden Leaf Village on their loyalty?"

"Once they really strike first, in this chaos, how will you tell who the real Konoha ninja are and who are the white monsters in human skin?!"

"The Dark Division you trust, do you still dare to use them now? How much of the Root Division I command, can I trust? By then, we'll be surrounded by enemies, with no one to trust, and utterly isolated!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's brows furrowed tightly as the scenes Danzo had described flashed through his mind, and the immense sense of crisis almost suffocated him.

"What do you want to do?" he asked in a low voice.

Danzo Shimura said coldly, "We must find us now! Immediately! Right now! Using clandestine means, find those who haven't been replaced yet, and find the white creatures hiding among them."

"Before the Uchiha clan realizes that their secret has been discovered, seal off the Uchiha clan's territory and cut off all their contact with the outside world, then take them under control!"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi pursed his dry lips. He knew that if he did this, the relationship between the Uchiha and them would be completely broken, and there would be no possibility of repairing it.

"Sarutobi, how long are you going to hesitate?"

Seeing that only the final step was left, Danzo asked in a deep voice, "Will you only wake up tomorrow morning when you're surrounded by a group of white monsters with familiar faces and kunai held to your neck?"

"Will you only give up on those ungrateful, insatiable bastards after the Uchiha clan strikes first, plunging Konoha into a civil war with countless deaths and injuries?!"

Danzo knew Hiruzen Sarutobi too well, so he deliberately mentioned the calamity that Konoha would face.

These words finally made Hiruzen Sarutobi close his eyes, and completely extinguished the last glimmer of hope in his heart.

"……Can."

His voice was terribly hoarse, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "I allow you to take people to the outskirts of the Uchiha clan's territory for strict control and blockade."

Before Danzo could show any joy, he opened his eyes again, his eyes filled with weariness but also with a hint of ruthlessness, and said, "But don't do anything unnecessary."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at Danzo's face, emphasizing each word seriously and deliberately: "Remember! It's 'blockade,' not 'suppression of the rebellion'!"

"No one is allowed to enter or leave the Uchiha clan without my explicit orders, including you and your Root. Any unauthorized armed conflict is absolutely prohibited!"

"What I want is to control the situation, prevent the riots from escalating and infiltrating, and gather evidence. What I want is the truth of the whole incident, not blood and corpses! Do you understand?"

This is the bottom line!

It was also the last glimmer of hope that Hiruzen Sarutobi preserved for the Uchiha clan when he had no other choice.

"Humph!"

Danzo Shimura narrowed his eyes and sneered, "You'd better pray that the Uchiha don't discover our operation to investigate imposters first, otherwise whether we take action or not won't be up to us!"

No bleeding? No conflict?

Sarutobi is still so naive.

Things have come to this point, and this time, we must obtain enough Sharingan no matter what.

Having said that, Danzo glanced at the white corpse on the ground, took out a scroll from his pocket, threw it into the scroll, and slowly turned and walked out the door, leaning on his cane.

As he watched his figure disappear into the shadows outside the door, Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously raised his pipe, only to find his fingers trembling involuntarily.

Turning to look out the window, he saw that the lights of Konoha were still serene, but he knew that this tranquility might soon be shattered completely.

Now that things have come to this, no matter how unwilling he is, in order to prevent any accidents from happening in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi has no choice but to take control of the Uchiha clan.

but……

"How can we find the hidden imposter without alerting them?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned as he calmed down.

Danzo was able to identify them by activating the "Seal of the Extinction of the Tongue," since those white creatures could only make a fake appearance and could not imitate the true effect of the "Seal of the Extinction of the Tongue."

However, his ninja under his command did not possess the "Seal of the Extinction of Tongue Disaster".

If those white creatures cannot be found all at once, the surviving white creatures are very likely to attack others, which could easily cause riots or even a crisis of trust in Konoha.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly thought of Hyuga Kumokawa and the illusionary abilities he possessed.

"If we gather all the ANBU ninjas together, and then have Yun Chuan use illusion magic to bring them all into an illusionary realm to test them, then we'll know who the imposter is."

With this in mind, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes flashed, and he made a decision. His figure instantly disappeared from the spot, running towards the direction of the Hyuga clan.

(besides)
(End of this chapter)