Projection magicians starting from the Uchiha clan

The existence of ninja clans is inevitable, especially when their bloodline truly possesses power, but they must never be allowed to block the upward mobility of those in the lower classes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent, his hands trembling slightly, as if he had aged several years in that instant.

As the former Hokage, he was willing to pay any price for Konoha, but as a father and the head of the Sarutobi clan, he still found it hard to accept this moment.

Based on the current situation, only a handful of members of the Sarutobi clan will survive, and most of them will be infants, with very few adult ninjas.

His eldest son and daughter-in-law were the first to be affected. Although they themselves did not have a strong desire to rebel, they had no way out after being put on a high pedestal by the remaining clansmen.

It was his mistake. If he hadn't fallen into despair at that time, he wouldn't have let them become leaders, and they wouldn't have had a choice in the matter.

After regaining his strength, the third generation did intervene in clan affairs, attempting to stop the undercurrents within the Sarutobi clan.

However, the Chunin and Jonin of Sarutobi, who had lost most of their loved ones, had long since lost their minds, and even with their past prestige, they were unable to stop their rebellion.

Clinging to his last hope, Hiruzen Sarutobi pleaded in a desperate tone, "Could you give them another chance? After all, they lost everything in that disaster, and it's understandable that they made a mistake."

Iori raised an eyebrow and replied seriously, "It's not that I didn't give them a chance, but that they chose to walk down a dead end. Now their only chance of survival is to give up the idea of ​​rebellion."

“I am not Shimura Danzo, and I will not exaggerate the crimes. As long as they have not taken the last step, they cannot be accused of betraying the village. They do not need to be executed, but can be sent to labor camps.”

"But you can't reveal the plans discussed at the meeting, just like how Lu Jiu and the others can't tell their clansmen that we're planning to eliminate all the unstable factors."

Strictly speaking, Iori and his group's scheme could be described as entrapment, which was not honorable, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Konoha is basically the foundation for Iori's future world domination. There will never be enough ninjas. Even if the current ninjas accumulate seniority, they can still hold high positions in the future. Iori has to set a lower limit for their character.

Moreover, the temptations and pressures that Konoha ninjas will face in the future will only increase. If they are not screened out at the beginning, Iori is worried that they will cause trouble in the area after they reach the grassroots level.

After all, the situation in the ninja world was far more brutal than in the feudal era, and ordinary people had no ability to resist ninjas.

Once ninjas commit evil deeds, there is simply no way to restrain them.

The clan leaders of the Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and other ninja clans understood this, which is why they joined the plan. Faced with an unprecedented change in a thousand years, they would not allow any of their clansmen to hold them back.

The Third Hokage nodded silently, his heart filled with despair. The rest of the Sarutobi clan could not turn back. All he could do was protect the few innocent survivors and try to keep the Sarutobi clan alive as much as possible.

At this moment, he was actually glad that his youngest son had long since broken with his clan and had a good relationship with Iori and others, so that the Sarutobi clan could survive no matter what.

"Monkey, you should understand, right? As the Hokage, you should abandon all emotions and take the interests of the village as the guiding principle. Since they have already chosen to betray Konoha, death is already merciful." The Second Hokage solemnly rebuked Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"I'm sorry, teacher." A hint of guilt flashed across Hiruzen Sarutobi's face. He lowered his head and silently accepted his teacher's scolding.

Compared to the Second Hokage, I was indeed too selfish.

Then, Iori turned her gaze to the only stranger in the conference room.

"Then I'll leave Sunagakure to you. Although you've been dead for quite some time, you should still have a lot of supporters."

"Leave it to me, Lady Iori, or rather, my future husband?"

The woman speaking was beautiful, with birch and green hair, a tall figure, and a fair and smooth exposed back that was hard to look away from.

"Whatever you say, Yekura." Iori didn't object. The marriage alliance with the four great ninja villages was part of the plan to appease the ninja world and achieve peaceful evolution.

In the early stages, he would not accept surrendered ninjas into the upper echelons, but failing to give them hope could lead to significant turmoil.

Arranged marriages are the best way to communicate. Through them, Iori can convey goodwill to the surrendered ninjas, understand their demands, and reunite the ninja world as peacefully as possible, reducing internal strife.

Chapter 353 Traitors Entrapped

In the dead of night, dark clouds obscured the moonlight, casting a somber shadow over Konoha Village.

Only a few streetlights remained in the village, like sparse stars in the night sky, providing negligible light.

In a dark basement, the figures of more than ten people looked particularly sinister under the dim yellow light.

A man wearing a Jonin vest exclaimed excitedly, "Haha, that tyrant actually plans to fight against the four great ninja villages at the same time. What an arrogant guy! He's bound to fail."

The other person shook his head with a bitter expression and said, "But with Konoha's current strength, it's not necessarily impossible for them to fight against the Ninja World."

"The resurrected First Hokage, Second Hokage, and the prime-age Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, plus that terrifying man, even if the other four ninja villages joined forces, they might not be a match for them."

"Lord Shinnosuke, how can you say such discouraging things? Have you forgotten the tragic state of our clansmen that night? Have you forgotten their cries of agony?" A Jonin from the Sarutobi clan shouted, his intense resentment overflowing. His facial muscles were taut, and his eyes blazed with the flames of revenge.

"I will never forget it!" Sarutobi Shinnosuke was stunned, the image of that sea of ​​blood flashing before his eyes, and then he said through gritted teeth.

After the disaster that night, less than one in ten of the Sarutobi clan's ninjas survived. Even though the images showed that most of them had only themselves to blame, this did not comfort the others; instead, it made them even angrier.

“Even with Konoha’s strength, its fighting force will be stretched thin when surrounded by the four villages. That’s when it’s our turn to step in,” another Jonin said excitedly.

Among the many ninjas present, the strongest and most knowledgeable was Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the eldest son of Hiruzen Sarutobi. However, even in his eyes, while Iori and the others were powerful, they would not surpass his father by much.

If this force were to launch a rebellion within Konoha during a period of intense war, it would be enough to disrupt Konoha's plans and destroy Uchiha Iori's ambitions.

"Is that so? It's all my fault that you think that way. I failed to stop your selfishness from the beginning, which led you to make a big mistake and end up in this situation."

A voice filled with regret and self-blame came from the entrance.

"Who? Who's there?"

The ninjas' voices were tinged with panic as they stared intently at the entrance to the basement.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke's expression suddenly changed. Why did that voice sound so familiar? It seemed like he had heard it somewhere before, but he couldn't pinpoint who it belonged to.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

A series of steady yet powerful footsteps came from above, each step like a heavy hammer striking everyone's heart.

The fluctuations of chakra, like materialized waves, pressed down on the air in the basement, making it difficult for everyone to breathe.

Everyone nervously drew their weapons, their eyes fixed on the direction of the entrance. The pressure in their hearts felt like a boulder pressing down on them, almost driving them mad.

As a foot slowly appeared on the stairs, a Jonin finally couldn't bear the pressure any longer. A resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and he shouted, "Damn it, die! Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet Technique!"

His hands quickly formed a seal, and a stream of scorching air shot out from his mouth, transforming into a fire dragon that rushed towards the stairwell.

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

A calm voice rang out, and then a huge torrent of water poured down from the sky, like a cascading galaxy, flooding the entire basement.

Under the spellcaster's manipulation, the water flowed into an irresistible force, sweeping everyone in the basement back to the ground.

"With this little strength, you still want to rebel? Why do you have to seek your own death?" A middle-aged man stood in front of the group, speaking with pain and disappointment.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke's pupils contracted sharply, a surge of shock and disbelief welling up inside him. He cried out in a trembling voice, "Father...Father?!"

The middle-aged man who appeared before him was none other than his father, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, unlike his frail and elderly father, Hiruzen Sarutobi now appears as a middle-aged man, and his aura and chakra are far superior to before.

“You shouldn’t have hung out with them, but it’s my fault too. I couldn’t stop you, and you started having these wrong thoughts.” Hiruzen Sarutobi was heartbroken, but the killing intent in his eyes remained unwavering.

"I will take good care of Konohamaru and the other innocent clansmen. You can go in peace."

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Shinnosuke turned pale instantly. He realized that their conspiracy had never escaped their notice.

“Is that so, Father? But I will not surrender.” Sarutobi Shinnosuke said with a wry smile. If he were alone, he might have given up resisting, but his wife had also participated in this rebellion, and he could not abandon her.

"Die, Third Hokage!"

During the brief moment of conversation between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shinnosuke Sarutobi, two ninjas suddenly launched a surprise attack from behind him, their two swords, like the fangs of venomous snakes, piercing directly into his heart.

Bang!

The Third Hokage, who had been stabbed, turned into a cloud of smoke; it turned out that this was just a shadow clone of the Third Hokage.

The two, who had failed in their surprise attack, were Jonin after a brief moment of stunned silence, but they quickly recovered and began searching for the Third Hokage.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

The Third Hokage emerged from the shadows, threw a shuriken, and formed hand seals. The single shuriken split into countless smaller ones, raining down and covering everyone.

clang!clang!clang!

Under the barrage of swords, the Jonin were barely able to defend themselves. Their kunai were wielded so tightly that they were impenetrable and blocked the incoming attacks.

However, the Chunin was powerless to protect himself and screamed in agony amidst the rain of swords before gradually losing his breath.

As the rain of swords subsided, the surviving Jonin exchanged glances and launched an attack on the Third Hokage, unleashing countless ninjutsu techniques simultaneously.

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes, a tear sliding down his cheek. At the same time, he created four clones, who simultaneously formed hand seals.

"Five Elements: Great Continuous Bullet Technique!"

In an instant, the chakra of the five elements—wind, fire, lightning, water, and earth—spewed out from the mouths of the Third Hokage and his shadow clones, instantly engulfing the enemy's ninjutsu, and then continued to shoot towards the enemy.

The Third Hokage, having regained his youth, truly lived up to his reputation as a ninja hero. Among non-bloodline limit ninjas, he could be considered a top-tier powerhouse.

Even if six or seven Jonin joined forces, they would not be a match for his strongest ultimate technique.

After using the Five Elements: Great Combo Technique, there were no enemies standing in front of him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at the sky, but could only see a patch of dark clouds. He thought to himself, "I'm sorry, Shinnosuke, this is the only path I have left. If you have to blame someone, blame me for being the Hokage."

Chapter 354 The Death and Rebirth of the Sarutobi Clan

This morning, after the meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to atone for his sins by committing suicide.

Most of the Sarutobi clan members conspired to rebel, and as the clan leader, he was largely to blame.

When he revealed his plans, only Jiraiya strongly objected, but he was still persuaded by the resolute Third Hokage.

In the eyes of others, with the formal application of Heroic Spirit technology and the resurrection of the First, Second, and White Fang, death is no longer the end for the strong.

It's not necessarily a bad thing that the aging third generation has retired and died. With his status and strength, there's always a chance for him to be resurrected.

After his suicide, the people began to assess his merits and demerits one by one, in accordance with the laws of Konoha.

He ruled Konoha for over twenty years, and the mistakes he made and the achievements he made were countless. It took several hours to fully sort them out.

After the reckoning was completed, Iori calmly announced to everyone that his merits far outweighed his mistakes, and that if he wished, he was qualified to return to the world as a Heroic Spirit.

Upon hearing Iori's announcement, Jiraiya and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. Iori's previous ruthless actions had made them feel that he harbored deep malice towards the Third Hokage and might not be willing to allow him to be resurrected. However, it now seemed that Iori was fair and just.

In fact, their thinking was not entirely wrong, but he had already vented his anger once in the other world, so he wouldn't continue to hold a grudge against three generations.

Moreover, the events in this world are already different from those in the original work, and the ten years that truly caused Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation to plummet did not occur.

Even if it was to appease the innocent members of the Third Generation's faction, Iori wouldn't have blocked the Third Generation's resurrection.

After the Third Hokage committed suicide, Jiraiya buried his body in the Konoha Cemetery, and his memorial stone was placed next to his wife, Biwako.

Due to confidentiality requirements, no one was notified of this funeral; only the higher-ups in Konoha knew about it.