I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

Faced with a life-or-death crisis, the Root ninjas did not flee, but all looked at Danzo, awaiting orders.

The Root ninjas were fearless, but Danzo had no intention of dying there. After leaving an order to cover their retreat, he fled towards the village.

But Naruto had already aimed at Danzo's back and threw the Rasengan directly out.

The spiral wheel flew at an extremely high speed, like an arrow shooting towards the forest where Danzo was, and detonated instantly.

The moment the spiral wheel exploded, it illuminated the dark forest where it had been standing. With a violent tremor, countless plants and trees collapsed in the direction of the shockwave, and debris and dust flew out.

After the tremors subsided, fiery red lava appeared in the center of the explosion.

Naruto arrived at the scene and found half an arm on the edge of the explosion's epicenter, where he fell into deep thought.

It's unrealistic to expect the Spiral Wheel Ball to kill Danzo. There's no precedent for a Kage-level shinobi dying from a Tailed Beast Ball, especially since Danzo also possesses the Izanagi technique.

This arm is most likely a trick Danzo used to mislead himself.

After all, given that the difference in strength between the two sides is not significant, Danzo would certainly not go all out against him, and the village could not find a second ninja suitable to serve as a Jinchuriki.

Therefore, Danzo could only pretend to be dead in front of himself and would not easily show his face in the future.

After bending down to pick up Danzo's arm, Naruto said jokingly, "Kyuubi, how powerful is my Rasengan? Isn't it much stronger than the Rasenshuriken? Is it up to the average level of a tailed beast?"

Kurama, resting his chin on one hand, said, "You're much stronger than Shukaku, but you can't compare to me. My Tailed Beast Ball destroyed an entire island back then, while yours only destroyed half a block at most. You're far inferior."

Chapter 72 Heading Towards Divergence

"I'm still young and have room to grow. Who knows, maybe one of my spiral wheels could destroy the moon someday. Don't underestimate a growing boy."

Naruto jokingly revealed his true feelings.

Furthermore, the moon in the ninja world is indeed not very large. In terms of area alone, it is even smaller than the territory under the jurisdiction of Konoha. The reason for its existence is only to seal Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Kurama's eyes were full of disdain; he didn't believe Naruto could destroy the moon.

However, with the Nine-Tails' help, Naruto will eventually surpass those two ninjas in red armor and avenge his past humiliation.

Thinking of this, Kurama felt much better and said to Naruto, "The pursuers have been dealt with. Now, should we leave directly or continue watching the good show of Konoha's internal strife?"

"Of course, I'll watch this good show..."

Halfway through his speech, Naruto suddenly sensed a malicious intent and immediately condensed a Rasengan, slamming it into the ground.

The Rasengan drilled a hole in the ground, and in the center of the hole lay a white humanoid creature, completely lifeless.

Sensing the commotion outside, Kurama frowned: "Are there any other pursuers?"

Naruto recognized the White Zetsu and shook his head slightly: "It shouldn't be Konoha's pursuers, and this guy doesn't look very human. It should be a force from outside the village."

"Not quite human?" Kurama fell into deep thought, seemingly recalling memories from ancient times.

Naruto collected the White Zetsu's corpse. White Zetsu were humans modified by the God Tree and possessed abilities similar to the First Hokage. Even if he couldn't use them for research, he could still exchange them for money in the future.

The ninja world has never lacked mad scientists; they're sure to fetch a good price.

Once Kurama came to its senses, it finally remembered where it had heard of White Zetsu. Wasn't that the creation of Ten-Tails? It had heard its grandfather mention it when it was a child.

But this thing disappeared for a thousand years, how did it reappear in the ninja world?

While Naruto and Kurama were pondering, neither of them noticed that the originally incredibly secure Bagua seal had begun to loosen, and the talismans on it could fall off at any moment.

……

Within the Uchiha clan.

Itachi and Shisui fought fiercely under the moonlight, their speed so great that they left afterimages in their wake.

Compared to battles between ordinary ninjas, their fight was more like a spectacular performance; even ordinary Uchiha ninjas would find it difficult to see their movements.

Given the vast difference in strength, Izumi and the other Uchiha did not dare to rush forward to provide support.

If they were to join the battle, it would be hard to say whether they would become Shisui's support or a burden. They are not even in the same league as Shisui and Itachi.

Taking advantage of the lull in Itachi and Shisui's battle, Izumi scaled the wall and entered the clan head's mansion.

As soon as I stepped into the entrance hall, Izumi Uchiha smelled the familiar stench of blood. Upon closer inspection, she saw Fugaku and Mikoto lying in a pool of blood and immediately held her breath.

Itachi's act of killing his mother made Uchiha Izumi question the meaning of life.

But to her surprise, Itachi treated his own parents the same way, wielding his sword in a brutal attack.

What could have possibly driven Itachi to the idea of ​​harming his own clan, and to actually do it? Itachi wasn't like this before.

During the Nine-Tails' rampage, Itachi saved him and his mother.

While studying at the Ninja Academy, Itachi, though not good at expressing his feelings, would secretly take care of his classmates and friends.

After becoming a ninja, he met Itachi several times, and Itachi expressed his desire to protect his clan and village.

So when exactly did Itachi become the demon who killed his clansmen?

Izumi simply couldn't understand it. The chakra secreted in her brain began to concentrate in her eyes, causing her three-tomoe Sharingan to spin wildly, seemingly on the verge of evolving into the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan.

But perhaps for self-preservation, the Sharingan stopped evolving... and reverted to its original three-tomoe form.

However, Uchiha Izumi did not notice the strangeness in her eyes at the moment. Her attention was on Mikoto. Did Aunt Mikoto's finger twitch just now?

Did Aunt Mikoto survive by sheer luck?

Without a second thought, Izumi Uchiha immediately knelt down to check on Mikoto. Finding that she was still breathing, she quickly used medical ninjutsu to resuscitate her.

After several rounds of medical ninjutsu treatment, Mikoto's complexion looked much better.

Uchiha Izumi knew that all of this was an illusion. If Aunt Mikoto, who had lost a lot of blood, did not receive professional rescue, she could only prolong her life for a few more hours at most.

However, the clan is currently on its way to evacuate Konoha and it is impossible for them to seek medical treatment at Konoha Hospital.

As for asking the higher-ups in Konoha for help, that would be like throwing a lamb to the slaughter, and he himself would be in danger. But he couldn't just stand by and watch Aunt Mikoto die.

Despite her inner struggle, Izumi Uchiha did not forget to examine Fugaku Uchiha.

The clan leader who led his clan in rebellion against the higher-ups was not so lucky. Fugaku, who had been stabbed in the heart with a dagger, was already dead beyond any doubt. However, judging from his expression, the clan leader seemed to have died with a smile on his face.

She was still smiling after being killed by her son?

Unable to understand, Izumi reached out and closed Fugaku's eyes, then picked up Mikoto and wandered around the mansion, searching for Sasuke.

Sasuke is also a member of the clan, so it would be best if he could be taken away. Hopefully, he hasn't been killed by Itachi yet.

At this moment, the remaining security guards also entered the mansion one after another, found the clan leader lying in a pool of blood, and followed the dripping blood to find Uchiha Izumi.

"Izumi, is Lady Mikoto still alive?"

Upon discovering Mikoto in Uchiha Izumi's arms, the security team member asked...

Uchiha Izumi said anxiously, "Aunt Mikoto is still alive, but her condition is very dangerous. Are there any skilled medical ninjas in the security forces?"

After a moment's thought, the security guard replied, "Yes, they are, but it seems they were moved out earlier..."

"They were moved out ahead of schedule, doesn't that mean Aunt Mikoto is..."

After witnessing her mother's death, the fragile and sensitive Uchiha Izumi did not want to see anyone she knew die again, even if that person was Uchiha Itachi's mother.

The guard glanced at Fugaku's body and said, "It's not too late for us to leave now. As long as we can get out, Lady Mikoto should be able to receive timely treatment. I just don't know if the clan leader can be saved."

"The clan leader and Lady Mikoto are both very good people, yet they have a rebellious son."

Izumi Uchiha ignored the second half of the security guard's sentence and frowned, asking, "If we leave now, what about Shisui? Will he lose to Itachi...?"

As the security guards carried Fugaku's body, they said:

"Don't worry, Shisui-sama also has the Mangekyou Sharingan. Don't waste the time he's buying."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Izumi nodded and followed the security team members, retreating towards the edge of the clan's territory. Before leaving, she glanced at Shisui and Itachi, who were locked in fierce combat, and etched Itachi's image deep into her mind.

No matter what Itachi's reasons were, she could not forgive him for what he did.

Even if Itachi had indeed defected to the village and received orders to eliminate the Uchiha Guard, he shouldn't have targeted all his clansmen, as many ordinary people in the clan's territory didn't want to participate in the coup.

They didn't have any grand ideals; they just wanted to live an ordinary life in the village.

However, a large portion of these ordinary people within the clan still died at the hands of Itachi.

Therefore, she absolutely... absolutely cannot forgive Itachi!

The battle between Itachi and Shisui continues.

Having awakened their three-tomoe Sharingan, they all noticed Izumi and the security guards' subtle actions, but they were unable to intervene due to the intense battle.

clang!

The shuriken and kunai clashed again, and Itachi and Shisui almost pressed their faces together, staring into each other's eyes, but neither of them dared to activate their genjutsu.

Six months ago, they had sparred many times and were very familiar with each other's fighting styles.

However, none of them had awakened the Sharingan at that time, because for the Uchiha, the Sharingan represented ambition and misfortune. Awakening the Sharingan to a clansman would mean a breakdown in the relationship between the two sides.

The fact that the two of them activated their Sharingan and fought without holding back signifies that they have completely become adversaries.

Itachi landed on the artificial hill in the courtyard and looked at Shisui not far away, his tone complicated: "Shisui, I'm glad you're still alive, but you're too late. I've already found my own path."

"If you continue to stand in my way, I will kill you without hesitation."

As the battle progressed, Itachi confirmed that the person in front of him was his close friend Shisui. Imitating appearance was easy, but imitating fighting style was extremely difficult. Apart from Shisui, there was no other Jonin in the clan as powerful as him.

Shisui snorted coldly and made no further attempt to persuade Itachi.

He spent several years with Itachi, carried out many dangerous missions together, and had in-depth discussions about the village and family relationships. They were kindred spirits who could talk about anything.

Therefore, he could sense Itachi's determination and understood that persuasion would not change Itachi's choice.

However, he stopped Itachi not because of ideological differences, but to buy time for the clan to evacuate, and because every person who escaped alive would increase the clan's chances of resurgence.

Just as Shisui was about to make another move, a light appeared on the distant horizon, followed by a violent earthquake.

Upon noticing the commotion, Shisui and Itachi exchanged a glance, both looking puzzled.

Isn't today the day a clan launched a coup? Why are there sounds of fighting outside the village? Could such a large-scale explosion mean that other ninja villages have invaded Konoha?

After a moment of doubt, Shisui's face lit up with joy, a hint of anticipation creeping into his heart.

If someone were to invade Konoha and start a war, it would actually be a good thing for the Uchiha clan. The chaos would reduce the casualties during the evacuation, and the Uchiha would become highly sought-after by other ninja villages.

In contrast, Itachi's expression was much worse, and he frowned as he looked towards the direction outside the village.

There have been too many unexpected events tonight. In addition to Shisui's return, someone even took the opportunity to attack the village. Could all of this be a conspiracy by the masked man?