Chapter 15: Leaving the Ninja World

"Danzo, you've been targeting Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."

"You secretly colluded with Orochimaru, helped him conduct human experiments, and obtained the First Hokage's cells to strengthen yourself. Only with that enhanced body can you withstand the power of multiple Sharingans."

"Your purpose is to control the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki and become the new Hokage, isn't it?"

Before Kakashi could take action, Yami released lightning chakra from his feet, forcing back the swamp technique while simultaneously shouting these accusations for all to hear.

Everyone present was stunned by this explosive information.

The revelations were so shocking that the ANBU momentarily forgot to continue their assault, processing the implications of what they'd just learned.

"The Fourth Hokage's death has something to do with you, doesn't it?"

"You were furious when Sarutobi Hiruzen passed the Hokage position to him instead of you. On the night of the Nine-Tails attack, clan leader Fugaku clearly wanted to help defend the village, but you prevented him from acting."

"Instead of assisting the Fourth Hokage, you did everything possible to stop the Uchiha from participating and didn't even attempt to rescue him."

"At that time, the clan leader already possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. If he had been allowed to fight, the Nine-Tails Rebellion would never have reached such catastrophic proportions."

"And finally, Danzo, what exactly is your connection to that masked person that fought the Fourth Hokage?"

Yami continued his relentless verbal assault while the Root operatives maintained their physical attacks.

The elite agents kept up their offensive pace, releasing various ninjutsu techniques in coordinated waves.

However, these were mostly B-rank techniques.

After all, truly devastating jutsu were beyond the reach of ordinary operatives.

The more specialized ninjutsu couldn't escape the penetrating gaze of the Mangekyō Sharingan, let alone break through the Susanoo's formidable defense.

"Yami, is what you're saying really true?"

Kakashi raised his hand and directly halted the ANBU who were about to continue their attack.

His eyes were pained beyond measure, the edges nearly bursting with emotion.

Apart from Obito and Rin, Minato-sensei had been the person he cared about the most in this world.

"Everything I've said is the absolute truth. There's no reason for me to lie to you about this."

"If the Uchiha had truly been planning a rebellion, Konoha wouldn't have only suffered that much, and we wouldn’t have been let go to remain with no punishment... Instead, it was Danzo who stopped us, which only led to the village placing the blame on us…"

"Your father, the Legendary Sannin, they all left Konoha behind, causing the village to fall into decline... That's one of the reasons we're in this desperate situation now."

Yami had originally planned to reveal that Kakashi's father's death was also connected to Danzo's machinations.

But he ultimately chose not to burden Kakashi with that additional truth.

Knowing too much would only make Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo target him for elimination.

At the same time, he spoke these words specifically to buy precious time.

The portal leading to the One-Piece world had begun opening behind him.

The dimensional gateway required three seconds to fully manifest, so Yami needed to maintain this conversation just a bit longer.

Incidentally, disrupting Konoha's internal unity and causing them to turn against each other would make Yami even more satisfied with the outcome.

"Danzo…"

Kakashi's voice carried pure determination as he ground his teeth.

He found this revelation almost impossible to accept.

The surrounding ANBU were equally shaken and uncertain about how to proceed.

Many of them believed these accusations carried the ring of truth, and a significant number regarded the Fourth Hokage as their personal hero.

Minato had risen from common origins to become their leader.

Learning that the Hokage's death was directly connected to the Hokage's own advisor made the revelation all the more devastating for them to process.

"The Uchiha will never follow in the footsteps of the Senju clan and become forgotten in this ninja world."

"Now that the Uchiha have departed, the Hyuga will be next on your list."

"The next time the Uchiha return, it will be to witness Konohagakure's complete disappearance from the ninja world."

Yami decided not to continue prolonging the confrontation.

Root's coordinated assault had become increasingly ruthless, focusing their attacks on a single point of his Susanoo until visible cracks had begun to appear in the chakra construct.

After delivering these final words, Yami along with Shisui, began walking backward toward the now-fully manifested portal.

Sarutobi Hiruzen finally arrived at the scene, his face bearing an expression of absolute fury.

When he reached the battlefield, he only had time to witness half of Yami's body already passing through the dimensional gateway, the young Uchiha regarding him with eyes filled with cold contempt.

At the same time, Yami spoke to him through deliberate lip movements:

"I want you to experience my other Mangekyō technique as well."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, reading this silent message, felt immediate shock course through his system.

"[Thunder Trial]."

Yami's Mangekyō Sharingan spun with increasing velocity.

He locked his ocular power directly onto Sarutobi Hiruzen's position.

BOOM

A deafening thunderbolt fell directly from the skies, seemingly appearing from out of nowhere, striking where Sarutobi Hiruzen stood. It burned him to a crisp.

Many witnesses raised their heads in amazement, discovering that somehow, massive clouds had gathered in the sky above them.

It was a result of the water and fire release used so far.

The intensity and ferocity of that lightning strike were unlike anything they had ever seen before.

The others on the battlefield cried out in alarm.

"Sandaime-sama"

"Cough"

But they immediately breathed sighs of relief when they saw Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly emerging from the earth beside them, coughing dryly.

The figure struck by lightning had been merely an earth clone.

"BOOM."

However, another lightning strike immediately followed.

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen's age hindered him most of the time, his hand seal formation remained impressively swift.

But the lightning moved even faster.

This time, he was partially caught in the attack, and his entire left leg was severely burned by the electrical discharge.

"Nine strikes total… take your time experiencing each one."

Yami left these parting words, blood streaming from his eye as he disappeared completely behind the portal.

The Susanoo vanished instantly, and the dimensional gateway began slowly closing.

The thunder falling from the sky continued to lock onto Sarutobi Hiruzen's position with relentless precision.

The deafening roar continued for approximately one full minute before finally ending.

Seven ANBU who had surrounded their leader now lay scattered nearby, their bodies charred black from the electrical assault.

These brave operatives had sacrificed themselves attempting to shield Sarutobi Hiruzen from the lightning strikes.

Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen's entire left leg had turned completely black.

Medical ninjas at the scene were desperately employing the [Mystical Palm Technique] with maximum intensity, struggling to save the limb from permanent damage.

If this [Thunder Tribulation] technique had been released under normal circumstances, Sarutobi Hiruzen alone would have been sufficient to withstand its power.

However, this particular jutsu possessed tremendous scalability.

When combined with the existing clouds overhead generated by the water and fire release used throughout the battlefield, it could unleash devastatingly amplified force, which explained Sarutobi Hiruzen's current panicked state and severe injuries.

Patter, patter, patter...

Light rain began falling from the storm-laden sky.

Kakashi raised his head, allowing the droplets to wash over his face as he struggled with a profound sense of existential confusion.

Had he truly been living and serving in such a corrupt place all this time?

‘As expected from the inherently evil Uchiha clan.’

‘However, with Sarutobi in this condition, he probably won't be able to continue holding the position of Hokage much longer.’

Danzo emerged from his underground safe house only after Yami had completely departed.

Simultaneously, a calculating thought began forming in his mind.

He had coveted the Hokage position for far too long.

This crisis might finally present the perfect opportunity he'd been waiting for.

****

‘The Hyuga are next.’

Hyuga Hiashi sat in a formal sitting position, his expression dark.

Although he hadn't personally witnessed the battle, he had stationed subordinates throughout the area.

Remote surveillance wasn't as convenient as the Hyuga clan's natural abilities.

He had easily learned every word Yami had spoken before his departure.

However, Konoha found itself in a state of widespread panic at this moment.

Although the Uchiha had not deliberately targeted the civilian population, the two major attacks launched by Uchiha Fugaku and Yami had still caused substantial collateral damage throughout the village.

[Amaterasu] in particular had required enormous manpower to bring under control, only succeeding after discovering that sealing techniques proved effective against the undying black flames.

Yami's attack had also caused significant destruction.

Regarding these consequences, Yami felt absolutely no guilt whatsoever.

The Uchiha clan had been mistreated by the entire village. While he wouldn’t specifically target them, he wouldn’t feel any guilt either.

As everyone insisted on viewing them as villains anyway. Which was what led to the Uchiha acting high and arrogant since then.

News of the Uchiha clan's defection spread throughout the entire shinobi world within a single week.

With the exception of Kirigakure, operatives from the other three major hidden villages began actively searching for any trace of the vanished clan.

While some genuinely hoped to recruit them as allies, most harbored intentions similar to Konoha's, they wanted to completely absorb the Uchiha bloodline for their own benefit.

However, after six months of intensive searching, not a single trace could be found anywhere in the known world, leaving everyone thoroughly baffled.