radicalducati Chapter 249 The Audience is All Here, the Trial of the Truth
Chapter 249 The Audience is All Here, the Trial of the Truth
Chapter 250 The Audience is All Here, the Trial of the Truth
On the outskirts of the Uchiha clan's territory, far from the noisy and bloody battlefield, at the top of a huge ancient tree with lush foliage that overlooks the chaotic scene of the entire Uchiha clan's territory, space is slightly distorted.
Obito, wearing an orange tiger-striped mask, appeared silently. His single, scarlet eye peered through the hole in the mask, coldly gazing down at the clan's territory, now transformed into a hellish inferno.
Flames soared into the sky, ninjutsu exploded, and roars and screams filled the air. In particular, the towering, emerald-green Susanoo, radiating a chilling power, filled the scene with a surreal absurdity and cruelty.
The tree trunk beside him writhed as if alive, and pitcher plants, black and white in contrast, slowly emerged.
"What was supposed to be genocide? How did it turn into a free-for-all?" The other half of White Zetsu's body waved its arms exaggeratedly, its tone filled with the excitement of watching a spectacle unfold: "Wow~ It's completely chaotic!"
"Obito! The plan has completely failed! That Shura guy actually brought so many people to cause trouble! Now, forget about wiping out the clan, we won't even get those Sharingan eyes from the Uchiha we worked so hard to kill!"
"That woman's power," Black Zetsu added in a low, hoarse voice, his gloomy half glancing warily at the unyielding figure standing on the high wall in the distance. "It's more troublesome than we expected. And that 'Shura' beside her is unfathomable."
Obito remained silent, his brows furrowed beneath his mask.
His gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield, landing on Shimura Danzo, who stood beside the Third Hokage with a face so dark it was almost dripping with water.
"How did he know the time and place of the massacre?" Obito's voice was low and full of doubt, as if he were asking a question, or as if he were talking to himself.
"Itachi's visit to me today was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I decided to act tonight to avoid any unforeseen complications. But Shura was able to ambush me with such precision... unless..." A cold glint flashed in his single eye.
"Unless the information was leaked from within Konoha's upper echelons, or even—Danzo himself has run into trouble." He considered Danzo's greedy nature and the possibility that his Root organization was not a unified entity.
After all, this massacre was orchestrated by Danzo himself, and his Root organization had been circling around the Uchiha clan's territory like vultures, ready to reap the spoils of war, those precious Sharingan eyes.
It's hard to say whether someone inside leaked the information or whether Shura intercepted it using some unknown means.
White Zetsu tilted his head: "So what do we do now? The plan is completely ruined! If Shura really takes all these Uchiha survivors back to the Land of Stars, won't it be even harder to deal with them in the future? He already has that Uchiha Hikaru under his command, plus so many Sharingan users—"
Obito's gaze once again turned warily to the two figures on the distant high wall.
Even with his divine power, he wasn't confident he could gain the upper hand against these two.
"It's too late to stop it now." Obito's voice returned to its usual indifference, as if the tragedy before him was just a drama unrelated to him: "However, watching Konoha being torn apart by the Uchiha, whom he himself forced to rebel, and the mysterious Star Ninja, this drama—has its own unique flavor."
He let out a low, enigmatic laugh, and his figure slowly merged into the vortex of divine power, disappearing from sight.
It silently sank into the tree trunk, as if it had never existed.
Meanwhile, in the core area of Konoha Village, a silent attack is unfolding.
Just as almost all of Konoha's elite forces were drawn into the massive vortex of the Uchiha clan's territory, Kisame Hoshigaki's third squad of Star Ninja, like the sharpest dagger, silently tore open the weak point in Konoha's defenses and plunged straight into the heavily guarded Root base located in the shadow of the Hokage Rock!
"Water Release: Exploding Water Wave!" Kisame grinned as he formed hand seals, and a massive torrent of water, like a burst dam, instantly swept away the defensive fortifications at the entrance to the Root base and the unprepared ninjas left behind.
"Enemy attack! It's a Star Ninja!" The shrill alarm had barely sounded when it was drowned out by an even more intense attack.
Miyajo Jin's Blood Dragon Eyes manipulated blood into sharp blades, while Ita Suke's figure was like a ghost, his senbon needles precisely plunging into the enemy's throat. The other members of the Star Ninja Anbu used their own methods, cooperating perfectly.
The Root base was mostly staffed with non-combat researchers, intelligence analysts, and a small number of guards. They were no match for Oni's ruthless and elite dark squad!
The resistance was quickly broken, and the passageway was filled with the corpses of Root members.
"Clean up the battlefield! Take all the data, files, and experimental materials with you! Don't leave a single scrap of paper behind!" Kisame ordered in a hoarse voice, carrying the restless Samehada.
The Star Ninjas acted immediately, like efficient machines, quickly breaking into various laboratories and archives, looting everything of value.
The countless dark secrets, experimental data, and forbidden techniques accumulated by the Root over the years were all packed into a specially made sealed scroll.
Kisame himself strode towards the living area deep inside the base.
Kisame looked around. It was unusually quiet here; the empty corridor seemed to be deserted.
He stopped and said in a low voice, "I have come to meet you on the orders of Lord Shura."
The sound echoed in the empty corridor.
A moment later, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows on one side.
It was Yakushi Kabuto.
He pushed up his glasses, surprised that Lord Shura's actions were so swift and direct, taking advantage of the opportunity to send people to launch a strong attack on the Root's lair to meet him!
"Captain Kisame?" Kabuto asked cautiously.
"Yes. Time is of the essence, come with me." Kisame said succinctly.
He adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light, and carefully examined Kisame before him and the incredibly efficient...
The Star Ninja Anbu are currently looting the base.
Kabuto had long heard of this man, a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who defected to the Land of Stars and was appointed Captain-Commander of the Anbu by Shura.
After confirming his identity, he quickly weighed the options in his mind.
Danzo was inherently suspicious. His base suffered such a heavy blow, yet he, as an important figure, remained unscathed. He would inevitably face retribution afterward.
Taking advantage of the current chaos, leaving with Xingren is undoubtedly the only and best option.
"I'll go with you," Kabuto said calmly, making his decision.
Just then, footsteps came from the other end of the passage.
Wearing a white bird mask, Ita-suke and two Star Ninja Anbu escorted an unconscious boy over.
"Captain, target 'Tono Kazusuke' has been successfully captured," Ita Suke reported concisely.
Kisame grinned, revealing sharp, shark-like fangs: "Excellent. Mission accomplished. Retreat!"
The group moved as swiftly as they had arrived, carrying a large amount of seized data and two key personnel, and quickly evacuated the now-destroyed Roots base.
Along the way, they encountered several groups of Konoha patrolling ninjas who came to their aid after hearing the news, but in front of Kisame's elite ANBU, these sporadic resistances were like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, and were quickly defeated.
They fought their way through and finally reached the main battlefield of the Uchiha clan, where they successfully rejoined the main force.
At this point, the Uchiha clan's territory had been completely transformed into a meat grinder-like battlefield.
With the support of the Star Ninja, the surviving Uchiha clan members unleashed astonishing fighting power, engaging in a fierce battle with the Konoha ninja from their former village.
Hatred, anger, despair, and the will to survive.
A mix of emotions made each confrontation even more brutal.
Uchiha Shisui's complete emerald green Susanoo was like a war god descending to earth. Every swing of the huge chakra spiral sword brought up a destructive storm, forcing the Konoha Anbu and a large number of ninjas who were trying to organize their formation to advance to retreat repeatedly, resulting in heavy casualties!
Its existence greatly reversed the situation on the local battlefield.
Blood kept flowing from the corners of Itachi Uchiha's eyes; the overuse of the Mangekyou Sharingan had brought him a huge burden.
He struggled to dodge the aftershocks of Susanoo's attacks while also dealing with attacks from all directions, indiscriminately targeting friend or foe!
The Hidden Leaf Village's Anbu and Root regarded him as a traitor and accomplice, while the Uchiha clan members wished they could tear him to pieces!
He was like an isolated island on the battlefield, being relentlessly battered by the waves of hatred from both sides.
"I must remain useful and live for Sasuke's sake." This thought sustained Itachi. He gritted his teeth and used his superb Body Flicker Technique and Genjutsu to break free from the entanglement. With a few leaps and bounds, he escaped the battle like a wolf and fox and temporarily disappeared. The confusion and pain in his eyes were almost overflowing.
On the other side, Uzumaki Vanilla, Natsume, and others successfully broke through the encirclement and escorted Hyuga Hizashi, Neji, and other traitors from the Hyuga branch family to the main battlefield, where they joined up with Shura and Uchiha Hikaru.
"My lord, the survivor of the Hyuga branch family has been brought here. Mission accomplished." Vanilla bowed slightly as she reported, the Vajra chains behind her slowly retracting.
Almost simultaneously, the clan leaders and elite Jonin of Konoha's major ninja clans, including Nara Shikaku, Hyuga Hiashi, Yamanaka Inoichi, Akimichi Choza, and Inuya Tsuru, led a large number of support troops and finally arrived at the edge of this bloody battlefield!
When they saw the scene before them, everyone was utterly shocked!
The Uchiha's tragic state, the intervention of the Star Ninja, the defection of the Hyuga branch family, and that terrifying Susanoo—"
Menma floated in the air, his white three-eyed fox mask looking down at the growing "audience" below, representing almost all of Konoha's top forces.
He knew that the "Night of the Clan Extermination" drama, which was personally directed by the Konoha high-ups but completely disrupted by him, was finally reaching its climax.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through space, casting a wary glance at Minato, who was hidden in the shadows far away, unwilling to join the battle.
Kushina, and Orochimaru, who is secretly manipulating the First and Second Hokage through the Impure World Reincarnation.
Those trump cards that could completely turn the tide of the battle are not yet ready to be played.
Just like in Dou Dizhu (a popular Chinese card game), you can't possibly get rid of a pair of royal flushes at the start of the game.
He nodded slightly to Uchiha Hikaru beside him.
Uchiha Hikaru understood immediately, and a glint of light flickered in his scarlet Mangekyou Sharingan.
In an instant, a clear and calm voice rang in the minds of all the Star Ninja members—it was the real-time command link established through the engraved chakra network!
Under Uchiha Hikaru's command, the Star Ninja's actions instantly became more coordinated and orderly, with offense and defense switching as a unified whole.
Meanwhile, Mianma floated slowly forward a distance, looking down from above like a god judging all living beings.
His voice, transmitted through the mask, was not loud, but it possessed a deep, penetrating power, clearly overpowering the clamor of the battlefield and reaching the ears of everyone present:
"It seems the audience has all arrived."
His gaze slowly swept over the ashen-faced Hiruzen Sarutobi, the sinister-looking Danzo Shimura, and all those whose faces showed shock...
The Konoha ninja, filled with doubt and anger, ultimately focused on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Then, let's begin, Third Hokage."
Beneath the mask, a cold smile seemed to curve at the corners of his mouth.
"Please, in front of all the Konoha ninja, explain this to everyone properly—"
"How did you and Elder Shimura Danzo, who was by your side, meticulously plan to completely exterminate the Uchiha clan, one of the founding clans that made great contributions to Konoha?"
These words shocked the entire audience!
The entire battlefield seemed to have been muted.
Even the whooshing sounds of ninjutsu and the clash of weapons seemed to fade into the background at this moment.
All eyes were on the survivors of the Uchiha and Hyuga branch families, the Star Ninja, and even the newly arrived clan heads and Jonin of Konoha.
All of them, with endless shock, doubt and inquiry, focused their attention on the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was known as the "Professor of Ninja"!
The moment of truth and judgment has finally arrived.