Start with a Zanpakuto and build the strongest Mist Village.

"Don't overthink it. Prepare the chakra I need, and I'll take care of all this for you quietly!"

……

Outside the Uchiha clan's territory.

Having just finished discussing the Will of Fire with Hiruzen Sarutobi at his home, Itachi Uchiha hurried home, his mind filled with thoughts of Hiruzen Sarutobi's nonsensical and grandiose words.

"Itachi, the Uchiha clan does not conflict with the Will of Fire. On the contrary, under Fugaku's leadership in Konoha, you, as Fugaku's son, are better able to pass on this will!"

"Your flame, the flame of the Uchiha clan, will illuminate Konoha's future, make Konoha grow more vibrant and thriving. And what you need to understand is how to ignite this light."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words kept echoing in Itachi's mind.

Since Fugaku came to power and Hiruzen Sarutobi was disgraced, Fugaku has been trying to persuade Itachi to break free from the twisted mindset of the Will of Fire. However, the more you try to change something, the deeper it will sink.

Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi had already been disgraced throughout Konoha, Itachi still held hope for him.

No one is perfect, and the third generation may have made some wrong policy decisions, but his thinking may not necessarily be wrong.

With this in mind, Itachi secretly approached Hiruzen Sarutobi multiple times to learn about the Will of Fire, and gained profound insights from it!

"Although Father is the Hokage, the divide between the clan and the village has not actually disappeared. Only when the clan and the village are completely integrated can Konoha's future be bright and glorious."

“Just like the Senju clan, the village is the Senju clan, and the Senju clan is the village…” Itachi scratched his head. Nowadays, the village no longer has the Senju clan, but the name of the Senju clan is indeed as deeply rooted in people’s hearts as Hiruzen Sarutobi said.

Could this be the true future of the Uchiha clan, the final form of the clan and the village merging together?

"So, it seems my level is still too low; I'm unable to fully comprehend the Will of Fire..."

Suddenly, Itachi's brow twitched slightly.

For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of unease, as if he were being watched by something.

This situation had only happened once before, and that was during the Third Shinobi World War, when he first stepped onto the battlefield to fight against the Iwagakure genin.

Suddenly, the space in front of him rippled slightly. Itachi's gaze sharpened, and his Sharingan eyes opened, the ghostly and eerie three tomoe slowly rotating.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi was captured and publicly tried by Fugaku Uchiha, he awakened his three-tomoe Sharingan due to intense emotional fluctuations.

If we consider his age, he would be among the top in the entire history of the Uchiha clan. Coupled with his own skills, Itachi would be a top-notch and elite among the Jonin of Konoha.

"who!"

Uchiha Itachi gave a cold laugh, and quietly reached behind his back with one hand, holding a kunai in his hand.

He hadn't expected to be followed so silently. Who was the person? Did they know about his conversation with the Third Hokage? Were they after him, or the Third Hokage?

In a fleeting moment, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. In that same instant, the spatial ripples disappeared, and a mysterious figure draped in black robes appeared before him.

The strange attire set off alarm bells in Itachi's mind. Just as he was about to speak, the man in black robes suddenly raised his head.

Blood-red eyes came into view, and a vast power of pupils surged in like a tide. Itachi's eyes suddenly hurt, and the look in his eyes instantly turned into a blank.

"Go, go do what you're supposed to do."

Obito spoke in a low, somber tone, watching as Itachi, whose expression was numb, slowly stepped into the shadows under the control of his eye power.

Meanwhile, the root base.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was very fast. After parting ways with Obito, he rushed to Root and found his old comrade.

Led by the Root ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly arrived at the Root base. The door to the sealed room opened, revealing a figure he knew all too well.

"Danzo."

"Hiruzen?"

Danzo frowned and put down the scroll in his hand: "Why are you here?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the Root ninja behind him, stepped into the secret room, and slowly said, "That guy wants to take this opportunity to directly attack the Uchiha clan."

"A move against the Uchiha clan?!" Upon hearing this, Danzo immediately became interested, his one eye flashing with a sharp light: "What does he plan to do... no, what does he need us to do?"

“We don’t need to do anything. He said he would handle everything to prevent Fugaku from taking action against us when he returns.” Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said, “But I’m still a little worried. After all, they are the Uchiha clan.”

Danzo's expression changed, and he understood why his old friend had come. He nodded and said, "I understand. I will have Root seal off the entire Uchiha clan, but only if that guy actually takes care of those guys according to plan. Otherwise, that old guy Uchiha Setsuna won't let me off easy."

"Since it's a collaboration, a certain degree of mutual trust is necessary."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the scroll in Danzo's hand. The scroll contained instructions on how to stabilize one's cells after different chakras were fused together.

He remembered that this scroll was one of the things Orochimaru left behind after his defection. It contained the core results of human experiments, and he had sealed it away on the spot. But now it had appeared in Danzo's hands.

Did Fugaku unseal those things he had sealed after he came to power, or did Danzo find them and look at them himself?

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't know.

Danzo also noticed Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, but he didn't try to hide it. The relationship between the two old buddies had long since transcended the influence of these things.

"I have some ideas about the Ghost Sprout Technique you gave me before, but there is some trouble with the sacrifice."

Danzo put away the scroll in his hand and slowly said, "If that guy's plan succeeds this time, I also want to try that technique."

"You want the Sharingan as a sacrifice?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply.

The success rate of the Oni-Garra Technique is very low, and the ritual is extremely complicated, not only in terms of offerings, but also in the massive amount of chakra required.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had once suspected that the guy's request for chakra was because he wanted to try out the Oni-Garaku technique, but he was severely lacking in chakra. He never expected that Danzo would also be eyeing this technique.

"I have no choice, I need the Sharingan!"

Danzo slowly unwrapped the bandage from his right eye, and after forming a special sealing seal, he opened his right eye.

As he watched the blood-red three-tomoe Sharingan swirling in his eye sockets, Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat taken aback. He hadn't expected that Danzo would still dare to transplant the Sharingan after Fugaku came to power. If Fugaku found out about this, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"The First Hokage's cells were implanted in my body long ago. If it weren't for the Sharingan suppressing them, I would have been quickly devoured by the power of Wood Release." Danzo unwrapped the bandages, revealing his pale arm. What was most chilling was that there was actually a Sharingan on his arm!

"I was able to maintain a stable balance between Wood Release and Uchiha power thanks to these two Sharingan. However, the strength of these two Sharingan is limited. They are not Kagami's eyes, nor are they the Mangekyou Sharingan. If I want to use the Oni-Garaku Technique, I will need more."

“If Fugaku finds out, he won’t let you off the hook.”

"Don't joke around. If I can master the Oni-Garra Technique, why would I be afraid of a pair of Mangekyou Sharingan?" Danzo scoffed. "Besides, didn't that guy say he'd take responsibility for everything and it has nothing to do with us?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent. He knew that Danzo would not willingly submit to Fugaku, but he did not expect that Danzo had made preparations and planned these things in advance.

Therefore, it seems that even without that guy, Danzo would have continued to plot until the very end. Now that guy is going to attack the Uchiha clan, he has actually helped Danzo.

"In that case, let's not hesitate any longer."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and stared intently at Danzo: "This may be our last chance. If we can seize it, we still have a chance to turn the tide!"

"It must have been quite an achievement for you to make such a decision, Hiruzen."

A smile appeared on Danzo's old face. He knew his old friend's character; he would never have made such a choice unless he was truly desperate.

However, this feeling...

It's been so long since we fought side by side like this, Hiruzen!

Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's appearance, Danzo breathed a sigh of relief, and the blood in his body seemed to ignite.

"When is that guy planning to make his move?"

"Now, he wants to use Itachi Uchiha as a breakthrough point."

“Fugaku’s eldest son.” Shimura Danzo narrowed his eyes, re-bandaged his right eye and arm, took a deep breath, and said in a deep voice, “Then there’s no need to hesitate.”

"Men, seal off the entire Uchiha clan territory!"

Chapter 250 The Night of the Extermination

The night was like a song, with a blood moon hanging in the sky.

The unusually quiet night caused the residents of Konoha to go to sleep early. Some ninjas seemed to sense something, but the order to impose martial law on the village prevented them from giving it much thought.

We are currently in a state of war. Even if the Hokage leads his elite troops to Amegakure, as long as the threat from Akatsuki is not completely eliminated, no amount of martial law is too much for Konoha, which has experienced the Nine-Tails' rampage and the Demon Fox's calamity.

The Uchiha clan's territory was completely silent.

Since Fugaku became Hokage, members of the Uchiha clan have been mobilized, with some joining the Anbu and others remaining in the guard unit.

In addition, in order to eliminate the Akatsuki organization this time, Fugaku also took away more than a dozen Uchiha fighters, making the clan's territory extremely deserted and quiet, like a dead land.

In the forest outside the Uchiha clan's territory, countless masked ninjas appeared, hiding in dark corners, their sinister gazes sweeping across the entire Uchiha clan's territory.

They were numerous and divided into several major directions, secretly surrounding the Uchiha clan's territory. During this time, many Anbu members came out to negotiate with them, but Danzo forcefully suppressed them.

“Root data was stolen, ninjas were killed, and the suspects fled into the Uchiha clan’s territory.”

From the dark forest, Danzo, leaning on a cane, slowly emerged. He addressed the Uchiha ANBU member with unwavering authority, saying, "That's crucial, top-secret intelligence; it cannot be lost. However, the Uchiha clan's territory is, after all, the Hokage's territory. We will not enter rashly. But Elder Setsuna, please have the clan's territory searched as soon as possible and find the suspect!"

"I understand."

The Uchiha clan ANBU member gave Danzo a deep look, then quickly returned to the clan's territory and reported the news to Uchiha Setsuna.

"That's what Danzo said?"

Inside the elder's residence, Uchiha Setsuna frowned.

With Fugaku taking away nearly half of Konoha's elite troops, it's no surprise that some thieves would take advantage of the situation to cause trouble; to anyone, this would be an excellent opportunity.

But after stealing the items, the man didn't run away from the village; instead, he went to the Uchiha clan's territory, which was quite interesting.

"The Root members have already surrounded the Uchiha compound, and Danzo is waiting for you outside."

"Hmph, just because Fugaku isn't in the village, he dares to disregard the Uchiha clan like this. He's utterly ignorant!" Uchiha Sana sneered. "In my opinion, the clan head is too lenient with that old guy, actually keeping his Root branch for him. He should just turn him into someone like Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

“The elder is quite right, but we…”

"Since he told us to investigate ourselves, let's search... Hmm?!"

Uchiha Setsuna paused slightly, sniffed the air, and his aged face became solemn.

The Uchiha Jonin standing nearby also noticed something, his expression changing slightly: "Why is there such a strong smell of blood? Could it be..."

Uchiha Setsuna also felt a sudden jolt, sensing that something was amiss.

Such a strong smell of blood would never appear in the clan's territory. Most importantly, this smell of blood is that of human blood, not livestock!

"Be careful of the safety of women and children. Oyama, go and call Inaho over." Uchiha Setsuna stood up and said in a deep voice, "You all come with me to check the situation."

"Yes!"

……

As night fell and most of the clan members were fast asleep, Itachi Uchiha stepped into the clan's territory and slowly walked towards it.

As the largest clan in Konoha today, the Uchiha clan's strength is beyond doubt. Even though Fugaku took away more than a dozen elite fighters and assigned many of the Uchiha clan's elites to important institutions throughout the village, there are still many strong individuals in the clan's territory.

Not long after they entered the clan's territory, three Uchiha Chunin were hiding as sentries in the shadows ahead.

The three Chunin sentries, upon seeing Itachi, made no sound and even looked at him with respect.

It was quite normal for Itachi, the son of the Hokage and the young clan leader, to return at night; they had seen it countless times.

True strength is always a combination of talent and hard work. Itachi's ability to awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan at such a young age already demonstrates the strength of his talent. Coupled with his diligent training, they fully believe that Itachi can take over Fugaku's mantle, make the Uchiha clan great again, and even become the Sixth Hokage of Konoha!

But this time it's a bit strange.

Instead of heading towards the clan's territory as usual, Itachi Uchiha came towards the three of them, which made the three Uchiha nobodies feel flattered.

"Itachi, you..."

The Uchiha ninja at the front spoke up, but his voice trailed off after uttering only two words.

The blood-red twin tomoe stared in disbelief at the short blade piercing his heart. Blood flowed down the blade, dripping down, making all the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat, unable to utter a sound.

His heart was pierced by the short blade, and his life ended with it. The extra collapsed to the ground in disbelief.

The two companions behind him were completely unaware of what was happening until their companion fell to the ground with a thud. Only then did they snap out of their daze and stare at Itachi with furious expressions.

"Do you know what you're doing, Itachi?!"

"Damn it, how could you attack us? We are..."

"Pfft!"

The intimidation brought about by the difference in their status led to such a stark difference in their attitudes towards each other that their first reaction to their fallen comrade was not to draw their swords, but to question him.

And this already sealed their fate.

Of course, with only two tomoe, they were no match for Itachi.