"This, this is..."
The Ape Demon stared in shock at the massive figure that had suddenly appeared.
In the next moment—
"Boom!!!"
The massive figure swung its tail violently, slamming it down hard.
The Ape Demon swiftly dodged the attack and retreated, his expression turning extremely serious.
"Heh heh, little monkey!"
The enormous figure let out a deep laugh. "You're too small, not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth."
"Ape Demon..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived beside the old monkey.
"Yeah."
The Ape Demon's deep voice rumbled, "I remember, this must be Garaga from Ryūchi Cave!"
The most ferocious snake from Ryūchi Cave, stronger than Orochimaru's Manda.
It was said that unless a tailed beast used its Tailed Beast Bomb, it might not be stronger than Garaga. This was a truly powerful summoning beast, capable of battling a tailed beast.
And Itsuki had tamed it!
"Damn Orochimaru!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned pale.
"Hmph!" The Ape Demon snorted. "Regret it now? I told you to kill him back then."
Itsuki was Orochimaru's disciple. He was Orochimaru's greatest masterpiece and also a reflection of Orochimaru's resentment towards the Third Hokage. Orochimaru had taught Itsuki everything—both what should and shouldn't have been taught—with the sole purpose of opposing Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Orochimaru's resentment had clearly succeeded.
At this moment, Hiruzen wished he were dead.
He truly regretted not listening to the Ape Demon when he first realized something was wrong with Orochimaru. He should have dealt with him right then and there, but now, he had brought himself all this trouble.
"Ape Demon, can you handle this guy?"
"That's not what you should be worrying about!"
The Ape Demon shifted his gaze to the Konoha and Uchiha ninjas.
The Uchiha had only about 200 ninjas, while Konoha, after receiving reinforcements, now had around 2,000. Such a large difference in numbers meant that Konoha would inevitably win.
However—
The Uchiha civilians numbered around 3,000. These civilians didn't need to do much; they simply kept advancing, throwing kunai and shuriken tied with explosive tags. If anyone dared block their path, they would blow them to pieces.
As for the Konoha ninjas, the Uchiha ninjas were there to handle them.
Under the leadership of two Mangekyō Sharingan users, the smaller number of Uchiha ninjas was not at a complete disadvantage.
"Roar!"
A gigantic Susanoo appeared, glaring coldly at the Konoha ninjas, letting out maniacal laughter.
"Come on, you damned fools!"
With a giant sword in hand, it swept through the air, instantly sending over a dozen Konoha ninjas flying.
"Kill, kill, kill! Hahaha!"
In a frenzy, the wielder of Susanoo screamed wildly. Its actions grew even more violent, rampaging through the Konoha forces without restraint.
At that moment, he had leveled up to "Maniac Laughter General"!
No matter what jutsu the Konoha ninjas used, they couldn't break through Susanoo's defense. Even the powerful secret jutsu users had a tough time.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames surged up, engulfing two Konoha ninjas who were preparing to attack. In the next moment, Itachi disappeared into the crowd like a ghost, silently eliminating any ninja who posed a danger.
Amaterasu's attacks were too bizarre and unpredictable, and there was no effective defense against it. Though it drained Itachi greatly, there were few secret jutsu users capable of harming Susanoo.
Seeing this—
Shikaku Nara couldn't help but shout, "Lord Hokage!"
They couldn't keep fighting like this—because this was Konoha!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was dark as he gritted his teeth and said, "Don't hold back, Shikaku. Kill those—"
"Monkey, think carefully before you speak!"
Itsuki suddenly interrupted. "I remember the Nara clan's territory isn't far from here, is it?"
Instantly, the expressions of the Third Hokage and others changed drastically.
"Uchiha Itsuki!"
The Third Hokage growled.
"What are you yelling for?"
Itsuki spoke impatiently. "There are so many of you, going after so few of us, and you're planning to target our women and children? Does that make you feel righteous? Does that make you feel wronged?"
The Third Hokage's expression twisted with rage.
Shikaku Nara remained silent, but his gaze stayed fixed on the Third Hokage. Although he was pleading, the Third Hokage could feel the strong sense of threat.
Was Shikaku Nara a weak person?
Absolutely not!
So if they really fought, protecting the Nara clan's territory would become essential.
But could they even do that?
If they couldn't, and the battle continued, Shikaku would break away from him completely.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth.
He looked at Setsuna, who was slaughtering Konoha ninjas.
That old lunatic cared nothing for his chakra reserves, attacking wildly like a tailed beast, leaving blood in his wake.
He then glanced at his strongest ally, the Ape Demon, who was being beaten by Garaga.
"Hey." Itsuki called again. "Have you thought it over, Monkey?"
"Stop, Uchiha Itsuki!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened as he coldly declared, "I agree to let the Uchiha leave."
"Now, immediately, get out of Konoha!"
Itsuki was stunned. "Monkey, you're surrendering? Just like that?"
"Uchiha Itsuki, don't push your luck!"
Even Shikaku Nara couldn't hold back from rebuking him.
"What did I do?"
Itsuki was speechless. "I had so many plans, and you two surrendered so easily. I'm disappointed. No, we need to make a deal."
"What do you want now?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice seethed with anger. He had already backed down, yet the other side still pushed.
Did they think he wouldn't fight to the death?
"I want money!"
Itsuki grinned at Hiruzen. "Three billion ryō. How's that?"
Hiruzen's face suddenly turned calm and indifferent. "Uchiha Itsuki, do you really think you can threaten me?"
Shikaku Nara added, "Uchiha, don't forget, this is Konoha. Even though many of our forces are fighting outside, the number of remaining ninjas is still far beyond what you can handle."
"I know, of course I know!"
Itsuki smiled. "Together, the various clans probably have at least 5,000 ninjas. Not counting the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Homura clans, Konoha's total ninja force would be at least 12,000."
Shikaku Nara froze.
The ninjas present were also stunned.
What did Itsuki mean by that?
Were the four clans under Hiruzen Sarutobi really that large? Could they have over 7,000 members?
How could that be?
Shikaku suddenly thought of the compromise made by Choza Akimichi.
Could it be...?
He resisted the urge to glance at Hiruzen.
"Monkey, how about I sell you some explosive tags?"
Itsuki smiled, changing the subject.
"Sell explosive tags?"
Everyone was confused.
"Yep," Itsuki said with a grin, "and you have to buy them."
"Ridiculous!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered. "What if I don't?"
"Then, this happens!"
Itsuki pulled out a remote control and pressed a button.
"Boom!!!"
A deafening explosion shook the ground.
Those with Byakugan immediately shouted, "Oh no, the Hokage Monument—look! The Third Hokage's face!"
Everyone turned to see Konoha's sacred, majestic Hokage Monument.
The Third Hokage's face was shattered, gone from the village forever!
(End of Chapter)