"Third Hokage, this is your doing!"
At the border of the Sand Village.
Koharu Utatane almost burst into a fit of rage.
Weren't they told there wouldn't be any battles on their side?
So what now?
They had just gotten into position when the Sand Village launched an attack.
The enemy outnumbered them and took the initiative, catching them completely off guard.
Who knows how long it's been since Koharu had last set foot on a battlefield?
Let alone being in command — she had never done that before.
All of her energy had been spent on political maneuvering.
Luckily, Konoha's overall strength was strong enough to withstand the Sand Village's attack.
But!
Koharu was terrified!
She had thousands of ninjas under her command. If something went wrong, the clans would tear her apart once they returned to the village.
Konoha's ruling class had always been the ninja clans.
Although she understood that the Third Hokage had already decided to suppress the village by force, making it entirely theirs, the fact that a war was breaking out meant she should send clans like the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka to the front lines to take the losses.
She understood this, but putting it into practice? Very difficult!
"Elder!"
"Elder!!!"
A loud shout snapped Koharu out of her daze.
She came back to reality. "What's the matter?"
The ninja who asked the question looked exasperated.
What's the matter?
What do you think?!
You're the commander — shouldn't you be making decisions at a time like this?
This dream-like state of hers was making people feel helpless!
"Elder, the first wave of the Sand Village's attack has just ended. Please make a decision quickly."
"Oh, oh!"
Koharu nodded, but her body was drenched in cold sweat as she shakily gave out a few orders.
This was the best she could come up with after racking her brain.
It was her greatest effort!
But!
The ninjas were clearly dissatisfied, but given that it was wartime, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and obey.
On the other side, Homura Mitokado was in a slightly better state but still limited in his ability.
Fortunately, Iwagakure's main opponent was the Cloud Village; otherwise, with Ōnoki's cunning, he would have easily wiped out Konoha's seven thousand ninjas if they had to face him instead of Homura.
However, the Cloud Village was hell-bent on retrieving the Third Raikage's body this time.
Cloud Village had always looked down on Konoha and saw this war as an opportunity to compete for the title of the strongest ninja village.
The Third Raikage's body was a hurdle they couldn't avoid.
While both villages fought Konoha, they had already clashed several times.
Both the Raikage and Tsuchikage nearly had to step in themselves.
...
"It's just as I thought!"
Itsuki stared at the barrier before him, mumbling to himself, though his face remained calm.
At this moment, Konoha was protected by three barriers.
One was the Uchiha clan's barrier.
This was the easiest one to deal with.
If needed, he could simply deactivate the clan's barrier!
The second was Konoha Village's barrier.
This one was used to monitor enemy invasions.
The third one was the real challenge.
It was a newly deployed barrier in Konoha, designed specifically to counter the Flying Thunder God technique.
Clearly, Hiruzen Sarutobi had anticipated Itsuki's plan to use the Flying Thunder God to evacuate the Uchiha clan, so they had set up a barrier to block it.
The Flying Thunder God was a forbidden technique created by the Second Hokage.
The Second Hokage was Hiruzen's teacher.
Additionally, the Flying Thunder God technique had always been recorded in the Forbidden Scrolls, and as Hokage, Hiruzen had plenty of opportunities to study it.
The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had also learned the technique, and given Hiruzen's position, Minato would have surely explained it to him in detail.
"They're targeting me, huh?"
Itsuki chuckled.
He could still use the Flying Thunder God technique, but it would now require several times more chakra.
Evacuating the entire Uchiha clan using this method was a pipe dream!
With this in mind, Itsuki was left with two choices.
One!
Itsuki could become a Jinchūriki!
If he became a Jinchūriki, his chakra would increase dramatically, just like Naruto and Minato in the original story.
Together, they used the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport the entire Allied Shinobi Forces.
Two!
...
Itsuki smiled slightly as he looked at Konoha Village.
... Fight their way out!
The Uchiha would leave with their heads held high!
The first option was always available.
He had the Two-Tails in his possession, and he didn't have to worry about Yugito Nii.
In the original story, it was said that a Jinchūriki would die immediately after losing their tailed beast.
But for Itsuki, that wasn't the case.
Not to mention the Uchiha's two forbidden techniques, Izanagi and Izanami.
Using sealing techniques alone, Itsuki could successfully counter the side effects of losing a tailed beast.
If he could solve the Byakugan's caged bird problem, the Jinchūriki issue wasn't difficult at all.
Moreover, he wasn't particularly concerned with Yugito's safety.
He wasn't worried about controlling the Two-Tails either.
To him, the Two-Tails was just a big cat.
A big cat that provided him with chakra.
But!
Why should he use that method?
Honestly.
From the very beginning, Itsuki had considered using the Flying Thunder God to teleport the Uchiha clan.
The Uchiha were a proud ninja clan.
And Itsuki had inherited that pride.
Even though he was a reincarnator, he had grown up as an Uchiha.
He was purely Uchiha!
That's why he created a new village.
... Konoha may have rejected the Uchiha, but so what? Did they think the Uchiha couldn't survive without them?
The Uchiha could thrive even better without Konoha.
And!
It wasn't Konoha rejecting the Uchiha!
It was the Uchiha who no longer wanted Konoha!
The Uchiha were one of the two founding pillars of Konoha. They were its true rulers. The rest? Just trash. Even if the Uchiha had to abandon Konoha, it was by their own choice!
Let's see who will need whom after we part ways!
"We're going back!"
Itsuki opened his eyes and looked at the nine people behind him, speaking in a calm voice.
The nine appeared uneasy. "Sir!"
Did the Flying Thunder God technique fail?
What about the Uchiha's evacuation plan?
Itsuki cut him off, speaking lightly: "I can use the Flying Thunder God to take you out, but I've suddenly lost interest in that plan."
What?
The nine were stunned.
In the next moment, Itsuki brought them back to the Uchiha compound.
"Brother Itsuki!"
Itachi immediately rushed up to meet them.
The surrounding ninjas also stepped forward, their eyes filled with hope and excitement.
"Itachi, gather all the Uchiha, whether old, young, or full-fledged ninjas. Have everyone gather here!"
Itsuki was planning something big.
He looked at Itachi with a serious expression and said, "I have something to say to them."
"You have something... to say?"
Itachi was stunned. "Brother Itsuki, the Flying Thunder God..."
"Itachi!"
Itsuki's voice became stern, rising slightly. "Listen to me, alright?"
"...Alright!"
At that moment, the Mangekyō Sharingan-wielding Uchiha Itachi couldn't bring himself to meet Itsuki's gaze.
He subconsciously agreed and then instructed the ninjas behind him to notify the entire clan.
But!
A deep sense of unease rose in his heart.
Something big was about to happen!
(End of chapter)