Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Half an hour earlier, the Third Hokage had already arrived at the Anbu base to summon his elite shinobi. However, upon reaching the outskirts of the Uchiha clan district, the Third Hokage did not rush in immediately. Instead, he ordered his subordinates to seal off nearby streets, ensuring no one could interfere with Itachi's actions.

From the Third Hokage's perspective, since he had agreed to Itachi's plan to eliminate the Uchiha clan tonight, the matter had to be handled cleanly and efficiently without leaving any evidence. All Uchiha capable of combat, except for the elderly, women, and children, had to be eradicated.

If even a single Uchiha escaped the village, it would undoubtedly create a storm in the ninja world, putting both himself and the village in a vulnerable position.

At this moment, the Third Hokage spotted Danzo walking out of the clan grounds. He frowned deeply.

He had reprimanded Danzo not long ago, so why was Danzo still brazenly appearing at the Uchiha clan grounds tonight? Did Danzo desire the Sharingan so much that he couldn't restrain himself?

Suppressing his displeasure, the Third Hokage coldly asked, "Danzo, I need an explanation. Why are you here at the Uchiha clan district?"

Shisui, disguised as Danzo, quickly fell into character and replied calmly:

"Hiruzen, I was merely conducting routine surveillance on the Uchiha. I suspected that they might attempt a coup tonight, so I brought my subordinates to surround the Uchiha district. Unexpectedly, internal conflict erupted within the Uchiha clan, and many of them were killed. To ensure that their bloodline limit doesn't fall into the wrong hands, I instructed my subordinates to retrieve the Sharingan from the corpses."

Hearing that Danzo came for the Sharingan, the Third Hokage's heart sank. So it was as I expected.

Ever since their teacher Tobirama Senju passed away, Danzo had been targeting the Uchiha, considering them a clan born of evil. Whenever the village suffered losses, Danzo would accuse the Uchiha of being responsible. Whenever the Uchiha achieved any merit, Danzo would suppress them under various pretexts.

Over time, even the Third Hokage, along with Koharu and Homura, began to hold biases against the Uchiha, unintentionally pushing them toward rebellion.

If not for Itachi's sense of duty, the Uchiha coup tonight wouldn't have ended so easily. It could have resulted in devastating consequences—perhaps the loss of the entire Anbu force.

Even so, the village still lost dozens of elite ninjas tonight.

Once word of the Uchiha clan's destruction spread, it would undoubtedly cause a ripple effect.

The Third Hokage looked at Danzo with growing irritation. Stepping closer, he said sternly, "Danzo, if you hadn't attacked Shisui, this situation wouldn't have reached this point. Starting today, I am relieving you of your position as a Konoha elder and expelling you from the village council."

Shisui, disguised as Danzo, sneered inwardly but maintained his composure. After a long, hard stare at the Third Hokage, he coldly retorted, "Hiruzen, I will follow your orders. But one day, you will regret this decision. Remember, I've done everything for you and this village. I've done the things you wanted but didn't dare to act on. Can you say the same for yourself, Hiruzen?"

With that, Shisui walked into the crowd and vanished into the darkness.

The promise to save the Uchiha clan had been fulfilled. From now on, Shisui's life would revolve around assisting Lord Byakuya and exacting revenge on those responsible.

He needed to uncover how the Uchiha clan was driven into such a desperate situation and how his grandfather, Kagami Uchiha, had truly died. Once he discovered the truth, he would ensure the culprits received an unexpected surprise.

The Third Hokage's face grew darker as he replayed Danzo's words in his mind. "Doing the things I wanted but didn't dare to act on…"

He had indeed once considered eliminating the Uchiha or targeting Shisui, but those thoughts had remained just that—thoughts. As long as he never acted on them, nothing had truly happened.

Danzo, however, always used the excuse of serving the village to pursue his own selfish desires. And whenever he made a mess, the Third Hokage was left to clean up.

But that was in the past.

With the Uchiha clan—the village's biggest headache—now destroyed, there was no longer any reason for Danzo to remain in his position. If Danzo continued unchecked, even the Hyuga clan might rebel next.

Walking into the Uchiha district, the Third Hokage could still smell the metallic stench of blood in the air. Yet when he entered the homes, no bodies were to be found. The Root must have already taken them away.

Before long, the Third Hokage arrived at Fugaku Uchiha's residence.

Inside the Fugaku residence, there were still no bodies to be found. However, judging by the extent of the destruction to the building, it was clear that a fierce battle had taken place here.

After searching for a while, an Anbu ninja finally found Sasuke hiding in a wardrobe.

Sasuke was drenched in sweat, clutching tightly onto the Anbu ninja's clothing, repeatedly muttering Itachi's name as if he had encountered some kind of nightmare.

After bringing Sasuke to the Third Hokage, the Anbu ninja spoke, "Lord Third, this should be the last survivor of the Uchiha clan. His condition is not good, it seems he was severely frightened."

"Frightened?" The Third Hokage shook his head, sensing Sasuke's chakra. After confirming that Sasuke had been caught in a genjutsu, he quickly formed the necessary hand seals to dispel it.

As the chakra in Sasuke's body stabilized, his complexion improved significantly.

Seeing this, the Third Hokage sighed softly and said, "This child wasn't merely frightened. He was under a genjutsu. I've already dispelled it for him, but to fully recover, it will likely take several months or even years."

The Anbu ninja nodded in agreement, his gaze filled with sympathy as he looked at the boy in his arms.

In just one night, this child had lost all of his family and became literally an orphan. Such a heavy blow would be hard for even mentally mature adults to bear.

Let alone for such a young child.

The Third Hokage, however, had a different perspective as he looked at Sasuke. Of course, he would take good care of Sasuke, as it was his duty as Hokage.

But Sasuke was not just a pitiable orphan to him.

Sasuke was the last remaining Uchiha in the village and the only link between himself and Itachi. Although the massacre of the Uchiha clan tonight was a joint effort between Itachi and other ninjas, it indirectly showcased Itachi's strength.

Given Itachi's age of only thirteen, there was a very real possibility that in the near future, he could become a powerful ninja like Uchiha Madara.

If such a ninja were to stand in opposition to the village, it would be a huge loss for the village.

Moreover, the Third Hokage still needed to rely on Itachi to divert the hatred, investigate the truth behind the Nine-Tails attack years ago, and uncover the true motives of the so-called Masked Man and what he intended to do to the village.