Naruto: The Rise Of Uchiha

Boom——

Stopping the Third Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku controlled Susanoo and slashed at the Third Hokage with the black spear in his hand.

The air was violently compressed, making a harsh sound, and the center of the pressure even distorted faintly.

Swoosh——

Not expecting Uchiha Fugaku to break the Diamond Cage so quickly and possess such a fast body flicker technique, the Third Hokage's face changed.

He quickly retreated to avoid the sweeping black spear.

However, he was still grazed by the strong wind generated by the spear and received several bloody gashes on his body and face.

"What overwhelming power!"

Feeling the burning pain, the Third Hokage was horrified.

He knew Susanoo was powerful, but he never imagined it would be this terrifying.

What he didn't know was that Uchiha Fugaku was now using the third form of Susanoo—something that only those who had completely mastered the Mangekyō Sharingan could maintain in battle.

And for Fugaku, this was already his standard combat mode.

Just as the Third Hokage thought he had escaped the worst, he realized the real crisis hadn't passed.

The shield in Susanoo's left hand moved like a bulldozer scoop and crashed toward him.

"Lightning Style: Water Dragon Bullet—!"

The Third Hokage hurriedly performed a compound jutsu. A massive water dragon infused with lightning surged toward Susanoo.

But as soon as the attack collided with Susanoo's shield, it rebounded like a reflection and shot back at the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage rolled away awkwardly and barely avoided the counterattack.

At that moment, Susanoo's shield shifted again and came crashing down on him.

"Vajra Prison Wall!"

Enma transformed into the Adamantine Staff once more and formed a protective cage around the Third Hokage.

Boom——

The impact shattered the cage. Enma, in staff form, reverted to his monkey form, vomiting blood before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The summoning contract was forcibly released due to heavy injuries.

The Third Hokage was also blasted backward, coughing up blood.

"Hokage-sama!"

The surrounding Anbu were alarmed and looked toward him in panic.

They hadn't expected Uchiha Fugaku to injure the Hokage so quickly.

They tried to rush in to help, but the Uchiha clan members held their ground and blocked their path.

"What a pity…"

Watching the Third Hokage coughing blood dozens of meters away, Uchiha Fugaku's eyes flashed with killing intent, but he suppressed it.

He could sense that several clan heads from other families were watching nearby, likely having arrived due to the disturbance.

Although it was tempting to end the Third Hokage here, doing so would invite backlash from other clans and the entire village.

"The Third Hokage isn't weak—Fugaku is just too strong."

"To think he could defeat the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai ninja… now it makes sense."

"Do you think Uchiha Fugaku might be on the same level as the First Hokage?"

Nearby clan heads whispered among themselves.

The Third Hokage, a known Kage-level ninja, had been overwhelmed within a few exchanges.

It was difficult not to compare Fugaku's strength with that of legends like Senju Hashirama.

Some even wondered—could Konoha's former golden age be restored under Fugaku's leadership?

…

While the Third Hokage was confronting the Uchiha clan, Spore Clone No. 1 activated the Mayfly Technique and slipped out of the Uchiha compound.

He made his way swiftly toward the Hokage Building.

Once nearby, he transformed using the Disguise Technique to perfectly mimic an Anbu and entered without drawing suspicion.

Heading toward the top floor, where the scroll room was located, he was stopped several times by other Anbu.

But with the flawless disguise and matching chakra aura, he easily fooled them.

Reaching the restricted zone, he approached the heavily sealed scroll room.

"Halt. This area is off-limits. State your purpose."

Three jonin-level Anbu guarded the area.

Following the theft of the Scroll of Seals some time ago, the Third Hokage had placed elite-level guards here—though one of them had recently been reassigned when Uchiha Itachi withdrew from Anbu.

Perfect timing.

"The Hokage sent me here to—"

Before he could finish, the Mangekyō Sharingan spun in his eyes.

Genjutsu.

The three guards were instantly caught in the illusion and froze.

With no elite jonin present, simple jonin were not resistant enough to withstand the Mangekyō illusion.

"Perfect."

The guards stepped aside, allowing Spore Clone No. 1 to approach the door.

Due to the prior breach, the scroll room was now locked behind multiple barriers—each more complex than the last.

Only the one who set them could easily undo them.

But Spore Clone No. 1 didn't need to undo anything.

"Amaterasu."

Black flames erupted and devoured the heavily sealed door.

The special seals and metallic lock mechanisms turned to ash under the inextinguishable flames.

Once the path was clear, Spore Clone No. 1 stepped through the melted threshold.

"Who—?!"

Inside, another jonin-level guard turned toward the doorway in alarm.

(End of this chapter)