Rebuilding Uchiha By Removing Fugaku

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"Uchiha Toki, how dare you! These are Konoha's elites!"

Koharu glared furiously at the sea of floating corpses scattered on the water's surface, her face twisted with rage.

As the four shadow clones exhausted their last reserves of chakra, they vanished into puffs of smoke.

From the shadows, Toki emerged, casually dusting off his hands. With a smirk, he said, "Tsk, tsk. I honestly didn't expect Konoha to have this much strength left. So many Jōnin? Consider me surprised."

Behind Toki, three figures dismounted from Charizards, their arrival rippling the water beneath them.

Someone sneered, coldly retorting, "Konoha's elites? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing but Sarutobi Hiruzen's lapdogs. The real elites are the Uchiha clan, risking their lives on the frontlines to defend this village's peace. And you? Traitors, every last one of you."

Mitokado Homura's face darkened as he snapped back, "If it weren't for your coup, Kumogakure Village wouldn't have dared attack us!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke, observing them with a mocking smile, said, "I suppose you're unaware of the current situation. While your Uchiha clan pulled back its main forces to help you secure those documents, Kumogakure launched a full-scale assault. By now, your clan might already be annihilated on the battlefield.

"And even if you succeed in finalizing your so-called 'new system,' what then? Do you really think the remnants of your Uchiha can win over the other ninjas? Hah! Even my father, the Third Hokage, treaded carefully around Konoha's ninja forces. What makes you think you'll do any better?"

Setsuna and his comrades stared at Shinnosuke in disbelief.

"You… You've colluded with Kumogakure Village?!"

Even the remaining Jōnin visibly hesitated. They had pledged loyalty to Sarutobi Hiruzen, believing they fought for Konoha. But now, the revelation of such betrayal shook their conviction.

"Colluded?" Shinnosuke scoffed. "Who said anything about collusion? Kumogakure's interest in Konoha's secrets has always been an open secret. And didn't Uchiha Toki's public announcements practically invite them to attack?"

Many of the surrounding civilian-born ninjas fell silent, swayed by his argument.

Toki's smirk deepened as he replied, "Oh, so now you're blaming me for publicizing documents meant to hold Hokage accountable? Let me ask you this—who sent assassins after me, forcing the Uchiha clan to divert its forces back to the village? Wasn't that Sarutobi Hiruzen?"

"You're lying!" Shinnosuke snapped, his confidence faltering for a moment. "There must be more Uchiha forces lying in ambush somewhere."

Toki's smile widened. "Ambush? Why waste the effort? The four of us here are more than enough."

Though Shinnosuke tried to mask it, unease flashed in his eyes. The devastation he had just witnessed hardly seemed the work of four shinobi, no matter how skilled.

He signaled to a group of ANBU captains in white robes. They lunged toward Toki, closing the distance in an instant.

"Charizards, use Heat Wave!" Setsuna commanded coldly.

The Charizards roared as scorching winds erupted from their mouths, consuming the attacking Jōnin. The intense heat sucked the moisture from their bodies in seconds, leaving behind charred husks that crumpled lifelessly to the ground.

Even the water pooled from the waterfall evaporated under the intense heat, filling the air with suffocating steam.

Mitokado Homura stared in disbelief at the roaring Charizards. "What... What are these creatures?! A Kekkei Genkai?"

Koharu paled, shouting, "Be careful! They don't need to form hand seals to use their techniques!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke shot her an incredulous look. "Hand seals? That thing doesn't even have hands!"

"Hey, masked guy," Toki called out to Shinnosuke.

Instinctively, Shinnosuke turned, meeting Toki's eyes. His heart sank as he was drawn into the ominous swirl of Toki's Mangekyō Sharingan.

In an instant, Shinnosuke found himself bound to a cross in a dark void. Toku stood before him, a short blade gleaming in his hand and a sinister smile on his face.

"You're a Kage-level ninja, right?" Toki's voice was calm yet chilling. "Do you know why your father fears the Uchiha clan so much?"

Before Shinnosuke could respond, Toki drove the blade into his eye.

---

Konoha Village – Sarutobi Clan Compound

In a quiet room, Sarutobi Hiruzen sat across from Shimura Danzo, both sipping tea.

Hiruzen's expression soured as he glanced at Danzo. "Why are you still following me around? Can't you mind your own business?"

Danzo snorted. "For Konoha's sake, of course. Hiruzen, this time, I won't let another opportunity slip by like I did with Iwagakure."

Suppressing his irritation, Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe. He knew involving Danzo in his plans was a misstep, but the situation was delicate.

He reflected on his strategy. Shinnosuke was tasked with intercepting Uchiha Toki while Kumogakure Village was subtly encouraged to exploit the weakened frontlines.

The Uchiha clan would be forced to choose: pull back their forces and risk heavy losses on the battlefield, or let Toki fend for himself. Either way, the Uchiha's reputation and influence would be crushed.

For Hiruzen, this was a calculated risk. Though Toki had proven cunning, even he couldn't anticipate every move.

Hiruzen's lips curled into a faint smile. "The Senju and Uzumaki clans are gone. The Uchiha think they can challenge the Will of Fire? How laughable."

"Does the Uchiha clan, suppressed since the Second Hokage's time, really think they can rise again? It's a pipe dream!"

Soon, Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind eased. His plans were about to bear fruit, and he would soon regain control of Konoha.

As for the civilian shinobi who would sacrifice their lives, it would serve as a lesson for doubting him. Those who survived would be pacified and taught that following him was the only way to thrive.

Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, feeling a rare sense of comfort. Soon, everything would fall back into place.

The Nara Clan? The Ino-Shika-Cho Alliance?

It seemed they had forgotten the fate of the Aburame Clan when they tried to oppose him. They would learn soon enough. If they wanted to withdraw after this battle, it wouldn't be so simple. Some of their elites would have to be offered up as compensation.

Once the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki matured, a controllable Uchiha loyal to Konoha would be cultivated to manage the beast. By then, the Sarutobi clan would fully consolidate their control over Konoha.

A faint smirk played across Sarutobi Hiruzen's lips. After this, Shinnosuke could step down from the ANBU to bolster his reputation and take the Hokage position. When that time came, he could finally retire peacefully.

At the thought of his eldest son, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly recalled another son—one he had locked away. If it weren't for the worry that he would compete with his brother for the Hokage position, he wouldn't have raised him into such a useless fool. What a waste.

---

"Arghhh!!"

Back at the battlefield, Sarutobi Shinnosuke suddenly clutched his eyes, screaming in pain as he collapsed to his knees.

Toki's right eye shut, blood trickling down its corner. Using his Mangekyō Sharingan had drained his ocular power significantly, leaving his vision slightly impaired.

Toki furrowed his brows.

"The cost of this technique is higher than I thought," he muttered to himself, recalling Uchiha Itachi bleeding every time he used Tsukuyomi. Obito, too, only used Kamui sparingly unless he had no choice.

The strain on his eyes was intense, but he maintained his composure. He glanced at the shocked faces of Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

"Shinnosuke! Are you alright?!" Koharu exclaimed as she rushed to Sarutobi Shinnosuke's side.

"Be careful!" Shinnosuke gasped, his voice strained. "He's using genjutsu! Don't look into his eyes!"

Koharu finally noticed Toki's Mangekyō Sharingan and let out a terrified shriek.

"It's a Mangekyō Sharingan! Avoid eye contact with him!"

Toki smirked and gave a simple command to his team.

"Attack."

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"

Three roaring dragons and a sea of flames surged forward. The heat from the attacks was so intense that even the jōnin on the other side could feel their throats dry up.

"What terrifying flames," one civilian jōnin muttered. "Their strength is nothing like what the reports said."

The Uchiha clan had been honing their fire jutsu to near-perfection, training for hours on end. Even without elite chakra reserves, they had developed a mastery of fire-style techniques that rivaled high-ranking shinobi.

Combined with the Charizards' flamethrowers, the flames were relentless.

---

On the other side, the jōnin panicked, forming seals as fast as they could.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

Steam erupted as fire collided with water, creating a dense mist that blanketed the battlefield.

Toki's Sharingan gleamed within the haze.

"Let's move," Toki ordered, and he and his squad melted into the mist. Charizards roared above, firing flamethrowers to disrupt the enemy's formations.

"Careful!" one jōnin shouted as he tried to pinpoint Toki's position, but in the mist, the Sharingan held the advantage.

Toki appeared beside one of the jōnin in an instant. The enemy's eyes locked onto the gleaming Mangekyō before they froze, caught in a genjutsu. In a swift motion, Toki's blade slashed across their neck, and they collapsed lifelessly.

"Over here!" another jōnin yelled as he threw shuriken at Toki. But as he did, a dozen identical figures of Toki surrounded him.

"Damn it! That's the Body Flicker Technique! How does he know it?!"

Toki smirked, forming quick hand seals.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Dozens of fireballs shot forward, exploding into smaller bursts that scattered shuriken hidden within the flames.

The jōnin dodged the fireballs, only to be struck by the shuriken concealed within.

As the jōnin fell, the remaining shinobi found themselves besieged by an unrelenting hail of projectiles.

"How many are there?! Is the Uchiha clan hiding an ambush?" one jōnin exclaimed as he tried to deflect the incoming shuriken.

Above, a massive shadow loomed.

"Watch out!" someone screamed, but it was too late.

One of the Charizards dove down from the sky, slamming into the ground with enough force to crush a jōnin into pulp.