Naruto: The Flame That Reshapes Fate

"The third stage of Susanoo... at this rate of reckless dōjutsu consumption, it won't last much longer." Uchiha Obito sighed with some disappointment. In the end, he still hadn't managed to uncover the true nature of Uchiha Rēn's dōjutsu. Since Rēn had already gone so far as to use Susanoo without hesitation, there was no way he'd also waste more chakra using his Mangekyō Sharingan's techniques.

However—

It wasn't a total loss.

He had never used Susanoo himself, but according to Madara, its chakra consumption was terrifying. The higher the stage, the more it drained. The third stage of Susanoo was already a chakra devourer. Just a few uses of the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the user would go blind.

"Obito, are you going to keep watching? Or will you act now?"

Black Zetsu asked aloud.

"No need. Just leave a few White Zetsu to keep an eye on things." With Rēn's dōjutsu still a mystery, there was no point in sticking around. Better to return to Kirigakure and work on inciting the coming war between Konoha and the Hidden Mist—using Kirigakure to exhaust Uchiha Rēn's Mangekyō Sharingan.

As for Konoha,

They were already killing each other without his intervention.

And besides, the Byakugan was far too annoying. Moving around Konoha required constant caution to avoid being spotted by the Hyūga. He wasn't ready to reveal himself just yet. Compared to that, Kirigakure was much more comfortable. After taking control of the Fourth Mizukage, he could do whatever he pleased—manipulating the Mist Ninja in countless ways.

Space suddenly twisted,

Obito's form shrank rapidly, absorbed into his personal dimension. Zetsu closed the pitcher-plant over his head and left a few White Zetsu to monitor the area. Then, silently, he merged into the ground and vanished.

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"Have all personnel gathered?"

"Elder Homaru, all forty-two jōnin from the clan are present."

On the rooftop of the Konoha Police Force building.

Uchiha Homaru, Uchiha Genshi, and Uchiha An—the three elders—arrived together. They brought the jōnin left to guard the clan compound and summoned those stationed in the Police Force using the authority granted by the clan head. In total, forty-two jōnin had assembled.

Including the three elders, that made forty-five.

Some had been left behind to guard the clan compound and the Police Force headquarters—areas deliberately placed on the outskirts by the higher‑ups. That forced isolation was the village leadership's way of weakening and watching the Uchiha. Even so, they never fully dismantled the clan's core strength.

In Rēn's view, the reason the clan nearly fell wasn't only external pressure—it was the absence of a strong central figure, someone who could unite them and prevent internal fractures.

"Very well."

Uchiha Homaru stepped forward. He looked over the forty-two kneeling jōnin, ranging from fourteen-year-old boys and girls to white-haired elders with grandchildren. He drew a deep breath and spoke:

"Time is short, so I won't explain everything. In brief: the clan head is in trouble. The three of us are taking forces to support him. If anyone objects, speak now. You have ten seconds to decide. If no one objects by then, we move out."

Ten seconds was barely anything.

The younger Uchiha wore excited smiles. The older ones double-checked their gear. But in those ten seconds, not a single person raised an objection.

The proud Uchiha did not fear death.

Especially as jōnin, they were proud of their bloodline, confident in their strength, and ready to die for the clan's honor.

This was the Uchiha—a clan whose arrogance was engraved in their bones.

"Move out!"

Uchiha Homaru gave the order.

The three elders, despite their age, charged ahead. Forty-five members sped toward the southern part of the village.

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The Hyūga compound.

Situated in Konoha's south, the Hyūga estate was near Shōchikutei. That was why Hiashi had suggested breaking out to the southeast. Logically, when the barrier squad stopped functioning due to certain 'malfunctions,' the Hyūga should've been the first to detect the battle at Shōchikutei.

However—

The Third Hokage visited alone and met with Elder Masayuki of the main family. For unknown reasons, Masayuki then contacted other main family elders. They issued a confinement order: no clan members were to leave the estate without elder approval.

Even when some had noticed the conflict at Shōchikutei, the elders did nothing. They even placed watchers on the clan head's closest allies.

Until—

"Masayuki, looks like you made the wrong choice."

The main family elders activated their Byakugan, gazing toward the deep crimson Susanoo rising in the distant forest. The eldest among them said slowly, "Whether or not Hiashi broke clan traditions, he backed the right person."

Masayuki's face turned pale,

But he was a seasoned warrior—not the type to fall apart emotionally.

"Elder Seihiko, are you going to let the Hyūga stray down this path?" the Third Hokage asked. He faced Seihiko, the Hyūga clan's eldest, who had lived in the same era as Hashirama and Madara, trying to reverse the current shift.

"This no longer concerns the Hyūga. Hokage-sama, your concern now should be the Uchiha."

Seihiko stared at the deep crimson Susanoo and sighed, "To think I'd live to see Susanoo again—what a disappointment!" The elder didn't hide his disdain for the Uchiha's Susanoo.

The Uchiha and Hyūga—famed as the two great dōjutsu clans of the shinobi world.

Their rivalry had lasted for over a thousand years. The Sharingan at three tomoe could match the Byakugan, but the Uchiha alone could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan—power beyond the Byakugan. Because of that power, the Hyūga had always played second fiddle.

Especially during the era of Hashirama and Madara,

The Hyūga hadn't even dared to speak up against the Uchiha.

That shame, Even at nearly ninety years old, Hyūga Seihiko hadn't forgotten.

"Masayuki, take responsibility. Until Hiashi does something truly damaging to the clan, he remains our clan head. This mess started because of you. It should end with you." Seihiko summoned his attendant and left Masayuki's courtyard.

The other main family elders followed.

None stayed to shoulder the blame with Masayuki. It was clear: he had been chosen as the scapegoat to appease Hiashi's fury.

Afterward,

The Third Hokage also took his leave. Leaving no words of advice or solace to Masayuki.

The old Hyūga wasn't wrong. The appearance of Susanoo would inevitably draw attention from all clans. Failing to kill Uchiha Rēn and Hiashi before that meant Root's operation had failed. Whether or not the Hyūga supported Hiashi now no longer mattered.

What did matter was how to handle the fallout from the Uchiha and Hyūga.

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At the Akimichi compound, Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi arrived together, led by Akimichi Chōza to meet with Akimichi Torifu, the elder of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio. Torifu was eating grilled meat with Chōji, the young son of Chōza. The old and the young sat on opposite sides of the grill, enjoying the meal.

"Shikaku, Inoichi, want some?"

Torifu picked up a piece of tenderloin and offered it to the two younger men.

"Uncle Torifu, this really isn't the time to be eating..." Shikaku smiled helplessly. If there were any other way, he wouldn't disturb the elder. But without Torifu's presence, they had no confidence dealing with what had happened.

"Sigh. I knew this wasn't going to end today."

Torifu let out a heavy sigh.

When he saw Uchiha Rēn and Hyūga Hiashi speaking outside the Hokage building, he had sensed trouble. He just hadn't expected it to come so quickly.

"What happened, exactly?"

Torifu set down his chopsticks. Across the table, young Chōji looked up in confusion. Torifu patted the boy's head, signaling him to keep eating. Akimichi children needed to eat—a lot—so they could master Multi-Size Jutsu faster.

"It's Susanoo!"

Inoichi reported his findings. He had used Mind Body Switch Technique on a hawk to scout the area himself. When he saw the massive deep crimson figure, he hadn't recognized it at first—it had been decades since Susanoo had last appeared.

Fortunately, with Shikaku's help, they identified it as Uchiha Rēn's Susanoo.

"Root attacked both the Uchiha and Hyūga clan heads. But from the looks of it, they failed. Both Hiashi and Rēn are alive. And Rēn activated Susanoo to purge Root operatives." Inoichi's observation had been thorough.

"Root?"

Torifu's lips tightened.

"Are you sure?"

"I saw Fū," Inoichi said, anticipating the need to clarify. "Yamanaka Fū. He's my cousin. Danzō took him into Root years ago."

Torifu sighed in silence. Among the Ino-Shika-Chō clans, both Nara and Yamanaka had members taken by Danzō. Only the Akimichi had none—though that wasn't respect on Danzō's part. He simply didn't think Akimichi were suited for covert ops.

"If it's Root, and Danzō's still in the hospital..."

Torifu's headache worsened. It was obvious who could still command Root to pull this off.

"Let's go. We'll assess the situation and adapt as needed. All three of you—come with me."

Torifu didn't have any better ideas.

Pretending ignorance wasn't an option. The clan heads of Uchiha and Hyūga had been attacked inside the village. Regardless of the reason, this was serious. Letting it go would lead to chaos.

Torifu couldn't help feeling some resentment toward his old friend. This was far beyond acceptable internal conflict.

And it wasn't just Uchiha, Hyūga, and Ino-Shika-Chō.

Every clan with any standing had mobilized: Aburame, Kurama, Inuzuka, Ise… even the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mitokado clans had sent people toward the southern district where the incident occurred.