Hokage: I Confronted the Five Kage Before the System Arrived

Chapter 191: Do We Fight? The Kind that Reduces Everything to Ruin

"Lord Hagoromo!"

The gathered Uchiha, finally noticing Hagoromo Gengetsu's arrival, respectfully and gratefully bowed to him.

They understood that without Hagoromo Gengetsu, they would have continued to survive miserably within the confines of Lockfront Village, rather than standing here, in their ancestral land, seeking vengeance before the graves of their kin.

Sasuke, Izumi Uchiha, and Uchiha Kei were also among those bowing, not letting the awakening of their Mangekyō Sharingan make them haughty.

Hagoromo Gengetsu waved casually, stating simply, "Mission accomplished, prepare to return."

"Yes!"

The Uchiha ninjas responded swiftly.

Sasuke glanced at Itachi Uchiha's body on the ground, his eyes flickering.

Hagoromo Gengetsu instructed him, "Take Uchiha Itachi's body. Those Mangekyō Sharingan will be yours."

Sasuke nodded silently.

In the end, he would still possess both his and his brother's Mangekyō Sharingan.

'Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan above the Mangekyō... Is this the result you were pursuing so desperately, Itachi?'

Looking at Itachi's closed eyes on the ground, Sasuke took out a sealing scroll and sealed Itachi's body within.

Just as Hagoromo Gengetsu's group was about to depart, sounds of rapid approaches echoed outside Naka Shrine.

It was the Konoha forces, having dealt with the traps left by Hagoromo Gengetsu, rushing to the scene.

As they traversed the ruins and finally stood before the true owners of this land, they were met with a series of unsettling Sharingan glares.

"Sharingan! They're all Sharingan!"

A Konoha ninja exclaimed excitedly.

However, he quickly came to his senses, realizing that those once arrogant yet reassuring teammates with Sharingan now stood opposite him as enemies.

'Why has it come to this?' he wondered silently.

Even if he voiced the question, no one would answer, given it involved Konoha's upper echelons.

Summoning a multitude of slugs to provide protection and healing, Tsunade had managed to prevent any casualties. She now carefully observed the group led by Hagoromo Gengetsu.

"Indeed! They are all former members of the Uchiha clan. But all of them were officially declared dead before the night of the massacre."

As Konoha's Hokage, Tsunade had specifically reviewed the Uchiha clan records upon learning the names Uchiha Kei and Uchiha Izumi from Yamato.

Now, matching the present Uchiha individuals to those records, she quickly identified all of them.

Without exception, they were all former Konoha ninjas.

"All of them have three-tomoe Sharingan! And there are even three with the same eyes as Uchiha Itachi!"

Jiraiya's expression grew serious. Sweeping his gaze over the group, he finally focused on the sealing scroll Sasuke had just put away.

There was no need to guess; Uchiha Itachi's body was inside.

"Even Uchiha Itachi, who joined the Akatsuki for so many years, has fallen to Sasuke and his allies."

Jiraiya felt a headache coming on.

Despite Konoha's numerical advantage, the situation didn't look favorable.

Even with additional reinforcements, things wouldn't improve much.

"Sasuke!!"

With Naruto absent, Sakura took his place, unable to resist calling out upon seeing Sasuke again.

Unexpectedly, instead of ignoring her as usual, Sasuke looked over and nodded.

The sudden happiness left Sakura in shock and then elation.

"Could it be that Sasuke has had a change of heart?" she muttered.

Kakashi, however, was not so naive.

He immediately noticed the difference in Sasuke's eyes.

"Mangekyō..."

Kakashi thought of his own left eye.

After two years of training, the eye he inherited from Obito had already evolved into a Mangekyō Sharingan. (In reality, it had long been a Mangekyō, just reactivated now.)

Fully aware of the Mangekyō Sharingan's power, Kakashi could imagine the immense might of a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.

However, now it wasn't just Sasuke. Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Kei, as Yamato had mentioned, had also awakened their Mangekyō Sharingan.

Additionally, there were over ten three-tomoe Sharingan users stronger than typical Jōnin.

And most importantly, even with more Mangekyō Sharingan, they couldn't overshadow Hagoromo Gengetsu, who also stood on the opposing side.

With such a lineup, not to mention whether they could win, the battle between so many powerful individuals would likely devastate Konoha.

Realizing this, Kakashi quickly glanced at Tsunade.

Clearly, as Hokage, she had also thought of this, now caught in a dilemma.

On the other side, the only worry-free individual, Hagoromo Gengetsu, scanned the Konoha forces, finding their numbers consistent with before.

Their performance was quite satisfactory.

Hagoromo Gengetsu nodded in approval.

After all, these were the future "big medicine" he had his eyes on.

Their growth pleased him.

It was important to note that while the planet could only accommodate one or two bloodline net users, the total chakra on the planet was increasing.

Initially, after the Divine Tree descended and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki consumed the Chakra Fruit, the total chakra remained constant.

However, as ninjutsu spread and more people learned to harness chakra, the total chakra began to grow slowly.

Hagoromo Gengetsu naturally hoped to see this trend continue, even accelerate.

He even considered spreading "divine techniques" like "inner power" cultivation to everyone to generate vast amounts of chakra.

That way, when he truly needed chakra, his success would be more assured.

However, chakra depended on one's aptitude.

Some people, no matter the method, could not cultivate it.

Even if they could, their limited aptitude meant their chakra would be very limited.

Thus, Hagoromo Gengetsu's plan for universal martial arts fell through.

Now, he could only rely on the current ninjas of the world.

Seeing Tsunade and the others merely standing by, not daring to make a move, Hagoromo Gengetsu looked down at the bustling village center from Naka Shrine's hill, understanding immediately.

He turned to Tsunade, smiling faintly, "The Uchiha clan's vengeance is complete. We won't disturb Konoha any longer."

With that, Hagoromo Gengetsu waved his hand and led the descent.

The Uchiha followed without hesitation.

"Lady Hokage..."

Konoha ninjas blocking their path looked to Tsunade.

But before Tsunade could respond, Hagoromo Gengetsu's calm gaze swept over them.

Instinctively, the Konoha ninjas stepped aside in panic.

Thus, a clear path was formed.