Night of the Clan Massacre: Leading the Uchiha to Defect from Konoha!

"Right here will do."

In a scenic part of Takigakure, the new Uchiha compound was under rapid construction.

Kaede stood in the very center of the site—this would be his future residence.

He took out the sapling of the Shinju (God Tree).

Though this wasn't the most ideal place in the ninja world, they would be staying here for a while.

Besides, the God Tree could be moved later. For now, Kaede was eager to use it to strengthen his clan.

With a stomp of his foot, a hole opened up in the ground.

Kaede gently placed the sapling into the pit.

The moment it touched the soil, the Shinju began to change.

Its entire body shimmered with green light, its tender leaves floating gently.

With his perfect-level Sage Mode, Kaede could feel the surge of natural energy in the air.

Nature chakra from afar was flooding toward them as if drawn in.

And the sapling itself grew at an alarming pace—within moments, it had transformed into a towering tree tens of meters tall!

The Takigakure civilians and Uchiha clan members nearby were all dumbfounded.

The Uchiha were the first to notice the change.

Their eyes felt incredibly refreshed—many couldn't help but activate their Sharingan.

"My Sharingan... it's getting stronger!" one of them exclaimed in joy.

"Mine too!"

"Haha, me too!"

Excited voices rang out as everyone began sharing their experiences.

Those who already had the three-tomoe Sharingan were especially thrilled.

If even the three-tomoe eyes could evolve… could they eventually awaken the Mangekyō?

"Ah! I awakened my Sharingan!" a seven- or eight-year-old child suddenly shouted.

In his blood-red pupils, a single tomoe slowly spun.

The entire Uchiha clan erupted into cheers!

After the excitement, all turned to Kaede with reverence in their eyes.

They knew it was because of the tree Kaede had planted.

Meanwhile, the Takigakure civilians simply felt healthier and stronger.

After all, even breathing now infused their bodies with nature energy. It was normal to feel more vital.

And unknowingly, the Shinju's passive effects were at work.

Without realizing it, their loyalty toward Kaede was steadily increasing.

Kaede nodded in satisfaction.

But soon, he frowned.

The Shinju was absorbing nature energy at an alarming rate.

Looking into the distance, Kaede saw that plants were visibly withering.

Saplings and sprouts were wilting before his eyes.

"I need to slow it down."

With a thought, the God Tree's absorption rate decreased.

Soon, it reached equilibrium with the surrounding environment.

Kaede had no plans to destroy the world—if he drained it dry, there'd be no joy left.

Rather than pillage, Kaede preferred sustainable development.

Besides, if he needed more fuel, weren't there still the tailed beasts?

And somewhere, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki still lurked—with a matured Ten-Tails in his possession.

All of it would be food for his Shinju in time.

With that thought, Kaede placed his hand on the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning Technique!)

Poof!

With a cloud of smoke, Chōmei appeared.

"Huh? What is it now?" the seven-tailed beast looked confused. It had just been enjoying its freedom in flight.

But its confusion didn't last long—its eyes locked onto the massive tree.

"This... this is..."

"The Shinju?!" Chōmei's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You... how do you have this?"

"Did you sacrifice the other tailed beasts already?!"

Panic spread across its face.

"I—I was loyal! I became your summoned beast willingly! You can't do this to me!"

Kaede gave Chōmei an exasperated look.

This beast had way too much imagination.

"Cut the nonsense," Kaede said coldly. "From now on, feed your chakra into the Shinju every day."

"If you try to hide it—I'll offer you up for real."

Chōmei swallowed hard.

Seeing that Kaede didn't actually intend to sacrifice it, the beast relaxed.

Then, patting its chest, it said confidently, "Don't worry! I'll take good care of the tree!"

Compared to death, a little chakra was nothing.

It would recover quickly anyway.

With that, Chōmei got to work enthusiastically.

Chakra poured steadily into the God Tree, accelerating its growth.

Kaede ignored the overly eager Chōmei and turned his attention back to the thick concentration of nature energy surrounding the Shinju.

A thought struck him suddenly.

"Maybe my clan members could learn Sage Mode here?"

Sage Mode could exponentially boost one's strength. Once the idea hit him, Kaede couldn't stop thinking about it.

But remembering how dangerous Sage Mode training could be, he muttered:

"I'll need someone to try it first."

The image of Uchiha Izumi appeared in his mind.

She was the perfect candidate.

With him watching over her, the success rate would be much higher.

…

Two days later—

Kaede stood atop a high ledge in Takigakure, gazing down at a crowd of enthusiastic shinobi and clansmen.

In these two days, the Uchiha had clearly felt the Shinju's power enhancing them.

Even the Takigakure ninja had grown stronger—slightly more chakra, better stamina.

And they were becoming more loyal to Kaede by the day.

Kaede raised his hand. "Move out!"

With that, a 500-man force surged forth—marching on the Land of Fire!

…

At the Land of Fire's border.

Several Konoha ninja were lazily keeping watch.

"Wonder how things are going on the other fronts?" one muttered.

The others sighed. This wasn't like the Third War—facing three villages at once, Konoha had almost no hope.

"Damn those Uchiha!" one of them spat.

The others agreed immediately.

"Right? If they hadn't destroyed the village, none of this would be happening!"

"Ugh, I still can't believe they escaped that night!"

"When this war ends, we'll make them pay!"

"Didn't they take over Takigakure too?"

"Yeah. That's why we're here—making sure they don't try to invade the Land of Fire."

They cursed loudly, as if they could crush the Uchiha if they showed up.

Suddenly—

A kunai flew through the air, landing in their midst.

Tied to it—several explosive tags!

"Enemy attack!" someone shouted in panic.

But it was too late.

BOOM!

The explosion engulfed them—turning their bodies to charred remains.

And that blast alerted every Konoha shinobi within miles.

On the other side of the border… was Takigakure.

The Uchiha had come.

…

(End of Chapter)

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