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

The Hokage was captured. Half the Konoha forces were instantly wiped out.

There was no time for mourning. The Konoha shinobi were forced into retreat.

This time, Kaede's side had the advantage in numbers!

The great purge began.

Kaede no longer cared about the battle. With Tsunade in tow, he instantly returned to Takigakure.

If, even with a numerical advantage and the support of the Uchiha, their forces still couldn't win…

Then the Takigakure shinobi would truly be worthless.

As for reinforcements from Konoha?

Heh. Did Konoha still have the manpower to spare?

News of this battle's outcome spread quickly across the entire ninja world.

"Tsunade was defeated!"

Inside Konoha, Koharu and Homura sat in heavy silence.

Tsunade's fall meant Kaede now had no remaining obstacles.

He could march straight to their gates.

"Damn it, that was an entire army! Just gone?!"

Koharu was devastated.

Not for the shinobi lost—but because her own power was about to crumble.

She quickly turned to Homura with desperation.

"Should we run? Now?"

Homura gave a bitter smile. "And go where?"

"Kaede sees us as enemies. If Konoha is destroyed, we'll likely be executed too."

Koharu grew even more anxious. "What about Hiruzen, Danzō, and Jiraiya?"

"Can't they return and stop Kaede?"

Homura shook his head. "They're already struggling just to hold back the other three villages."

Silence returned.

Then Homura seemed to think of something. His face twisted in pain.

"There might be... one way."

"What is it?!" Koharu grabbed the only thread of hope.

Homura leaned in and whispered solemnly, "Listen closely..."

…

At the same time, the other three battlefronts received the news.

"Hmph! If I were Hokage..."

Danzō snorted at the failure, then resumed plotting.

Facing Suna's incursions, he had always prioritized hiding. If forced, he only fought small skirmishes.

Thankfully, Chiyo was old. A few jōnin were enough to hold the line. Suna still hadn't deployed its tailed beast.

His only real opponent was Rasa.

Even so, Konoha's defenses kept falling.

But even with Fire Country territory being lost, Danzō remained confident.

Once his plan succeeded, the crisis would end instantly.

And he would finally become Hokage.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen and Jiraiya were growing increasingly anxious.

Worried not only for their student and the woman they both loved, but also that no one was left to stop Kaede.

But they had no time to deal with Kaede.

Hiruzen was being suppressed by Ōnoki, and the Five-Tails' jinchūriki was unstoppable.

He had lost more ground than Danzō.

As for Jiraiya, he had revealed his Sage Mode and, with the help of Mount Myōboku, successfully held off the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee.

But after several exchanges, the Fourth Raikage was furious. It looked like he might even bring the Two-Tails into battle!

If that happened, Jiraiya's front might begin to collapse too.

While Konoha panicked, the three great villages were thrilled.

Especially Ōnoki, who believed he understood Kaede and feared no counterattack.

Though the other two were stunned by Kaede's power, they expected him to march straight to Konoha.

Which meant they would be free to seize Fire Country territory.

That's right—seize it!

Ever since they received word that Kaede's forces were occupying Fire Country towns, the villages and even the daimyōs began to stir.

Why not take land too?

Looting was fun, but long-term occupation was even more profitable.

Thus, for the first time in ninja war history, there was no mass looting of civilians.

Instead, the villages actively maintained order, determined to keep their new territories!

…

Kaede arrived at the new Uchiha settlement with Tsunade.

Before them stood a massive divine tree.

Tsunade's eyes widened in shock.

"What... is this?"

She could feel the natural energy in the air—identical to what she had sensed in Shikkotsu Forest.

The closer to the tree, the denser the energy became.

At its center, it even surpassed the sacred lands of the Sannin.

Breathing in the air here, she could feel her damaged chakra pathways beginning to heal.

But they were instantly severed again by the senjutsu chakra Kaede had placed inside her.

"Come with me."

Kaede smiled and tugged the rope.

The other end was tied around Tsunade's neck and bound arms.

Her shock shattered, replaced once again by overwhelming shame.

She was the Fifth Hokage of Konoha!

Yet she was being led like a pet?

If she could fight back, she would've smashed Kaede's head in with a single punch.

But she couldn't resist.

So she could only lower her head in shame as Kaede led her through the village, her presence drawing curious glances from the shinobi.

"What... are you going to do?"

Tsunade glared at him, as if expecting him to pounce on her at any moment.

Kaede smiled. "I want to help you... relive some memories."

His Mangekyō spun—and Tsunade was instantly trapped in a genjutsu world!

…

"Kill them!"

"Kill the Konoha bastards!"

Shouts of slaughter pulled Tsunade from the haze.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a familiar yet distant place.

"Come. Let me show you something."

Kaede's voice whispered beside her.

Then he walked ahead.

Tsunade followed, unable to stop herself.

"Look. Isn't that one of your Senju?"

Kaede pointed, and Tsunade followed his gaze.

A familiar figure stood ahead, fighting alongside two comrades against three enemies.

Tsunade recognized him.

He was one of the few Senju left behind after the Second Hokage ordered most of the clan to disappear into Konoha.

Including herself and her brother Nawaki, there had been only forty of them.

They were the last torchbearers of the Senju name.

But by the end of the Second and Third Great Wars, they were all dead—only Tsunade remained.

Now, this Senju fought fiercely with his comrades and managed to defeat the enemies.

But in the next instant, a blade pierced his heart.

He turned in disbelief—only to see it was his own teammate who struck him.

"W-why...?"

With his last breath, he asked that question.

The traitor replied coldly:

"You Senju, heirs of the First and Second Hokage, have become a threat to our power."

"By Danzō-sama's orders—we're severing the Senju bloodline."

(End of Chapter)

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