Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 338: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

Konoha.

Bathed in moonlight, Konoha Village was unusually peaceful tonight, with its villagers sleeping especially deeply for some reason.

Outside, the rooftops were dotted with flickering shadows—ninja darting about. When a transparent purple barrier suddenly appeared in the heart of the village, the mission for the night was instantly conveyed among all Konoha ninjas.

"The operation has begun!"

The Jonin in charge of the prison turned pale the moment he saw the barrier emerge in the village center. The Chunin behind him were even more shocked.

"Captain! What's going on?"

"Yeah, Captain, from the look of things tonight, besides the Genin, every Chunin and Jonin in the whole village has mobilized. All the departments are present, too."

"There are ninjas everywhere in the streets and alleys—this is even more serious than when the Nine-Tails attacked!"

Faced with his subordinates' exclamations, the Jonin prison warden barked coldly:

"By the Fifth Hokage's order, Konoha is now under maximum alert! The Sarutobi, Mitokado, and Utatane clans conspired with Danzo of Root, framed fellow ninjas, and set up the legendary Sannin Orochimaru.

They even conducted inhumane human experiments and were behind the Uchiha clan massacre. Now the evidence is irrefutable—traitor Danzo Shimura has been executed, and the three clans have plotted a coup!"

With the barrier's appearance, all the Jonin who received the order began to sternly explain the situation to their anxious Chunin subordinates.

"What! The three clans are staging a coup?"

"Damn! No wonder the Uchiha clan, so powerful, disappeared overnight. No matter how strong Uchiha Itachi was, he couldn't have slaughtered his whole clan! Back then, the Uchiha had nearly a hundred Jonin alone!"

"During the Third Great Ninja War, Orochimaru-sama led us to so many victories..."

"A coup! Are the three clans insane?"

"Shh, keep it down. I heard the Third Hokage used the Fourth's temporary absence to seize power, but that temporary stint as Hokage lasted over ten years until he died..."

"Damn it, all the key positions in every department have been monopolized by those three clans for years. My wife was qualified for promotion but got replaced, and now she's stuck in the most dangerous frontline unit..."

"A coup! Damn them!"

Even though it was nighttime, every Konoha ninja who heard the news turned pale. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

After their Jonin and Special Jonin leaders shared recent intelligence from the Root raids and the ironclad evidence found during Danzo's capture, the mood shifted dramatically.

If the Third Hokage's rule ever truly had the people's hearts, there wouldn't have been such unrest among the villagers after the Third Great War, driving Hiruzen Sarutobi to resign.

Nor would the Chunin Exam have seen the Hokage trapped with no one in the whole village risking their lives to save him.

The Third Hokage had long lost the trust of the ninja.

Especially considering Root's crimes, the major clans of Konoha were now desperate.

As long as Root exists, the clans will never be at peace!

...

At the same time, the three clans within the barrier were thrown into chaos.

"Elders, it's bad! Konoha Ninja and the ANBU are storming in! Our clan compound was caught off guard!"

"It's worse! Lady Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, is personally leading the ANBU!"

They had been secretly discussing tomorrow's coup, only to be interrupted. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu turned pale with shock and anger.

"How dare Tsunade!"

"Tsunade wants us dead!"

Panicked, they rushed out of the secret room, only to find their once-prosperous compound engulfed in slaughter.

"Kill them!"

"Three clans are rebelling! Eliminate them all!"

"The three clans have attempted to assassinate the Hokage—cleanse them by order!"

"Impossible!"

Seeing the carnage, Utatane Koharu collapsed to the ground, her face pale, unable to utter a complete sentence.

"Damn it!" Mitokado Homura's eyes narrowed, clearly more resolute.

"Organize a counterattack! If our three clans join forces, we still have a chance! Contact Jiraiya! We're willing to give up our power..."

Now, only Jiraiya could stop their destruction. Homura believed that if the three clans signaled their willingness to compromise, Jiraiya would not stand by idly.

After all, they were all Konoha ninja; internal strife would only weaken the village and sow chaos.

"Yes! Yes! Go find Jiraiya!" Koharu, coming to her senses, nodded frantically.

"Koharu! You used to be a formidable ninja. Stand up!" Homura, seeing her state, scolded angrily.

What happened to her? They had survived countless battles—ninjas should never fear death.

"Homura!"

Seeing her companion's disappointed look, Koharu was overwhelmed with shame, but kept telling herself:

She, too, had once been a powerful Konoha ninja!

But...

"Homura! I'm old... I don't want to die..."

In the end, Koharu broke down, her eyes full of regret. If they'd known Tsunade would be so ruthless, they never should have welcomed her back.

If only Jiraiya had become Hokage—none of this would have happened.

Many people in history were bold and decisive in their youth, but as power and years eroded them, their ambition faded—and many even fell into corruption.

Such stories are countless! Those who remain true to themselves are always the few.

"Kill!"

Under the moonlit slaughter, hot blood splattered across faces—Uchiha Sasuke's pupils trembled.

Each scene brought back memories of the Uchiha massacre. He realized his heart was not as hardened as he thought.

"Itachi's victims were his kin!"

The blood on his Kusanagi sword filled Sasuke with rage. He was only killing those who persecuted the Uchiha, but Itachi had suffered far more!

"Damn it!"

Sasuke, known as the most level-headed of the Uchiha, was kind-hearted, rarely killing in the early Shippuden.

Only after killing Itachi and learning the truth did he gradually turn dark; anyone else would have snapped far earlier.

But this Sasuke, at the start of Shippuden, still had his kindness—and in another world, he regained everything he lost.

So Sasuke remained uncorrupted, his heart still good.

"Political struggles! Once things break down, there's only life and death, no winners or losers!"

Recalling Uchiha Shirou's teachings, Sasuke clenched his teeth, Mangekyo spinning, and charged into the Sarutobi clan's ninja.

Sasuke, filled with rage, showed no mercy with his Kusanagi—but only against the three clans' ninjas.

At that moment, Sasuke realized he could never be a true politician, let alone a qualified Hokage.

He didn't have that kind of ruthlessness.

"Itachi! You were forced by these people! The Uchiha clan's blood debt..."

Under a blood-red moon, the three clans were caught off guard and unable to organize an effective defense. As the massacre unfolded, Tsunade watched coldly.

Having endured the brutal ninja wars, they were used to such slaughter.

In the shadows, Uchiha Shirou, watching Sasuke's changing mindset, couldn't help but nod in approval.

"As expected, when there's softness in the heart, Sasuke's kindness helps him grow without falling into darkness."

When Sasuke trained at Orochimaru's base, surrounded by hundreds who wanted to kill him, he remained cold but never cruel—a testament to his nature.

...

Meanwhile, in the overgrown ruins outside Konoha, Itachi silently gazed at the place he once lived—but which he had ended.

Seeing the barrier rise in the village center, Itachi's face grew grim.

"Is this... another massacre?"

Memories of the clan's demise flooded his mind as the same tragedy repeated in Konoha, leaving him at a loss.

For the first time, Uchiha Itachi felt truly disoriented.

...

The Sarutobi, Mitokado, and Utatane clans were now awash in blood.

Especially after discovering piles of explosive tags, kunai, and even large war machines prepared for the coup.

This time, Tsunade showed no mercy—at this point, it was a fight to the death.

Any wise Hokage knows: if a clan is truly planning a coup, it's kill or be killed.

"Don't... don't kill me. I don't want to be Intelligence Division Captain anymore! I give up..."

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have taken your spot, I was wrong..."

"Our Sarutobi clan's previous patriarch was the Third Hokage! You can't do this to us!"

"The Third should have killed those lowly..."

"Tsunade, you bitch, if it weren't for the Sarutobi clan, you'd still be a stray dog in the ninja world..."

"You lowly scum! Back when the Third was alive, you were all like dogs, now you turn on your masters..."

The evidence of the three clans' coup was undeniable. The Sarutobi in particular, having supplied the Hokage for years, saw Konoha as their personal property.

This was obvious from the way Sarutobi Konohamaru could freely enter the Hokage building with no ANBU questioning it.

"No! Don't kill me..."

Facing death, countless cries echoed from within the three clans.

But this was not war—it was a coup, a military rebellion! In such matters, mercy has never been an option, in any world.

Masked ANBU coldly swung their blades at the defenseless.

Other Konoha ninjas looked away, suppressing the three clans' desperate resistance.

Outside the secret room where the coup was planned, the sounds of fighting echoed, while those inside were paralyzed with terror.

"Tsunade! I was wrong, I'll never do it again, please don't kill me..."

Utatane Koharu, broken by fear, begged pitifully, but the killing outside didn't slow.

"Shut up! As Hokage advisors, we must die with dignity!" Mitokado Homura scolded her angrily, regretting ever conspiring with someone like her.

As the fighting died down, the blood spattered on the white doors made Homura and Koharu's pupils contract.

They were coming!

With a screech, the doors slowly opened, revealing blood-soaked figures outside: Hyuga Hiashi, Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, and others—all staring silently inside.

At the sight, Koharu broke down, crawling out and desperately pleading:

"Hiashi, it's me! Shikaku, I recommended you for Jonin Squad Captain! Please tell Tsunade, I'll resign as an advisor, I'll just stay at home..."

"Choza! Help me, remember how often I ate at your clan's barbecue place? I even treated you..."

How ugly can a person get when facing death?

At that moment, Koharu fully exposed herself, especially in front of Hatake Kakashi, whose face was expressionless and eyes cold.

The Uchiha clan grumbled, but if they'd really planned a coup, with their temperament, they'd have done it already.

But the three clans had prepared everything for tomorrow's coup, and there was irrefutable evidence.

Yet the Uchiha were wiped out over mere suspicion; how could Tsunade show mercy now?

"Kakashi, I even held you as a child—please beg Tsunade for me..."

Koharu's groveling made Kakashi only colder. Just then, a voice sounded, draining all color from her face.

"I remember, Kakashi-sensei's father, White Fang, owed his disgrace to you, didn't he?"

A figure slowly stepped from the darkness, white clothes stained with blood. As he raised his head, the scarlet light in his eyes filled Koharu with terror.

"U... Uchiha..."

It was Uchiha Sasuke, his Kusanagi sword soaked in blood.

Seeing the final two masterminds behind the Uchiha's downfall in such a state, Sasuke's eyes flashed with vengeful madness.

"White Fang was disgraced and abandoned by you. So those of you who abandoned the Hokage as his guards, only to return and seize high office—even the seat of Hokage itself—what does that make you!?"

As his Mangekyo spun, Sasuke said coldly,

"Isn't that an insult to the Will of Fire!?"