People who have experienced death once tend to cherish their lives far more than others.
That thought reflected Fugaku's mindset perfectly over the past few years.
He had nearly died in the Land of Rainbows in the past, only to be saved later by Madara. There were countless questionable gaps in that memory. How he survived a fall down a waterfall, how he drifted across the sea to Madara's base, and how the Hidden Mist Village was actually under Madara's control all felt suspicious in hindsight. But Fugaku had long since buried those doubts, because only two facts mattered to him.
Madara was dead, and Hayashi was alive.
Madara was dead. No matter what had happened between them, Fugaku could not take revenge. Resurrecting him just to kill him again was no different from seeking death itself. So Fugaku had abandoned that path entirely and instead chose to carry out the plan on his own.
That alone could be considered his form of revenge.
But Hayashi was still alive.
His father had died at Hayashi's hands, and Fugaku had witnessed it personally. There was no room for error in that memory.
So today's operation was born from both vengeance and suppression of Konoha's power. For Fugaku, it did not matter which motive was stronger. The two goals did not conflict.
At his core, Fugaku was still someone who valued his life.
And because he had once died, that value had only deepened.
That fear of death had also pushed his power forward. The Mangekyo Sharingan he awakened allowed his strength to rise to an entirely new level. Opponents who once stood beyond his reach could now be eliminated with ease.
However, there was a fatal flaw.
Fugaku's previous victories over Kirigakure shinobi and his manipulation of Yagura had all been executed through meticulous planning followed by sudden, overwhelming strikes. He rarely engaged in prolonged life or death combat.
Because he avoided risk.
Because he valued survival.
Most of his experience came from acting behind the scenes as a strategist rather than standing on the battlefield itself. And when such a man was suddenly placed under direct pressure, that lack of combat experience became exposed without mercy.
More precisely, it was a lack of real combat instinct.
Some people were born fighters. Fugaku was not one of them.
So when he was confronted by a battle-hardened opponent like Hayashi, this weakness was magnified to its limit.
When his dōjutsu Chikara Shin blocked incoming ninjutsu, Fugaku briefly panicked under Hayashi's sudden pressure. Chikara Shin was not invincible. After activation, it required a short interval before it could be used again.
That interval was extremely brief, but Hayashi seized it instantly.
In that moment, Fugaku had no ideal option left.
Fear and urgency overtook him, and he made his decision without hesitation.
Izanagi.
Izanagi could transform any injury, even death itself, into an illusionary dream state. It required hand seals under normal circumstances, and at a five-meter distance, Fugaku should not have had time to perform them.
But luck favored him in an unexpected way.
He had already experienced death twice before. That repetition had made him far more familiar with Izanagi than most Uchiha. He no longer needed hand seals to activate it.
At the same time, that familiarity came at a cost.
One of his Mangekyo Sharingan closed permanently, its light fading into gray.
Standing where Fugaku's body had fallen, Hayashi did not rush to confirm anything. A moment later, the corpse on the ground vanished completely, and Fugaku reappeared in the air above.
His expression darkened as he gritted his teeth.
"How did you know I used Izanagi?"
He had originally intended to fake death and launch a surprise attack, but Hayashi had not fallen for it at all.
"I didn't know whether you were really dead or not," Hayashi replied calmly, "but being cautious is always better."
Shisui had once lost an eye to Danzo's schemes. Hayashi had no intention of repeating the same mistake.
Fugaku clutched his right eye. The Mangekyo in that eye had turned a dull, gray-white. He had sacrificed it to activate Chikara Shin, a power he could not afford to lose.
Fortunately, Orochimaru still possessed Uchiha Yama's eye. If he could retrieve it, not only would Amaterasu return, but he might also regain the ability to use Susanoo.
That thought steadied him.
At least it was not a complete loss.
But the situation was still unfavorable. The Three-Tails had already been sealed by Kushina, and he had lost an eye. The plan had clearly failed.
Without another word, Fugaku turned and withdrew into the sky, abandoning the battlefield.
"It failed, huh."
Tendo, the Deva Path, had been observing the battle from afar.
Seeing Fugaku retreat, he also chose not to linger. His figure turned away as he moved through the sky.
Nagato had come today to observe and collect information. He wanted to measure Konoha's strength and understand the relationship between Fugaku and Madara.
He did not value his own life, but that did not mean he was willing to allow Yahiko's body to be destroyed by Konoha.
Without Nagato's control, the massive sphere created by Chibaku Tensei began to collapse. Fragments broke away and crashed down toward the Four Red Yang Formation.
A series of deafening impacts echoed through the battlefield, yet the barrier only rippled faintly under the pressure.
Inside Konoha, the Third Hokage finally let out a breath of relief.
The enemy had withdrawn.
Elsewhere, Sasori clenched his teeth as he looked upward, frustration burning in his eyes.
That brief distraction became his mistake.
Sakumo moved instantly.
He slammed his foot into the ground and surged forward. White Fang in his hand erupted with chakra blade energy, crackling with lightning as it tore through the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand defenses.
Sasori reacted quickly, forcing two beast-like puppets to rise and block the attack.
But they were destroyed in an instant.
At that moment, several white organisms suddenly sprouted across Sakumo's body, attempting to drain his chakra.
White Zetsu interference slowed him for only a moment.
Sasori seized the opening, grabbed the Third Kazekage puppet, and retreated.
Sakumo shattered the White Zetsu bindings with a burst of chakra energy from White Fang, but by then the opportunity had already passed. He chose not to pursue further and instead turned back toward the center of the village.
Near the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage was directing shinobi in rescue and reconstruction efforts.
The damage was severe. Even the Hokage Rock statue had lost half its structure.
Fortunately, casualties were not as high as expected, but the night was far from over. Defensive vigilance and casualty reporting both had to continue simultaneously.
Not far from the building, Hayashi listened as the Third Elder reported on the Uchiha clan's situation.
The Uchiha compound had been one of the first targets. Because of their quick response, no civilian clan members were killed. However, some of the shinobi who went out to support the battle had fallen.
Compensation would need to be distributed immediately.
Beyond that, the Uchiha shopping street had suffered only minor structural damage. It was a relief in the midst of chaos. Otherwise, Hayashi might have personally led a strike into Amegakure to eliminate Akatsuki on the spot.
After all, that was the district he had spent a year developing.
"By the way," Hayashi said calmly, "allocate one-third of the clan's stored supplies to the village. Treat it as support for reconstruction."
"One-third?" the Third Elder asked, visibly pained. "Isn't that too much?"
"Don't be stingy," Hayashi replied. "Money is just a tool. At a time like this, it's more important that the villagers see what the Uchiha stand for."
He spoke casually, but the meaning was clear.
Anything that could be solved with resources was not a real problem.
More importantly, this was the right moment to shape perception and earn goodwill from both the Hokage faction and ordinary Konoha shinobi.
The rift between the Uchiha and the village had always been deep. The shopping street was only the beginning of repair. Now, after Fugaku's attack, even more needed to be done.
Because after tonight, no one would be able to point at the Uchiha clan as the instigators.
Not even Danzo.