"From this moment on, the Uchiha clan declares war on the Five Great Ninja Villages."
The tsunami-like cheers in the plaza came to an abrupt halt.
It was as if the air had been vacuumed away in an instant, becoming so thick and heavy that it left them breathless.
The fanaticism and anticipation on the villagers' faces froze into comical, stiff expressions.
They stared blankly in that direction, looking at the figures of the Uchiha clan, their minds completely blank.
The smug smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face also froze.
The Uchiha clan had completely ignored his meticulously planned open scheme.
'Crazy. This Uchiha brat is absolutely crazy.'
Amidst this dead silence, a sharp voice shattered the quiet atmosphere.
The emissary of the Fire Nation Daimyo was the first to recover from the shock.
His luxurious silk robes could not provide him with even a shred of security at this moment.
He tightly gripped the scepter symbolizing the Daimyo's authority, treating it as if it were a lifesaver.
The Daimyo's power gave him courage. He took a step forward and puffed out his chest, attempting to use his sense of superiority to mask his inner fear.
"Audacious rebel!"
"Ian Uchiha! You are challenging the order of the entire ninja world! You are dragging the Fire Nation and Konoha into an abyss of eternal doom!"
"You..."
The emissary sternly rebuked him, trying to crush him under the weight of moral high ground.
However, Ian simply turned his head and cast a faint glance at him.
That glance was calm and rippleless, as if looking at a bug jumping up and down, yet it caused all the emissary's unspoken words to get firmly stuck in his throat.
"Oh, I almost forgot."
Ian raised his hand and gently rubbed his forehead.
"Look at my memory! I missed something just now, let me add to it."
"The Uchiha clan also declares war on the Daimyos of the Five Great Nations while we're at it."
The moment these words were spoken, it was like a sudden clap of thunder.
If declaring war on the Five Great Ninja Villages was arrogant, then this was downright madness.
"Arrogant!"
"You're courting death!"
The Daimyo's emissary could no longer maintain his superficial composure, his hand trembling incessantly as he pointed at Ian.
The emissaries from the other four villages also shouted angrily, as if raising their voices could boost their courage.
They were just about to continue berating this audacious rebel.
But suddenly, they felt a chill down their spines.
A cold, ominous presence appeared behind them.
At some unknown point, several Uchiha clan members had silently appeared behind them.
"What are you doing..."
The emissaries turned around in horror.
What greeted their eyes were several pairs of scarlet eyes.
Within those eyes, three pitch-black tomoe were spinning rapidly.
In the next instant, the three tomoe connected, transforming into various shapes of the Mangekyo.
'So many Mangekyo Sharingan?'
Under the horrified gazes of tens of thousands of people in the plaza, the bodies of the emissaries stiffened.
The light in their pupils rapidly dissipated.
Then, as if their bones had been extracted, they slumped limply to the ground.
'They died just like that? How does the Uchiha have so many Mangekyo?'
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade felt a chill run down their spines and their scalps go numb.
Before they could react, a wave of Yin Release chakra a hundred times stronger than before erupted from the Uchiha clan members, sweeping across the entire plaza!
That power was cold, evil, and filled with an aura of madness.
They looked up in horror at the silently standing Uchiha clan members.
A sight that made their very souls tremble appeared before their eyes.
Every single one of the over a hundred Uchiha clan members present had a pair of glowing, scarlet Mangekyo in their eyes!
'Over a hundred pairs of Mangekyo?'
The legendary ultimate visual prowess of the Uchiha clan, which granted Kage-level combat power upon awakening! Yet at this moment, they were clustered before him as common as cabbages by the roadside.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly felt that his previous schemes were utterly laughable in this moment.
Ian ignored the crowd's horror.
He stepped forward, slowly pacing until he stood before the ashen-faced Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Old man."
"Since you chose to break our agreement, you must be prepared to accept the punishment."
"I've always been a kind-hearted person. I'll show some mercy this time and only kill half of the Jonin in your Sarutobi clan. How about that?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's body trembled violently. His lips quivered, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to beg.
But Ian didn't give him the chance.
The scarlet Mangekyo in his eyes reverted to normal, then transformed into a pair of pure, radiant Tenseigan.
He then looked toward the depths of Konoha at the Sarutobi clan compound, speaking loudly in an exaggerated tone as he observed:
"My, my, my, it seems I've discovered something incredible!"
"The Sarutobi clan actually has five thousand, three hundred and twelve ninjas!"
"There are three hundred and sixty-four Jonin alone!"
"Tsk, tsk. As expected of a great clan that has sucked Konoha's blood for decades. Truly a strong and robust force!"
"In front of the Sarutobi clan, how could my Uchiha clan ever dare to call ourselves the number one clan in Konoha?"
His voice clearly reached the ears of everyone in the plaza.
The entire crowd was in an uproar.
All the villagers, including Tsunade and Jiraiya, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with disbelief.
'Over five thousand ninjas?'
'Three hundred and sixty-four Jonin?'
This number far exceeded any other ninja clan, even surpassing the total population of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans combined!
The Third Hokage, who appeared kind and amiable on the surface and had dedicated his life to the village, was actually more corrupt behind the scenes than the three elders!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's glorious and majestic image shattered completely in this moment.
It turned out that Konoha's biggest parasite had always been their most revered Third Hokage.
Facing thousands of questioning, disdainful, and angry gazes, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned pale and could barely stand.
Ian stopped looking at him and slowly raised his right hand. A cluster of golden light gathered in his palm.
The light eventually condensed into a peculiarly shaped, miniature lightsaber. It was none other than the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
Gripping the lightsaber, Ian casually swung it in the direction of the Sarutobi clan compound.
A faint golden slash flashed and vanished in an instant.
At that exact moment.
Inside the Sarutobi clan compound, the bodies of one hundred and eighty-two Jonin stiffened simultaneously.
Then, their bodies were cleanly sliced in half.
On the high platform.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's vision went black. He spewed a large mouthful of blood, his body unable to hold on any longer as he completely collapsed to the ground.
Ian, meanwhile, turned and walked away with the Uchiha clan members behind him.
Before leaving, his calm voice once again clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you."
"The war begins in ten days."
"I hope you prepare well."
As his words fell.
Ian and the over one hundred Uchiha clan members vanished directly.
Disappearing along with them was their newly rebuilt clan compound behind them.