36-40

**Chapter 36: Aizen's Revenge, Clan Annihilation (Reset)**

"Then let's begin," said Aizen with a smile, as his **Heaven Technique** quietly started.

Suddenly, a powerful surge of chakra, far surpassing Obito's, erupted violently.

The chakra that had once suppressed the Fourth Mizukage Yagura was instantly shattered, and Obito found himself completely overwhelmed by Aizen's chakra.

"This chakra..." Obito was momentarily stunned, exclaiming in shock before quickly regaining his composure behind his mask.

After all, in the face of **Kamui**, no matter how powerful your chakra is, even at the level of a Tailed Beast, it's useless.

In the next instant, Obito drew the sword from his waist and teleported directly in front of Aizen.

Aizen slashed at him with his blade, but Obito easily phased through the attack with his intangibility.

Taking advantage of the opening, Obito thrust his long sword forward, piercing through Aizen's chest.

"Hmph, that’s all?" Obito sneered.

At that moment, Aizen's voice, with a hint of amusement, whispered in Obito's ear like a ghost: "Is that so?"

Suddenly, Obito felt a chill around his waist. His upper body had flown off, and he was looking at his own lower half.

And the Aizen who had supposedly been killed was now standing behind Obito’s lower body, though it was unclear when this had happened.

"Am I... dying?" As his consciousness began to fade, he saw Rin Nohara in his mind.

With the sheer force of his will—strong enough to suppress the Ten-Tails—Obito activated the Uchiha clan's ultimate eye technique: **Izanagi**.

In an instant, his death was reversed. (PS: To explain here, the **Zanpakutō** cuts both the physical body and the soul. Since the protagonist didn’t intend to kill Obito, Obito could still revive using **Izanagi**.)

He set his resurrection point behind Aizen and slashed downward.

However, Aizen had anticipated this move long ago.

With a flash, combining his powerful teleportation skill with the **Shunshin Technique**, he appeared in front of Obito at an unbelievable speed and slashed again.

"So fast!" Obito was shocked. He hurriedly activated his right-eye intangibility to evade Aizen’s blade, then drew his sword and retaliated, aiming for Aizen’s back.

But before the blade could land, Aizen disappeared from Obito's sight as if he had used spatial teleportation.

He reappeared at Obito's side, delivering a slash across his waist.

Everything happened in a flash. Obito had just materialized to launch his attack, leaving him no time to turn intangible again.

Once more, he found himself cut down by Aizen.

Fortunately, his **Izanagi** was still active, or else he would’ve been done for.

"Using your intangibility to avoid enemy attacks but materializing to attack—so this is your right-eye Mangekyō Sharingan technique. Quite a sophisticated space-time ninjutsu. I wonder how it compares to **Shisui Uchiha's** **Kotoamatsukami**," Aizen remarked.

Aizen didn’t bother with Obito's "corpse." Instead, he turned to face the figure behind him. "Madara, do you find my strength acceptable?"

Obito slowly materialized in front of Aizen.

"This bastard..." After being cut down twice, Obito couldn’t help but curse silently. Then, as if something dawned on him, he burst into laughter. "Hahaha... I see."

"Kid... no, Aizen. I must admit, everyone underestimated you. This massive chakra, this level of teleportation, and that illusion that even a Mangekyō can't penetrate... You must be the mysterious person who cut off Danzo's arm and took Shisui’s right eye, right?"

Obito's gaze towards Aizen became increasingly wary.

He knew that after Danzo’s arm was severed, it couldn’t be reattached.

According to **Black Zetsu**, it wasn’t just that Danzo's arm was cut off; it was as if the very soul of his left arm was severed.

Such a level of spiritual injury was impossible to recover from.

And with Shisui’s right eye now in Aizen's possession, he had gained abilities strong enough to threaten Obito’s life.

This guy was even more troublesome than **Itachi Uchiha**.

If Aizen ever revealed Shisui’s right eye or launched an attack, Obito would escape immediately.

He wouldn't take any chances.

However, if Aizen sincerely wanted to join the **Akatsuki**, he could be a powerful asset for the **Eye of the Moon Plan**.

But first, Obito needed to test him—if Aizen was a spy sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi, it could be disastrous.

"Yes, it’s me," Aizen admitted openly. "Now, do I have the qualifications to join the Akatsuki?"

"Of course," Obito replied solemnly. "But I have two questions for you."

"First, what’s your purpose in joining the Akatsuki?"

Aizen smiled faintly and said, "To protect the life of my lover. Danzo has already issued a kill order. If Izumi stays in Konoha, even if she survives once, there will be a next time. I can’t take Izumi and run around, constantly hiding. We need a safe place.

After Itachi wipes out the Uchiha clan, he will become an S-class rogue ninja. Since the Akatsuki can shelter someone like that, I assume it won’t have any trouble protecting a little girl."

Obito nodded, acknowledging the logic in Aizen's words. He continued, "Why should I trust you? Itachi joined because he wiped out the Uchiha clan and could never return to Konoha. What about you? You wouldn’t actually slaughter your girlfriend’s clan, would you?"

"Of course not. I'm not insane enough to go after the Uchiha clan. But wiping out the **Sarutobi** and **Shimura** clans? I’d be happy to oblige," Aizen said, a dangerous smile spreading across his face.

"You probably wiped out the Uchiha not just for revenge, but also to collect Sharingan and weaken Konoha’s strength, right?"

"Tonight, while Konoha is focused on the Uchiha, I’ll destroy the Sarutobi and Shimura clans. Would that be an acceptable show of loyalty?"

Obito was visibly stunned for a moment, even shocked by Aizen's bold thinking.

"Annihilating the clans of the Third Hokage and Danzo? You’re truly mad. You’re really going to make Konoha your enemy," Obito said. "But the Sarutobi and Shimura clans are in the heart of the village. If you act recklessly, it could alarm a large number of Konoha’s ninjas. Do you need my help?"

"Since the Third Hokage and Danzo can decide the fate of other clans so casually, they should be prepared for their own clans' destruction. Of course, I’m not a monster—I’ll leave some survivors," Aizen said with a grin. "I just need someone skilled in creating barriers to block outside detection. Otherwise, if Konoha’s ninjas are alerted and some escape, it wouldn’t be a perfect job."

"If you’re going to annihilate a clan, you should make sure the whole family goes together," Aizen added with a smile.

"No problem," Obito said, though his mouth twitched behind his mask. He realized that Aizen might be even more ruthless than he was. "Zetsu, come out."

As soon as he spoke, a large **Venus flytrap** slowly emerged from a tree, opening to reveal a face split between black and white.

"This is **Zetsu**," Obito introduced. "He’s also a member of the Akatsuki. He specializes in gathering intelligence and is proficient in setting up barriers. However, he doesn’t have much combat ability. As for how you’ll handle the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, that’s up to you."

"After it’s done, Zetsu will guide you to meet me. As for **Uchiha Izumi**, I can arrange for her to be taken out of the village ahead of time. What do you say? Need my help?"

"No need," Aizen replied, shaking his head. "I’ll take care of Izumi myself."

---

(End of Chapter)

**Chapter 37: The Hypocrisy of the Third Hokage**

“It’s settled then,” Uchiha Obito said, turning his head toward Zetsu. “Zetsu, I’ll leave the task of setting up the barrier to you.”

“I understand.” Zetsu nodded, slowly merging into the large tree and disappearing from sight.

Watching the spot where Zetsu vanished, Aizen used the power of *Kyouka Suigetsu* to sense his surroundings. He confirmed that Zetsu was still hiding within the giant tree and sneered inwardly before adding, "And as for that traitor Uchiha Itachi, I'll leave him to you. After all, he’s going to be a future comrade of yours. I assume you don’t want him dying at my hands just yet, right? Tonight, I’ll feign death at his hands. Until everything settles, I hope you’ll keep this secret."

With those words, Aizen's figure flickered and vanished from Obito’s view.

He didn’t go far, however, and quietly returned to cast *Kyouka Suigetsu*, cutting off both Obito and Zetsu’s ability to sense him.

Once Aizen disappeared completely, and even Obito's Sharingan could no longer detect his chakra, Obito finally spoke. “So, what do you think, Zetsu? Has he left?”

“I can no longer sense Aizen’s chakra,” Black Zetsu responded.

Hearing that, Obito let out a sigh of relief, feeling a lingering fear. 

In the end, it was his overconfidence in *Kamui* that had made him vulnerable. He had been too careless. It only took one exchange for Aizen to see through the phasing ability of his right eye. That illusion, which was almost indistinguishable from reality, had nearly cost him his life. If Aizen had decided to kill him earlier, Obito knew he might have died due to his lack of understanding of Aizen’s abilities.

“Madara, what do you plan to do? Do you really want to recruit Aizen into the Akatsuki? I can’t shake the feeling that he’s an incredibly dangerous person. His body flicker is one thing, but that level of genjutsu is beyond anything we’ve encountered before,” White Zetsu asked Obito.

At the mention of “Madara,” Obito quickly resumed his usual calm demeanor. “Why not? For now, at least, our interests align. Besides, no matter how strong Aizen may be, he’s still powerless in the face of the Rinnegan.”

“That’s true,” White Zetsu agreed without protest.

“Black Zetsu, do you have any insights into the technique Aizen used earlier? That terrifying speed, even the Fourth Raikage and Fourth Hokage would struggle to match it,” Obito asked. At this point in the story, Obito hadn’t yet gained the level of experience he had in his later appearances.

Black Zetsu thought for a moment before replying, “It looks somewhat like Sage Mode, but it’s different from the Sage Modes of Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, or Shikkotsu Forest. Not only does his appearance remain unchanged, but it also doesn’t seem to rely on absorbing natural energy from the environment to blend with his own physical and spiritual energies, as is typical for Sage Mode. 

"It’s somewhat similar to Orochimaru’s cursed seal, but much more advanced. It seems like the power is being released directly from within him, causing his chakra to spike to an extreme degree. Additionally, his base chakra levels are already quite terrifying, at least on par with an average Uzumaki clan member.

"To control such immense chakra… he’s quite an impressive individual.”

“Sage techniques, huh,” Obito muttered, furrowing his brow. “It seems this guy is hiding many secrets. During tonight’s battle, I want you to observe him closely. I need detailed intel on him—he’s too dangerous.”

“I understand,” Black Zetsu replied respectfully, and the pitcher plant-like form of Zetsu slowly merged back into the giant tree.

Meanwhile, Aizen stood near Obito and Zetsu, undetected thanks to *Kyouka Suigetsu*. Confident they were keeping their promise, he disappeared into the darkness.

Elsewhere, Uchiha Itachi had already changed into his ANBU uniform and arrived at the Hokage Tower. The sun was setting, and not only the Uchiha district but all of Konoha exuded an ominous atmosphere.

Earlier that morning, the ANBU members who had been monitoring the Uchiha district were all withdrawn from their posts and gathered at the ANBU base under high alert, awaiting the Hokage’s orders.

Atop the Hokage Tower, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his hands behind his back. Kneeling on one knee behind him was Uchiha Itachi, dressed in his ANBU gear.

“Have you made your decision, Itachi?” Hiruzen asked, still facing away from him, his voice carrying a sense of weariness.

Itachi lowered his head, his voice firm and resolute. “Yes, Lord Hokage.”

From tonight onward, he would bear the sin of slaughtering his own clan, all to save his younger brother, Sasuke.

“This is my failure,” Hiruzen sighed heavily. “I never expected things to escalate to this point. I had hoped to resolve this peacefully, without resorting to violence.” After another deep breath, he added, “As for Sasuke, rest assured. As long as I live, no harm will come to him.”

“I am deeply grateful,” Itachi said, touched by the Hokage’s words. With those final words, he donned his ANBU mask and disappeared from the Hokage Tower.

Not long after Itachi’s departure, Hiruzen raised his hand.

Two ANBU members, who had been hidden, appeared behind him and knelt. These two weren’t ordinary ANBU—they were Hiruzen’s eldest son and daughter-in-law, Konohamaru’s parents.

“Make the preparations,” Hiruzen’s face darkened as he spoke, his voice low and serious.

The Uchiha clan's eradication was Konoha’s highest-level secret. Even ANBU operatives like Kakashi had no idea and were kept on standby at the ANBU base. Only Hiruzen’s most trusted confidants were in the loop.

“Father, are we going to intervene?” asked Sarutobi Shinnosuke, Hiruzen’s eldest son, his voice muffled by the patterned mask he wore.

Hiruzen hesitated for a brief moment before saying, “If Itachi and Aizen don’t finish the job…”

He didn’t need to finish his sentence. The meaning was clear.

Though Hiruzen trusted Itachi’s resolve, the Uchiha clan was a vast family, and there was always the possibility of someone escaping if they caught wind of the massacre. Furthermore, if Aizen discovered that Uchiha Izumi had died, he would surely go berserk.

If Itachi couldn’t deal with Aizen after the clan’s destruction, the elite Jonin that Danzo had stationed from Root would intervene.

If even they couldn’t handle him, then Hiruzen’s own forces would step in.

This was the final line of defense—one even Danzo wasn’t aware of.

“And what if Uchiha Itachi fails to kill Aizen?” Shinnosuke pressed further.

Hiruzen didn’t answer, only closing his eyes and walking back inside.

“I understand,” Shinnosuke said, reading his father’s intentions. After bowing, both figures disappeared.

At the same time, in the Shimura district, Danzo stood atop the stone steps, leaning on his cane, exuding a sense of triumph.

“After tonight, Lord Second’s wish to eliminate the Uchiha will finally be fulfilled by my hand.”

Below him stood hundreds of Root operatives, ready to act.

---
 (End of the chapter)

**Chapter 38: Danzo Becomes a Father, the Demise of the Shimura Clan**

Danzo didn’t choose to involve the members of the Shimura clan.

After all, he wasn’t Sarutobi Hiruzen, who needed to maintain the image of the Hokage by constantly bathing in the sunlight, thus unable to mobilize the forces of his direct Anbu.

Danzo, on the other hand, didn’t need to worry about such things.

He didn’t need the love of his subordinates; he only needed the Curse Mark of Ultimate Control to ensure their absolute loyalty.

Just as Danzo was feeling pleased with himself, a dull pain began to arise in his abdomen, followed by a sudden wave of nausea.

He quickly clutched his stomach, dropping his cane in the process.

“Lord Danzo, what’s wrong?”

Danzo’s trusted subordinates, Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fu, appeared at his side, supporting him immediately.

“I’m fine, probably just caught a chill last night,” Danzo waved them off, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as he suppressed his discomfort. He gave the order to his Root subordinates, “Move out.”

At Danzo's command, hundreds of Root ninjas disappeared from the courtyard in an instant, rushing toward the Anbu base.

Danzo, supported by his two subordinates, followed closely behind.

Tonight was the night Danzo would inherit the Second Hokage’s will and annihilate the Uchiha clan.

He couldn’t let a minor stomachache ruin years of effort.

Not long after they left, Aizen’s figure appeared on a rooftop near the Shimura clan’s residence.

“Aizen, I’ve set up the barrier. Except for Danzo, all members of the Shimura clan are present. Are you going to make your move now?”

A giant pitcher plant emerged from the building next to Aizen, revealing the figures of Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.

“Of course. After all, I’m on a tight schedule.” Aizen closed his eyes, carefully sensing the surroundings, and murmured, “Seventy-eight people. The Shimura clan really is dwindling. It seems Danzo focused all his energy on Root.”

As he spoke, Aizen put on his Anbu mask and disappeared from the rooftop, reappearing at the entrance of the Shimura clan residence.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Two burly guards from the Shimura clan stood at the entrance. Due to the secrecy of the Anbu and the fact that they never used the front door, they didn’t recognize Aizen.

Seeing him suddenly appear, exuding murderous intent, they immediately raised their iron rods to block his path.

“I’m here to kill you,” Aizen said without wasting any words. Drawing his Zanpakuto from his waist, he used the Heavenly Gale Flash technique. With each step he took, his body would instantly move several meters forward.

In the blink of an eye, he passed through the spot where the two Shimura guards stood and entered the residence.

The two guards collapsed in a pool of blood.

What followed was a one-sided, brutal massacre.

“His Body Flicker technique is already on par with the Fourth Raikage. No wonder he could counter Obito’s intangibility.”

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu remained on the rooftop, observing everything below.

Seeing Aizen’s ghost-like speed, White Zetsu couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.

Black Zetsu responded in a raspy voice, “That’s not all. When he fought Obito before, he was even faster than this. If not for Obito’s Izanagi, he would’ve been dead.”

“Alright, let’s stop chatting. The Shimura clan is weak, and there’s nothing to learn from them. Aizen will finish the job in a minute or two.”

“This is the center of Konoha. While the Shimura clan doesn’t get many visitors, if someone passes by, we could be exposed.”

“Let’s clean up those two bodies at the entrance and head to the Sarutobi clan to observe.”

“Since the Third Hokage took power, the Sarutobi clan has kept a low profile, but they’ve been secretly growing. Their size is now comparable to the Uchiha clan, and they have quite a few Jonin. We might see something interesting there.”

White Zetsu perked up at this, “Now that sounds exciting.”

As they spoke, the giant pitcher plant closed up, blending into the rooftop and disappearing.

The Sarutobi clan's territory wasn’t far from the Shimura clan’s. After dealing with the Shimura clan, Aizen quickly arrived at the highest point of the Sarutobi clan's compound.

Closing his eyes, Aizen performed a sensory sweep and discovered that the Sarutobi clan, including Sarutobi Konohamaru, had a population of over two thousand.

Among them, more than thirty had Jonin-level chakra.

Seven or eight hundred were Chunin.

There were countless Genin.

Their strength, excluding top-tier warriors, had already surpassed that of the Uchiha, Konoha’s most prominent clan.

“Wow, I knew most of Konoha's big clans trained their members internally, but the Third Hokage really has been quietly amassing wealth. No wonder the Sarutobi clan was able to form a whole battalion during the Fourth Shinobi World War,” Aizen muttered to himself.

At that moment, Zetsu, who had finished cleaning up the Shimura clan’s mess, appeared next to Aizen.

“Aizen, the Shimura clan is taken care of. Unless Danzo returns, no one will notice for a while. What’s your plan for the Sarutobi clan? There are a lot of them, and besides the Third Hokage, I can’t confirm if everyone is present. It’ll be hard for you to kill them all by yourself,” Black Zetsu said in his raspy voice.

“Who said I’m going to kill them all?” Aizen made a hand sign, and with a *poof*, smoke appeared, and twenty-five shadow clones materialized. “I left some of the Shimura clan alive for Danzo. I’ll do the same for the Third Hokage.”

“Besides, I’m not alone.”

With that, Aizen and his twenty-six clones disappeared from the rooftop, rushing toward different sections of the Sarutobi clan compound.

This was a carefully considered plan.

The goal this time was to act swiftly and quietly, without making too much noise.

Creating too many clones would attract too much attention.

Twenty-five was just right. Each clone could easily handle seventy or eighty people.

The battle would be over in the time it took for an incense stick to burn.

As for sparing the Third Hokage’s bloodline, that would be Konohamaru.

Aizen planned to leave behind a castrated Konohamaru as a gift for the Third Hokage.

As for Asuma, based on what the original storyline shows, he should be at a dumpling shop with Kurenai Yuhi, Genma Shiranui, and Might Guy right now.

By the time Aizen finished the massacre, Asuma would likely be on his way back.

There wouldn’t be time to make him drink the water from the Child-Mother River.

So, Aizen would make Asuma drink it instead, ensuring the Sarutobi clan could still have descendants. That way, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s bloodline would survive and continue to thrive.

Though it would be about eight or nine years earlier than planned, it didn’t matter as long as they retained their gender.

After all, whoever drank from the Child-Mother River would bear only female offspring.

Watching the twenty or so “Aizens” moving through the Sarutobi clan compound, White Zetsu couldn’t help but marvel, “That chakra level is terrifying. Even after splitting his chakra into twenty-six parts, his original body still has such an enormous amount of chakra.”

“Of course. Sage Mode is called Sage Mode for a reason. It amplifies the user’s chakra by several times, even dozens of times. Aizen’s chakra was already massive, and in Sage Mode, creating over twenty shadow clones doesn’t significantly affect his power,” Black Zetsu added.

---

**PS:** Second update. (End of the chapter)

Chapter 39: The Destruction of the Sarutobi Clan

"That's true, but speaking of which, besides Danzo, are there any other survivors from the Shimura clan?" White Zetsu couldn't help but ask.

"I've already confirmed it, not a single one survived," Black Zetsu replied.

"Then why did Aizen say he left descendants for Danzo? Wait, over there, it looks like Aizen's shadow clone has encountered an opponent." White Zetsu exclaimed. In one of the Sarutobi clan’s residences, Aizen was surrounded by several Jonin, seven or eight Special Jonin, and more than ten Chunin.

"Aizen, what exactly do you want? Why are you mercilessly slaughtering my Sarutobi clan?" The leading Sarutobi Jonin, his face dark, questioned Aizen as the anguished cries of his clan members echoed from the surrounding courtyards.

Others might not recognize Aizen, but as close relatives of the Hokage, they wouldn't mistake him.

They had long been cleaning up Hiruzen Sarutobi's messes, handling dirty work no less than the Root organization.

Otherwise, the Sarutobi clan would never have grown from a small family in a few decades to rival even the Uchiha clan.

"You can ask the Third Hokage on the path to the underworld." Aizen raised his right hand, and with a crackling sound like the chirping of birds, lightning surged in his palm, transforming into a sharp spear dozens of meters long that pierced through the Sarutobi Jonin’s throat.

The Sarutobi Jonin didn't even have time to scream before his life force faded from his eyes. He was dead.

"Quick! Kill him!" 

The other Sarutobi clan members were terrified by Aizen's move and hastily attacked.

Aizen swung his Chidori Spear, sweeping through them. The seven or eight Sarutobi Jonin and Special Jonin who rushed at him were instantly split in two, falling into pools of blood.

"Run! He's a demon! Inform the Hokage immediately!"

The remaining Sarutobi Special Jonin and Chunin were so shocked that they stammered, desperate to flee.

Aizen didn’t plan on letting them escape. His Chidori shifted into countless senbon needles that shot towards the Sarutobi clan members. In a flash, all of the elite Sarutobi were annihilated.

"What is that? Lightning Release? How impressive," White Zetsu praised.

Acting like a battlefield reporter, Black Zetsu continued narrating: "That's Chidori, a Lightning Release jutsu created by Kakashi. It looks like Aizen not only mastered it but also made modifications, giving it long-range and area-of-effect capabilities."

"To think he can cast such a powerful Lightning Release with just a shadow clone. He’s quite the formidable guy."

The slaughter continued.

Meanwhile, at Konoha’s Dango Shop...

"What’s with this strange weather? It’s almost seven, but it should have been dark by now. This is seriously depressing," Sarutobi Asuma remarked as he glanced at the clock in the shop and gazed at the sky, dyed dark red by the sunset. He couldn't shake the sense of unease growing inside him.

"It really is strange," Kurenai Yuhi echoed, her hand resting on her chest as the same unsettling feeling crept over her.

It had been nearly a year since Aizen had confessed his feelings to her, followed by those puzzling words. Since then, the two had neither spoken nor crossed paths.

If she hadn’t run into Kakashi and asked him about Aizen’s well-being, Kurenai would have thought something had happened to him.

While Kurenai and Asuma were both uneasy, Might Guy remained his usual carefree self, loudly exclaiming about youth, much to the annoyance of Genma Shiranui, who was sitting nearby.

"What kind of mission has that scoundrel taken? It’s so mysterious," Kurenai thought to herself, having lost interest in listening to Guy's chatter. She stood up, saying, "Let's call it a day. We’ve had enough dango; it's time to head home."

"Uh... Red, how about I..." Asuma started to offer to walk her home, but Kurenai cut him off with a wave. "No need. I can go home by myself. We’re not kids anymore. If I let you walk me home, what would 'he' think?"

With that, Kurenai used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from the dango shop.

Asuma sighed in frustration, realizing that his plans to pursue Kurenai had failed yet again. After bidding farewell to Guy and Genma, he dejectedly made his way home.

The moment he stepped inside, Asuma was hit by the overwhelming stench of blood.

The entire Sarutobi compound was eerily silent, like a ghost town.

"What the hell happened here?" 

A drop of cold sweat trickled down Asuma's forehead as he quickened his pace, rushing towards the inner courtyard.

It wasn’t long before he saw corpses strewn across the ground.

They were all his clan members.

With a cry of anguish, Asuma stumbled and collapsed, his heart pounding in terror as he stared at the carnage.

They were all dead. Every single one of his family members was dead. Not a single soul survived. The bodies lay in gruesome, single-stroke deaths.

Suddenly, a child’s scream broke through his terror.

"No... that’s Konohamaru’s voice!" 

Asuma’s fear intensified. Pushing aside his panic, he raced toward the source of the sound.

At the same time...

Aizen had nearly wiped out all the Sarutobi clan members in the residential area.

Only one remained: a trembling Konohamaru, hidden by his relatives in a wardrobe.

"This is the last one in the residential area. Aizen, what will you do?" Zetsu, hidden within the walls, asked in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Aizen shook his head. "No, there are actually two. One more is on his way right now."

As he spoke, Aizen punched through the wardrobe, dragging out the terrified Konohamaru.

Konohamaru’s fear overwhelmed him, and he wailed loudly, paralyzed by the cold gaze from beneath Aizen’s mask.

Aizen wasted no time. With a swift stroke of his Zanpakuto, he slashed off part of Konohamaru’s lower body.

"Ahhh!" Konohamaru screamed before fainting from the pain.

Aizen, ever so kind, applied first aid to stop the bleeding, ensuring Konohamaru wouldn’t die.

"Not going to kill him?" Black Zetsu asked, seeing that Aizen had merely disabled Konohamaru’s ability to reproduce.

"No, I promised to leave the Third Hokage a descendant, so I must keep that promise," Aizen said, casually tossing the unconscious Konohamaru aside.

"Hey, hey, Aizen, is *this* how you leave someone a descendant?" White Zetsu asked with a twitching mouth. Even though it wasn't human, it knew that without certain body parts, a man couldn’t reproduce.

Konohamaru was no longer a complete man, so how could he possibly continue the Sarutobi bloodline?

---

(End of chapter)

Chapter 40: Continuing the Sarutobi Bloodline

Aizen smiled faintly and, without paying further attention to the Yin-Yang creations, turned and slowly walked out of the room. At that moment, he bumped into Asuma Sarutobi, who had arrived after hearing the commotion.

Seeing the bodies of his clan members lying in pools of blood in the courtyard, Sarutobi Asuma grabbed his usual twin chakra blades and charged toward Aizen.

However, Aizen easily dodged with a flash.

"Who are you? What did you do to my clansmen? Where's Konohamaru?" Asuma demanded in a harsh tone.

Because he had never met Aizen before, he didn't recognize him. Especially since Aizen was wearing an Anbu mask at the time.

"As the saying goes, 'seeing is believing.' That kid is inside. Why don't you go check for yourself?" Aizen pointed out Konohamaru's location in a calm tone, showing no intention of attacking.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Asuma didn't waste any more time on Aizen. He performed a body flicker and appeared inside the room, where he saw Konohamaru lying on the ground, face pale, his lower body soaked in blood, unconscious. With a thud, Asuma fell to his knees, eyes vacant, and in a dazed shock, he muttered, "Konohamaru..."

Standing by the doorway, arms crossed, Aizen said in a relaxed tone, "Well, sorry about that, Asuma Sarutobi, son of the Third Hokage. It must be hard to see such a gruesome sight."

A mocking smile curled on his lips as he added, "Maybe I should've cut him into pieces to spare you this heartache."

"You're dead!" Asuma roared in fury, grabbing his twin chakra blades again and channeling wind-nature chakra into them as he charged toward Aizen.

With a slicing sound, the wooden door was shattered like paper by the wind chakra blade.

But Aizen casually leaped backward into the courtyard, mocking him with a nonchalant expression, "Don't waste your breath. It only makes you look weak."

Blinded by rage, Sarutobi Asuma's eyes turned bloodshot as he threw his chakra blades into the air. He quickly formed hand signs to unleash Fire Style: Burning Ash when suddenly, a giant tree shot up from the ground, binding his limbs.

With a clanging sound, the chakra blades fell to the ground. Immobilized, Asuma looked at Aizen in disbelief and murmured, "This is... Kurenai's Genjutsu, Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death. Who are you?"

"Oh, you finally recognize it?" Aizen said with a playful tone. "Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Fujiwara Aizen, Sarutobi Asuma, the son of the Third Hokage. Do you want to see my blade? This one here, Kyōka Suigetsu."

"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."

Aizen habitually released his sword from its sheath, then slowly walked toward Sarutobi Asuma.

He had no intention of killing him.

Since he promised to let Sarutobi Hiruzen's bloodline survive, he wouldn’t break his word.

"You bastard! My father trained you and even had Kurenai teach you genjutsu, and this is how you repay us—by wiping out the Sarutobi clan?" As Aizen approached like a god of death, Asuma screamed in despair. Overwhelmed by bitterness, hatred, and fear, his mind was on the verge of collapse, desperately trying to break free from Aizen's illusion.

Unfortunately for him, there was no escaping Aizen’s genjutsu.

"You seem to misunderstand. Sarutobi Hiruzen has done nothing for me."

As Aizen spoke, he raised his sword, and with a flash of blood, Asuma's body became incomplete.

The soul-crushing pain made him let out an agonized scream, but before he could fully succumb, Aizen swiftly retrieved a small portion of Zimuhe Water from his inventory and shot it into Asuma's mouth in a water bullet. With a powerful kick, he sent Asuma flying several meters away until he passed out.

"What did you just feed him?" A massive pitcher plant figure emerged from the ground, and Black Zetsu asked.

"Something good. Do you two want to try some?" Aizen removed his mask, smiling as he stared at Zetsu.

"You're quite the twisted human," Black Zetsu remarked coldly. "Now that everything is settled, are you leaving Konoha? Madara and Itachi should almost be done by now."

"How long did I take?" Aizen asked.

"Since you started annihilating the Shimura clan at 6:40, it's been 35 minutes. Now it's 7:15," Black Zetsu replied.

"No rush. After all, I did promise Itachi I'd meet him at 7. I might be late, but I can't miss witnessing the Uchiha clan's destruction."

With that, Aizen put his Anbu mask back on and disappeared from the Sarutobi clan's compound.

Night had fallen.

Tonight, Sasuke Uchiha had been kept behind by his academy teacher, Iruka Umino, for special training.

Iruka was simply following orders from higher-ups to give Sasuke some extra guidance.

Neither Iruka nor Sasuke knew what was truly happening behind the scenes.

Under the beautiful full moon, Uchiha Itachi crouched on top of an electrical pole within the Uchiha compound, his blood-red Sharingan spinning ominously, exuding a dangerous allure.

In the next instant, he vanished.

Unable to wait for Aizen any longer, Itachi, fearing the plan had changed, decided to act.

Meanwhile, at the edge of the Uchiha compound, five Anbu members led by Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been hiding for some time, waiting to capture any Uchiha survivors except Itachi and Sasuke.

Aizen was also their target.

They were all from the Sarutobi clan, the most trusted by Sarutobi Hiruzen, and wouldn’t leak a word of this mission.

Even someone as elite as Kakashi was not involved.

Listening to the screams coming from the Uchiha compound, one of the Sarutobi Anbu members turned to Sarutobi Shinnosuke, saying, "Captain, it sounds like the slaughter has begun. But where's Fujiwara Aizen? Wasn't he supposed to join Itachi in exterminating the clan tonight?"

"Do you think he realized something and escaped Konoha with Uchiha Izumi?" another suggested.

Shinnosuke shook his head. "Impossible. We've been watching the whole time. There's no way Fujiwara Aizen could've snuck out with Izumi under our noses."

"Then what should we do, Captain? The agreed time has passed, and Aizen still hasn’t shown up. Should we report this to the clan leader? What if he abandoned Uchiha Izumi and fled on his own?"

Shinnosuke pondered for a moment before responding, "You're right. Quiet, go report this to my father. We’ll continue to monitor here." He directed the last part to his wife.

"I understand." Shinnosuke's wife nodded and vanished with a body flicker.

However, just as she began to move, a shadow darted past her.

In the blink of an eye, a cold, sharp blade struck.

Shinnosuke's wife didn’t even have time to scream before her head fell, landing straight in front of the four remaining Sarutobi Anbu members.