"Itachi, are you okay?"
Guy stood in front of Itachi, then adopted a fighting stance.
Itachi staggered to his feet, blood tears streaming from the corners of his eyes. His vision was blurred, and he could only rely on sound to identify the people around him.
"Is it... Guy-senpai?"
"Yeah, Hokage-sama and the others are here too. Don't worry, we'll avenge the Uchiha Clan together!"
"This..."
Guy's words left Itachi momentarily stunned, 'Avenge the Uchiha?'
Just as Itachi was about to explain, Guy had already charged toward Naruto.
"You bastard! Not only did you invade Konoha, but you also slaughtered the civilians of the Uchiha Clan! I won't forgive you!"
"Release the hostage!"
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Guy spun toward Naruto with a powerful kick.
Faced with Guy, who clearly hadn't grasped the situation, Naruto felt a headache coming on. Guy was an extremely straightforward person. While Naruto didn't particularly like such people, he didn't dislike them either. Besides, he had enjoyed that one month training with Guy.
Naruto parried and dodged Guy's attacks, all while holding Sasuke in his arms.
Guy spun like a top, his relentless attacks even dizzying the Uchiha clansmen who were debating whether to join the fight.
"Shisui, should we help?"
Tekka approached Shisui and asked carefully.
After all, Shisui was the one who knew the masked man best. The Uchiha had only decided to follow Shisui after encountering him fighting fiercely against Root Ninja to protect the clansmen.
Shisui shook his head and said, "No need."
Shisui understood Naruto's strength. Right now, Naruto was likely holding back out of respect for their past camaraderie.
"Leaf Rising Wind!"
After exchanging a kick with Naruto mid-air, Guy twisted his body and launched a powerful elbow strike.
Seeing this familiar move, Naruto couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia.
Naruto raised his elbow as well, concentrated Chakra into it, and collided with Guy in mid-air.
Guy froze. The impact sent him crashing into the ground, leaving him lying in a deep crater, his eyes wide with shock.
'This... this feels so familiar.'
Though the strength was far greater and the physique completely different, the familiarity of the collision was undeniable.
Naruto landed on the ground and tossed Sasuke to Shisui, then looked at Guy and said: "It seems like you've calmed down now."
Guy climbed out of the crater, his expression complicated as he looked at Naruto. He also noticed Naruto throwing Sasuke to Shisui, which left him even more confused.
"Shisui?"
"Guy-senpai, long time no see." Shisui caught Sasuke and greeted Guy politely.
"What... what's going on here?"
Guy looked back and forth between Shisui and the Uchiha clansmen behind him, then at Itachi and the approaching Hiruzen and his group.
Hiruzen's face was dark, and he didn't want to speak. Not only did he look terrible, but his clothes were also damaged in several places.
Setsuna had tried to take him out with a suicide bombing. If it hadn't been stopped in time, Hiruzen wouldn't have made it here today.
The other Ninja present also found it difficult to speak up, as the situation was far from honorable. Shikaku shook his head slightly, thinking, 'Sandaime not only lost his composure but also handled this so poorly.'
Only Guy's best friend, Kakashi, couldn't stand by and watch any longer. He spoke up, "Guy, Hokage-sama's orders were only to capture the masked intruder."
Guy, who wasn't from a Ninja Clan nor a member of the Anbu, had no idea about the Uchiha Clan's situation.
"But the Uchiha..."
"I killed the Uchiha clansmen!" Itachi, who had been recovering his strength, spoke up.
Guy's face turned pale with shock and he stared at Itachi in disbelief.
"Why... why would you do that?"
"Cough cough cough--" Itachi had overused his Mangekyo Sharingan today. He coughed violently before speaking. "The Uchiha Clan planned a coup. For the peace of Konoha, I had to stop it."
"Uchiha Itachi, you damn beast! The Uchiha only considered a coup because the village pushed them to it!" Tekka, which is known for his temper, lashed out directly.
"Because you were too arrogant and self-centered. You only cared about yourselves, not the village." Itachi retorted.
"You are a beast who can kill even your own father. Is there anyone more selfish than you?"
Tekka was furious when he heard this. He really wanted to strangle this ungrateful beast to death.
"Enough!"
Hiruzen, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke. His face was dark as he glared at Naruto and said in a low voice: "I have never thought of excluding the Uchiha Clan. I also sincerely want the Uchiha Clan to integrate into the village. Things turning out like this was completely unexpected..."
"Alright."
Hiruzen was interrupted by Naruto before he finished speaking. Naruto picked his ears and said, "Enough with the excuses. You might even start believing them yourself, 'Strongest Hokage.'"
Hiruzen's expression darkened further, but he held back his anger. After all, his son was still in Naruto's hands.
He slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel all the frustration in his heart, then said, "Enough people have died today. Continuing to fight will only lead to more pointless sacrifices. Perhaps we can sit down and talk things through. We can reach a reconciliation."
"Reconciliation? Hahahaha, hahahaha."
Naruto was utterly amused by Hiruzen's words. He laughed so hard that he could barely stand straight. After calming down, he said: "At this moment, you're still joking around?"
The Uchiha clansmen behind him also wore expressions of pure hatred, as if they wanted to devour Hiruzen whole. After all, tonight, the Uchiha Clan had nearly been wiped out by Itachi, Root, and that 'Uchiha Madara.' And now, Hiruzen actually had the audacity to suggest reconciliation!
"How about this, Hokage-sama, let's play a game?"
Naruto raised a finger and said to Hiruzen: "If, after this game, you're still willing to reconcile, I personally would be more than happy to do so."
"This..."
Hiruzen's expression shifted slightly. A bad feeling crept into his heart. This masked man's game was definitely trouble.
And Naruto's proposal also caused the Uchiha clansmen behind him to exchange uneasy glances. Only Shisui remained calm, as he understood that Naruto's personality was... rather twisted.
'Perhaps it had something to do with that technique he had sealed a few days ago.'
"What kind of game?"
After some thought, Hiruzen decided to hear Naruto out. After all, if it came to a fight, Itachi was clearly in no condition to help, and to his surprise, the Uchiha still had a significant number of fighters left.
'Had Itachi and Root acted without any preparation?'
"Don't worry, it's a very interesting game."
Naruto chuckled and slapped his hand on the ground. Then, a man who bore an 80-90% resemblance to Hiruzen appeared.
"Shinnosuke?!"
Hiruzen instinctively called out. This was his most proud son.
"We're not done yet."
Naruto then pulled out five cylindrical objects with pull rings from his pocket. They were five different types of signal flares used for calling reinforcements.
"Come on, Hokage-sama, make your choice!"