Did Jūbei buy into the Third Hokage’s talk-no-jutsu?
Of course not.
He wasn’t a shinobi born in Konoha, someone who had spent his entire life sheltered from the outside world and heard nothing but the Third Hokage’s speeches.
The world Jūbei had survived in was far more brutal than the world of Naruto.
The primary mission of the Kōga and Iga Groups was to secure political influence for the heirs of the shoguns they served.
Whenever a shogun or his heir hesitated over an important decision, the two factions would fight with their lives on the line, effectively making the decision on the shogun’s behalf.
During peaceful times, they were still expected to secure public support for their respective masters. And the only way to do that was through endless verbal warfare.
You insulted me, I insulted you.
You tried to defect to my side, I tried to recruit yours.
That was simply normal.
In such an environment, any shinobi with a wavering will had long since been weeded out.
With the Third’s level of talk-no-jutsu, he might be able to fool some gullible idiot who believed everything he heard, but if he were placed among the Kōga Clan, he wouldn’t even qualify to be their spokesman.
"Hahaha! Foolish old man, the glorious revival of the Uchiha will surely be realized by our hands and presented before Lord Kei! And every second you stubbornly resist is nothing more than a meaningless drain on Konoha’s resources, weakening Konoha’s strength!"
Jūbei completely ignored the Third’s argument and instead declared his own beliefs.
In a battle of words, the greatest mistake was to follow the opponent’s line of reasoning.
Don’t listen to what the other side was saying. Just keep hammering your own message.
You talk to me about the Will of Fire and justice in the shinobi world?
Then I’ll preach the glorious revival of the Uchiha Clan.
But for talk-no-jutsu to work, the atmosphere had to cooperate.
The Third was speaking of justice while simultaneously making underhanded moves.
Jūbei, meanwhile, was passionately proclaiming the glorious future of the Uchiha.
And around him, those blood-red eyes seemed to be echoing his words.
Among the Uchiha who had descended into a frenzy of slaughter, several seemed to have either exhausted themselves or become completely consumed by their fervor.
"What?! Present it before Lord Kei? Then I’ll be the first!"
The red-eyed Uchiha shouted.
"Long live Lord Kei!"
"Our fleeting existence shall become eternal!"
"The dead shall embrace death!"
Then they activated the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Technique, charging into the Konoha crowd with their bodies covered in explosive tags.
The Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Technique amplified the destructive power of the explosive tags by more than tenfold.
Three or five small mushroom clouds blossomed across Konoha like fireworks of courage, proving once again that explosions truly were an art form.
A simple sentence from Jūbei had ignited the Uchiha’s fanaticism.
Seeing this fanaticism, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s brow furrowed even deeper.
"Damn it! Such sacrifices are completely meaningless!"
Sarutobi felt pity for these capable and loyal warriors.
In Konoha, the capable were not necessarily loyal, while those who were loyal were often lacking in ability.
More importantly, this method was far too effective at inflicting casualties.
Who had leaked Konoha’s forbidden techniques?
Whoever it was deserved to die.
There were only around two hundred Uchiha here.
Although the Sarutobi Clan had been unable to organize an effective counterattack, if the Uchiha merely fought conventionally, the Sarutobi Clan’s losses would have remained limited.
Let the Uchiha hack away as much as they wanted.
How many Konoha shinobi could they possibly kill before their blades became dull?
After all, the ratio between Konoha’s shinobi and the Uchiha was right there in front of them—
one hundred and fifty to one.
But losing two hundred Uchiha would undoubtedly make Lord Kei bleed heavily.
According to Sarutobi’s intelligence, Uchiha Kei had no more than three hundred followers under his command.
But if every Uchiha fought like this...
The outcome would be completely different.
These people were fighting like madmen, deliberately charging into dense crowds.
A single explosion could take dozens of lives, and most of those casualties belonged to the Sarutobi Clan.
If all two hundred Uchiha died in this manner, there probably wouldn’t be much left of the Sarutobi Clan either.
"Your sacrifices have no value! You could use your lives to obtain so much more!"
Seeing the situation, Sarutobi had already begun considering negotiations.
He had absolutely no intention of trading the Sarutobi Clan’s lives one-for-one with the Uchiha.
Seeing the Third Hokage soften, however, Jūbei burst into laughter.
Could it be that today, Uchiha Jūbei was actually going to suppress one of the legendary shinobi of the world?
This old man really wasn’t all that impressive.
Lord Kei would surely be proud of him!
"Hahaha! Old man Sarutobi, you really don’t understand anything."
Now that he had seen the Third soften, Jūbei’s words became even more merciless.
"As expected, you’re contemptible. In the eyes of a politician like you, everything seems to be something that can be traded away. But someone like you could never understand us."
Jūbei’s words carried a hidden meaning.
He was insulting Sarutobi.
But he was also insulting Uchiha Gen, who had forced him to step forward and fight this battle.
How could filthy politicians understand the value of loyalty and righteousness?
Fortunately, Lord Kei wasn’t a politician.
Jūbei’s pride grew stronger by the moment.
"Old man, do you know something? To us, this is our duty and our destiny! To die bravely, to die without hesitation—to die for the one who recognizes your worth!"
Jūbei spoke with passionate conviction.
The Third understood.
He yearned for this kind of loyalty as well.
Yet it seemed that no matter how much he gave, he could never obtain such loyalty in return.
He had been fighting Jūbei for so long, yet not a single person had come forward to assist him.
That realization chilled the old man’s heart.
He looked toward Orochimaru in the distance, then toward Might Duy not far away.
The figures of Jiraiya and Tsunade flashed through his mind as well.
He wondered whether they had seen the terrible state Konoha was in.
Seven Kage-level combatants had gathered here, yet they still couldn’t defeat a man who was nothing more than a head.
Sarutobi shook his head.
A bitter expression appeared on his face as he continued fighting Jūbei.
"Does a sacrifice like this really have any meaning?"
Jūbei shook his head, becoming even more excited.
"Third Hokage, you still don’t understand!"
"Every insignificant sacrifice we make will be recorded and presented before Lord Kei. That alone is enough."
"Such sacrifices will hasten the arrival of that moment—the great moment that is destined to come!"
"The Uchiha shall rise in glory, and our flame shall never be extinguished!"
A light of conviction shone in Jūbei’s eyes.
He firmly believed that his sacrifice would create a glorious future for the Uchiha.
And that glorious future would be built upon the ruins of Konoha.
Seeing Jūbei’s madness, the Third had finally bought enough time.
When he had used Shadow Clone Jutsu: Multiple Earth-Style Ramparts earlier, he had secretly created two Shadow Clones.
At this moment, he could not defeat Jūbei immediately.
But he could send his clones to deal with the Uchiha and cover the Sarutobi Clan’s retreat.
The Third’s talk-no-jutsu had indeed achieved its purpose.
It had successfully captured Jūbei’s attention.
But Jūbei didn’t care.
The moment those red-eyed Uchiha activated the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags Technique, Jūbei understood.
The battle had dragged on for far too long.
His subordinates had already reached their limits.
Their physical strength was running out.
Their chakra was running out as well.
The self-detonations were a signal.
So what if Sarutobi intended to send his clones to rescue people?
Jūbei didn’t care.
Everyone who had come here today had already prepared themselves for death.
No one had any intention of returning alive.
Today, everyone present would die.
Who killed whom no longer mattered.
"Let me, Uchiha Jūbei, send you filthy politicians straight to hell!"
Jūbei ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi’s plan to rescue the wounded.
His Fear Armor manifested, placing him in a state of absolute defense.
Then he began his final incantation.
"When the heavens thunder amid primordial chaos, the scorching winds shall scour the earth! The living shall become corpses! At the place where good and evil converge, open the ritual of Hell’s Judgment!"
It was time to settle things with the Third Hokage once and for all.
"Pestilence, earthquakes, thunder! Let the disasters of heaven descend upon Konoha!"
"Appear, Great Calamity!"
Jūbei’s thoughts were simple.
Even if he died, he would drag the entire Konoha down with him.
After all, he had no idea whether reinforcements were waiting somewhere behind him.
Therefore, today, Konoha—
Whether they were good people or bad people, members of the Sarutobi Clan, Orochimaru’s people, or even fellow Uchiha...
Every last one of them could die.
No one was getting out alive.
He was about to unleash that indiscriminate attack.
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