Chapter 302: The Ninja World in Shock
Inside the meeting room.
As Fugaku began to speak, the previously noisy room quickly quieted down, with all eyes turning towards the Uchiha clan leader.
Everyone knew.
Fugaku was not only the Uchiha clan leader but also had another important identity—Uchiha Dan's brother-in-law.
Now that Dan was suspected to be dead, Fugaku's calm demeanour made people wonder if he had some new information.
Swish.
Fugaku's Sharingan swept over everyone present, and then he spoke again coldly:
"Dan is invincible, he cannot be defeated, let alone killed. Before he returns, I advise everyone to remain calm. If anyone tries anything rash, the Uchiha clan will not be polite."
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes transformed into the Mangekyou Sharingan.
And it wasn't just Fugaku.
Swish, swish, swish, swish.
Itachi, Sasuke, Tekka, Chiyoko, and Izumi, five Uchiha ninjas, also stood behind Fugaku, each activating their Mangekyou Sharingan.
The immense pressure released by the six pairs of crimson Mangekyou eyes made everyone present turn pale, not daring to make any rash moves.
They almost forgot.
Even without Uchiha Dan, the Uchiha clan was still the strongest clan in the ninja world. These six pairs of Mangekyou alone could sweep through any ninja village.
"Luckily, we managed to stabilize the situation."
Kakashi murmured, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Then he exchanged a glance with Hiashi Hyuga, and both stood behind Fugaku and the others, showing the stance of Konoha's Anbu and Police Force.
With the situation stabilised, Itachi focused his gaze:
"The urgent task now is not to form any joint command but to locate where the Sixth Hokage fought the enemy and go to support. When ninjas of their level battle, it must be earth-shattering."
The people present had different reactions, none responding immediately.
Until Onoki spoke:
"That's the problem.
With the internet so developed, any significant event quickly makes it to the news, spreading overnight across the ninja world.
But it's been eight hours since the Sixth Hokage's battle, and there's no news at all. Isn't that strange?"
The implication was clear: Onoki was suggesting that Dan might already be dead.
"Perhaps the Hokage chose a very remote place to avoid harming the innocent, such as the sea or deep in the desert," Sasuke speculated with a frown.
Onoki sighed, a look of regret on his face:
"If that's the case, it will be hard to find them. So I think our best option is to stay in Konoha, guard against a second attack, and patiently wait for the good news of the Sixth Hokage's return."
"The Tsuchikage makes sense."
The Kazekage, Raikage, and Hiruzen Sarutobi all agreed.
The Uchiha members looked grim upon hearing this.
It was clear that Onoki and the others were unwilling to support the Sixth Hokage, hoping instead to hear news of Dan's downfall. And the Uchiha couldn't act rashly, or Konoha might be left unguarded, giving these outsiders a chance to strike.
For a moment.
The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense due to the lack of consensus.
In the room next door.
Samui and her children, Mikoto Uchiha and Tsunade listened to the conversation through monitoring equipment, hearing every word.
"Mikoto, Tsunade, do you think… could Dan really be…"
Samui's voice trembled slightly, her face full of worry.
"Don't worry, that guy's life is tougher than anyone's. He won't die."
Tsunade patted Samui's shoulder, a glint in her eyes, "If you ask me, not only is he fine, but he might have already dealt with the enemy. He's probably just hiding on purpose, waiting for those people next door to reveal their true colors and start something."
So, Dan was… "fishing"?
Samui was stunned at first but then thought it over. Given Dan's playful nature, it wouldn't be surprising if he did something like that.
Mikoto also felt Tsunade's guess made sense and softly reassured Samui, telling her not to worry too much.
While the three women speculated about Dan's intentions.
Dan's young son, Hagoromo, suddenly walked to the window, looked up in surprise, and pointed outside, saying to his sister Marisa:
"Sis, look, the moon is cracking."
"Don't be silly. How could the moon just crack? You must be seeing things…"
Marisa dismissed it until she glanced outside, then froze in shock.
Soon, Tsunade, Samui, and Mikoto also looked out the window, equally shocked.
Because.
Hagoromo was right.
In the cloudless night sky, the conspicuous full moon suddenly cracked, as if torn into several pieces by an invisible giant hand.
Then, the cracked moon further shattered into countless small fragments.
As the moon exploded, its light vanished, and the entire night sky swiftly plunged into pitch darkness, with the earth falling into deep darkness as well.
"What... is happening?" Tsunade's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
She had lived for many years and seen all kinds of bizarre events and grand scenes, but seeing the moon explode right before her eyes made her question reality.
"I sensed it. It's Father's chakra," Hagoromo was the first to notice, pointing at the exploding moon with excitement, "Father is on the moon. He did this."
Although Hagoromo did not have Marissa's talent in physical combat, he had shown incredible sensory abilities from a young age, especially with Dan. It seemed there was a kind of father-son telepathy between them.
Every time Dan returned home, Hagoromo would always be the first to notice before he even stepped inside.
Because of this, Samui and Marissa took his words seriously, not thinking their son (or brother) was speaking nonsense.
"Could it be that Dan blew up the moon?" Samui murmured to herself.
Hearing this, Tsunade and Mikoto exchanged glances, speechless for a long time.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent conference room:
"Am I seeing things? Is this some kind of... genjutsu?"
"The moon exploded? What kind of joke is this?"
The group stood in a row by the window, craning their necks, watching in disbelief as the moon exploded and disappeared from the night sky.
After a long silence:
"Fugaku."
Mikoto entered the conference room with Hagoromo, quietly sharing the boy's important discovery with the Uchiha clan members.
During this, the expression on Fugaku's face slowly changed from astonishment to ecstatic joy.
"I see!"
He suddenly realized, then burst into laughter, "No wonder we couldn't find the battlefield. Dan took the enemy to the moon! Hahaha!"
Hearing his words, the others were deeply shocked and frightened.
They had initially harbored some rebellious thoughts, but knowing that Dan had blown up the moon with a punch quickly dampened their spirits, causing them to retreat with their tails between their legs.
If Uchiha Dan could blow up the moon, what else could he be if not a god?
Thud.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, as if hearing devastating news, slumped back into his chair, mouth agape, eyes wide, looking utterly dejected.
The Second Hokage beside him also looked grim, his expression becoming more and more serious and worried amidst his shock.
The moon had hung in the ninja world's night sky for over a thousand years, and now, Uchiha Dan had destroyed it with a punch. This meant that from now on, every night would be devoid of moonlight.
This was utter madness.
The Uchiha were all madmen, and Dan was the craziest among them.
The Second Hokage didn't doubt that Dan might one day go to the sun and punch it out, plunging the world into eternal darkness.
Such power could only bring destruction to the world.
In contrast, the First Hokage didn't think too much and instead expressed a heartfelt sentiment:
"Uchiha Dan is truly the God of Shinobi. He actually blew up the moon... so powerful."
Jiraiya stared dumbfoundedly at the night sky, watching the place where the moon had been, deeply worried about one person.
Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto, could he have been killed by Uchiha Dan?
The disappearance of the moon from the night sky was a terrifying phenomenon that was observed throughout the ninja world, causing widespread panic.
No one had ever seen such a thing.
For a moment, everyone thought the end of the world was approaching.
Until Konoha's television station broadcasted an emergency news bulletin, with the host excitedly stating—
"Do not panic, because according to the latest information, the Sixth Hokage fought on the moon and destroyed it with a punch during his battle with the enemy."
The news, once broadcasted, immediately caused a sensation throughout the ninja world.
That night was destined to be a sleepless one.
The entire ninja world was in an uproar.
Konoha, Ichiraku Ramen.
This shop had great luck, having survived the daytime meteor shower unscathed, making it the only intact building on the street.
The owner, Teuchi, did not hide in a shelter.
Instead, he and his daughter Ayame made hundreds of bowls of ramen, offering them for free to the affected villagers and the Konoha ninjas who were tirelessly working on rescue efforts.
At this moment.
Both Teuchi and the customers inside and outside the ramen shop forgot about their noodles, staring in shock at the news on the television.
Among the customers was a young boy with greyish-white hair, his eyes covered, seemingly injured.
He perked up his ears, listening to the news broadcast on the television. His expression gradually darkened as he muttered to himself, "The Otsutsuki clan is finished."
This boy was none other than Toneri Otsutsuki, who had just escaped from the moon to Konoha.
Upon hearing that a punch from Uchiha Dan had shattered the moon, he knew that he was the last surviving member of the Otsutsuki clan.
But now was not the time for sorrow.
No one noticed Toneri, as everyone was immersed in the shocking news of the moon's destruction.
So he quietly got up and slipped into a nearby dark alley, waiting silently.
One minute later.
A tall figure emerged quietly from the darkness and kneeled before Toneri.
It was Toneri's puppet subordinate, bearing a forehead protector with a moon emblem. The puppet was equipped with various lethal mechanisms and could even fire yellow energy balls.
According to ninja power rankings, this puppet's strength was roughly equivalent to Konoha's elite Jonin.
There were more than ten such puppets lurking within and around Konoha, collecting intelligence and conducting surveillance as per Toneri's orders.
"Gather all the puppets and infiltrate the Hyuga clan. Seize a Byakugan for me. The target is Hinata Hyuga's younger sister—Hanabi Hyuga," Toneri ordered coldly.
The puppet stood up silently and left without a word, swiftly executing Toneri's command.
Toneri himself glanced up at the night sky and quickly left Konoha under the cover of darkness, heading to the outskirts of the village.
After all, Uchiha Dan could return at any moment, and if Dan caught him, it would be over for him.
Toneri didn't dare take the risk.
In space.
After shattering the moon with a single punch, the muscular Susanoo completed its mission and gradually dissipated.
Dan watched the moon crumble into countless meteors.
Subsequently, some of these meteors remained in space, forming a small asteroid belt around Earth, while others, under Earth's gravity, turned into a meteor shower passing through the atmosphere.
Fortunately.
Dan observed for a while and found that the meteor shower was not headed towards the ninja world; most of it was falling into the vast ocean.
The ninja world should not suffer significant disaster.
However.
From now on, the pastime of moon-gazing might disappear from people's nighttime activities.
Retracting his gaze, Dan began searching the moon's remnants for Madara and Naruto.
Rustling.
A large amount of dust gathered, gradually forming Madara's figure in mid-air, his face filled with astonishment.
Earlier, despite hiding deep within the moon, Madara was still blown apart along with the moon by the muscular Susanoo's terrifying punch, turning to dust.
Only Edo Tensei's immortality brought him back to life.
Naruto also survived by sheer luck.
Perhaps it was the chakra of Kurama protecting him, or maybe the chakra of Asura shielding him. In any case, Naruto, the Child of Prophecy, was not so easily killed.
Both their survival was within Dan's expectations.
Swish.
In a flash, Madara saw Dan, who was watching him with a faint smile.
"I lost."
These three bitter words came from Madara's mouth.
This time, he was genuinely convinced.
Madara realized that even if he were perfectly resurrected and restored to his peak condition, he would still be unable to compete with Dan.
He couldn't shatter the moon with a punch.
The once invincible Madara Uchiha finally surrendered to a greater power, relinquishing his ambitions and obsessions.
Seeing this, Naruto knew he couldn't escape either. He dejectedly admitted defeat to Dan, awaiting his fate.
He had lost his fighting spirit, knowing no matter how hard he tried, he could never defeat the man named Uchiha Dan standing before him.
"Well, it's time for us to go back."
Dan employed his old trick, placing his hands on both men's shoulders. The Rinnegan glowed, and he used teleportation once more.
The next second.
The three of them appeared precisely in the meeting room of the Hokage Tower.
"Dan!" "Uncle!" "Sixth Hokage-sama!"
Dan's appearance brought immense relief and joy to the people of Konoha, who cried out in delight, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, the Four Kage of the ninja world, as well as Tobirama and Hiruzen Sarutobi, had varied expressions, some anxious, others panicked.
They knew that Dan might settle accounts with them.
(End of the chapter)