Unlike the chaos in the Hokage's Office, where countless emergency reports were causing turmoil, the air inside the command center beneath the Naka Shrine was tense but devoid of any panic.

Dozens of elite Uchiha Ninja were silently busy at their posts, some relaying orders through specially crafted scrolls, others translating incoming information from afar into markers on the sand table, moving with precise, efficient motions.

Qi stood calmly before the massive sand table of Konoha, his gaze as tranquil as still water, ignoring the areas of the front line that were already lighting up with intense fire.

His attention was focused entirely on the vast region representing the heart of Konoha.

Beside him, several sensory Ninja he had personally recruited—who were not of Uchiha descent but possessed exceptional skills—were using various special mediums to translate the pulse of the entire Konoha into the most intuitive battlefield information.

One of them, a defector from the Kurama Clan, held complex hand seals with his hands, while a giant ear made of pure spiritual energy hovered before him.

This ear was capturing and filtering the internal communications of the Konoha Military Police Force with extremely high sensitivity.

From the noisy static and panicked shouts, he could precisely extract every command issued by the commanders.

Another, who kept his eyes closed, was an oddity from the Aburame Clan.

Through a specially trained mother insect that could share senses with hundreds of tiny parasitic insects scattered throughout the sewers of the village, he had constructed an omnipresent surveillance network.

Every assembly and every turn of the Anbu squads could not escape this "Sky Net" composed of countless tiny eyes.

"Report! The Hokage Building has not dispatched any mobile personnel! Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi has issued orders through the captain, requiring all detachments of the Military Police Force to prioritize handling internal disturbances and maintaining order among the villagers. The task is rated as the highest priority!" the Kurama Ninja responsible for monitoring reported quickly, his voice clear and accurate, devoid of any emotion.

Qi nodded slightly.

A clan member responsible for recording immediately moved the blue pieces representing the main force of the Military Police Force (non-Uchiha) on the sand table from their reserve positions to the commercial district and residential areas, inserting a small black flag representing "Pinned Down" into each piece.

The tactical situation on the sand table instantly became clearer.

"Report! The Anbu First and Second squads have departed from their station. According to the Chakra traces returned by the parasitic insects, their targets are the fires in the commercial district and the contaminated area of the upstream water source, respectively. There are no signs of movement toward our clan grounds." The Aburame Ninja responsible for tracking opened his eyes and said with a certain tone.

Another elite piece representing the Anbu was moved, leaving the area where the Uchiha Clan Compound were located far behind, firmly pinned to the other side of the village.

"Report! According to the latest intelligence from our informants on the periphery of Root, Danzo Shimura has mobilized his entire force this time. His three most elite detachments—'Bird', 'Wind', and'Sword'—have all been committed to the front line. Inside his Root base, the defense level has been lowered to the minimum, and no organized reserve force has been left behind."

This was information relayed by Uchiha Asuka, processed by Qi to stabilize morale.

But at this very moment, it played a crucial role, convincing everyone in the command center that the only enemies they needed to face were the ones right before them.

Key intelligence, cross-verified, was quickly and accurately summarized for Qi and marked in real-time on the sand table with pieces of different colors and markings.

The Konoha defense system, which appeared chaotic, massive, and complex to ordinary people, became unprecedentedly clear in Qi's eyes.

The troop movements of the entire Konoha, the decision-making intentions of the higher-ups, and the real-time trends of each unit were displayed clearly on this huge sand table.

At this moment, Qi grasped the overall situation of the entire battlefield earlier and more comprehensively than Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting in the Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage could only passively receive chaotic and even contradictory battle reports, like a blindfolded chess player who could only place pieces based on feeling.

Qi, however, could actively and clearly see every thread behind this chaos and use these threads to guide the battle toward his desired direction.

Information, at this moment, revealed its most terrifying value.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

And at this moment, Qi not only knew the enemy, but he understood the enemy better than they understood themselves.

Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui stood on the side, watching the crystal-clear tactical map on the sand table, their breathing involuntarily stalling for a moment.

They had never thought that war could be fought like this.

In their understanding, Uchiha battles had always relied on the powerful Sharingan and unparalleled personal strength to crush the front line.

But Qi had shown them a more grandiose mode of warfare—a clash of intelligence.

Fugaku looked at the Konoha unit pieces being led around on the sand table, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

It wasn't that he hadn't thought about resisting in the past, but the "coup" he envisioned was leading the Uchiha elite to charge straight at the Hokage Building and force the Third Hokage to abdicate with force.

Such a plan, even if successful, would inevitably leave the Uchiha severely wounded and plunge all of Konoha into a bloodbath of civil war.

But Qi's plan was to silently, using intelligence and strategy, bind all the claws and fangs of the giant beast that was Konoha, rendering it powerless, leaving it to only watch helplessly as the Uchiha departed calmly.

This gap was a dimensional one.

Just then, a Ninja from the Hyuga Clan, who had been resting with his eyes closed and responsible for perceiving the macro flow of Chakra across the battlefield, suddenly opened his eyes.

He was a branch family member whom Qi had turned through special channels, having long since despaired of the Caged Bird Seal system of the main family.

At this moment, blue veins bulged around his Byakugan, clearly having performed an overloaded observation.

"Report!" His voice carried a hint of urgency born of excitement.

"Detected an unidentified squad, numbering between five to seven people, all with Jonin-level Chakra. They are sneaking from the high ground of the dense forest on the east side toward the rear of Danzo's troops! Their Chakra has been highly encrypted and disguised, but based on the stealthiness of their route and the unique fluctuation pattern of their Chakra markers, it is the Anbu directly under the Hokage! It is the Third Hokage's personal guard!"

He breathed heavily and added the most critical information: "Their destination does not seem to be us! They bypassed the front line, and the end point of their advance is the temporary surveillance tower where Danzo is located! Their mission is... to monitor Danzo!"

This intelligence exploded in the command center like a thunderclap.

The muscles on Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui's faces tightened instantly.

The Third Hokage was indeed still that cunning power-wielder.

Even at this juncture where the village was facing a "rebellion," his first consideration was still not how to quell the rebellion, but internal power checks and balances.

He did not trust Danzo at all; the confidants he sent were ostensibly for surveillance, but in reality, they were waiting for an opportunity—the perfect opportunity to weaken both Root and the Uchiha simultaneously.

However, when Qi heard this intelligence, there was no surprise on his face.

This variable had been calculated from the very beginning.

Hatake Kakashi's report, which avoided the important and dwelled on the trivial, successfully numbed the Third Hokage, leading him to make the decision to "wait and see."

And the inevitable product of this decision was to send his trusted aides to monitor Danzo, that uncontrollable fierce dog.

He had finally waited for the "variable" that could completely muddy the waters.

Qi turned around, looked at the solemn Uchiha Fugaku beside him, and calmly reached out to pick up a pure white piece representing the Hokage's Anbu from the piece box.

Then, under the tense gaze of Fugaku and Uchiha Shisui, he gently placed this white piece behind the black piece representing Danzo.

"Clan Head Fugaku, look," Qi's voice carried a hint of faint sarcasm, as if stating an obvious fact.

"Our enemies are not as united as they appear. A good show is about to unfold."