The Uchiha Clan's Standoff with Root

"Senior Chisen, that... Anbu Ninja named Sarutobi Shinosuke, he used to be your teacher? And... is he closely related to the Third Hokage?"

Along the way, Izumi felt that Senior Chisen was walking very slowly.

The overly silent, awkward atmosphere made her vaguely uncomfortable.

She gathered her courage, broke the silence, and cautiously asked.

"He used to be my Jonin instructor."

Uchiha Chisen said, "A few years ago, when the Third Shinobi World War broke out, he took me to the battlefield. His surname is Sarutobi, so he was certainly related to the Third. He was the Third's eldest son."

Izumi: "!!!"

The conversation between Senior Chisen and that Anbu Ninja during their battle had actually been somewhat unclear, and Izumi had not heard all of it.

After all, she had not even dared to get close to a battle of that level.

She had never expected Sarutobi Shinosuke to be the Hokage's eldest son!

Izumi could not help swallowing hard, feeling her palms sweat.

No matter how she wiped them, they would not dry.

That was practically the same as completely offending the Third Hokage, wasn't it? But Izumi was also confused. Why had the Hokage simply allowed her and Senior Chisen to leave?

The Hokage had clearly arrived with so many Anbu, looking like he had come aggressively to demand answers.

"Then, Lord Hokage..."

Before Izumi could voice her worried question, Uchiha Chisen interrupted, "Don't worry. Since the Third did not choose to keep me there just now, it means he respected Teacher Shinosuke's dying wish."

He glanced at the anxious Izumi and added, "You don't need to worry about Anbu Ninjas sneaking up to your bedside in the middle of the night."

Senior Chisen had seen through her thoughts again.

"Oh!"

Izumi nodded blankly.

She did not really understand the undercurrents involved, nor did she know when the Hokage's eldest son had left behind any final words.

But since Senior Chisen had already said it was fine...

Then it was probably, maybe, possibly fine?

Just then, Izumi felt her head bow under the weight of something heavy pressing down on it, making her cry out in surprise.

Then a strangely accented voice sounded above her forehead. "Meow. Newbie, let Lord Chisen have some peace and quiet. Stop asking questions all day, meow!"

Izumi immediately did not dare make another sound.

In their little group of two people and one cat, her status was probably the lowest.

Lower than even a cat's.

"You don't need to make things so complicated." Uchiha Chisen spoke calmly. "Sarutobi Shinosuke took the wrong path and had already fallen into the abyss without realizing it. Only at the moment of his death did he finally understand something, yet he still had no regrets."

"The Shinobi World has become so sick that even an Elite Jonin thinks falling into the abyss is no big deal. Countless examples like this are happening simultaneously in different places across the Shinobi World."

"Newbie, this is your fourth lesson."

"No matter what high-sounding excuses others use to crown 'evil,' you must unwaveringly carry out Absolute Justice. Even if you must turn your blade against the people you know best."

Izumi committed every word Uchiha Chisen said to heart.

"Understood, Senior!"

She answered solemnly.

At the same time.

Konoha.

"Lord Danzo, what does your Root mean by this?"

Uchiha Fugaku was leading a group of Konoha Military Police Force members in a standoff against the Root members led by Shimura Danzō.

The Konoha Military Police Force members behind him were also glaring furiously at the Root Ninjas ahead.

The atmosphere was extremely tense.

It was a hair-trigger situation.

Fugaku's face darkened as he stared directly at Shimura Danzō, his voice stiff. "A member of the Uchiha Clan's Konoha Military Police Force, 'Uchiha Chisen,' encountered an emergency outside the village that required support. I brought the other members of the Konoha Military Police Force to support him. That is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?"

"Yet you, Lord Danzo... brought so many Root Ninjas to stop us. What exactly are you trying to do?"

As he spoke.

Fugaku's gaze could not help drifting toward the bandages on Danzo's body.

He remembered the trump card Uchiha Chisen had revealed to him.

If Chisen had not been wrong, beneath those white bandages might be one Sharingan after another!

A shadow involuntarily fell over Fugaku's eyes.

"Hmph!" Danzo shifted uncomfortably. From Fugaku's reaction, he knew that that Uchiha brat, evil by nature, had definitely told Uchiha Fugaku about it.

Damn it!

That brat really was the greatest scourge in the village. He wondered if Monkey had gotten rid of him yet.

Danzo did not yield even half a step. There was no way he would allow Fugaku to support Uchiha Chisen.

Danzo said coldly, "The Hokage has already taken the Anbu to 'support' him. There is no need for your Uchiha Clan to interfere. Furthermore, your law enforcement authority only extends within Konoha. Outside Konoha, your Konoha Military Police Force has no law enforcement authority whatsoever."

When dealing with the Uchiha Clan, Danzo's dictionary did not contain the words "speak properly."

Fugaku froze.

He gave Danzo a deep look and said, "With reinforcements from the Konoha Military Police Force, Lord Hokage's side can resolve this matter even faster. Lord Danzo, please allow our Konoha Military Police Force to leave the village and provide support."

Danzo's eyes turned slightly colder. "Fugaku! Are you going to defy the orders of the higher-ups?"

The Root Ninjas behind him had already placed their hands on their ninja tools.

The Uchiha Clan's ninjas immediately became alert as well.

"You..." Just as a younger, more impulsive Uchiha ninja was about to speak, Fugaku quickly stopped him.

Fugaku shot him a warning glance.

Then.

He said to Danzo, "If Lord Danzo's delay causes the Uchiha Clan to inexplicably lose a double Kekkei Genkai genius, I will certainly report it to Lord Hokage."

Danzo gave a cold snort.

At that moment.

A Root Ninja who had been observing the distance suddenly walked to Danzo's side and said, "Lord Danzo, the disturbance over there has stopped for more than ten minutes. If I am not mistaken, the Hokage and the others should have arrived, and they have likely been there for some time. They used some unknown method to stop the battle."

Fugaku heard the Root Ninja's words as well.

He frowned.

Danzo, meanwhile, curled his lips into a cold smile. Since his goal had already been achieved, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Fugaku, it seems things over there have already ended. Are you still going to gather so many Uchiha here? Or could it be... you have other intentions, Fugaku?"

Fugaku clenched his fists.

Then loosened them.

"Disperse!" He took a deep breath, keeping an expressionless face as he spoke to the Uchiha Clan ninjas behind him.

"Clan Head!" Many Uchiha ninjas were extremely unwilling.

It was not necessarily that they truly wanted to leave the village to support Uchiha Chisen.

They were more furious and frustrated at being distrusted.

"Disperse!"

Fugaku gritted his teeth and repeated it.