Confrontation!

The sun continued climbing through the sky, and tiny snowflakes gradually drifted down, melting as soon as they touched the ground. It was already morning.

Senya and Fugaku received orders delivered by Anbu operatives in their respective Police Force offices.

"Senya, are we going to the Forest of Death tonight? From the looks of it, Danzo must have told Hiruzen about the Root base. What exactly was the plan you mentioned last night?"

Fugaku ran over directly from the neighboring office and asked Senya.

Sitting in his chair, Senya calmly took a sip of green tea from a white porcelain cup.

"Just go to the mission hall and get me a copy of the mission information Zhicang and the others were carrying out."

Seeing how composed Senya was, Fugaku decided to keep trusting his judgment.

After all, Senya had not made a single mistake so far. He just had to trust Senya without thinking.

Fugaku turned and headed for the door.

"Hurry up and get back. And while you're at it, take care of the documents on my desk too."

Fugaku tripped over the door sill and nearly fell flat on his face.

He turned back and glared viciously at Senya, wanting to refuse in the harshest terms.

But when he remembered that the clan still depended on Senya, he chose to swallow his anger and grit out through clenched teeth.

"Fine! Got it!"

At night, the winter midnight air became especially cold.

The dense green forest teemed with poisonous creatures. Venomous snakes and wild beasts lurked everywhere, and even an inconspicuous plant could contain deadly poison.

Senya and Fugaku had arrived early at the Central Tower deep within the Forest of Death.

It was not until late at night, with the moon hanging overhead, that Hiruzen and Danzo finally arrived at the agreed location.

Although only Hiruzen and Danzo stood before them, Senya could sense nearly a hundred ninjas surrounding the Central Tower. Judging by the Chakra within them, even the weakest were likely Special Jonin.

When the four met, Danzo did not beat around the bush. His words were sharp as he took the lead in questioning them.

"Senya, Fugaku, why didn't you bring that traitor Itachi tonight? Did the traitor flee in cowardice?"

Hearing Danzo insult his son like that, Fugaku's initially calm expression began to shift.

But Senya was different. Fugaku might not have been much of a talker, but Senya had maxed out his verbal skills!

"Because Lord Hokage didn't ask Itachi to come."

Senya looked at Danzo with concern, as if he were genuinely worried about the man's intelligence and could not understand how he had asked such an idiotic question.

For a moment, the atmosphere became exceedingly awkward.

Danzo had intended to suppress their arrogance first, but Senya had dissolved it with a single sentence—and even slipped in a counterattack.

Seeing Danzo suffer a setback, Hiruzen immediately stepped forward to speak for his good friend.

"Enough! Senya, stop trying to win with your tongue."

"Was the attack on the Root base last night carried out by you, Fugaku, and Itachi?"

The cloudiness in Hiruzen's eyes sharpened, and for an instant, he possessed the bearing of the Ninja Hero he had once been.

Senya nodded without the slightest concern, looking utterly unconcerned.

"That's right. We did it. So what? Is there a problem?"

Then his eyes turned crimson. The three tomoe spun rapidly, instantly transforming into the shape of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Danzo and Hiruzen both took two steps back, adopting battle-ready stances.

The situation froze at once.

Senya's expression became somewhat impatient.

"I said, we did it! So what! Is there a problem?!"

Chakra instantly erupted from Senya's body. Blue Chakra flames wrapped around him, and the pressure radiating from his Chakra caused Hiruzen and Danzo's stress to surge.

Seeing this, Danzo immediately rebuked him.

"As expected of the evil Uchiha Clan. You refuse to change your wicked ways."

Hiruzen followed with another rebuke.

"You killed so many people for no reason! You slaughtered so many Konoha comrades! Do you not feel even the slightest remorse?!"

At Hiruzen's words, Danzo suddenly felt an inexplicable unease. Yet the enhancement on his right arm made him choose to ignore it. He was Danzo Pro Max now! What was there to worry about?!

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"How laughable. After all this, the Third Hokage doesn't even know why I attacked Root, yet you rush to a conclusion based solely on Danzo's side of the story?!"

"Clan Head Fugaku, show our Lord Hokage!"

Fugaku immediately threw the mission scroll in his hand toward Hiruzen.

Hearing Senya's words, Hiruzen suddenly felt that something was off, but he still caught the scroll and examined it.

After reading the scroll, Hiruzen questioned them again.

"I know about the mission involving these twelve Uchiha Clan members. The daimyo himself asked me to approve it. What is the problem?"

Senya's Mangekyō Sharingan stared fixedly at Danzo before he turned to Hiruzen.

"They all died on their way back. I already sent clan members to ask the daimyo, and they left the Capital of the Land of Fire shortly after nightfall yesterday."

"They should have reached Konoha by this morning at the latest, yet there has been no news of them."

Hearing Senya's claim, Hiruzen began to grow impatient.

"You mean they were all killed?"

"Are you also going to say they were attacked by Root ninjas?"

"Hm? Is that what you're saying? Tell me, Senya Uchiha!"

When Hiruzen first accepted the scroll, he had thought Senya possessed some crucial information. He had not expected it to be something like this.

It seemed the supposedly monstrous genius Uchiha was nothing special after all. In his panic, he was actually trying to use this excuse to justify his atrocities!

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Senya suddenly began applauding and laughed.

"As expected of our Lord Hokage. You guessed it all."

"Then does Lord Hokage not want to see our evidence?"

Senya laughed loudly, and the unease in Danzo's heart surged forth again.

Impossible. Ryoma and the others' operation had been flawless. They couldn't have left behind any evidence.

Seeing this, Fugaku immediately began forming hand seals.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A cloud of white smoke dispersed, revealing a black cat with a scroll strapped to its back.

Fugaku removed the scroll once more and tossed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the scroll again, still half-believing and half-doubting.

His brow furrowed even deeper. Rage filled his eyes as he stared fixedly at Danzo.

"Senya, although Root was at fault first, you still should not have slaughtered every Root ninja. They were all innocent!"

Danzo's face was filled with question marks.

"How was I at fault?"

The words left Danzo's mouth instinctively, without even a moment's thought.

Hiruzen grabbed the scroll and hurled it directly into Danzo's face.

"I may be old, but I am not so old that I cannot recognize the handprint of Cat Granny from the Ninja Cat Clan!"

As one of the premier summoning beast factions aside from the three great summoning holy lands, the Ninja Cat Clan had conducted trade with nations, villages, and clans throughout the ninja world for years. It was only because the Uchiha Clan had once aided them that they treated the Uchiha more favorably. Besides, Uchiha shuriken and Explosive Tags were also among the finest in the ninja world.

This summoning clan had become renowned throughout the ninja world through its reputation alone, yet it had provided proof for the Uchiha. The value of this scroll was self-evident.

Even Kumogakure, which had always enjoyed killing, burning, and plundering, traded properly with the Ninja Cat Clan. That was because, during the Warring States Period, the Yueyue Clan of Kumogakure had attempted to seize the Ninja Cat Clan's business.

The Uchiha Clan saved the Ninja Cat Clan, forging the close bond between the two clans. Over the following decades, the Yueyue Clan's economic situation plummeted by more than half. The matter was only settled after the Yueyue Clan head at the time personally knelt and apologized.

No matter how reluctant Hiruzen was to believe this scroll, he did not dare deny it. If he did, at least forty percent of Konoha's ninja tool supply would be cut off. He had no desire to lead all of Konoha down the same path as the Yueyue Clan.