Danzo's Overwhelming Dominance

Inside the Konoha Jonin Council's meeting room.

At this moment, the conference table was packed with Konoha's core leadership...

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi; Hokage advisors Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura; Jonin Commander Nara Shikaku; Root's Shimura Danzō; Hyuga Clan head Hyuga Hiashi; and the heads of many other clans were all present.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly laid out the full course of events, detailing how Uchiha Yuan had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and used its ocular power to shift a meteorite's trajectory, causing it to hurtle toward the Shinobi World, the entire room fell into a brief, oppressive silence.

After hearing this, everyone drew in a sharp breath, unable to hide their shock and fear.

Mitokado Homura frowned. "Then, Hiruzen, have you informed the other shinobi villages?"

"Not yet. I've decided to convene a Five Kage Summit and explain the situation to them face-to-face then."

The two Hokage advisors exchanged glances, silently communicating for a moment before nodding.

At such a sensitive moment, one concerning the survival of the entire Shinobi World, convening a Five Kage Summit for an in-person explanation was indeed safer and more appropriate.

As for the deeper reasons, those who understood, understood...

Nara Shikaku, who had been silently thinking all this time, finally spoke. "Then where are Uchiha Yuan's body and his Sharingan now? Could they help us analyze the situation?"

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could answer, Danzo coldly cut in. "Unfortunately, his body self-destructed on the spot, and the Sharingan could not be found either."

The moment he finished speaking, several of Konoha's senior officials in the room simultaneously fixed their eyes on Danzo, their gazes filled with unmistakable suspicion.

Everyone knew that Danzo had always been deeply interested in the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan. Now that Uchiha Yuan's body and eyes had vanished into thin air, it was difficult not to suspect that Danzo had done something in secret.

Faced with everyone's piercing stares, Danzo merely stood there arrogantly, his face calm and disdainful. He showed no intention of explaining himself—or rather, Konoha's darkness... simply could not be bothered to explain.

Hiashi and the others felt anger rise in their hearts at the sight...

The room remained silent for several seconds, and the atmosphere grew even stranger. Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and turned the subject toward Hyuga Hiashi.

"Hiashi, the Hyuga Clan obtained this information earlier than we did. Are there any other clues or explanations?"

Hiashi's expression was solemn. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. "There's no further information... At present, all we know is that this meteorite's original trajectory would not have collided with the Shinobi World's continent..."

"It does seem to have been disturbed by some extremely powerful ocular force, causing it to deviate from its original path and rapidly crash toward the Shinobi World."

Upon hearing this, Utatane Koharu could not help but say, "Since it was affected by ocular power, is it possible to use the same or a similar ocular technique to correct its trajectory again?"

As soon as she said this, everyone in the room froze, then turned their gazes toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.

Hiashi shook his head with a bitter smile. "If that were possible, I'm afraid only the Uchiha Clan's Mangekyō Sharingan could accomplish it."

"But now..."

"The Uchiha Clan has already been wiped out. Where are we supposed to find someone else capable of using the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

For a time, the room once again fell into an awkward silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples, growing increasingly agitated and helpless.

The instigator of this disaster had originally been an Uchiha clansman almost everyone had overlooked.

Yet it was precisely such an insignificant figure who had silently brought such an enormous crisis upon the Shinobi World.

If I had known...

I never should have indulged Danzo and the others like that...

Danzo spoke calmly, his tone carrying a trace of coldness. "Since there are no Uchiha clansmen, perhaps we can approach this from another direction. Does the Shinobi World truly have no other technique powerful enough to alter a celestial body's trajectory?"

Shikaku frowned and thought deeply for a while before slowly replying, "I'm afraid that will be difficult."

"The Mangekyō Sharingan's power is already exceedingly rare, and ocular power of that level is difficult to match anywhere in the Shinobi World."

"Even if such power existed, the Five Great Shinobi Villages would not allow it to exist."

Hyuga Hiashi continued pondering...

He wondered whether those relatives on the moon were strong enough to do something like this.

If Toneri gave the meteorite another Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, you'd all behave yourselves.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly rose to his feet. "No matter what, we must prepare for both possibilities. On one hand, we will continue studying the meteorite's precise data and possible countermeasures."

"On the other hand, we must expedite the Five Kage Summit and unite all the forces of the Shinobi World as soon as possible to confront this disaster together."

Nara Shikaku took over at this point. "Konoha has already begun constructing underground defensive fortifications, but the other villages currently have some doubts about our actions."

"After the Five Kage Summit convenes, we must control the pace of communication and ensure that the other villages can promptly trust the information we provide."

Danzo gave a cold snort. His tone remained icy and forceful, his voice carrying an air of looking down upon the world!

"No matter the outcome, Konoha must take the initiative in the Shinobi World's future new order."

The moment those words left his mouth, everyone present was shaken, as though they had returned to the era of the shinobi wars.

Danzo's tone was so aggressive that it even gave people an illusion...

His dominance was practically overflowing...

As though he had already prepared to ignite another Shinobi World War.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that something was wrong...

He had known Danzo for decades and understood the old man's temperament perfectly. Danzo was ambitious, but he should not have gone mad to this extent...

What was going on?

At this moment, however, Danzo's heart was unusually resolute, and his confidence was soaring.

His cold gaze swept across everyone in the room. In his eyes, they were nothing more than a pack of short-sighted vermin.

They simply could not understand that this disaster was actually a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for Konoha to rise again and dominate the Shinobi World.

Only after the catastrophe could Konoha truly stand at the summit and achieve a second great revival, couldn't it?

After the meeting ended, Danzo returned directly to the Root base.

He entered the cold, gloomy underground passage, where the Root shinobi around him silently bowed to him.

"Lord Danzo, Orochimaru has arrived near the village. He requests an audience with you."

Upon hearing this, a cold smile curled across Danzo's lips. "He came quickly. Very well, let him in."

Before long, a chilling figure slowly entered the Root base's main hall. A familiar sinister smile still hung on his pale face—it was Orochimaru.

His gaze swept across the surroundings before finally settling on the proudly standing Danzo before him.

Danzo stared coldly at Orochimaru, making no attempt to conceal the contempt and arrogance in his eyes. His voice was frigid, and his dominance overflowed.

"What is it, Orochimaru? Did you rush back specifically to beg Konoha to take you in?"

Hearing this, Orochimaru slightly raised the corners of his mouth and narrowed his eyes, revealing an amused smile. "Lord Danzo, you certainly know how to joke."