Danzo Has Already Been Corrupted

Inside the Hokage's office, lamplight fell over the desk piled high with documents. The night was ink-black, and all around was silent.

"Tobirama... Sensei?"

Shock and disbelief flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

He rubbed his eyes, confirming that what stood before him was no illusion. That sharp gaze, that icy presence, and that ever-stern face were all far too familiar to him.

He quickly came to his senses. "Damn Orochimaru..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth and muttered, "He actually dared to disturb even you. Unforgivable!"

Tobirama glanced at him, a trace of mockery tugging at his lips. "Indeed. What an excellent disciple you raised."

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head, his expression complicated.

He understood the meaning behind his teacher's words. More than that, he was ashamed of his own failure.

Tobirama slowly stepped forward, his icy gaze falling upon the mountain of documents on the desk. He sneered. "It seems you have been quite negligent in your duties as Hokage all these years."

"Sensei, I..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had just wanted to offer a few excuses, but he fell silent again.

Tobirama did not pause and continued, "If the Uchiha Clan cannot be completely controlled, they should be eradicated entirely, leaving no future trouble behind. Whether it is Uchiha Itachi or that Uchiha Sasuke."

"Since Uchiha Itachi was able to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, his younger brother Sasuke will be able to do so sooner or later."

"If either of them is allowed to evolve the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, they will become an enormous threat to Konoha."

Senju Tobirama turned to look out the window, his voice carrying barely concealed fury...

"As for the Uchiha massacre... what happened has happened. There is no point in blaming you now. The same goes for the subsequent upheaval that could destroy the Shinobi World. Regret is useless now..."

"But regarding Uchiha Yuan's Mangekyō abilities, Konoha has yet to conduct sufficiently thorough intelligence analysis or make any countermeasures. What exactly have you been busy with?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was left speechless. His mouth opened, but nothing came out.

What could he say?

For years, he had painstakingly worked to maintain everything, yet he had always been constrained at every turn.

Especially when it came to the Uchiha Clan's various issues, he admitted that he truly lacked his teacher's decisive resolve.

After a long silence, Senju Tobirama finally stopped pressing him and merely sighed.

"Forget it, Monkey. Now is not the time to assign blame. Danzo will be back soon, won't he?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi froze slightly and looked up in confusion. "Danzo... has he left the village?"

At once, Senju Tobirama's gaze turned even colder. "Are you still the Hokage?"

"When I came from that so-called Root base of his just now, he was already gone from the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression became visibly more complicated upon hearing this.

He knew that Danzo had become increasingly uncontrollable over the years, but he had never expected him to leave the village in secret while he remained completely unaware.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's conflicted expression, Senju Tobirama's face darkened further. "When he returns, summon him here in the name of the Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart jolted. Keenly sensing the killing intent and coldness in his teacher's tone, he looked up and asked in surprise, "Sensei, are you going to do something to Danzo..."

Tobirama gave a cold laugh. "What, do you still expect Danzo to be the trustworthy companion he once was? He has long since been corrupted by the Uchiha's Sharingan!"

Disbelief filled Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. "What did you say?"

Senju Tobirama spoke coldly, telling Hiruzen in detail about Danzo's secret transplantation of more than twenty Uchiha Sharingan. His tone was filled with fury and contempt.

"Utterly absurd! He actually tried to strengthen himself with the Uchiha's power. What else could that be but courting death?"

As for Danzo using his elder brother's cells...

Tobirama did not pay much attention to that...

He had even instinctively dismissed it as unimportant... and had not told Monkey about it...

After learning this fact, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned noticeably paler, and clear shock and pain surfaced deep in his eyes.

Though he and Danzo differed in their political views, he had never imagined that Danzo would take such an extreme path.

However...

From Senju Tobirama's words, it seemed he did not know one crucial piece of information...

Fugaku's other Sharingan was in his possession.

At that thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze flickered, but he did not mention it immediately.

Senju Tobirama fell silent for a moment, his voice gradually lowering. "Monkey, now is not the time to hesitate. If Danzo has truly lost control, he will sooner or later become a massive hidden danger to Konoha."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and his gaze became resolute once more. "I understand, Sensei."

Senju Tobirama looked at his once most prized disciple. His gaze softened briefly before returning to its stern coldness. "This crisis is no ordinary matter. No mistakes will be tolerated."

After saying that, Senju Tobirama slowly shifted his gaze to the bookshelf behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Bring me all the assignments Uchiha Yuan left at the Ninja Academy."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, somewhat embarrassed. "Sensei, those are merely ordinary student assignments. There should not be any problem..."

"Monkey!"

"You have become more and more muddleheaded over the years. Do you think I would blame you simply because of something he wrote in the past that you overlooked due to your bureaucratic ways?"

"The Shinobi World is about to be destroyed. There is no point in discussing blame. You underestimate me!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, turned around, retrieved a stack of files from the cabinet, and handed them to Senju Tobirama.

Tobirama reached out and took the documents, flipping through them page by page.

His expression was exceptionally focused, his eyes sweeping over the words on every sheet as though searching for some anomaly.

A moment later, he finally stopped, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"As expected..."

Before his words had faded, his fingers rapidly formed hand seals. A fine mist of water instantly condensed and slowly enveloped the assignment papers in his hands.

As the mist gradually seeped in, the writing on one essay began to undergo a strange change. The originally ordinary characters slowly twisted and faded away, replaced by an entirely different set of eerie words:

Congratulations. You have seen what I truly wanted to say.

People have always liked lies. I merely played along with them.

After all, I am still a student at the Ninja Academy...

I grew tired of these false performances long ago.

Sometimes, I am very sincere, so sincere that I only want to show my true face.

Are you afraid of the Uchiha massacre?

Actually, belonging nowhere...

What is wrong with dying? People always die.

Perhaps I died long ago.

Hiruzen stared in astonishment, unable to hide his shock. "This is..."

Senju Tobirama sighed, his tone carrying a trace of admiration...

"What astonishing chakra control. Even a Hokage like you was deceived by him."

"That boy mastered the Sharingan's chakra manipulation so skillfully at such a young age. He could even hide such messages within ordinary writing..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head, his expression becoming exceptionally grave. "I truly... never noticed."

Tobirama raised his head again and looked out into the night, speaking in a deep voice. "Uchiha Yuan is far more dangerous than we imagined. His actions and thoughts are simply beyond comparison with those of an ordinary Uchiha clansman."

Because he could not fathom him...

When Senju Tobirama read those words, he felt a chill run down his back...

"In any case... Danzo must be dealt with first. The Sharingan on his body may have already become nothing more than amplifiers for Uchiha Yuan's ocular power."

Hearing that his teacher intended to deal with Danzo, a trace of reluctance flashed through Hiruzen's heart...

He recalled the scene of Danzo giving him Fugaku's other Sharingan...

Alas...