Danzo Has Been Corrupted

Inside the Hokage office, the light reflected off a desk piled high with official documents; the night was as ink, and the surroundings were deathly silent.

"Tobirama... Sensei?"

A flicker of shock and disbelief crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.

He rubbed his eyes, confirming that the scene before him was by no means a hallucination; that sharp gaze, the icy aura, and the stern face were all too familiar to him.

He quickly regained his composure: "That damned Orochimaru..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi whispered through gritted teeth: "To think he would dare to disturb even you—it is truly unforgivable!"

Tobirama glanced at him, a hint of mockery curling his lips: "Indeed, this is the fine disciple you have raised."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head, his expression complex.

He understood the meaning behind his teacher's words, and more than that, he felt a crushing sense of shame for his own dereliction of duty.

Tobirama stepped forward, his gaze landing like ice upon the mountain of documents on the desk, and he let out a cold laugh: "It seems that in these years, you have been quite derelict in your duties as Hokage."

"Sensei, I..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi started to defend himself, but fell silent once more.

Tobirama did not pause, continuing: "The Uchiha Clan, if it cannot be fully controlled, should be completely erased, leaving no future trouble. Whether it is Uchiha Itachi or that Uchiha Sasuke."

"Since Uchiha Itachi could awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, his younger brother Sasuke will eventually be able to as well."

"If left unchecked, once either of them evolves the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, it will be a massive threat to Konoha."

Senju Tobirama turned to look out the window, his voice carrying a hint of undisguised anger...

"The Uchiha massacre... it has already happened, and there is no point in blaming you now, including the subsequent events that could destroy the Shinobi World; regret is of no use at this moment..."

"But regarding the Mangekyo abilities of Uchiha Yuan, Konoha has yet to conduct sufficient intelligence analysis or formulate countermeasures against him. What exactly have you been busy with?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was struck dumb, his mouth opening, yet he could not utter a word.

What could he say?

For many years, he had painstakingly managed and struggled to maintain order, yet he had been hampered at every turn.

Especially when facing the various issues of the Uchiha Clan, he admitted that he truly lacked the decisive courage of his teacher.

After a long silence, Senju Tobirama finally stopped pressing him and let out a soft sigh.

"Enough, Monkey. Now is not the time to assign blame. That fellow Danzo is coming back soon, isn't he?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was slightly stunned, looking up in confusion: "Danzo... has he left the village?"

Upon hearing this, Senju Tobirama's gaze turned even colder: "Are you still the Hokage or not?"

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

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew noticeably complex.

He knew that Danzo had become increasingly unrestrained over the years, but he had not expected that the man had quietly left the village without his knowledge.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi's complex look, Senju Tobirama's face grew even gloomier: "When he returns, summon him here in the name of the Hokage."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a sudden jolt in his heart, keenly sensing the killing intent and coldness in his teacher's tone, and he couldn't help but look up and ask in surprise: "Sensei, are you intending to deal with Danzo..."

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

Hearing this, a look of disbelief appeared in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes: "What did you say?"

Senju Tobirama spoke coldly, informing Hiruzen in detail about how Danzo had secretly transplanted over twenty Uchiha Sharingan, his tone filled with anger and disdain.

"Utterly absurd! He actually dared to try and strengthen himself with the power of the Uchiha; if this isn't seeking his own death, what is?"

As for the fact that Danzo had used his older brother's cells...

Tobirama didn't pay much attention to it...

He even subconsciously didn't take it seriously... and didn't tell Monkey...

Upon hearing this truth, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned much paler, and a clear sense of shock and heartache emerged from the depths of his eyes.

Though he and Danzo disagreed on policy, he had never expected that the man would walk such an extreme path.

However...

In Senju Tobirama's words, he seemed unaware of one key piece of information...

Fugaku's other Sharingan was in his own possession.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze flickered, but he did not mention it immediately.

Senju Tobirama was silent for a moment, his voice gradually deepening: "Monkey, now is not the time for hesitation. If Danzo has truly lost control, he will eventually become a massive hidden danger to Konoha."

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

Senju Tobirama looked at this disciple who was once his proudest, his gaze softening for a brief moment before turning stern again: "This crisis is extraordinary; no errors will be permitted."

After saying this, Senju Tobirama's gaze slowly shifted, landing on the bookshelf behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Take out the homework Uchiha Yuan left behind at the Ninja Academy and let me see it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused, looking somewhat embarrassed: "Sensei, these are just ordinary student assignments; there shouldn't be any issues..."

"Monkey!"

"You have grown increasingly muddled over these years. Do you truly think I would blame you for your bureaucratic negligence regarding what he wrote in the past?"

"The Shinobi World is on the brink of destruction; discussing blame is meaningless. You underestimate me!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, turned, and pulled a stack of documents from the filing cabinet, handing them to Senju Tobirama.

Tobirama reached out to take the files and began flipping through them page by page.

His expression was intensely focused, his gaze sweeping over the text on every page as if searching for something anomalous.

A moment later, he finally ceased his movements, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Just as I thought..."

Before the words had even faded, his fingers moved in a rapid sequence of hand seals. A fine mist of water instantly condensed, slowly enveloping the homework paper in his hand.

As the mist gradually permeated the page, the text of the essay began to undergo a strange transformation. The ordinary characters twisted and dissipated, replaced by a completely different, eerie message:

Congratulations on seeing what I truly wanted to say.

People always prefer lies, and I was merely playing along with the performance.

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

I have long grown weary of these false theatrics.

Sometimes I am incredibly sincere, so sincere that I only wish to show my true face.

Are you afraid of the Uchiha Clan being wiped out?

In truth, I belong to no one...

What does death matter? Everyone dies eventually.

Perhaps, I have already died.

Hiruzen was stunned, unable to hide his shock: "This is..."

Senju Tobirama sighed, a hint of admiration creeping into his tone...

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

"This kid, at such a young age, has already mastered the application of Sharingan chakra so skillfully that he can hide such information within everyday writing..."

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

Tobirama looked out at the night sky through the window once more and said in a deep voice: "Uchiha Yuan is far more dangerous than we imagined. His actions and thoughts are simply not comparable to those of an ordinary Uchiha clansman."

Because he could not fathom them...

Looking at those words, Senju Tobirama felt a chill run down his spine...

"In any case... Danzo must be dealt with first. The Sharingan on his body may have already completely devolved into an amplifier for Uchiha Yuan's ocular power."

Hearing his teacher speak of dealing with Danzo, a flicker of reluctance crossed Hiruzen's heart...

His mind flashed back to the image of Danzo handing him that other Sharingan belonging to Fugaku...

Sigh...