Danzo: This One's on Me, Not You

"How did it go? Have you figured it out?" The Third Hokage frowned and asked sternly.

The current Third Hokage was still relatively young. His presence remained formidable, making him seem like an entirely different person from his elderly self.

"Not yet, but we found some ashes. There was a small scrap of fabric among them, bearing a mark that appears to belong to the Uchiha Clan."

An Anbu ninja held up the scrap of cloth for Hiruzen Sarutobi to inspect.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pinched it between his fingers and carefully studied Uchiha Zheng, who stood nearby.

"Uchiha Clan Head, can you confirm whether this belongs to your clan?"

"Yes, I can confirm that it does, but I cannot tell whose clothing it came from." Uchiha Zheng pursed his lips. He truly could not identify the owner.

"Investigate it later. See whether anyone is missing, or whether anyone has suddenly fallen ill. I do not want this matter to be connected to your clan."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was filled with gravity.

"Hmph. Our clan is renowned for Fire Release, but we are no weaker in other Ninjutsu. The scene indicates that the culprit used Wind Release. They may have been trying to eliminate someone from our clan."

Uchiha Zheng also sensed the severity of the situation. He suspected that the person turned to ash might have been one of theirs.

"Wait for the results! Also, the Anbu must quickly investigate whether there are any suspects. Be on guard against members of other clans taking advantage of this situation." Hiruzen Sarutobi was meticulous in his thinking.

Once the orders were issued, the clan heads who had been summoned immediately all departed, leaving only Hiruzen Sarutobi behind.

"Mm... Danzo, was this your doing?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not the only one with that thought. Everyone who knew Danzo thought the same, but no one dared mention it.

Every sign at the scene indicated that the murderer had used Wind Release, making Danzo the prime suspect, even though quite a few people in the village knew such Ninjutsu.

Yet perhaps only Danzo possessed the ability to wield it at such a high level.

Moreover, the mark on the fragment of cloth found earlier belonged to the Uchiha Clan, and Danzo had deep ties with that clan.

Thus, everyone had more or less reached the same conclusion: Danzo had developed a grudge and murderous intent.

With Danzo's mad temperament, he was certainly capable of doing such a thing.

However, Danzo held a high position. Without sufficient proof, no one would accuse him. Danzo was not someone to be provoked.

Bang!

"Say that again? Uchiha Kirito has disappeared?" Uchiha Zheng slammed the table and rose in fury, the veins in his arms bulging.

"Yes. We searched everywhere, but there is no trace of him."

"Danzo! It must have been that bastard! That lunatic has always despised our clan and constantly looked for chances to target us. This was definitely their doing. The crime scene already proves everything!"

Uchiha Zheng was so angry that his head ached. If some insignificant civilian had gone missing, it would not have mattered much, but Uchiha Kirito was an indispensable powerhouse within the clan.

"I will not let this rest! Shimura Danzō, I'll make you pay!" In his rage, Uchiha Zheng's Sharingan nearly activated.

"My lord, that brat Hyuga Matsuba, along with Uchiha Mikoto, that lackey, should we still..."

"Leave them alone for now. Dismissed. I'm going to Hiruzen Sarutobi right now and demand an explanation!"

Uchiha Zheng showed Hiruzen Sarutobi no respect at all, daring to address the Third Hokage so casually.

After leaving the clan territory, Uchiha Zheng stormed to the Hokage Building. After a lengthy argument, neither side reached a conclusion.

After Uchiha Zheng left, Hiruzen Sarutobi scratched his head. He also found the matter rather troublesome.

"Danzo, Danzo, you've really stirred up a hornet's nest!"

Uchiha Zheng had just demanded that Hiruzen Sarutobi hand Danzo over, but Hiruzen Sarutobi had deep feelings for Danzo's clan. How could he agree to such a request? In the end, the two stood their ground.

Hiruzen Sarutobi eventually agreed to take a step back, assigning a small Anbu squad to the Uchiha Clan and slightly easing Uchiha Zheng's anger.

Though Uchiha Zheng was still furious inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi's stance remained firm, so he could only accept this small concession in frustration.

That settled the matter for now. Danzo had successfully become Hyuga Matsuba's scapegoat.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also specifically instructed Danzo to behave himself, then ignored Danzo's dark expression entirely.

"Find out immediately! I need to know which son of a bitch dared to bully me!" Danzo was so furious he nearly coughed up blood.

He held enormous authority, second only to one person in the entire village. Yet now he had somehow taken the blame for someone else?

Danzo could not accept it.

Unfortunately, even if he searched everywhere, he would find no results. How could anyone have imagined that this was done by a worthless Hyuga Clan brat?

Uchiha Zheng thought in silence for a long time, but Hyuga Matsuba never entered his mind. The reason was simple: how could a child possibly do something like this?

Based on experience, there was no way someone as young as Hyuga Matsuba could defeat an Elite Jonin. Even a Quasi-Kage would find that difficult.

Anyone capable of accomplishing such a feat had to possess strength above Kage-level. How could a mere child have such power?

Yet they had never considered that Hyuga Matsuba was a miracle. He had become a Jonin long ago, so naturally, defeating an Elite Jonin was easy for him.

In short, Danzo had become the scapegoat, and the relationship between the two great clans had grown tense once more.

Within the Uchiha Clan, everyone now agreed that Konoha did not take them seriously, leaving them deeply disappointed.

Hyuga Matsuba could not be bothered with it. He had planned from the start to make Danzo take the blame for him. Even though Danzo had no grudge against him, Hyuga Matsuba simply could not stand him and wanted to trip him up.

After eating his fill outside and resting for a while, Hyuga Matsuba and Mikoto returned.

It was already late when they got home. Mikoto went to cook again, while Hyuga Matsuba returned to his bedroom as soon as he entered.

He took out the carefully preserved Sharingan. A close look revealed that the eyeball had already returned to its Three Tomoe form.

"I still haven't figured out what this thing is for, but having it doesn't seem to do me any good right now."

Anyone else would surely have craved the Mangekyo, but to Hyuga Matsuba, such things were merely passing clouds.

"The Tenseigan seems capable of controlling puppets. Maybe I'll have a use for it someday."

Hyuga Matsuba recalled that function of the Tenseigan. If he used that ability, its power would certainly be considerable.

These two Mangekyo eyeballs had piqued Hyuga Matsuba's interest, because every Mangekyo possessed different abilities, and under certain conditions, they could awaken exceptionally powerful Ninjutsu.