Konoha's Higher-Ups' Attitude

"Who?"

In the Hokage's office, everyone's gaze simultaneously turned towards the window.

Seeing the young boy with a face that was somewhat immature, yet eyes that seemed filled with the weight of ages, everyone's hearts trembled.

Firstly, it was due to the stark contrast. Secondly, it was because none of them had detected Ye Fan's infiltration of the Hokage's office.

If he could sneak up beside them so silently, could he also kill them just as silently?

The Konoha elders stared at Ye Fan, feeling an extreme sense of danger that made them deeply wary.

Ye Fan scanned the room and noticed that besides Nara Shikaku and the Third Hokage, whose eyes held no killing intent, the others all harbored varying degrees of it.

This was especially true for Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.

The killing intent in their eyes was completely undisguised.

"Uchiha Ye Fan!"

Danzō stopped his departure, staring intently at Ye Fan, his chakra gradually overflowing, his intentions clear.

Although Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu remained silent, they had also raised their ki to its peak, ready to strike down Ye Fan at any moment.

Their long-held beliefs were in complete agreement with Danzō's.

For the sake of Konoha's so-called stability, they were willing to abandon anything, or anyone.

No matter how great the contributions of those individuals to Konoha in the past, if their expressed will clashed with theirs, they had to die.

They believed that only by eradicating everything and everyone that posed any potential instability could Konoha achieve true peace.

They were instrumental in the downfall of the Uchiha clan.

If not for their pressure, coupled with Danzō's instigation, the Uchiha clan would not have been so marginalized by Konoha, ultimately leading to their demise.

Furthermore, even after the near-annihilation of the Uchiha clan, they were still not satisfied and intended to kill the young Uchiha Sasuke.

If the Third Hokage had not been resolute in protecting Sasuke, he might have met a violent end one night.

When they learned of Ye Fan's return to the village, they were filled with killing intent.

In their minds, Ye Fan's existence was a potential threat to Konoha's peace, and even if he was a useless individual without a Kekkei Genkai, he had to die.

They had pressured the Third Hokage on this matter more than once.

Jiraiya's timely appearance in the Hokage's office at that time was also a clear stance towards them and Danzō.

Jiraiya's assertiveness was actually meant to protect Ye Fan from assassination.

"Uchiha? Heh, the moment my parents took their own lives, I ceased to be a member of the Uchiha clan."

"From now on, please call me Steel Plate Penetrator Ye Fan!"

Ye Fan's face held a cold smile as he stepped through the shattered window and slowly entered the Hokage's office.

"Ye Fan! Do you know where you are?"

"This place will not tolerate your petty troublemaking!"

The instant the window shattered, Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura quickly formed hand seals, preparing to suppress Ye Fan.

"Hmph, hypocritical trash!"

Ye Fan snorted coldly, standing still in place, looking at them with utter disdain, not taking the three of them seriously at all.

"Stop!"

Seeing this, the Third Hokage immediately roared, ordering the three to halt.

"Danzō, I told you to stop!"

Seeing that Danzō still had no intention of stopping, the Third Hokage stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

Despite being heavily injured, the aura of authority cultivated over many years remained undiminished.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, can't you see his rebellious intent?"

"If this child is not eliminated, he will surely become a great threat in the future! Even if he is currently a useless individual without a Kekkei Genkai!" Danzō roared, his stance resolute.

"That's right, I can clearly sense that he has no sense of belonging to Konoha whatsoever."

"And being a descendant of the Uchiha clan, even a useless one, he poses a hidden danger to Konoha's peace. He must die!"

Mitokado Homura stood up, killing intent radiating from her.

"Third Hokage-sama, I warned you long ago that Ye Fan has no loyalty to Konoha whatsoever, but you refused to believe me."

"Now look, he's even dared to storm the gates!" Utatane Koharu's gaze was sinister as she pointed at Ye Fan and said:

"Even if you are Jiraiya's disciple, I will never let you go! Anything that poses a threat to Konoha cannot exist in this world!"

Facing the threats from the three, Ye Fan scoffed dismissively, his expression growing increasingly stern.

At the same time, Ye Fan realized something: they seemed completely unaware that he had defeated Orochimaru.

If they knew about the events in the Forest of Death, they would never dare to speak to him like this.

In the Forest of Death, he had crushed three Kage-level powerhouses. That level of strength was enough to pose a serious threat to any ninja village in the Ninja World.

Hearing Utatane Koharu's words, Ye Fan smiled and retorted, "A fine statement, that anything threatening Konoha should not exist in this world."

"Didn't Konoha just experience an invasion? Go and destroy Sunagakure right now then!"

"And Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and the other ninja villages – which one doesn't pose a threat to Konoha? If you're so amazing, wipe them all out, unify the Ninja World!"

"Look at you, acting all high and mighty. How many days have you eaten your fill that you don't even know your own name anymore!"

"You!" Utatane Koharu was rendered speechless by Ye Fan's retort. Her chest heaved, and she gasped for air, nearly choking.

After a few seconds, she roared, "You're twisting words! Watch me kill you right now!"

"Enough!" The Third Hokage stomped on the floor, shattering it. He was truly angry.

"Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Shimura Danzō, do you think I'm dead? Or is Konoha run by you now!"

"I've said it long ago, no one is to lay a hand on Ye Fan, no one is to assassinate Ye Fan in any way. Are your ears deaf?!"

"You all claim Ye Fan poses a threat to Konoha's peace. I ask you, has he threatened Konoha now? Has he disrupted Konoha's order?!"

"I am not dead yet, and it's not your turn to call the shots!"

The Third Hokage's angry shouts echoed throughout the Hokage's office.

The Konoha elders watched the furious Third Hokage with varied expressions and complex emotions.

If the anger directed at Danzō earlier was something they had never witnessed, then this current outburst was something they had never imagined.

If they hadn't personally experienced this, they would never have believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi, always known for his kindness, could exhibit such emotions.

For a moment, the Hokage's office fell into a deathly silence, so quiet that they could clearly hear each other's breathing.

After a few seconds of silence, Danzō's voice broke the momentary peace.

He spoke, still unwilling to give up, "Ye Fan indeed has not posed a threat to Konoha, but that is merely because his current strength is too weak!"

"If one day he gains immense power, do you think he will still be like he is now? Can you guarantee he will still be like this?"

"Hiruzen, your heart is still too soft. We must nip all unstable factors in the bud to ensure Konoha's stability!"

Utatane Koharu and the other two strongly agreed with Danzō's words.

Although they hadn't noticed when Ye Fan arrived earlier, they quickly dismissed it.

It was likely that their attention was focused on Danzō's matter, causing them to overlook other things.

He was just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child, what kind of storm could he stir up?