"We have no authority to tell you. You're involved in human experimentation, and we're here to arrest you."
With that, they moved to act.
Unfortunately, the next moment, the three of them felt as if iron nails had pierced their bodies, pinning them to the ground. They couldn't move.
Their bodies felt as heavy as lead, and their gazes slowly lowered.
But they were seasoned ninjas. The instant they realized they had fallen under a Genjutsu, they tried to bite through their tongues and kill themselves.
Fresh blood trickled from their lips, but the Genjutsu held them fast.
"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique."
A pair of eyes glinted red, their blood-red Three Tomoe Mark strikingly vivid in the night.
"You trespassed into Uchiha Clan Territory and spied on Konoha's prospective ninja. I suspect you're spies from an enemy village."
"Come with us."
At the Uchiha leader's command, the three Root ninjas were taken into custody.
Root was different from the other divisions.
Its members were few. The other divisions were made up of temporary workers.
But the three Special Jonin who had been watching Yayoi were undoubtedly Danzo's trusted men—members of Root.
After all, only his confidants could be trusted with such a clandestine task.
"That went smoothly. Thank you all for your help."
After the Police Force took the three men into custody, Yayoi thanked the Security Force Captain leading them.
"If Root's lackeys dare reach into Uchiha Clan Territory, we'll cut them off.
Don't worry. We'll handle this."
The Uchiha leader nodded at Yayoi and spoke calmly.
As for their fate, there was only one.
Death.
They had monitored Uchiha Clan Territory during wartime and tried to abduct someone by force. Even if they were ANBU, they deserved execution.
What's more, Root was a secretive organization with no official information about it. During wartime, its members would be executed as spies.
Now that they'd fallen out with each other, Yayoi no longer cared about offending this Konoha elder.
Next, it was up to the Hokage to decide what to say.
"Hiruzen, what is it?"
Danzo pushed open the door, about to speak, when he suddenly noticed an Uchiha wearing his clan crest.
"Danzo, you're here."
The Third Hokage took a drag on his pipe as Danzo entered.
"Ri, explain the situation to Elder Danzo."
"Yes."
The Uchiha beside him began to explain when he saw Danzo arrive.
His expression was cold, giving nothing away.
"Battles have been breaking out frequently, so our clan decided to increase patrols around the village. Yesterday, we found three spies claiming to be from Root inside our territory.
They trespassed into our clan territory, spied on us, and even tried to abduct a child from the clan.
Fortunately, the patrol arrived in time. They're now being held by the Security Force, and we're seeking the Hokage's instructions.
The evidence was conclusive, but in their statements they claimed to belong to Root, which is under Elder Danzo. That's why we asked Elder Danzo here today."
Ignoring Danzo's dark expression, Uchiha Ri looked at him calmly.
"Danzo, do you have anything to say?"
The Third Hokage spoke up.
"Rumors. These accusations are slander."
Danzo abandoned the three men without hesitation.
He might have tried to defend them under normal circumstances, but it was wartime.
Something like this could not be tolerated. Otherwise, it would cause serious trouble in the village.
Still, he became even more wary of Uesugi Yayoi.
He'd even managed to get the Uchiha Security Force Minister involved.
It seemed Yayoi's ties to the Uchiha were even closer than he'd thought.
"Then it seems these three were spies sent by Sunagakure or another village.
No wonder they tried to bite through their tongues as soon as they were caught."
"Under wartime regulations, spies are to be executed if no useful information or value can be obtained from them."
"Elder Danzo, what do you think?"
"Agreed. Konoha will never tolerate spies. They should be executed."
Seeing that Danzo's expression hadn't changed in the slightest, Uchiha Ri said nothing more.
Removing Danzo would be extremely difficult. They couldn't even hope to deal him a serious blow.
"Do as you suggested, Danzo. Ri, let the Uchiha Security Force handle this."
"Yes."
Seeing the silence settle over the room, Ri took the initiative and left.
The door closed, and the Third Hokage spoke in a voice that seemed to have grown much older.
"Danzo, I warned you. Why couldn't you leave him alone?"
"He's just a child. Though he's close to the Uchiha, he still has the Will of Fire. He's a Senju who carries the Will of Fire."
The Third Hokage had clearly figured out most of what had happened.
He knew his old friend well. From the way the matter had been handled, he could tell which childhood friend was responsible.
"Hiruzen, you're too soft. Uesugi Yayoi is an unstable element. Only another dangerous, unstable element would befriend the Uchiha."
Danzo spoke with a ruthless, obsessive look in his eyes.
"Besides, he's hiding his strength and secretly researching the Senju Bloodline. He hasn't gone very far, but he can already match some of the information we have in the village.
He has talent. Only by handing him over to me can we bring out his full potential and make him useful to Konoha."
"That's enough, Danzo. Yayoi has never hidden his strength; he simply hasn't used it. And Tsunade gave him permission to research the Senju Bloodline.
Besides, don't forget that he's a Senju himself."
"This is the last time. If it happens again, you can forget about keeping your position in Root!"
Even though they had been childhood friends, the Third Hokage couldn't help losing his temper when Danzo refused to listen.
No matter how he tried to explain, Danzo wouldn't hear him. He only went further and further.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had had enough. This time, he gave Danzo a direct warning.
The fierce fighting at the front, along with Iwagakure and Kumogakure waiting for their chance to strike—
All of it was already giving him a headache, and Danzo was adding to his workload.
Yayoi was merely close to the Uchiha. He was a Senju himself.
Hiruzen couldn't understand why Danzo kept targeting a child.
""Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"
Watching Danzo slam the door behind him, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a surge of anger build inside him. But after Danzo stormed off, there was nowhere for it to go.
"I'm getting old. But why, Danzo? Why do you have to pick a fight with someone so young?"
Yayoi was only a child. So what if he got along with the Uchiha?
Sarutobi Hiruzen was at the height of his life, and he couldn't understand why Danzo would worry about a child who wasn't even ten.
As for the supposedly unstable Uchiha—
Sarutobi Hiruzen was confident that even if they rebelled, he could suppress them. His formidable strength gave him that confidence.
Looking through the huge floor-to-ceiling window at the many households of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly sighed.
He hoped the war would end soon.
"Uncle Ri, how did it go?"
Yayoi waited in Uchiha Clan Territory for news from Uchiha Ri.
"It went all right. We can't bring Danzo down, but he definitely won't dare show his face in Uchiha Clan Territory again."
Ri nodded at Yayoi as he spoke.
Ri—Uchiha Ri. His family had once been in charge of the Uchiha Justice Department.
Growing up around that work had made him interested in Konoha's regulations. The others trusted him to handle negotiations and similar matters.
It might sound a little strange, but that was how things were.
"Then I can relax."
Yayoi flashed a sunny smile.
After all, he'd specifically asked Second Grandfather Yan to use his Genjutsu, hoping to lure a few more people out.
That old man's Eye Technique was unbelievably powerful—so powerful that Yayoi wondered if he had a Mangekyou.
Thanks to Suifeng Zhi Huowu for sending two tickets.
Thanks to Bawang Ai Kan Xiaoshuo for sending two tickets.
Thanks to Mi Luo Gong for sending a ticket.
Thanks to An Xiaolu'er Shi for sending ten tickets.
Before you continue