Fugaku Uchiha, Always Screwing Over His Own

At the critical moment when the battle was about to erupt, a white-haired Anbu ninja arrived with two subordinates.

Though the white-haired man wore a mask, all the Konoha Ninja present knew he was Kakashi Hatake.

There were only a few white-haired ninja in all of Konoha, and the only one who was both a Jonin and served in the Anbu was him.

Kakashi wearing a mask was merely a matter of following Anbu regulations.

Kakashi Hatake was one of the few ninja who could meet the Third Hokage at any time, and he often received special missions issued by the Hokage. In a sense, he represented the Third Hokage's authority.

Once Kakashi Hatake appeared, neither the Root ninja nor the Uchiha ninja dared continue acting recklessly.

Kakashi fell silent for a few seconds before saying in a deep voice, "Until the Third Hokage arrives, no one is allowed to leave, and no one is allowed to attack each other. Otherwise, you will be treated as traitors."

With a figure to rally around, the Anbu ninja swiftly moved to Kakashi Hatake's side, separating the Root ninja from the Uchiha ninja.

After Shimura Danzō arrived, he quickly figured out what had happened and immediately began berating the Uchiha ninja with arrogance.

"You restless Uchiha ninja truly harbor ill intentions toward the village."

"If you hadn't caused trouble tonight, the Root and Anbu ninja would definitely have captured that troublemaking enemy."

"I understand now. You were covering for him. You Uchiha have betrayed Konoha and colluded with spies from another village!"

Shimura Danzō perfectly demonstrated what it meant to lie through his teeth. Whenever any ninja tried to argue, he used his position as the Hokage's advisor to suppress them.

"You are merely a lowly Jonin. You have no right to refute the Hokage's advisor."

"Anbu ninja, I do not need your testimony. What I saw and what I understood are the truth!"

Just as Shimura Danzō shamelessly suppressed the Uchiha ninja, Fugaku Uchiha arrived and rudely stepped in front of him.

Fugaku's eyes blazed with fury. "Do I have the right to question you, Shimura Danzō?!"

Shimura Danzō retorted, "Hmph! You do not either. I am the Hokage's advisor. Only the Third Hokage may refute me!"

Fugaku Uchiha was left speechless. He decided not to dwell on the matter with Shimura Danzō. "Shimura Danzō, hand over Katsuhito Uchiha's teammate."

Shimura Danzō sneered. "I have no idea what nonsense you are spouting. My Root has no such person. He was confirmed dead long ago!"

Fugaku Uchiha turned and ordered, "Point him out. I want to see whether the Hokage's advisor dares stop the Head of Security from personally making an arrest!"

An Uchiha ninja took a look, then said in a furious panic, "Head of Security, that Root ninja has already run away. There are only nineteen Root ninja left now!"

Fugaku Uchiha said, "What?"

He looked at Shimura Danzō. "You hid him?"

Shimura Danzō snorted. "What a pack of lies from the Uchiha. Even if you are the Head of Security, do not think you can slander me. I am the Hokage's advisor!"

Fugaku Uchiha was practically furious to death. "You bastard!"

He and Shimura Danzō traded barbs, their swords drawn in spirit, but they ultimately did not come to blows.

When the Third Hokage arrived, Fugaku Uchiha lodged his grievance, only to be persuaded by Hiruzen Sarutobi's gentle smile. He decided to leave everything to the Hokage.

Thus, he said to the Uchiha ninja, "Come, we're going back!"

Unlike Fugaku Uchiha, who had not seen the evidence with his own eyes, the other Uchiha ninja had personally seen that "dead man." How could they possibly be willing to give up now?

They all spoke up in succession. "We cannot let him off like this, Clan Head!"

"Clan Head, Danzo has already gone this far. If we still back down, how can we possibly receive fair treatment?"

"Shut up, all of you!"

Fugaku Uchiha displayed the imposing air of a superior and gave the order forcefully.

"Did you not hear my order?"

"Do you intend to defy my orders as clan head?"

"If you still consider yourselves ninja of the Uchiha Clan, then follow me back!"

"I believe in the Third Hokage. You must believe in me as well!"

Perhaps relying on the ocular power of his Mangekyō Sharingan, Fugaku Uchiha ultimately forcibly suppressed his clansmen and led them away.

Standing in the Forest of Death and spying on the scene from afar with [Ninjutsu: Lens], Shazo was so angry he laughed.

"What the hell! Why did Fugaku Uchiha act like he belonged in some palace-intrigue novel aimed at women?"

"Are Konoha's rules really that strict? Political struggles have to fuss over evidence too? This is the first time I've seen Konoha Ninja like this."

"Hmm, no, that's not right. Fugaku Uchiha was extremely domineering toward his own clansmen and completely unreasonable, relying entirely on his authority to crush them."

"But he was not nearly so forceful toward outsiders. He was especially timid before Shimura Danzō, and before the Third Hokage, he was downright obsequious. He was like a newly married wife meeting her mother-in-law."

"Who taught this guy?"

"He sucked up to those above him, cowered before enemies, and bullied those below him. A complete idiot."

Shazo had not deliberately stayed behind to watch the show. After entering the Forest of Death, his heart could no longer bear the pressure of two Emperor Engines.

He felt an obvious tightness in his chest and could feel his heart pounding wildly.

Shazo could only stop to let his body recover and give his heart a rest.

Under the relentless pursuit and interception of Konoha Ninja, Anbu ninja, Security Department ninja, Hyūga ninja, and Root ninja, he had finally tested the limits of Swift Style.

After activating Swift Style, he could not sustain an all-out sprint for more than fifty minutes. With both engines running at full power, he could last at most three minutes.

Any longer, and he would face the danger of his heart rate exceeding its limit, possibly even triggering cardiac arrest.

After sighing, Shazo said to himself, "I still need to keep training. Once I adapt, I can extend the duration."

"For now, I'll set the Swift Style duration at ten minutes and the dual-engine state at one minute. I need to leave myself enough leeway to avoid danger."

Shazo silently transformed into a gray shadow and vanished from the Forest of Death.

The ghost ninja incident did not blow up.

Though the Uchiha, Hyūga, Anbu, and Root had all been thoroughly embarrassed, the ghost never appeared again, and the ninja gradually stopped paying attention to it.

The increasingly intense conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village was Konoha's greatest focus.

Yet the ghost ninja incident severely rattled Konoha's upper ranks.

The Third Hokage had clearly grown old, but his majesty remained.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked his pipe and coldly watched Shimura Danzō. His imposing presence weighed so heavily on the office that no one dared speak. Even Danzo avoided the Hokage's gaze.

Only after finishing a bowl of tobacco did the Hokage ask, "It has been three days since Jonin were deployed to hunt down the ghost ninja. Danzo, and you still have nothing to show for it?"

Once the Third Hokage spoke, the stifling atmosphere eased.

Shimura Danzō shook his head. "Other than the Uchiha Clan, all Konoha Ninja have been investigated. None fit the criteria."

The Third Hokage said, "Fugaku has already investigated the Uchiha Clan. It was not one of their people."

Shimura Danzō said, "Hmph. Even if it was not the Uchiha, their actions still tied up the village's forces, which is why every demon and monster now dares run wild in Konoha."

"In short, it is all the fault of the evil Uchiha Clan!"