Shimura Danzō Must Die!

Obito Uchiha often stayed in the Kamui Dimension, but he could not remain there forever.

Uchiha Itachi could instantly manifest Susanoo, but he could not keep it active indefinitely.

A Soul Beacon planted with the Death God's power could last for one day. As long as you let your guard down today, you would have to face the trial of life and death I bring.

But there were even more irritating people to deal with now.

Just as the Third Hokage stood frozen in shock and the Konoha Ninja were too agitated to contain themselves, Shazo's gaze locked onto the Root ninjas charging at Shisui Uchiha.

He lightly clapped his hands together and activated a Wood Release Secret Technique.

[Wood Style: Thorn Jungle]

This was a Secret Technique developed by a Qingyan Sect disciple skilled in ambushes. It was an exceptionally effective and brutally cruel technique.

When the Root ninjas stepped onto the ground within the technique's range, several wooden spikes abruptly erupted and pierced through their feet, pinning one foot of each man to the ground.

The Root ninjas did not scream. They immediately swung their weapons at the wooden spikes.

But the spikes were far harder than the ninjas had imagined. Sparks flew as ninja blades struck them, yet they could not even break through their surface.

Before the Root ninjas could steel themselves to cut off their own feet, more sharp wooden spikes burst from the ground, piercing the ninjas who could not evade them. Then, drawing blood and flesh from within their bodies, the spikes frantically grew into even more wooden thorns.

This was an enhanced, trap-version Wood Style: Deep Forest Burial. In merely two seconds, the Root ninjas' bodies had become filled with wooden spikes and roots, leaving them completely unable to move.

The wooden spikes had deliberately avoided all vital areas. Their blood vessels and internal organs had not suffered serious damage; only their nerves had been severed, their bones twisted apart, and their joints locked in place.

The Root ninjas had become living potted plants.

Shimura Danzō flew into a rage. "Who are you? How dare you attack Konoha Ninja in Konoha?"

Shazo coldly declared, "I am a Konoha Ninja."

"Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire burns on."

"The firelight will continue to illuminate the village and make new leaves sprout."

"But monsters turned into puppets like this are not Konoha Ninja. The madman who creates such monsters is the enemy of every Konoha Ninja."

Hiruzen Sarutobi thought, Damn it, those are my lines! Someone stole them!?

Shimura Danzō roared, "I know every Konoha Jonin. You are not even a Jonin, yet you dare call me Konoha's enemy?"

Shazo laughed happily. "Hahahaha, status? Family background? Ninja rank? Is that what Konoha was built on?"

"Disgusting bastard. Konoha was founded on two things: the strength to beat every ninja into submission, and the shared dream that drew every ninja in."

"I believe what I am saying now represents the common will of the Konoha Ninja, not the schemes and calculations of a small handful!"

A square wooden pillar suddenly rose beneath Shazo's feet, carrying him and Shisui Uchiha high into the air, high enough for everyone to see.

His voice also became incomparably loud, allowing everyone present to hear him.

"I say this: Konoha Ninja do not want to see Konoha Ninja attacked and ambushed by so-called 'comrades,' losing their Kekkei Genkai and their lives!"

"I say this: Konoha Ninja do not want to see the Uchiha Clan massacred! Uchiha ninjas may be proud and irritating, but they are still Konoha Ninja—comrades who fight alongside us!"

"I say this: Konoha Ninja all hate Root. We hate darkness without any bottom line. We hate harming comrades under high-sounding excuses!"

"I say this: Konoha Ninja do not want to be threatened by Cloud Ninja, using the lives of innocent comrades to appease our enemies!"

"I say this: Konoha Ninja hate the mad dog indulged by the Hokage, and do not want him to continue running rampant through Konoha!"

The Wood Release Kekkei Genkai gave Shazo tremendous credibility. It kept the Konoha Ninja from rejecting his words from the start, so every sentence reached their ears and their hearts, stirring resonance within them.

When he spoke the first sentence, the Konoha Ninja were deeply shaken, but no one spoke in agreement.

When he spoke the second sentence, the Uchiha survivors who had endured humiliation for so long cried out freely, "We don't want to be slaughtered!!"

When he spoke the third sentence, ninja clans such as the Aburame Clan, Yamanaka Clan, and Kurama Clan remembered the children taken from their own families and could not help shouting, "We hate Root!!"

When he spoke the fourth sentence, Hyuga Hiashi took the lead, and every ninja of the Hyuga Clan shouted, "We don't want to be driven to death!!"

When he spoke the fifth sentence, the atmosphere had reached its peak. Aside from the Anbu, whose discipline was strongest, no Konoha Ninja cared any longer about preserving the Third Hokage's dignity. They shouted the wish they had harbored for so long: "Shimura Danzō deserves to die!"

"Shimura Danzō must die!!"

Their cries thundered through the sky and echoed in the hearts of every Konoha Ninja.

The Third Hokage's face instantly turned deathly pale.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had come to deal with the Uchiha Clan's extermination. According to the plan, he had merely come to collect the bodies.

But there had been far too many unexpected developments tonight.

The moment he heard the explosion and saw the flames, he knew something had gone wrong. When he saw Susanoo and Wood Release, he knew it was a colossal disaster.

Yet until just now, he had believed that the matter would at most implicate Shimura Danzō, and that the situation remained under his control.

This was because it was a situation he knew all too well. Just as when Shazo had attacked the Root ninjas earlier, it was not as though he had never dealt with similar incidents. Naturally, he thought he could still handle it.

But who could have expected Shazo to rattle off a few words and directly stir the Konoha Ninja's emotions, pointing the blade at Shimura Danzō's life—and even faintly at Hiruzen Sarutobi himself?

That went beyond the Third Hokage's familiar territory.

The Konoha Ninja's emotions were so intense that, under Shazo's guidance, they naturally cast aside all reservations and directly shouted the words, "Shimura Danzō deserves to die."

This was not the cry of just a few ninjas. All the ninjas, including the Anbu, were shouting. It truly represented the will of the Konoha Ninja.

Only then did the Konoha Ninja realize:

So I wasn't the only one who thought this way.

So everyone has long been dissatisfied with Shimura Danzō.

Shazo knew very well that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō were effectively one entity. Together, they formed the complete Third Hokage.

But after stirring the Konoha Ninja's emotions just now, he discovered that they had instinctively overlooked the Third Hokage. Even Hyuga Hiashi had done so.

Shazo regretfully confirmed that he could not bring down the Third Hokage today.

He had been Hokage for too long.

Aside from the few unstable years after the Second Hokage's sacrifice, and excluding the months when the Fourth Hokage held the title in name but not in reality, Hiruzen Sarutobi had rightfully served as Hokage for twenty-five years.

The newly rising Jonin of today had been born when he was already Hokage.

The Konoha Ninja had grown accustomed to his rule. It was difficult for them to realize that he needed to be overthrown.

Moreover, Shimura Danzō had served very well as the black glove. His vile conduct was perfect, drawing all responsibility for every evil deed onto himself.

Other than driving Hizashi Hyuga to his death, none of the other matters could be directly tied to the Third Hokage.

Even by leveraging the Konoha Ninja's emotions, Shazo could only take down Shimura Danzō first and force Hiruzen Sarutobi to reveal his own hands.

Without Shimura Danzō, if Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to change his ways, his own hands would soon be stained with foulness.

At that point, overthrowing the Third Hokage would be inevitable.