Internal Deadlock, and Public Opinion Turns Against Them!

Danzo was extremely direct, without the slightest hesitation.

He and Sarutobi Hiruzen were comrades and fellow soldiers, but beyond that, they were also enemies!

Naturally, he understood Sarutobi Hiruzen's concerns.

However, at the same time,

that was precisely his true objective!

He wanted nothing more than for Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation to be utterly ruined. Only then would he have a chance to contend for the Hokage Position.

Therefore,

he was exceptionally relaxed right now, showing no sign of urgency whatsoever.

As for this,

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent. Only after a long while did he slowly speak. "Danzo, can't this be discussed?"

"Sorry, it can't be discussed!" Danzo refused outright.

Although he also wanted to destroy the Uchiha as soon as possible, and knew that Uchiha Jin was a major threat, he was not overly concerned.

Because even if the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up.

And in the current Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the tall one.

If he was not worried, why should Danzo be?

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.

He gave Danzo a profound look, then began smoking.

He could see through Danzo's thoughts!

Danzo wanted to take the blame and do his dirty work, but Sarutobi Hiruzen would have to give him benefits in return—and incidentally sacrifice some of his own reputation.

What should he do?

He truly wanted Uchiha Jin dead as soon as possible, but he also did not want to lose his reputation over it.

Thus, for a time,

the atmosphere in the entire room instantly became silent.

"Hiruzen, Danzo!"

"You two should each take a step back. There's no need to take things this far."

"Our enemy is the Uchiha. We cannot start infighting at a time like this!"

"..."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura grew somewhat anxious and tried to persuade them with earnest words.

They had no choice.

If they failed to deal with the Uchiha, an external enemy, before their own side descended into chaos, the Uchiha would laugh their heads off if word got out.

In response to their persuasion, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo, his eyes full of hope.

He hoped Danzo would take a step back, but that hope was destined to come to nothing.

What kind of person was Danzo?

Looking at all the disasters Konoha suffered in the original story, when had Danzo ever taken the initiative to act?

Selfishness was his creed. With such a perfect opportunity to weaken Sarutobi Hiruzen, if he gave it up, he would not be Danzo!

Therefore, there was no way around it.

The matter reached a deadlock. Neither Sarutobi Hiruzen nor Danzo was willing to yield.

Three in the afternoon.

Sarutobi Hiruzen did not choose to end the meeting. He continued to lock horns with Danzo in the office. This time, he had to make Danzo back down.

Utatane Koharu could not help but speak. "How about we grab something to eat first, then continue discussing this?"

"Yeah, let's eat first." Mitokado Homura was equally helpless. "We can't just keep dragging this out!"

But unfortunately,

in response to their words, Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the table and displayed the bearing of a Shinobi Hero.

"Enough, shut up!"

"I'm so angry I'm practically full already! How could I possibly have the appetite to eat?"

"Danzo..."

"I'll give you one more chance. Will you take this mission or not?"

Faced with Sarutobi Hiruzen's towering fury, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura instantly found themselves in an awkward position.

He might have been full from anger, but they were hungry!

They wanted to grumble a few words, but facing Sarutobi Hiruzen as he was now, they truly did not dare say anything.

As for this,

Danzo's expression remained indifferent. He did not take Sarutobi Hiruzen seriously at all.

He continued sitting calmly in his chair, his entire face radiating ease and composure.

Clearly,

unless Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed to his demands, he would never agree to take the blame voluntarily!

And so...

time gradually dragged on until evening, yet Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo continued competing with each other, neither willing to give way.

Creak.

At that moment, there was suddenly a knock on the door.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly.

This was a meeting of the Konoha Higher-ups. Under normal circumstances, no one would dare interrupt unless something major had happened.

Therefore,

after pondering for a moment, he sat back down.

He put his Hokage Hat back on properly before speaking toward the door.

"Come in."

With another soft creak, the door to the Hokage Office opened.

After entering, an Anbu respectfully dropped to one knee. "Hokage-sama, esteemed Elders, some extremely unfavorable public opinion suddenly appeared in the village today. It even involves all of you..."

After a brief explanation, the Anbu took out a scroll.

At this,

Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly had a very bad feeling.

After taking the scroll, he waved his hand and dismissed the Anbu.

Then,

he opened the scroll with a puzzled expression and glanced at it. Before he could even finish reading, he furiously smashed the table with one palm.

Senju Nawaki, Kato Dan, Hatake Sakumo...

One familiar name after another entered his sight. More importantly, there were the accusations against him within it!

Clearly,

they were all Uchiha Jin's previous speculations. They had once circulated only within the Uchiha clan, but now they had completely swept across Konoha.

At this,

Sarutobi Hiruzen bared his teeth in fury. His entire body trembled with rage, and even his voice became hoarse.

"Uchiha Jin, you bastard!"

"You truly deserve to die! I will kill you!"

"Danzo, you have my authorization!"

"You must kill that bastard Uchiha Jin as soon as possible!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was nearly beside himself. His rage had reached its peak.

On the other side,

seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen so enraged, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were somewhat stunned. Still, they picked up the scroll, and after reading it, they too descended into fury.

"Slander! Pure slander!"

"That Uchiha Jin deserves to die! He's dumping a bucket of filth on us!"

"We cannot let him remain alive any longer. He must be killed as soon as possible!"

After reading it, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were completely enraged as well.

Danzo was intrigued too.

After reading the contents of the scroll, he could not help but sneer. "Hiruzen, I told you before that you would regret this!"

"After Uchiha Jin's talks with you broke down today, he keenly sensed that you were preparing to act. So he made his move in advance."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's entire body trembled.

He sensed an enormous crisis. If he could not resolve this matter, his career as Hokage would be over—and it would end in an exceptionally humiliating manner.

"U! Chi! Ha! Jin!"

His tone was terrifyingly cold, like a fierce wind from the depths of the underworld.

He was truly enraged!

Uchiha Jin's move had struck directly at his weak point.

However,

after pondering for a long time, he finally calmed down.

"Danzo!"

"Now is not the time for infighting. We should be united."

"Your Root often manipulates public opinion, so you must have a way to deal with this, right?"

"What should we do next?"