Sarutobi Hiruzen sucked in a sharp breath.
Well, damn!
He finally understood why Uchiha Jin had awakened the Mangekyo, why he had so decisively joined the Radical Faction, and why he looked ready to fight the Konoha Higher-ups to the death.
"So that's how it was!"
Mitokado Homura nodded slightly, but then his face filled with confusion. "But something's not right. Shouldn't he have gone to the Hokage-sama first when his parents were arrested?"
"Even if he didn't go to the Hokage-sama, shouldn't he have asked Fugaku, the Clan Head, for help?"
Koharu Utatane looked equally puzzled.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "I wouldn't find any decision the Uchiha make surprising. There's no point discussing this now. I have no objection to Danzo's idea, but I won't give you any support."
"Uchiha Jin isn't easy to deal with. Danzo, make your plans carefully before you act!"
If it had been any other Uchiha, he might have hesitated, but Uchiha Jin was completely different.
There was no possibility of recruiting him!
Danzo was not surprised in the slightest and immediately named his price. "I need several Anbu squads reassigned to me, and every clan must provide a batch of men as well."
"Absolutely not. Don't even think about it." Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately shook his head in refusal. "Put out a commission at the Gold Exchange."
"Koharu, do your best to provide Danzo with some funds. Choose an ambush site outside Konoha if possible. Even if it fails, we cannot give him an excuse to start a war."
Of course, he understood that Danzo wanted cannon fodder.
But if he truly made the Major ninja clans serve as cannon fodder, his time as Hokage-sama would probably be over.
Using his own people was even less feasible!
His prestige had already been poor by the end of the Third Shinobi War. Then Namikaze Minato had died in the Nine-Tails' Rampage, causing his prestige to drop another level.
Combined with his indulgence of Danzo, driving Hatake Sakumo to his death, and especially the mistreatment of Uzumaki Naruto, the Fourth's son, Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation had become terrifyingly bad. Only because he still retained some prestige among the Commoners could he barely hold onto this position.
If his own forces suffered excessive losses, he was not sure whether he could still control Konoha, much less face the provocations of the Four Great Shinobi Villages.
And yet—
Faced with Sarutobi Hiruzen's refusal, Danzo simply shook his head. "With only Rogue Ninja from the Gold Exchange and a small number of missing-nin, they aren't even qualified to make Uchiha Jin use the Mangekyo, much less exhaust his Mangekyo Dojutsu Power."
"If you won't even provide that much support, then I'm abandoning this operation!"
Danzo was no fool.
On the contrary, his ability to preserve his own life was among the strongest in Konoha.
If he had not encountered that cheater Uchiha Sasuke, he likely could have stayed alive until the later stages of Boruto. Though he had targeted the Uchiha countless times, nearly every time he had bullied the weak with overwhelming strength, and even then he had always remained in the safest area.
If the Uchiha in the original story had been a little more resolute, and if Itachi, that white-eyed traitor, had not helped him, he might not have been able to wipe out the Uchiha at all!
The current Uchiha might look cowardly, but they were still the foremost Shinobi Clan.
A starving camel was still bigger than a horse!
This time was no different.
He could sense Uchiha Jin's determination and madness. He had no problem scheming against Uchiha Jin from the shadows, but asking him to fill the gap with Root lives without providing manpower?
Not a chance!
Although destroying the Uchiha was important to him, accumulating strength to help himself ascend to the Hokage Position was even more important.
He was willing to take the fall for Sarutobi Hiruzen because only then could he accumulate strength. But he would never suffer excessive losses to his own power because of it. Otherwise, what would he use to compete for the Hokage Position in the future?
After all, Uchiha Jin's rise posed the greatest threat to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
So...
If he disagreed, then forget it!
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."
He was utterly dumbfounded.
His mind was blank as he stared at Danzo with utter confusion.
This guy Danzo was actually refusing to take the fall for him?
"Don't look at me like that, and don't treat me like an idiot!"
"Everyone here is one of us, so there's no need to say useless things. I know perfectly well what kind of standing I have in Konoha."
"If Root is wiped out, then even if we kill Uchiha Jin, those Shinobi Clans will never let me off when you step down!"
"Hiruzen, think it over slowly."
After saying that—
Danzo left the Hokage Office without the slightest hesitation!
Watching Danzo's retreating back, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help but feel a splitting headache. This matter would be difficult to handle if Danzo refused to take the fall.
So, what now?
He instinctively looked toward Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura, but in the end, he said nothing and merely shook his head helplessly.
These two idiots were even less reliable!
"Hiruzen, what should we do?" Koharu Utatane asked.
Mitokado Homura furrowed his brow as well. "Uchiha Jin is a problem. We must kill him as soon as possible!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen could only sigh at their words.
Just as he had expected!
These two idiots had no ability to solve problems beyond raising them.
So, in the end—
After pondering for a long while, he finally spoke helplessly. "There's no need to be overly anxious. Uchiha Jin has only just taken control of the Radical Faction, so he is not yet much of a threat to us."
"On the contrary, Fugaku should be the anxious one now. Uchiha Jin's rise will inevitably challenge his position. I will have Shisui truly join the Fugaku Faction, and we will secretly give Fugaku some assistance as well..."
"Let the Uchiha fight among themselves!"
"This is a good opportunity. Spread word later that, considering Fugaku's loyalty to Konoha, the Nine-Tails' Rampage was most likely unrelated to him. Subtly imply that the Nine-Tails' Rampage may have been connected to the Radical Faction."
"For now—this is enough!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's methods were ruthless and seasoned.
Since Danzo was unwilling to take the fall for him, then as the righteous and honorable Hokage-sama, he naturally could not personally move against Uchiha Jin.
Therefore, supporting Fugaku, the Clan Head, and allowing the Uchiha to descend into internal chaos was the best approach!
Though Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura were displeased, they could only accept it.
Meanwhile—
After Uchiha Jin returned to the Clan Compound, many Radical Faction members gathered around him.
"Don't worry. It's fine now."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen chose to take a step back. Root and Anbu have been withdrawn from outside the Clan Compound."
"This proves that the plan our Radical Faction devised was correct. Next, we only need to carry it out step by step according to the plan."
Faced with everyone's concerns, Uchiha Jin gave a faint smile.
Then—
He briefly explained what had happened, and everyone present grew excited. This was the first time since their confrontation with Konoha had begun that the Konoha Higher-ups had chosen to yield.
Unfortunately—
Before everyone could celebrate for long, although Root and Anbu had both withdrawn, the reason publicly announced by the Konoha Higher-ups made everyone grit their teeth in hatred.
They had sensed the sincerity of Fugaku, the Clan Head?
Konoha was willing to restore some trust in the Uchiha led by Fugaku?
Damn it!
The shamelessness of the Konoha Higher-ups directly shattered the Radical Faction's composure.
It was clearly Uchiha Jin's achievement, yet that coward Fugaku got to lie back and claim the victory!
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