Danzo Refused to Take the Blame, Sarutobi Hiruzen's Backup Plan!

Sarutobi Hiruzen sucked in a sharp breath.

Good grief!

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 was it!"

Mitokado Homura nodded slightly, but then his face filled with confusion. "But something isn't right. Shouldn't he have gone to the Hokage first after his parents were arrested?"

"Even if he didn't go to the Hokage, shouldn't he have asked Fugaku, the Clan Head, for help?"

Utatane Koharu looked equally puzzled.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "I wouldn't find any decision the Uchiha made surprising. There's no point discussing that now. I have no objections to your idea, Danzo, but I won't give you any support."

"Uchiha Jin won't be easy to deal with. Danzo, make your plans properly 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 showed no surprise and directly named his price. "I need several Anbu squads reassigned to me. Every clan will also need to provide a batch of people."

"Absolutely not. Don't even think about it." Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately shook his head. "Put out a commission at the Gold Exchange."

"Koharu, do your best to provide Danzo with some funds. Try to choose an ambush site outside Konoha. 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 would be over.

Using his own men was even more impossible!

His prestige had already been poor by the end of the Third Shinobi War. Then Namikaze Minato had died during the Nine-Tails' Rampage, causing his reputation to fall another level.

On top of allowing Danzo to drive Hatake Sakumo to his death, and especially mistreating Uzumaki Naruto, the Fourth Hokage's son, Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation had become terrifyingly poor. He could barely hold his position only because he still retained some prestige among the Commoners.

If his own forces suffered too many losses, he wasn't sure whether he could still control Konoha, much less deal with the provocations of the Four Great Shinobi Villages. Facing 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 wouldn't even be 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 wasn't stupid.

On the contrary, his ability to preserve his own life was among the strongest in Konoha.

If he hadn't encountered that cheat Uchiha Sasuke, he likely could have endured until the later stages of Boruto. He might have targeted the Uchiha countless times, but nearly every time, he had preyed on the weak while standing in the safest possible position.

If the Uchiha in the original story had been a little more resolute, and if Itachi, that white-eyed traitor, hadn't helped him, he might not have been able to wipe out the Uchiha at all!

The Uchiha might look cowardly now, but they were still the foremost noble 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, but asking him to fill the gap with Root lives without giving him any manpower?

Not a chance!

Although destroying the Uchiha was important to him, accumulating power to help himself ascend to the Hokage Position was even more important.

He was willing to take the blame for Sarutobi Hiruzen because that was the only way to accumulate power, but he would never lose too much of his own strength over it. Otherwise, what would he rely on to compete for the Hokage Position in the future?

In any case, Uchiha Jin's rise posed the greatest threat to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

So... if he didn't agree, then forget it!

Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."

He was utterly dumbfounded.

His mind went blank as he looked at Danzo with utter confusion.

Danzo actually refused to take the blame 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 pointless things. I know exactly what kind of reputation I have in Konoha."

"If Root is wiped out, then even if I can kill Uchiha Jin, those Shinobi Clans will never let me off when you step down!"

"Hiruzen, take your time thinking it over."

After saying that, Danzo left the Hokage Office without hesitation!

Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Danzo's departing back and felt an enormous headache coming on. It would be difficult if Danzo refused to take the blame for this matter.

So what was he supposed to do?

He subconsciously looked toward Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura, but ultimately said nothing and merely shook his head helplessly.

These two idiots were even less reliable!

"Hiruzen, what should we do?" Utatane Koharu asked.

Mitokado Homura also furrowed his brow. "Uchiha Jin is a problem. We must kill him as soon as possible!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen Sighed in response.

Just as he expected!

These two idiots could do nothing except point out problems. They had no ability to solve them.

In the end, after pondering for a long time, he reluctantly spoke. "There's no need to rush. Uchiha Jin has only just taken control of the Radical Faction, so he isn't much of a threat to us yet."

"On the contrary, Fugaku should be the anxious one now. Uchiha Jin's rise will inevitably challenge his position. I'll have Shisui truly join the Fugaku Faction, and we'll secretly provide Fugaku with some assistance..."

"Let the Uchiha fight among themselves!"

"This is a good opportunity. Later, spread the word that considering Fugaku's loyalty to Konoha, the Nine-Tails' Rampage was most likely unrelated to him. Subtly suggest that the Nine-Tails' Rampage might have been connected to the Radical Faction."

"For now... that's it!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's methods were ruthless and seasoned.

Since Danzo was unwilling to take the blame for him, as the Noble and upright Hokage-sama, he naturally could not personally move against Uchiha Jin.

Therefore, supporting Fugaku as Clan Head and letting the Uchiha descend into internal conflict was the best method!

Although Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were displeased, they could only accept it.

On the other side, after Uchiha Jin returned to the clan grounds, many Radical Faction members gathered around him.

"Don't worry. It's over now."

"Sarutobi Hiruzen chose to take a step back. Root and Anbu outside the clan grounds have been withdrawn."

"This proves that the plan our Radical Faction made was correct. Next, we just need to carry it out step by step."

Uchiha Jin smiled faintly at their concerns.

He then briefly explained what had happened, and everyone present became even more excited. This was the first time the Konoha Higher-ups had chosen to back down since their confrontation with Konoha began.

Unfortunately, before they could celebrate for long, although Root and Anbu had both withdrawn, the Konoha Higher-ups' stated reason made everyone grind 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 broke the Radical Faction.

Clearly, it was Uchiha Jin's achievement, yet that coward Fugaku got to reap the rewards without doing anything!