The Danzo Is Dead! I Killed Him!

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's expressions changed completely.

He would be stripped of all honors, branded a Rogue Ninja, and hunted across the entire shinobi world!

What did that mean?

It meant that everything Danzo had done for Konoha over the past several decades would be denied and erased completely.

Danzo's name would be nailed to the pillar of shame. His reputation in life and his legacy after death would be reduced to disgrace.

A quick death was one thing, but this was even harsher than simply killing Danzo!

They meant to erase Shimura Danzo from Konoha's history, root and branch.

How could they do that?

For decades, Danzo had poured his heart and soul into serving the village, working quietly behind the scenes. Even if he hadn't earned great merit, he had at least worked hard.

How could they deny everything he had done because of one incident today?

Utatane Koharu immediately wanted to invoke her authority as a Hokage advisor and refute this outrageous demand.

But when she met Uchiha Yao's eyes, the words caught in her throat.

She had no doubt about it.

If they didn't give Uchiha Yao an answer he was satisfied with today,

this Uchiha clan head, who had just subdued a Tailed Beast, wielded Wood Release, and clearly had no respect for the village's leadership, really would turn the table over.

And then—

Could Konoha, just through a great war, having lost the Third Hokage and already severely weakened, withstand another storm?

A deep sense of helplessness and dread swept over Utatane Koharu. She realized that perhaps the times really had changed.

The young man before her was no longer someone they could easily suppress or brush off with a few empty words.

Weighing the pros and cons.

Measuring the stakes.

After a long pause,

Utatane Koharu seemed to have all her strength drained away. Her shoulders sagged as she forced a word through clenched teeth:

"Fine!"

Mitokado Homura also fell silent. He pushed up his glasses and offered no further objection.

"Thank you, Advisor!"

Having achieved his aim, Yao didn't linger. He bowed slightly to them and left the conference room.

Only after their footsteps had faded at the end of the corridor did Utatane Koharu slam her fist onto the table.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous! Does this Uchiha Yao have any respect at all for rank and seniority?!"

"He shows no respect for the village leadership, acts recklessly and violently, and lacks the obedience expected of a shinobi!"

"Today he dares threaten an advisor with wooden spikes. Tomorrow... Hmph! I say he's bound to become a great scourge for Konoha!"

Jiraiya rubbed his brow and didn't respond to Utatane Koharu.

He spent most of his time traveling outside the village and wasn't very familiar with its affairs.

But he'd often heard Naruto mention that Yao was his best friend, and the only person in the village who was willing to play with him.

For that reason alone, Jiraiya couldn't bring himself to criticize Uchiha Yao.

Kakashi said coolly, "Advisor, please calm down. Please don't say things that could harm our unity."

He raised his eyes and glanced at Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.

"The Third Hokage has only just fallen in battle, and we haven't yet recovered from the damage Orochimaru's attack caused. Danzo's defection has only made things worse."

"Konoha is now weaker than ever."

"Our most pressing task is to unite everyone we still can and get through this crisis together."

"Yao may be headstrong, but he has the strength to subdue a Tailed Beast. He's a powerful fighter the village urgently needs."

"Pushing him into opposition now would be no wise move."

Kakashi's words poured cold water over Utatane Koharu's anger, cooling her head a little. She slumped back into her chair and fell silent.

How could she not understand that Kakashi was telling the truth? Konoha was indeed short on top-tier fighters!

The Third Hokage was dead, Danzo was missing, Jiraiya was a wandering free spirit who didn't want the position, and Tsunade had left the village and vanished without a trace...

If powerful enemies surrounded them or the village fell into internal strife now, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Uchiha Yao was an unpredictable yet powerful fighter. Right now, the village... really did need him.

"Enough! This argument is over."

Jiraiya clapped his hands, breaking the heavy mood. He put on his usual seemingly carefree smile.

"Leave the search for Tsunade to me. I promise I'll drag her back to take up the mantle as Fifth Hokage."

"But before I leave the village, I want to take that boy, Uzumaki Naruto, with me."

Yao and Sasuke left the Hokage Building, crossed the disorderly streets, and headed toward the Uchiha compound.

Sasuke walked in silence for a while, his brows furrowed. At last, he couldn't hold back any longer. His voice was tight with anger.

"We can't let that old bastard Danzo get away with what he did!"

"We should track him down and kill him!"

Yao had his hands in his pockets. At this, he merely glanced at his little brother. "There's no need to look for him."

"No need to look?"

Sasuke froze, indignant. "What do you mean? Are we just going to let him defect with those Sharingan?"

"He's already dead."

Yao kept walking, speaking as casually as if it were nothing. "I killed him! And I wiped out his entire Root Organization, from top to bottom. Every last one of them vanished without a trace!"

"..."

Sasuke stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as shock replaced the anger on his face. For a long moment, he couldn't react.

Several seconds passed before his throat bobbed and his voice came out hoarse.

"...Dead? You... you killed him? Then the 'Danzo' who joined forces with Orochimaru to attack the Third Hokage..."

"That was me in disguise!"

"Why?!"

Sasuke cried out, his shock turning to disbelief.

He couldn't understand his brother's actions. Killing Danzo was one thing.

But the Third Hokage was beloved by the villagers, and Sasuke had respected him too.

And now his own brother had impersonated Danzo and killed the Third Hokage?

"Because he crossed me!"

Yao sneered. "That old dog Danzo not only planned to use Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan to turn me into a puppet who obeyed his every command!"

"He shamelessly implanted so many of my clan's Sharingan into himself, too! Did he really think I'd let him off easily?"

After a pause, a deep chill entered Yao's voice.

"I didn't just want him dead! I wanted him disgraced, with his name cursed for generations!"

"I wanted all the years he'd spent building his reputation, all that talk of 'doing it for Konoha,' to become a joke!"

"I wanted him nailed to the pillar of shame in the shinobi world, despised and scorned by everyone! Only then would the restless spirits of my clan finally have some peace."

Sasuke fell completely silent.

Although he felt the method was perhaps... a little too extreme and cruel,

when he thought of Danzo's deeds and how he had desecrated their clanmates,

his discomfort quickly gave way to hatred and approval.

For someone like Danzo, perhaps... this was exactly how harshly he deserved to be treated!

After a while, he remembered another important point and looked up. "You said just now... Brother Shisui?"

"What happened? Didn't Brother Shisui kill himself?"

Yao glanced at him and continued walking. Sasuke hurried after him.

"Uchiha Shisui awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan back then!"

Yao's voice sounded a little low in the twilight street.

"The dōjutsu in his right eye was Kotoamatsukami."

"That technique was terrifying. It could invade someone's mind directly without them noticing!"

"It could permanently and completely rewrite their will, turning them into puppets who obeyed the caster without question."

Sasuke's heart tightened as he listened.

Permanently rewrite someone's will?

Turn them into a puppet?

There was really a dōjutsu like that?

"Old bastard Danzo found out about this somehow!"

Yao said coldly. "He attacked Shisui, took the right eye that held Kotoamatsukami, and implanted it into his own right eye."

"He lured you in today and forced me to go to Root because he planned to use Kotoamatsukami to turn me into his dog!"

"That bastard!!!"

Sasuke exploded with fury.