Pot Kage's Powerful Scapegoat, Sasuke's Turnaround?

"You'll regret this, Monkey!"

"Call me Hokage!"

Bang!

Inside the Leaf administrative building.

Danzo flung the door open and strode out.

The cane in his hand felt oddly out of place.

Clumsy.

Truly clumsy.

Inside the building.

Utatane Koharu hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Hiruzen, could it be a mistake? Maybe Danzo really didn't touch that Cloud Village envoy?"

Her voice was quiet.

Clearly, even she wasn't confident in that.

Tap.

Tap.

The Third Hokage didn't speak, just kept puffing on his pipe.

If anger could take physical form, flames would already be shooting three feet above his head.

Furious.

Finally, after filling the entire office with smoke, he stood up and walked to the window by the door.

Looking down at Danzo's retreating figure.

His expression grew darker and darker, until he couldn't help but call him back.

"Danzo!"

Downstairs.

Danzo had his back to the Third's window. He stopped but didn't turn around.

The Third Hokage sighed and leaped down.

Tap.

Landing beside Danzo, he said softly, "You should know—"

"This kind of thing will probably backfire by tomorrow."

"Cloud and Leaf are about to sign a ceasefire. How can we have internal problems like this?"

His voice carried a hint of weariness and decline.

That stirred something in Danzo's heart.

Thinking of his old comrade's age, he sighed and stopped being stubborn.

He turned around and said, "Problems? What problems?"

"They can't even find the body. If their man got lost, how is that Leaf's business?"

"Those brainless lumps of lightning—what right do they have to stand and negotiate with us?!"

His face was grim.

Almost livid.

As for Cloud Village, if he had more say, he'd absolutely push for war!

Those punks from Cloud, daring to take advantage of the chaos!

Did they really think Leaf had no one left?!

Unfortunately, his friend Hiruzen was a peace-loving man.

He didn't want the village to sink into war again.

Looking at his old friend's aging back, Danzo noticed that in just two years, wrinkles had piled up on what used to be a smooth forehead.

So many wrinkles, they nearly obscured Hiruzen's original features.

"Ah..." For a moment, he couldn't tell if it was pity or impulse. He quickened his pace, "Hiruzen, if it's too much, just hand over the Hokage position. You're too tired."

There it was!

Still clinging to that ambition!

Hearing this, the faint trace of warmth that had risen in Sarutobi's heart vanished completely.

He just flicked his sleeve and snorted coldly, "So, destroying the evidence was your doing after all?"

Danzo: ????

"Then how do you know no body was found? Only I know that!"

The Third Hokage's wrinkles pulled taut as he lifted his eyelids to look over.

A rare hint of scrutiny flickered in his murky eyes.

"You!"

Two veins bulged on Danzo's forehead!

He even wanted to point at Sarutobi's nose and yell, "Are you a pig?!"

But—he couldn't expose the fact that he had Root monitoring the Hokage.

Otherwise, if this matter were brought into the open, it would become another ticking time bomb.

So in the end, he could only swallow this bitter loss.

Gritting his teeth, he choked it down.

Bang!

He turned and stomped off, swinging his cane.

If he stayed any longer, he feared he wouldn't be able to resist giving Sarutobi a good whack with it!

Behind him.

The Third Hokage shook his head, eventually shifting his gaze to the Hyuga Clan's district.

A flicker of weighing costs passed through his eyes.

Danzo was still useful to him at this point.

He couldn't just hand him over.

That—meant the blame would have to fall on the Hyuga Clan.

"I hope the Cloud Village people won't go too far."

And so, before Cloud Village had even confirmed the cause, before negotiations had begun, the Third Hokage had already pinned the blame.

As for whether this would harm the Leaf?

The incident happened after the visit to the Hyuga Clan, and the young lady had gone missing!

Whatever came of it, the Hyuga would bear it all!

What did it have to do with him, the Third Hokage?

Uchiha District.

Sasuke rubbed his sleepy eyes and pushed open the bedroom door.

When he saw the figure standing in the doorway, he instinctively ran over.

Reaching out his arms, he mumbled, "Big brother? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

He muttered and moved to hug him.

But as soon as he latched on, he suddenly sensed something off.

The height didn't seem right.

And the reaction was wrong too.

Normally, Itachi would bend down and scoop him up.

Sasuke rubbed his eyes and took a closer look.

"Oh, my foolish Little Brother!"

The person opposite smiled and tapped Sasuke's forehead, slowly curling the corners of his mouth.

A row of white teeth gleamed faintly in the moonlight.

"Uchiha Jin?!"

"It's you! Bleh, bleh, bleh!"

After recognizing who it was, Sasuke's composure shattered.

He leaped back in one swift move.

Frantically wiping his arms and wrists, slapping at his clothes.

Disgust, on full display in that moment.

"You tricked me into hugging you just to get one!"

"Hmph! Uchiha Jin, you're a bad guy!"

And because his emotions were running so high, after a quick brush-off, he swung a fist straight at him.

Bam!

He hit him!

A hint of smugness flickered across Sasuke's face.

That move just now was nothing but a feint.

His real goal was this retaliatory punch.

Thud!

But before the smile could even bloom on his face, it froze.

The Uchiha Jin in front of him—his dear second brother—had vanished with a poof, blown apart!

"B-blow up? He blew up?"

"I... I killed my second brother with one punch!?"

Sasuke was dumbfounded.

His pupils looked like they'd just weathered a century-scale earthquake.

A faint trace of crimson even flickered in them!

An A-A-Awakening!

But just as he was on the verge of opening his eyes, the door to the adjacent bedroom suddenly slid open.

Swoosh.

"Sasuke, what are you—huh?"

Hearing the commotion, his big brother Itachi pushed the door open and stepped out.

The moment he spotted the abnormality in Sasuke's eyes, his form vanished.

When he reappeared, both hands were already resting on Sasuke's forehead.

He barked in a low voice, "Sasuke, what's wrong?"

Inside, he was deeply puzzled.

That... was the sign of an impending Awakening, wasn't it?

Was it interrupted... or not enough grief?

But in the dead of night, what could have triggered Sasuke like this?

Could it be a nightmare?

Still... since when did the Uchiha Clan Awaken from nightmares?

If that were possible, Father would have become a nightmare master by now...

While he was lost in thought, Sasuke snapped back to reality.

As if he'd found a lifeline, he burst into tears:

"Waaah... Older Brother, I just... just now... accidentally punched Second Brother to death with one hit."

"Hm? Sasuke, you're saying you killed Jin with one punch?"

Itachi paused.

The next second, he doubled over laughing: "Sasuke, you're overestimating yourself... uh, I mean, are you sure you saw right?"

He didn't know Jin's exact strength, but it wasn't something Sasuke could touch. At most, Jin would be dealt with in a single slap.

Hearing this, Sasuke came to his senses too.

A blush crept across his reddened little face as he repeated himself.

Hearing that, Itachi shook his head with a smile: "That was a clone, meant to trick Mom."

"A clone... the Three Body Technique?!"

"When did that guy even learn that?"

Unexpectedly, hearing about the clone only made Sasuke more shocked.

His tiny head was filled with immense confusion and doubt.

Training in the Three Body Technique was extremely tedious and time-consuming.

Especially for a kid his age.

It could take months of constant practice.

"That guy spends all his time in the clan either sunbathing or dragging people into chats—when did he ever practice the Three Body Technique?"

"Did he learn it in an instant or something?"