My Sword Was No Less Sharp

Uchiha Mai's words drew sympathy from many in the conference room.

Since the war broke out, the greatest contributors to Konoha, apart from the commanders on the two fronts, had been Uchiha Mai and Master Minato.

Moreover, Orochimaru and Jiraiya usually focused on coordinating their forces. Their personal kill counts were not particularly high, and neither was all that young anymore.

Even counting those two, Uchiha Mai and Master Minato remained the two brightest rising military stars.

Mai had slain Hanzo, defeated Roshi, and wounded Ōnoki. Wherever he went, enemy Jonin fled at the mere mention of his name. He had carved out an illustrious reputation.

Had he been a few years older, he could even have run to become the Fourth Hokage.

Yet a gifted ninja with such outstanding military achievements was being hounded by Danzo over a single less-than-perfect decision. It was truly disheartening.

The more someone did, the more mistakes they were bound to make. If perfection was demanded in everything and even minor mistakes were intolerable, who would still be willing to work for Konoha?

Sarutobi Hiruzen understood this. Even when he put Uchiha Mai in his place, he merely slowed the young man's rise a little, while still granting him the status and prestige he deserved.

Danzo understood this too, of course, but he had no choice.

To bring Uchiha Mai down, he had to exploit a single weakness, seize on a mistake that displeased Sarutobi Hiruzen, and hammer away at it. Otherwise, he had no chance.

Ignoring the whispers around the conference room, Danzo kept his sour face cold and said sternly, "No one can deny your contributions to Konoha.

"But we are discussing this particular incident. When you joined forces with Sasori of the Red Sands in Amegakure, you ultimately helped him grow