You'll Regret It, Hokage! Boom!

Boom!

The Hokage's office door was shoved open.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't need to look up to know who it was. He let out a long sigh and glanced at his furious old friend.

"Danzo, what is it this time?"

Shimura Danzo didn't bother with pleasantries. "Hiruzen, you've read the battle report from the Iwagakure front, haven't you? Tell me—what do you make of it?"

Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe, unusually relaxed. "The tide has turned in our favor. I expect the war with Iwagakure will be over soon."

The war with Sunagakure had already ended.

The large-scale fighting on both the Kumogakure and Kirigakure fronts had also stopped. For now, only minor skirmishes remained.

The Iwagakure front had been the most difficult. Though Konoha had suffered heavy losses there, in the context of the entire Shinobi World War, this was already a great victory for Konoha.

Konoha's most perilous days were finally behind it.

"That's not what I'm asking!"

Shimura Danzo snapped, "It's Uchiha Aoya! What do you think of him?"

He had already read the frontline report.

That twelve-year-old Uchiha brat was practically defying heaven!

He could kill Jonin with ease, unleash Fire Style on a massive scale, harness the power of the elements to kill hundreds of Iwa shinobi, and even capture Ōnoki's son, Kitsuchi!

That was far beyond what a normal twelve-year-old shinobi should be capable of.

So there was only one explanation.

The Mangekyō Sharingan!

Unless the boy had awakened the Mangekyō, there was no way he could have grown so terrifyingly powerful!

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "Danzo, what are you planning? You want Uchiha Aoya to join Root?"

"What are you talking about? As if that would ever happen!" Danzo sneered.

If Aoya had been a civilian-born shinobi or an orphan, Danzo might have tried to recruit him into Root.

He might even have had a chance with some Uchiha who leaned toward the village.

But Uchiha Aoya...

He was a future Uchiha Hawk Faction seed through and through!

Given Shimura Danzo's reputation, the Uchiha Hawk Faction didn't just consider him infamous—they practically hated him.

Uchiha Aoya was more likely to defect than join Root!

"If we let him keep growing, he'll eventually become a threat to the village. We must take precautions now!" Shimura Danzo finally revealed his true intentions.

"I knew it."

Hiruzen shook his head, unsurprised.

"Leave it to me, Hiruzen!"

"The war isn't over yet, but I promise I can take care of it without anyone finding out!"

Shimura Danzo was brimming with confidence.

If he could get rid of Uchiha Aoya, he would eliminate a future threat—and might even get his hands on the boy's Mangekyō Sharingan.

"You know the war isn't over yet!" Hiruzen barked. "The village has only just started to recover, and you're already stirring up trouble again!"

"Danzo, I'm warning you: don't act on your own. If you do, don't expect me to go easy on you!"

"You!"

Shimura Danzo was furious. "Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

"Danzo, I'm the Hokage!" Hiruzen shot back without hesitation.

That again!

Danzo's breath caught. He couldn't help recalling the day the Second Hokage had chosen someone to stay behind and cover their retreat. If he'd spoken up first, the Hokage Position might have been his by now!

He gave a cold snort and turned away, slamming the door behind him.

Boom!

Back at the Root base.

"Ryoma!"

Danzo called for his subordinate, barely containing his anger.

"Here, Lord Danzo!"

Aburame Ryoma hurried over. "Are we going after Uchiha Aoya? Leave it to me. Poison or assassination?"

"Who told you to kill him?" Danzo snapped.

If they went after Uchiha Aoya now and it came to light, Hiruzen might really refuse to show any mercy.

Konoha had suffered too many losses in this Shinobi World War. Once the war ended, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would probably have to step down.

But that didn't mean Hiruzen would be willing to shoulder another scandal before leaving office.

The White Fang of Konoha had died under murky circumstances a few years ago. If Uchiha Aoya, a young shinobi who had just distinguished himself, died too, the village's shinobi would suspect Hiruzen—even without a shred of evidence linking the Hokage to it.

"Ryoma, remember this." Shimura Danzo gave a cold laugh. "There's more than one way to kill someone, and you don't have to do it yourself."

Poison and assassination could kill.

So could building someone up too high!

"Go help Uchiha Aoya. Spread word of his feats and his reputation..." Shimura Danzo ordered.

The Second Hokage had studied the Mangekyō Sharingan's flaw: its user would eventually go blind.

All they had to do was raise Uchiha Aoya up on a pedestal, then make him spend his Mangekyō's ocular power again and again in the coming battles, until he went blind!

What threat could a blind man pose?

"Lord Danzo, your wisdom is unmatched!"

Aburame Ryoma was thoroughly impressed.

"By the way, Lord Danzo, our people also uncovered something..."

Aburame Ryoma then told him how Uchiha Obito had abandoned his mission to save his teammate. "Minato Namikaze may try to cover it up."

"Spread that too!" Danzo replied without hesitation.

Konoha's two most popular candidates for Hokage were Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru.

In terms of strength, accomplishments, and public support, the two were more or less evenly matched.

Danzo favored Orochimaru. Hiruzen, however, seemed to be leaning more and more toward his grand-disciple, Minato Namikaze.

This was the perfect chance to damage Minato Namikaze's reputation!

"Have people spread the rumor that Minato Namikaze's student, Uchiha Obito, abandoned his mission during the war and isn't fit to be a shinobi!"

Only two days after the great battle, reinforcements transferred from the Sunagakure front finally arrived.

"Lord Aoya, Lord Shikaku requests that you and the other Jonin attend a meeting."

The Genin messenger looked utterly awestruck.

So people were calling him "Lord" now...

Aoya couldn't help reflecting on it.

Just three months ago, he'd killed a Tokubetsu Jonin in a head-on fight, and that had only earned him the beginnings of a reputation.

So yeah, you really did need a cheat!

Which powerhouse in the multiverse didn't have a cheat? What was wrong with him having one?

As he followed them toward the commander's tent, he was met with astonished, admiring, and reverent looks all along the way. Now and then, people pointed him out and whispered to one another as they introduced him.

Halfway there, Aoya suddenly spotted a familiar, corpse-like face.

"Clan Head, you're here too."

The man before him had rigid features and radiated an oppressive air. He looked like he never smiled.

At his side was a young boy with dark circles under his eyes, who was curiously sizing Aoya up.

It was Uchiha Fugaku and his son, Uchiha Itachi.

"Did the clan head really bring Itachi here too?"

Aoya was at a loss. "Itachi's only four, isn't he? The war isn't over, and he's already brought a little kid to the battlefield. Doesn't seem right, does it?"