The light rain that had just begun seemed ready to evaporate in the scorching atmosphere.
Shimura Danzō finally arrived, long after the others, with several of his subordinates.
He'd just fallen asleep when they woke him. He'd been about to lose his temper, but one look at the atmosphere and his bound subordinates on the ground told him what had happened.
He exchanged a subtle glance with Sarutobi Hiruzen. The men behind him immediately understood and quietly slipped away to summon Root operatives.
"What's going on?" Shimura Danzō asked, feigning ignorance.
"Your men attacked a Uchiha child," Sarutobi Hiruzen said coldly.
Shimura Danzō replied bluntly, "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't remember."
He believed Root's members would never betray the organization.
When Uchiha Sōgaku saw that he was denying it, he gritted his teeth. "Is that so? If they aren't from Konoha, then they must be spies from an enemy village. By the rules, we can kill them on the spot and interrogate them ourselves."
He'd thought those words would force Danzō to reveal his hand, but the man remained as silent as the grave.
For a moment, it seemed they had no proof.
Just then, Sen yawned and said lazily,
"If Lord Danzō says he doesn't know them, then we'll take them back and interrogate them slowly with Illusion Techniques. We can share whatever information we uncover with the whole village.
"And since the information is going to be made public, why not ask the Yamanaka Clan to corroborate it through interrogation? That would make the entire village more convinced."
At his words, the Uchiha finally understood.
The Uchiha Clan was undeniably skilled at fighting, but they weren't very good at political maneuvering. Some of them even got manipulated into their own downfall by a few words.
Now, all they had to do was give this information to everyone in the village, and every secret held by Root would become public knowledge!
Shimura Danzō's face turned ashen. He stared at Sen and ground out, "You're Uchiha Sen?"
He was filled with regret. Who had sent that idiot on the mission?
He had to find a way to control the emotions and memories of his shinobi, so that even if they failed a mission, they could never leak any information!
After all, a mission was a shinobi's life!
BOOM!
A deafening bolt of thunder crashed down. The sky darkened, and Konoha, in the middle of late spring, was hit by a torrential downpour worthy of summer.
Uchiha Setsuna, who'd been silent all this time, finally spoke. His voice sounded especially chilling amid the thunder and rain.
"Looks like our people weren't lying. Danzō, you really are trying to come after the Uchiha?"
Shimura Danzō's eyes darted wildly. In the end, all he could do was argue, "This is a misunderstanding! I never gave the order to attack the Uchiha!"
"Do you think we'll believe that?"
Uchiha Setsuna's tone changed. His scarlet Sharingan spun in the rain, and his presence suddenly turned fierce. "What we failed to do back then, we can make up for today by killing a few of Tobirama's students!"
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The three hundred Uchiha elites behind him all activated their Sharingan at once!
Another bolt of lightning split the sky. In its glare, hundreds of scarlet eyes gleamed like ferocious beasts stalking their prey in the dead of night—eerie and deadly!
The onlookers recoiled in alarm. Only the heads of a few major clans dared to remain, and even they looked wary.
A battle was about to break out!
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew he couldn't afford to back down again, but he still wanted to make one last attempt.
He shot Shimura Danzō an angry glare, then addressed the Uchiha.
"I'll punish Danzō severely for what happened. I also promise to keep a close watch on him from now on. Or you can make a request. As long as it isn't too unreasonable, I can agree to it on Konoha's behalf!"
Uchiha Sōgaku glanced at the rooftops around them, crowded with Anbu and Konoha's elite shinobi. He estimated there were at least a thousand.
If a fight broke out, the Uchiha would suffer devastating losses.
He looked at Uchiha Setsuna and gave the slightest shake of his head.
Uchiha Setsuna let the cold rain wash over his aged body.
At his age, he was no longer young. One heavy downpour could easily leave him seriously ill.
He'd never yearned to be young as much as he did now. If he could, he'd launch the first attack for his clan, even if it meant trading his life for Sarutobi Hiruzen's!
So what if he was remembered as a villain for generations?
As long as he could secure a better future for his clan, he'd do anything!
But, unfortunately, his body no longer allowed it.
He slowly turned around, using every ounce of strength to suppress his resentment. With a sigh, he said, "Fifty million ryo in compensation, and hand that man over to us!"
Shimura Danzō nearly lost control and shouted on the spot.
Fifty million! That was enough to cover Root's expenses for several months!
Sarutobi Hiruzen grabbed his arm and silenced him with a look, then nodded decisively. "Agreed!"
Uchiha Sōgaku and the other elders relaxed when they got the answer they wanted.
But Uchiha Setsuna wasn't finished.
He called Sen over and patted him on the shoulder, then raised his voice.
"Danzō, everyone in the village knows I'm a petty man.
"You'd better pray nothing happens to the Uchiha's young people over the next few years. If anything does, I'll assume you had a hand in it. And then things won't end like this!"
"So you're saying I have to send people to protect him, too?!" Shimura Danzō roared, furious. It was an outright threat!
As soon as the words left his mouth, Uchiha Setsuna whipped around. He and the three hundred clansmen behind him were like a pack of wolves that had spotted their prey, fixing Shimura Danzō with a murderous glare.
Several Anbu behind Shimura Danzō were hit by the palpable killing intent. They involuntarily took half a step back, their legs going weak.
And they weren't even the main targets of that killing intent. Shimura Danzō was!
"I'll personally assign people to protect the Uchiha. You don't need to worry!" Seeing what was happening, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke at once, defusing the confrontation before it could erupt.
Uchiha Setsuna snorted and turned to leave with his clan, leaving only a cold remark behind.
"Take that Anbu Ninja away! And, Hiruzen, keep your dog in line!"
Watching the Uchiha leave, Sarutobi Hiruzen forced down his anger and announced to everyone, "You can all go. It was just a misunderstanding."
Only after everyone had dispersed did he take Shimura Danzō back to his office.
"Are we just going to let the Uchiha keep pushing us around? How much longer until your plan is ready?!" Shimura Danzō demanded as soon as they entered.
"My plan was going smoothly! You're the one who had to interfere, making me lose face in front of all the major clans!" Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped.
But he thought of how many dirty jobs the other man had helped him handle over the years and managed to rein in his anger.
"So what? The Uchiha Clan is an evil clan to begin with. Have you forgotten what Teacher Tobirama said? Why are you acting like some old man in his sixties or seventies? You've got no fight in you!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen lit a cigarette. A faint, barely noticeable sneer curled his lips.
"You don't understand my approach. Uchiha Setsuna still has a lot of influence within his clan. But fortunately, he has no heirs. Once he dies, his influence will return to Uchiha Sōgaku."
"And then?"
"I'll support Uchiha Sōgaku's son, Uchiha Fugaku, to become the next Clan Leader. After years of exposure to the Will of Fire, even if he isn't one of us, he'll still be a moderate we can control."
As Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke, growing more pleased with himself, he took another drag on his cigarette.
"We'll slowly boil the frog, generation after generation, using the Will of Fire to influence their descendants. In no more than two generations, the Uchiha will be completely integrated into Konoha and become the sharpest blade in our hands.
"When necessary, we can even use them against their own!"
This was the plan he'd kept hidden for years. It was also the fundamental reason Teacher Tobirama had chosen him over Danzō.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had sworn that he would sacrifice everything for Konoha—even his own clan!
Shimura Danzō's pupils contracted. After a long pause, he gave a bitter smile. "Looks like the teacher had his reasons for choosing you. I'll put up with it for a few more years. As for Uchiha Setsuna... I doubt he has much longer to live."
His gaze grew even more sinister. "That brat, Uchiha Sen, doesn't need us to take action ourselves, either.
"Why not use the teacher's old method? Assign him some missions that are impossible to complete, and let him die by accident on the battlefield. What do you think?"
"After all—
"Isn't that how all those disobedient people died back then? Right, Monkey?"
Before you continue