Sarutobi Hiruzen's Frustration
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, and their fellow schemer had been discussing how to deal with the Uchiha Clan.
Now they heard that the Uchiha Clan had arrived outside the Hokage Building.
All four of them looked alarmed.
"What!? What does the Uchiha Clan want!? Are they really going to stage a coup...?"
"Damn the Uchiha Clan! They couldn't even wait a moment..."
"Hiruzen, what should we do now!? The Uchiha Clan is here..."
"Those damn Uchiha! Are they really going to destroy Konoha!?..."
For a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura were all at a loss.
From Hiruzen Sarutobi's account, they already knew how powerful Bai Ye and the Mangekyō Sharingan were.
Since Hiruzen Sarutobi was no match for Bai Ye, neither were they.
Now the Uchiha Clan had arrived at the Hokage Building. To them, this could only mean that the clan intended to stage a coup and seize the Hokage Position.
At the thought that they were about to lose their power in Konoha, their faces turned grim.
"Lord Hokage, Uchiha En, the Security Force's deputy captain, has brought the captured Anbu here. They're outside the Hokage Building..."
"Would Lord Hokage like to see them?"
The ninja outside the door continued.
"Hmm... Uchiha En!? Could it be that Uchiha Byakuya isn't here?..."
As if he had seized on something important, Hiruzen Sarutobi hurriedly asked.
"Reporting to Lord Hokage, Uchiha Byakuya, the Security Force's captain, isn't here!..."
"Only the Security Force's deputy captain, Uchiha En, has come..."
The ninja outside continued his report.
"Phew... It looks like this isn't a coup!..."
Hearing that Uchiha Byakuya wasn't there, the four of them breathed a collective sigh of relief.
If the Uchiha Clan really intended to stage a coup, Byakuya, the clan's strongest fighter, would surely have come too.
Since Byakuya wasn't here, that meant the Uchiha Clan wasn't planning to stage a coup right now.
They didn't have to worry about losing their power just yet.
"Come on... Let's see what the Uchiha Clan wants!..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the door and stepped out, once again wearing his usual composed expression.
Although Byakuya had beaten him and driven him off, he was still the Hokage of Konoha. He had to maintain the dignity of his office.
Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura did the same, following behind Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As soon as they stepped outside the Hokage Building, they saw the Uchiha Clan escorting countless badly wounded Anbu.
There were also plenty of ordinary people, gathered to watch for all sorts of reasons. They had filled the entire street in front of the Hokage Building.
"What are you all doing here!..."
"This is seriously disrupting order in Konoha..."
"Anbu, disperse the crowd and secure the area..."
Though he didn't know why the Uchiha ninjas had come, Hiruzen Sarutobi was sure they meant trouble.
To keep the people of Konoha from seeing him lose face, he first ordered the crowd dispersed.
"Yes..."
At Hiruzen Sarutobi's command, countless Anbu sprang into action.
Soon, they had secured all the roads in front of the Hokage Building.
Then Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at Uchiha En and shouted.
"Uchiha Clan, what are you doing? You dare attack the Anbu? Are you trying to rebel?..."
"Release all the Anbu at once..."
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was deeply wary of the power of Byakuya's Mangekyō Sharingan, Byakuya wasn't here. What did he have to fear from one Uchiha En?
So Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to put Uchiha En in his place.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't the only one. Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura also took the opportunity to make their voices heard.
"You Uchiha are far too insolent..."
"Release the Anbu at once, then surrender your weapons..."
"That's right! Root Organization members, stand by. Be ready to take down the Uchiha Clan at my command..."
Unfortunately, Uchiha En wasn't having any of it.
Why should he fear a Hokage who had just been driven off by Lord Byakuya?
"Hokage, what are you talking about? They're all rogue ninja..."
"Men, kill them all!"
At Uchiha En's order, every member of the Security Force drew their weapons in unison and charged at the Anbu.
Just as the Security Force was about to cut down the Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi, unable to keep up his act any longer, quickly called out to stop them.
"Wait! Stop!"
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke quickly, the Security Force ignored him and brought their Ninja Swords down.
"Thud..."
Blood sprayed everywhere, and several Anbu heads rolled across the ground.
"Damn it! Didn't I tell you to stop!?..."
Seeing the dead Anbu, Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious and heartbroken.
The Anbu's duty was to protect the Hokage. To ensure their absolute loyalty, most of them were ninja from the Sarutobi Clan.
The Sarutobi Clan had never been a particularly powerful ninja family, and it had few strong fighters.
The Sarutobi Clan's elite among those Anbu had been specially trained by Hiruzen after he became Hokage. Every one lost was one too many.
How could he not be furious and heartbroken when he saw the Security Force cut them down without hesitation?
"Did Lord Hokage say something? I didn't hear him. Next time, please speak louder..."
"Since Lord Hokage has spoken, then all of you, stand down!"
Uchiha En raised a hand, and the other members of the Security Force sheathed their Ninja Swords.
Seeing how the Security Force reacted, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned even darker.
He finally understood: the Security Force had slipped entirely beyond his control.
"Uchiha En, what will it take for you to release them?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi asked bluntly, his face dark.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't stupid. He knew perfectly well that Uchiha En had brought the Anbu here to negotiate.
He had only tried to put Uchiha En in his place and force him to submit. He hadn't expected Uchiha En to refuse to play along.
His show of force had failed, and he had instead lost several ninja from the Sarutobi Clan.
He'd tried to show off, only to get slapped in the face.
"Hokage, can you hand the Hokage Position over to our Lord Byakuya?..."
Uchiha En made a startling demand.
"What did you say!? Your Uchiha Clan has gone too far!..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected Uchiha En's demand without a moment's thought.
Hand the Hokage Position to Byakuya? How could that be possible?
Whatever the reason, he would never give up the Hokage Position. Even if he had to die, he would die in that position.
"Since the Hokage won't give up the Hokage Position, then hand every position in Konoha over to the Uchiha Clan!..."
"Our Uchiha Clan will protect Konoha..."
Uchiha En continued.
"No!..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected this demand just as quickly.
If he handed every position in Konoha over to the Uchiha Clan, wouldn't that leave him as a Hokage in name only?
"Hokage, you won't agree to this or that..."
"Then what's the point of talking?..."
"Men, cut them all down!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi had rejected both demands, and Uchiha En was furious. He was about to order the Security Force to resume cutting down the Anbu.
"Wait! We can still talk this over..."
Watching Uchiha En act so recklessly, Hiruzen Sarutobi could only protest in exasperation.
Wasn't a negotiation supposed to start with a high demand and end with a compromise?
Why wasn't this guy following the rules? He went straight to killing people.
Against someone like Uchiha En, who didn't play by the rules, Hiruzen Sarutobi found that his political tactics weren't working very well.
"What is there to talk about!? Is Lord Hokage going to give us the Hokage Position or every position in Konoha?"
Uchiha En asked.
"Phew... I can't agree to either of those demands..."
"But I can give your Uchiha Clan other privileges..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi said.
"Other privileges!? What privileges..."
Uchiha En asked curiously.
The two quickly began negotiating.
Every condition Hiruzen Sarutobi offered made his heart ache.
All the while, he cursed Byakuya inwardly. If it weren't for Byakuya, he wouldn't have had to give up so much.
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