"You're talking nonsense! I saw you killing people the moment I arrived!"
The deaths of two Kage-level squad leaders had left the Senju of the Forest, already short on manpower, stretched even thinner. When Mito Uzumaki heard Uchiha Takeyasu turn around and accuse them instead, her brows shot up in anger.
"What a joke. You're allowed to kill Uchiha, but we're not allowed to fight back?"
Uchiha Takeyasu folded his arms and sneered in disdain. "We can lay out the facts and confront each other right here. Let's see whether those Anbu deserved to die!"
"Uchiha Takeyasu!"
"Why don't I help sort things out?"
Nara Shikamei, who had seen the air on the scene grow tense again, glanced at the four Kage-level Uchiha, who remained silent and had entrusted their clan's fate entirely to Uchiha Takeyasu.
His heart pounded with fear, and he hurriedly spoke up.
The others also began trying to calm them down, afraid the two would come to blows. No one wanted to stake the lives of their entire clan on a civil war that promised little gain.
At the very least, they needed to buy time for the weaker members to evacuate safely.
"Everyone here is a hero of Konoha and even the entire Ninja World. There's no need for more empty talk. Once we determine the cause and course of this unrest, we can begin electing the Third Hokage!"
Concerned that Tsunade, the only heir the Senju of the Forest could count on, might not have escaped safely yet, Mito Uzumaki withdrew her Adamantine Sealing Chains and took a step back.
At the same time, she hoped to use this opportunity to unite the other ninja clans and crush the Uchiha once and for all.
Then she closed her eyes and activated both the Mind's Eye of the Kagura and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's ability to sense good and evil.
She first focused on the Uchiha Clan Compound. When she sensed that many clan members were still there, she felt a measure of relief. Once conflict breaks out, even if it's inhumane, I'll make sure the Uchiha suffer heavy casualties!
The Uchiha must never be given another chance to surpass the Senju of the Forest.
The Senju Clan, whom she had notified early, were now preparing for battle and evacuation in an orderly fashion, following the wartime regulations from the Warring States Period. A Senju Jonin was escorting Tsunade out of the village.
Finally, she assessed which side the Kage-level fighters present belonged to.
Aside from the five Kage-level Uchiha, more than a dozen other Kage-level fighters felt some degree of goodwill toward her. That undoubtedly gave her side a much better chance of winning.
"You were the one who said seven days, and now you're the one saying right away. You Senju of the Forest really do think the Hokage's power belongs to you."
"But it doesn't matter. Go ahead and throw your Hokage's weight around a little longer."
Uchiha Takeyasu dismissed his Susanoo and rejoined the Kage-level members of his clan. As he surveyed his surroundings, he could clearly sense the hostility coming from every direction.
A bunch of spineless opportunists.
Uchiha Takeyasu didn't care about these people. With no outside enemy to unite them, they were all a bunch of self-serving opportunists.
As long as the Uchiha didn't tear down their homes, they thought everything else could be negotiated.
"Mito-sama, stop using your Mind's Eye of the Kagura. The Uchiha are honorable and above using the sort of schemes you resort to."
"And there's no need to waste everyone's time, Clan Head Nara."
Uchiha Takeyasu beckoned behind him. Sarutobi Sasuke, who had been watching the situation closely, understood at once and stepped forward, drawing everyone's attention.
Mito Uzumaki's expression shifted. She suddenly realized she had overlooked something—
This had all started because the Uchiha supposedly wanted to wipe out the Sarutobi Clan. Now the Sarutobi Clan was mostly unharmed. What would Sarutobi Sasuke say next?
"Wait!"
Mito Uzumaki raised a hand to interrupt Sarutobi Sasuke just as he began to speak. She pointed at the Sarutobi clansmen held by the Uchiha. "To ensure fairness, those Sarutobi clansmen must be released."
"Fine."
"Young Lord!"
"Don't worry. Whether they're captured or released is no longer important. We've already achieved our original goal."
"Besides, our Sarutobi Clan Head is a promising talent I've taken a liking to."
After soothing the bewildered Uchiha Three Elders, Uchiha Takeyasu gave an order to the people behind him.
Sarutobi Sasuke watched as the terrified members of his clan shuffled past him, one by one, and hurried toward Mito Uzumaki. Many had already soiled themselves.
Hearing Uchiha Takeyasu call him a "promising talent" only made Sarutobi Sasuke's feelings more complicated. In the end, he sensibly discarded every impossible fantasy.
The hearts of every ninja clan's strongest fighters, including the Hyuga, felt heavy.
What was happening to the Sarutobi today could happen to their own clans tomorrow.
The Uchiha now had one Mangekyo user, four Kage-level fighters, and nearly a hundred Jonin.
They couldn't help but think carefully about what that strength meant. They understood the danger of failing to kill a snake and letting it strike back.
Besides, the Hokage Position was beyond their reach. Was it really wise to openly support the Senju against the Uchiha?
The Senju of the Forest had Mito Uzumaki to hold the clan together. What did they have?
With the Sarutobi Clan right in front of them, if the Uchiha decided to target their clans, their deaths and destruction were all but certain.
So, should they support the Senju or the Uchiha?
The balance of their hearts was steadily shifting.
After sensing that Sarutobi Sasuke had no genjutsu on him apart from the Sealing Jutsu, Mito Uzumaki also noticed the subtle changes in the attitudes of the Kage-level fighters around them. Without hesitation, she dispelled the Sealing Jutsu on Sarutobi Sasuke.
During this, Uchiha Takeyasu raised a hand to stop Setsuna Uchiha of the Martial Faction. He wore a pleasant smile and showed not the slightest impatience.
He was simply letting Mito Uzumaki rescue the Sarutobi Clan.
"Clan Head Sarutobi, you can speak freely now. The Senju of the Forest is the strongest support for everyone in Konoha."
A strong support?
His newly reattached right hand still throbbed with sharp pain. In the distance, he could hear his grandson softly crying. Sarutobi Sasuke, filthy and disheveled, looked at Mito Uzumaki with an inscrutable expression.
He slowly let out a breath, then dropped to his knees with a thump. His hoarse, low voice echoed all around him as Chakra carried it.
"This was all my clan's fault!"
Once Sarutobi Sasuke said those words, nothing else he said mattered.
Beneath her sleeves, Mito Uzumaki clenched and unclenched her fists. Events were finally hurtling in a direction that worked against her.
If the Uchiha had attacked without cause, the other clans might have stood behind her out of sympathy. But if there had been a reason, their stance would inevitably become ambiguous.
Even if...
Sarutobi Sasuke was telling an obvious lie!
The Sarutobi Clan's ordeal made it clear that the Uchiha's target had been the Senju of the Forest and the Hokage Position all along!
As long as the other clans remained neutral, there was a strong chance the Uchiha wouldn't target them.
But if they kept opposing the Uchiha recklessly, they might not just be captured like the Sarutobi—they could be killed!
The Senju suffered far too many casualties in the war with Kumogakure!
Tobirama, Tobirama... Were your measures against the Uchiha right or wrong?
Realizing how quickly people's loyalties changed and that she could no longer turn things around, Mito Uzumaki felt utterly lost.
Uchiha Takeyasu clapped his hands. Beneath the crisp sound, his voice was calm.
"The truth is clear. Our clan's Security Department was legitimately exercising the sacred, inviolable authority granted to it by the Second."
"The Anbu had no authorization from the Hokage. They ignored our Security Department's warning and recklessly attacked us."
"Mito-sama, do you think these people deserved to die?"
With the two surviving Kage-level Anbu, [Tiger] and [Elephant], watching her, Mito Uzumaki pulled herself together. She couldn't abandon them, so she replied sharply.
"While the Security Department was exercising its authority, the Anbu had every right to question it. This conflict began because the Security Department acted too aggressively!"
"Mito-sama, the Security Department clearly stated from the start that it was carrying out a classified mission. Everyone has heard it now: news of treason and collusion with the enemy can't just be shared with anyone. The results were to be reported to the Hokage Building as well!"
Uchiha Takeyasu's gaze swept over [Tiger] and [Elephant], his expression openly hostile. "Or have the Anbu fallen so far that someone is secretly working with a foreign nation and is afraid the Uchiha might discover something in the Sarutobi Clan?"
Once such an unfounded accusation was pinned on them, it would mean certain death.
"I can vouch for every Anbu member in Konoha. Not one of them would betray the village or collude with an enemy nation."
Worried Uchiha Takeyasu might direct Sarutobi Sasuke to frame the Anbu maliciously, Mito Uzumaki gave her guarantee outright.
"Since Mito-sama vouches for them, we'll let the Anbu matter rest for now."
Uchiha Takeyasu never expected to make Mito Uzumaki hesitate over this. His gaze swept across those around him like blades. "Now, everyone, let's begin voting on the Third Hokage candidate!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a deep silence fell over the gathering.
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