Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart jolted at those words. When he turned to look again, there was no sign of any bandaged lump of flesh.
Danzo's corpse... had vanished!
Before he could give an order, the other Jonin had already stopped fighting on their own.
Everyone knew what kind of person Danzo was.
If Jinghuo Uchiha had truly killed Danzo, then they would have no choice but to fight for their lives.
But he had not.
Even if the Third Hokage ordered them to attack again now, aside from a few hotheads, no one else intended to risk their lives.
The other side was clearly targeting Danzo alone. Why bother getting involved?
When the Uchiha Clan had been targeted, they had stood by and watched;
Now that Shimura Danzō was being targeted, they naturally stood by and watched as well.
Besides, if they went too far, they might provoke that Uchiha little brat.
With those mountain-like raging red fists crashing down, none of them believed they could escape.
Especially what that Uchiha little brat had said about the Uchiha Clan's Izanagi...
Though some of them did not know what Izanagi was, since Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, had not refuted it, that meant the Uchiha little brat was telling the truth.
Still, standing around doing nothing would not look good. They should at least slack off a little and pretend to attack.
But Jinghuo Uchiha's next words froze every one of their attacking motions in place.
"Danzo! Whose Sharingan did you use as the price? My parents' eyes, right?!"
The flames around the Raging Red Skull Giant erupted. Blazing wind swept through the entire area, yet it felt like an icy gale had passed over them, leaving everyone dumbstruck and stiff.
Amid the silence, they could not help looking toward Sarutobi Hiruzen for the truth.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen looked exactly like someone who had just heard the truth exposed by Jinghuo Uchiha, his face filled with shock at the revelation.
The other Jonin no longer even had the thought of slacking off. They immediately withdrew their hands and stood where they were.
Sarutobi Hiruzen understood clearly.
Danzo had once obtained a pair of Sharingan.
They had been traded from the Uchiha Clan two years ago, during the Armistice Agreement with Kumogakure.
But he had traded them back, because a ninja brought in from Root had shown exceptionally high compatibility with the Sharingan.
Though they had given Danzo considerable convenience, Danzo truly no longer had any Sharingan.
So... whose Sharingan was he using now?
And Shisui's younger brother had said that Danzo should return his brother's eye?
What is going on... The thought had barely surfaced when he saw Uchiha Shisui rushing over in a panic.
The miserable sight of his right eye clenched shut and bleeding made Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart tremble.
Even though Uchiha Shisui hurriedly apologized and told Jinghuo Uchiha to come back, the shock in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart did not lessen in the slightest.
Because he believed Jinghuo Uchiha's words now.
After all, he had only told Danzo about Uchiha Shisui's Kotoamatsukami today.
Otherwise, how could Uchiha Shisui's eye have suddenly been gouged out today?
"Shisui, what happened?!" In the end, he did not ask that question.
"Shisui, have your younger brother stop first." This was Sarutobi Hiruzen's most familiar way of soothing things down—turning major matters into minor ones, and minor matters into nothing.
Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen had not blamed Jinghuo Uchiha, Uchiha Shisui let out a breath of relief.
The situation was even better than he had imagined.
"Jinghuo, cancel it! Hurry!" Uchiha Shisui shouted anxiously.
But how could Jinghuo Uchiha possibly stop just like that?
If he stopped now, they would just brush him off again.
Jinghuo Uchiha's will was perfectly reflected in the Raging Red Skull Giant, making it more solid and its killing intent even fiercer.
"Danzo! Give my brother's eye back!!"
"Otherwise, one of us dies today!!!"
Jinghuo Uchiha's childish voice was filled with brutality.
Countless people felt a chill run through their hearts as fear bearing the name "Jinghuo Uchiha" silently carved itself into their minds.
Within Jinghuo Uchiha's Demon's Window Mangekyo, what seemed like a demonic arm stretched out, flickering in and out of sight like an illusion.
That peculiar aura chilled everyone present to the bone. Every cell in their bodies screamed, instinctively urging them to retreat, wanting only to get away from that Uchiha little brat.
They all thought of the same thing: That Uchiha little brat actually still has a trump card!
While others were afraid, Uchiha Shisui grew anxious.
He knew how painful it was to activate Susanoo.
And every use consumed eye power that could not be restored.
Others did not understand, but he did—Jinghuo Uchiha was gambling with his own future!
"Jinghuo, calm down!"
"Cancel it, now!"
Although Uchiha Shisui could also activate Susanoo, he vaguely sensed that if he did, Jinghuo Uchiha would shift his target away from Shimura Danzō and onto the villagers.
Even if his Susanoo could resist it, if two Susanoo fought in the Village Center alone, countless villagers would die!
Jinghuo Uchiha would die too!
He could not bear to imagine such consequences.
For a moment, he did not know what to do.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, meanwhile, first noticed the ruined houses around them.
Fortunately, there had been no casualties. Only the houses and the Root Base were gone.
The damage was not too severe.
But!
If Jinghuo Uchiha truly decided to make a scene, then even if they did everything in their power to stop him, Konoha might experience another Nine-Tailed Night.
Especially since Jinghuo Uchiha was not a beast. He had intelligence and knew where the shelters were.
The current Konoha could not withstand such a disaster!
Therefore, if he chose Danzo's side...
The consequences were beyond his imagination!
"Now, there is only one choice left!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze became firm.
"Find Danzo!" Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered a nearby Hyuga Clan Member.
"Yes!" The Hyuga Clan Member quickly activated his Byakugan and began searching.
The surrounding ninja could not help looking at Sarutobi Hiruzen, then at the Uchiha little brat within that terrifying Raging Red Skull Giant.
They understood. The Third Hokage had compromised!
That meant Shimura Danzō had truly gouged out Uchiha Shisui's eye!
While this shocked many ninja, it also filled them with rage.
Every ninja clan had something that formed the foundation of its existence.
The Nara Clan had the Shadow Imitation Technique, the Aburame Clan had Kikaichū, the Hyuga Clan had the Byakugan...
The Uchiha Clan, naturally, had the Sharingan.
Now someone was coveting the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan. Was that not the same as saying, "I am interested in your secret techniques"?
He was digging up the foundation of their clans!
He was digging up their ancestral graves!
Even if someone was digging up another family's grave right now, they could not laugh.
They all understood the saying: when the rabbit died, the fox grieved.
They were all from the same village. If the Uchiha Clan was gone, who would be next?
For a moment, the Jonin's gazes turned cold.
As the peacemaker, Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally saw it all and understood that the situation had become even more dire.
That made it even more impossible to target Jinghuo Uchiha.
There was only one way left to handle this matter—make Danzo hand over Uchiha Shisui's eye.
Very quickly, the Hyuga Clan Member found Shimura Danzō.
But Shimura Danzō remained stubborn and instead berated Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"The Uchiha Clan destroyed Konoha's Root Base and caused a disturbance in the Village Center. Instead of questioning whether the Uchiha Clan is staging a coup, you come to question me!"
In the past, or if no one else had been present, Sarutobi Hiruzen would naturally have chosen to yield and placate Shimura Danzō when he acted so forcefully.
But now was the time to show the ninja clans the integrity of the Third Hokage. He absolutely could not let them lose faith in him!
"Danzo! Look at the situation clearly and hand it over." Sarutobi Hiruzen still gave him a reminder.
"I did not take it!" Shimura Danzō stood his ground.
"Whether you took it or not, you..." Sarutobi Hiruzen had a headache.
He had not expected Shimura Danzō to still be unable to see the situation clearly.
But before Sarutobi Hiruzen could finish, Jinghuo Uchiha charged forward with the Raging Red Susanoo.
"Then nobody gets to live!"
Before you continue