Sarutobi Hiruzen's Ruthlessness

"I didn't ask you to come here to rush me into action!" Sarutobi Hiruzen was getting angry.

The usually gentle man suddenly erupted with a fierce aura, like a roaring tiger, startling everyone and making their hearts tremble.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu lowered their heads and sat back down.

Shimura Danzō sat unmoving, as if unaffected.

In the silent atmosphere, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Uchiha Itachi, his displeased expression softening slightly. "Itachi, what's Shisui's attitude? Does he lean towards the conservative faction or the hawk faction?"

"He should lean towards the conservative faction," Uchiha Itachi wanted to say, but he recalled Shisui's words—"It's not the villagers who are hostile to the Uchiha Clan, but the higher-ups."

Looking at Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, who looked like they wanted to exterminate the Uchiha Clan immediately, he seemed to understand Shisui's words a little.

But he still hoped the village and the Uchiha Clan could coexist peacefully, so he honestly replied, "Uchiha Shisui is currently in the conservative faction, but if anything happens to his clansmen or his younger brother, I'm afraid he'll immediately become a hawk faction."

Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured, "Does it change based on our attitude..."

Compared to Fugaku Uchiha constantly seeking his help and placing his hope in him, Shisui's attitude made him feel more troubled.

A sense of unease, of losing control and about to slip away, sprouted in his heart like a sharp thorn.

It didn't prick, but it was uncomfortable.

However, the most important thing right now was to appease the Uchiha Clan.

They absolutely couldn't give Kumogakure or Iwagakure an opportunity.

With this thought, he looked at the biggest source of instability beside him.

"Danzō, if any member of the Uchiha Clan goes missing, regardless of whether you did it or not, you must quell the Uchiha Clan's anger."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were suddenly startled.

Even they could understand Sarutobi Hiruzen's underlying meaning—if any Uchiha went missing, Sarutobi Hiruzen would send Shimura Danzō to the Uchiha Clan as a sacrifice.

"How did Sarutobi Hiruzen become so heartless?" The two were shocked and couldn't help but shrink back, afraid of being targeted by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Shimura Danzō gritted his teeth, and a crunching sound, as if his teeth were about to shatter, could be heard.

The hand gripping his cane trembled slightly, veins bulging, his breathing becoming heavy, and he stared intently at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Hi...ruzen!!!" His voice was hoarse, as if emanating from hell, filled with endless rage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed a little unable to bear it, and he averted his gaze, looking at the moon outside the window. "If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for digging out the Uchiha Clan's eyes."

Shimura Danzō's hands clenched, making creaking sounds.

He dropped his cane, angrily flung his sleeve, and stormed out.

From his back and his movements, one could see the boundless rage he was suppressing.

Shimura Danzō couldn't understand Sarutobi Hiruzen.

When he was discovered attempting to assassinate Sarutobi Hiruzen, he was merely captured as an experimental subject and taken back.

Now, he had only dug out a few Uchiha eyes, and it had led to this confrontation?

"Hiruzen! You will definitely regret this!"

But no matter what, he had to stop the two orders being carried out by the Root members.

Because whether Uchiha Shisui would control Sarutobi Hiruzen due to the disappearance of his clansmen or not, Sarutobi Hiruzen would not let him off.

By then, all of Konoha would be hunting him.

As a rogue ninja, could he still be Hokage?

At that point, let alone Hokage, he wouldn't even be able to be the leader of Root!

And all of this was caused by a single Uchiha brat.

If it weren't for him recklessly causing trouble in the village, how could things have reached this point with his perfect plan, Shimura Danzō?

"Uchiha! Jinghuo!!!"

The killing intent in Shimura Danzō's eyes flashed wildly in the darkness.

Uchiha Shisui becoming Clan Head had intimidated the Konoha higher-ups.

But similarly, to reassure the Konoha higher-ups, his residence became the most closely monitored place.

Four Anbu were assigned to keep a close eye on him, and they had to send updates every five minutes to prevent him from being controlled.

To avoid affecting Uchiha Jinghuo, Uchiha Shisui moved out and resided in the very center of the clan compound.

Upon learning of Uchiha Shisui's actions, Sarutobi Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief.

From this, it could be seen that Uchiha Shisui was cooperating with him.

Thus, Konoha's surveillance of the Uchiha Clan changed.

It shifted to monitoring the entire Uchiha clan with Uchiha Shisui as the center.

And from then on, Uchiha Shisui never stepped out of his house again, nor did he have private conversations with anyone. His daily actions were under constant surveillance, including eating, sleeping, and bathing.

He stood there like a demon-suppressing stone statue, unmoving, unmoving.

The Konoha higher-ups gradually relaxed.

But Uchiha Itachi's heart was filled with desolation.

Was this surveillance?

No, this was a disguised imprisonment!

But Uchiha Shisui had done it willingly.

He was trading his freedom to buy time for the Uchiha to postpone their coup.

And what was he, Uchiha Itachi, doing?

Disappointed by his clan members' suspicion?

Irritated by the Uchiha's current situation?

Lost in his own powerlessness?

He felt a dull ache in his heart.

He blankly monitored Uchiha Shisui, who was calmly meditating in the house. The words of Uchiha Shisui replayed in his mind—"Itachi, it's not the villagers who are hostile to the Uchiha clan, but the higher-ups."

His heart ached more and more.

"Shisui..."

His Sharingan spun slightly, its dense blood-red hue shining as if it could drip at any moment.

Time passed smoothly.

The Uchiha clan members clearly sensed some changes.

When Uchiha Shisui first became clan head, the Konoha higher-ups were wary of them and extremely cautious.

It was as if they were afraid of giving them an excuse to act out.

This made the Uchiha clan members curious and confused, but also filled with excitement.

The fact that the Konoha higher-ups, who had always disdained the Uchiha clan, were acting this way, didn't it just prove that the Uchiha clan was improving?

But after a few weeks, this change disappeared.

The people in the Hokage Building became much gentler towards them.

However, another group of people became even more severe with them, provoking them from time to time, making them flush with anger and their blood boil.

Things escalated.

Finally, the Uchiha hawk faction gathered, preparing to launch a coup.

All departments appeared cautious;

Various clans shook their heads in silence.

Facing the entire village's fighting strength, the Uchiha clan had no chance of winning.

And Root lurked in the shadows, watching with hungry eyes, anticipating a feast.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu stepped forward to reprimand the Uchiha clan, demanding that all the Uchiha clan members who caused trouble be arrested and handed over to them for punishment.

At this moment, the people around the two Hokage advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, inexplicably retreated, leaving only these two bewildered old men.