It's Danzo Again

Konohagakure, Hokage Building, Hokage office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his expansive desk, facing the heads of the various ninja clans of Konohagakure, who had been summoned by the Anbu early that morning.

"The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan has provided invaluable insight on the battlefield, a contribution that cannot be overstated."

Sarutobi Hiruzen wore a warm smile, his tone earnest. "And the coordination of the Ino-Shika-Cho has always been the backbone of our village. The stability Konohagakure enjoys today would not be possible without your unwavering support."

"You are too kind, Lord Hokage. Protecting the village is our duty."

The Hyuga clan head replied in a deep, steady voice.

"Under your leadership, Lord Hokage, we have merely done our part," the Nara clan head added respectfully.

The other clan heads nodded in agreement.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction, then shifted the tone of the conversation, his voice turning somber.

"However, the current situation is dire. Various ninja villages are stirring, and the village's strength is stretched thin. Shimura Danzō's previous request for reinforcements from you all was a measure of last resort..."

The expressions of the clan heads remained unchanged.

Having finished his polite, perfunctory remarks, the Third Hokage knew they had anticipated this question and were prepared with their responses.

They had already slighted Shimura Danzō; they could not afford to slight Sarutobi Hiruzen as well. If they wanted to continue thriving in Konohagakure, this was the consensus among them all.

They did not possess the strength of the Uchiha Clan.

The Nara clan head was just about to speak, intending to express that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio could continue to send some of their clansmen to join the ninja army as a show of support—

Just then, the office door was hammered open. The Anbu captain didn't wait for a response before rushing in. After glancing at the clan heads present, he knelt on one knee, his tone urgent.

"Lord Hokage! Emergency situation!"

"The Uchiha Military Police Force, in the vicinity of their compound... under the guise of capturing spies, has publicly detained eight Anbu members currently on duty. Several of them are severely injured!"

"What?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up abruptly. The gentle smile on his face vanished, replaced by disbelief and towering rage.

The Third Hokage's temples throbbed, and his eyes burned with fury, but he quickly spotted the discrepancy—when had he ever ordered Anbu members to monitor the Uchiha?

Wait, is it Danzō again?

With a war looming, why provoke those people from the Uchiha Clan!?

The Uchiha are too arrogant. The Root is also part of the Anbu; how dare they lay hands on them? Will they dare to attack the Hokage Building next?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's thoughts raced as he slowly sat back down.

His gloomy expression reflected not only his displeasure with Shimura Danzō but also his wariness of the increasingly restless Uchiha.

The Uchiha's previous demands remain unresolved. Is this disturbance a forced ultimatum, or do they have another motive?

Questions swirled in his mind, and Sarutobi Hiruzen fell into silence.

In the room, the Hyuga clan head lowered his eyes slightly, masking his thoughts.

The Nara clan head sighed softly, rubbed his brow, and exchanged a complex look with the Akimichi and Yamanaka heads beside him.

The words they had prepared were now stuck in their throats.

The Uchiha, who should have been complaining and playing the role of the aggrieved party, had suddenly struck out. Nine times out of ten, they had been pushed to the brink by Sarutobi Hiruzen and his associates!

So, what exactly had happened?

And how were they supposed to choose a side?

In this suffocating silence, the door to the Hokage office was kicked open with a loud "bang," the force so great that the door slammed against the wall with a thunderous crash.

The familiarity of that impact made everyone present frown.

Shimura Danzō's face was ashen. Half of his face was hidden beneath bandages, and the exposed eye burned with rage that seemed almost tangible.

Ignoring the other clan heads, he marched straight to Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk and slammed his cane against the floor.

"Hiruzen! You heard it, didn't you?! The Uchiha! It's the Uchiha!"

Danzō's voice was distorted and hoarse from extreme anger. "They dared to openly attack and detain my subordinates! This is treason! Naked, blatant treason!"

He spun around, his single eye sweeping over the Hyuga and Ino-Shika-Cho clan heads. His gaze was as venomous as a snake, clearly wishing to brand the Uchiha as rebels on the spot.

"Tobirama-sensei once said that the Uchiha Clan is a cancer to Konohagakure. They are inherently evil and cannot be trusted!"

"We should strike first..."

"Danzō, do not say things that undermine our unity!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted him sharply. His mood was even worse now than when he had heard the "Anbu" had been detained by the Uchiha.

Some things could be said in private, no matter what.

But because you, Shimura Danzō, intend to force the Uchiha into rebellion and even want to drag all of Konohagakure down with you, no one will agree to it!

Among the clan heads present, led by the Hyuga, many of their expressions turned cold.

They would have to be insane to agree to go to war with the Uchiha just because of a few words from him.

Those lunatics who lose their minds the moment a fight breaks out—ever since the Senju ceased to exist, not a single ninja clan in the Land of Fire has dared to provoke them!

Even if the Uchiha Clan were truly rebelling, they aren't the Hokage, so they have no reason to be anxious.

"Words that are detrimental to unity? The evil Uchiha are the ones doing things detrimental to unity!"

Danzo laughed in anger.

He turned his head back, staring fixedly at the Third, and roared out a bloodthirsty proposal.

"The Uchiha have already rebelled! We must mobilize every force at our disposal and, while they are caught off guard, eradicate them to eliminate future trouble!"

The word "eradicate" cut through the air like a cold blade, causing the expressions of the clan heads present to shift slightly and their gazes to grow even more profound.

"Enough! Danzo!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his hand onto the table, stood up abruptly, and glared at his old friend, rebuking him with a stern and severe tone.

"Look at what you've become! Calling for the slaughter of your own people without any basis."

"Is this the posture a high-ranking official of Konohagakure should have?! Every other word out of your mouth is 'eradicate' or 'traitor'; where exactly are you trying to place this village?!"

He pointed a finger at Danzo, his tone resolute and allowing no room for rebuttal.

"The greatest threat the village faces right now is the various ninja villages eyeing us from the borders, not the Uchiha you are inexplicably monitoring!"

"What you should be doing right now is preparing for battle, not engaging in internal friction here!"

Danzo was choked by this barrage of rebukes, his single eye wide open, wanting to retort, but Sarutobi Hiruzen gave him no chance.

"I am ordering you now in the name of the Hokage!" The voice of the Third Hokage was like a thunderclap, filled with decisiveness and vigor.

"Immediately assemble your men, rush to the northeastern border front, take command of the border troops, and resist any potential offensive launched by Kumogakure!"

"Without further orders from me, you are not to leave your post!"

He stared intensely at Danzo, emphasizing every single word.

"Your battlefield is at the national border, not inside the village! Immediately! Right now! Get moving!"