"Let's go out together. As long as I appear outside unharmed, the fighting will stop." Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep puff from his pipe. "We're all comrades from the same village. There's no need to fight to the death."
As long as he remained in this space, he had no say in anything and no means of resisting.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had realized that, and quickly came up with a solution.
Uchiha Yuji was noncommittal. "Third, you consider them comrades, but are they really our comrades?"
Whenever they found themselves at a disadvantage, those "Uchiha" who spat out giant fireballs would use "Ankurahuba," trying to drag others down with them.
They didn't care about their own lives or anyone else's.
"I am the Third of the Hidden Leaf Village," Sarutobi Hiruzen said firmly.
The Hokage was the leader of all the ninja in Konoha. In theory, every Konoha ninja had to obey the Hokage's orders.
That was what the Konoha Ninja Handbook said.
Usually, it was bullshit.
"Since our esteemed Third is so confident, let's make a bet."
"If the fighting hasn't stopped after you reveal your identity, please don't interfere in our Uchiha Clan's affairs."
"What if the fighting does stop?"
That wasn't even an option.
"Please."
Uchiha Yuji gestured for him to go, pointing toward the circular mirror that projected the outside world.
With the situation stacked against him, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't hesitate. He stepped toward the mirror.
Ripples spread across its surface like a lake. The moment his vision returned to normal, he saw a mass of blazing flames.
His fingers blurred as he formed Hand Seals. His not-so-tall frame swiftly crouched, and he slapped a palm against the ground.
The flat ground suddenly rose up into a towering, solid wall, blocking the flames behind it.
The thick earthen wall separated the two sides still fighting. Once the scouts detected Sarutobi Hiruzen's familiar chakra, the Anbu immediately ceased their attack.
But the Root ninja only grew more frenzied.
They hurled Explosive Tags at Sarutobi Hiruzen as if they were free, and unleashed one jutsu after another. Some of the Root ninja were even more decisive, charging straight at him.
The moment Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared, their mission was already complete.
Even though the earthen wall blocked his view, and he didn't recognize those Root ninja, he knew his old friend Danzo well.
Once Danzo decided someone was an enemy, he would stop at nothing.
Those Root ninja rushing toward him were bound to be covered in Explosive Tags.
Back in the war years, the price of a single Explosive Tag could skyrocket. Resources had always been scarce at the front—so you'd been hoarding them all along, you bastard!
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened as his hands swiftly formed Hand Seals.
"Lightning Water Dragon Bullet!"
A water dragon roared, instantly smashing through the earthen wall before hurtling toward the Root ninja without slowing down.
In his prime, Sarutobi Hiruzen had an ample supply of chakra, and his furious Lightning Water Dragon Bullet was especially fast.
The first group of Root ninja to charge were swallowed by the water dragon. Those behind them leaped into the air, preparing to go around it and strike Sarutobi Hiruzen directly.
But the charging water dragon suddenly raised its head and opened its jaws.
Brilliant bolts of lightning streaked from its mouth. In an instant, the serpentine arcs swept over the Root ninja.
The Uchiha Clan Compound had been scorched by fire again and again, and the lack of moisture in the air weakened the water dragon. Sarutobi Hiruzen also controlled the Lightning Release so that it only paralyzed the Root ninja.
"You can all stay put for a while."
Sarutobi Hiruzen raised a hand to stop the Anbu ninja who wanted to rush over and protect him.
"Evil Uchiha! After killing Hiruzen, he's taken on Hiruzen's appearance! Everyone, attack! Don't let him get away!"
The moment those words fell, a Wind Release: Great Breakthrough swept toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
His fists clenched.
"Fire—"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was about to teach his old friend a small lesson, but he stopped himself just as he began forming Hand Seals.
Uchiha Yuji had quietly appeared between him and the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
His short black hair whipped wildly in the wind. The boy crouched on the crumbling wall, the Uchiha Clan's fan-shaped crest standing out conspicuously.
"I told you, Third."
"Some people don't consider you the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village."
He remained crouched, making no move to form Hand Seals or dodge.
As the gusts from Wind Release: Great Breakthrough reached him, they abruptly died down, leaving only a light breeze that brushed his face and lifted the short strands of hair partly covering his eyes.
Beneath his tousled hair, his chilling Mangekyō made every ninja who saw it tremble.
"Since I've won the bet, Third..."
"I'll be taking care of our Uchiha Clan's internal affairs now."
Uchiha Yuji slowly straightened. Though he wasn't especially tall, his figure seemed to grow infinitely larger.
"Starting today, our Uchiha Clan is giving up its work with the Security Force."
"We don't have time to play your political games."
"Honestly, you're always so brazen, being the favored one."
His voice sounded young, but his words were utterly willful.
"What a joke! Is the Uchiha Clan planning to defect as an entire clan?" Shimura Danzo hurried to brand the Uchiha as traitors.
When dealing with outsiders, Shimura Danzo was always sneaky and underhanded. When dealing with his own people, he always came out swinging.
When there was something in it for him, he was all about making money and gathering intelligence.
When there wasn't, he just dug pits for people to fall into. He never confronted anyone head-on, preferring to make himself as irritating as possible. Yet he was even more likely to sabotage his own people than outsiders.
"Oh, and Shimura, the Hokage's... advisor. If you hadn't spoken up, I could've looked forward to the clown's future performances a little longer."
Uchiha Yuji was certainly skilled at snide remarks.
He paused after saying "Hokage," then noticeably emphasized the word "advisor."
Shimura Danzo ground his teeth in anger and glared at Uchiha Yuji with his single visible eye.
"Hmph. Evil Uchiha, I don't have time to waste words with you. Take him down!"
The Root ninja were excellent tools. The moment the order was given, they launched their attack.
"Evil Uchiha, huh?"
His blood-red gaze swept over them, and the Root ninja who had just begun their attack froze in their tracks.
"If you call us evil, then what does that make you, who yearns for the power of evil?"
The voice exploded beside Shimura Danzo's ear. His instincts hadn't even warned him of the danger.
But a warm right hand had already pushed aside the covering over his right eye, revealing the eye he had kept hidden.
It was a Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Could I ask you to return it to us?"
His voice was gentle, but there was no trace of a request in his words.
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