The Judgment

Inside the Hokage's office.

"Danzo, do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Tsunade looked at Danzo before her, wondering why he hadn't put up the slightest resistance.

But she didn't say anything more. The sensory ninja from the Anbu had already checked his chakra, so there was no way he was a clone.

A person's appearance could be disguised, but their chakra nature couldn't. Everyone had their own unique chakra signature.

Ordinary ninja couldn't tell the difference, but sensory ninja could never be fooled.

Tsunade had asked only as a matter of routine.

"There's nothing to say. Everything I did was for Konoha."

"Was making kunoichi sell their bodies also for Konoha?"

Bang!

Tsunade snatched the file of crimes from her desk and hurled it at his face.

He didn't dodge. The blow split his forehead, and blood trickled down.

"It was a necessary sacrifice. Root grew stronger as a result, and Konoha was protected all the better for it."

Furious, Tsunade strode up to Danzo, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded, "What about making siblings kill each other? What about making people kill those they're bonded to? What about making the orphanage director who raised orphans assassinate the children she cared for? Was all of that for Konoha too, you piece of shit?"

Bang!

Tsunade punched him hard enough to send "Danzo" sprawling to the ground, where he lay for quite some time before he could get up.

Meanwhile, Kimura Takuya's concentration wavered. He nearly lost the connection, but hurriedly reestablished it.

Only then did "Danzo" climb to his feet.

"Yes, of course it was for Konoha!

"Only tools free of bonds and emotion are truly useful.

"And tools like that have no selfish motives. They're all ninja devoted to Konoha. The best tools there are!"

"You bastard! I'll kill you!"

"That's enough, Tsunade."

Sarutobi Hiruzen flashed over to stop her. He stepped between her and Danzo, catching her fist.

"He can't die by your hand."

"Heh, Hiruzen. You're as weak and useless as ever!"

The fake "Danzo" kept up his act, secretly activating the seal on his right arm as he spoke.

The Anbu spotted it, of course, and knocked him out immediately.

But no one expected "Danzo" to be faking. Even after collapsing to the ground, he kept trying to undo the seal.

He almost managed to break it, but they caught him again. After another struggle, "Danzo" was overwhelmed and died just as he reached the final step of undoing the seal on his arm.

Tsunade, the Third Hokage, and the others sighed in dismay. They all assumed he had planned to use the sealed arm to kill everyone present and seize power.

The Third Hokage had suspected as much, and didn't want the truth beneath the seal to come to light.

He tried to stop them from examining the arm, but Tsunade opened the final seal before he could.

"How is this possible? Th-this is...?"

"Sharingan! So many Sharingan?"

"And this arm? Hiruzen, what's going on?"

"Old Man! Why is my grandfather's face on this arm? What is going on?"

"Alas..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to reveal the truth.

He told them about the Uchiha Clan Massacre and how the arm had been grafted with First Hokage Cells.

He also came clean about Root's secret dealings with Orochimaru over the years.

He didn't reveal Itachi's identity as a spy in front of everyone. He only said that Danzo had deceived him into becoming a rogue ninja.

"I can't believe it! Teacher Sarutobi, you knew everything! Then why did you turn a blind eye to Root's crimes? Why?"

Tsunade couldn't understand. Fighting to contain her anger, she demanded an answer from Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Some of Root's actions did have my tacit approval. But I never imagined Danzo would go so far, or hide so much from me."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Tsunade's furious face and shook his head bitterly before continuing.

"From now on, I'm disbanding my Anbu. I have no right to interfere with your decisions anymore.

"Tsunade, you'll make the decisions from here on."

After speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned his Anbu Captain and disbanded his Anbu on the spot.

Tsunade took some of them into her own Anbu, showing that she still trusted the Third Hokage.

It was a small comfort to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who suddenly seemed much older.

From that moment on, Konoha's center of power truly began to shift into Tsunade's hands.

The next day, Tsunade announced the verdict in Shimura Danzo's trial.

She made Danzo's crimes public and declared that he had committed suicide out of guilt.

The announcement caused an uproar.

"That's horrifying. Root didn't even treat ninja like people!"

"This is awful. The orphans of heroes became Danzo's tools, and he killed them whenever he pleased."

"And there's more than what the announcement says. Have you heard?

"He was also behind the Uchiha clan's massacre!

"He collected enough Sharingan to fill an entire arm. No wonder he kept it sealed all these years. He was afraid someone would find out!"

"What? That really happened?"

The crowd erupted in fresh commotion.

Among them, a black-haired boy in blue had also been reading the notice outside the Hokage Building.

Hearing the news about the Uchiha, he stared in disbelief.

"How can that be? Danzo did it? That man—the man I swore to kill—what could he be thinking? Why would he claim he killed everyone?"

"Uchiha Sasuke, the Fifth Hokage wishes to see you."

An Anbu ninja escorted Sasuke to the Hokage's office.

Inside the Hokage's office.

Tsunade looked at the boy before her, unsure how to begin.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you've heard about the Uchiha Clan Massacre, haven't you?

"If you haven't, that's all right.

"The Uchiha clan's destruction was connected to your clan's planned rebellion. But before the rebellion ever began, Danzo wiped out your entire clan.

"And Danzo's goal was to take your clan's Sharingan.

"Uchiha Itachi, an S-rank rogue ninja, was actually trying to atone for his crimes and protect you.

"That's why Uchiha Itachi even killed your parents himself, making himself a rogue ninja, then went undercover in a mysterious organization.

"I never intended to make this public, but the so-called truth spread throughout the village overnight.

"So now I'm telling you what really happened.

"I'm giving these Sharingan to you to look after.

"They're the power of your clan. You should decide what becomes of them."

After she finished, Tsunade handed Sasuke all the Sharingan from Danzo's arm.

"It's a lie! All of it! I'll ask him myself!"

Sasuke numbly took the Sharingan floating in their nutrient solution.

He suddenly shouted, wanting to confront Uchiha Itachi himself.

Then he turned and ran out the door.

"Lord Hokage, is it really all right to give the Sharingan to that boy?"

"If we don't, how will we draw out the people hiding in the shadows?

"I only learned about the Uchiha today. By this morning, the news had already spread. A rat has infiltrated Konoha. I won't rest until we catch it!

"Keep someone on his trail!"

"Yes!"