This Is Retribution

Utatane Koharu would have been better off keeping her mouth shut; the moment she spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank, and he silently cursed their luck.

Sure enough.

Ignoring the fact that the village's top brass were all present, Genkawa Uchiha grabbed Shimura Danzō from the ground and hoisted him high into the air.

"What was that? You want me to let this old dog go?"

Genkawa Uchiha sneered at Utatane Koharu before turning his gaze to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"What does the Third say? Do you share this sentiment?"

Facts have proven that when a person has no attachments and possesses the power to suppress everyone else, there is only one word to describe them.

Invincible.

Whether it was Utatane Koharu or Shimura Danzō, they both relied on outdated mental habits when facing Genkawa Uchiha.

They assumed Genkawa Uchiha was like everyone else in the village—that he would be intimidated by their status and authority, and that he would obey their commands.

Unfortunately, if there was anyone in the ninja world who saw through these rules most clearly, it was Genkawa Uchiha; he simply did not care about them at all.

"Put Danzō down, child."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. There had been so many events tonight, each one heartbreaking, and seeing his old comrade being held like a piece of rotting meat by Genkawa Uchiha only made him feel worse.

As Hokage, he knew exactly what Shimura Danzō was thinking.

Especially now, with the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato dealing with the Nine-Tails and the outcome still uncertain, any further chaos here would certainly not be good for Konoha.

Genkawa Uchiha's lips curled into a smirk: "Since everyone is here, I might as well ask."

With that, he tossed Shimura Danzō directly to Hiruzen Sarutobi's feet.

"This old dog laid hands on me when I was six years old. Don't tell me you didn't know about that, and you saw what the result was that time."

He gave a cold laugh.

"This time, this old dog used the Nine-Tails incident to persecute me again. What, do you think I'm easy to bully?"

Shimura Danzō was covered in injuries, his ribs broken, his body stiff and unable to move, his forehead soaked in blood, looking utterly wretched.

Regardless of his reputation, he was the leader of Root and a contemporary of Hiruzen Sarutobi; he was naturally no weakling.

The reason he was in this state was due to the trick Genkawa Uchiha had played on him.

It was simple: just a moment ago, Genkawa Uchiha had injected a bit of natural energy into his body.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to ensure the man couldn't move.

Genkawa Uchiha had done this not only out of personal grievance but also as a test.

And this test had indeed revealed something genuine.

Shimura Danzō had already begun modifying his own body; there were Hashirama cells inside him.

Perhaps not many, but the power of Hashirama cells required special means to neutralize, so there must also be Sharingan eyes on Shimura Danzō's body.

The two had reached a delicate balance.

Under normal circumstances, the amount of natural energy Genkawa Uchiha had injected would not have been enough to immobilize a normal person.

But Shimura Danzō had been affected.

That could only mean the fragile balance within his body had been shattered by that small amount of natural energy.

Knowing the situation, Genkawa Uchiha understood everything.

After Genkawa Uchiha finished speaking, the expressions of Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and the others turned incredibly ugly.

These words were no different from pointing at their noses and cursing them.

But Genkawa Uchiha was an exception.

He was of the Uchiha clan, yet an outlier within it; as an orphan, he had never received the orthodox "Will of Fire" education at the ninja academy, so he simply didn't buy into that philosophy.

And they had no way to deal with him.

The Nine-Tails incident just now was proof enough.

He would detonate himself at the slightest disagreement—who could handle that?

"Nothing to say?"

Genkawa Uchiha stepped forward, and the surrounding ninjas tensed up immediately; some drew their blades, while others reached for their ninja tools.

But Genkawa Uchiha acted as if he didn't see them, staring straight at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Third, let me show you something good."

With that, he arrived in front of Shimura Danzō and, amidst the latter's shocked and furious gaze, tore away the bandages covering half of his face.

"Stop!"

Mitokado Homura let out a sharp shout, stepping forward in an attempt to intervene.

Although he did not know what Genkawa Uchiha intended to show them, based on his understanding of his old teammate Shimura Danzō, it certainly wouldn't be anything good.

But Genkawa Uchiha had already pried open Shimura Danzō's right eyelid.

The scene fell into an instant silence.

Everyone saw the eye within Shimura Danzō's right socket; the iris was a blood-red crimson, marked with three tomoe.

Sharingan!

Mitokado Homura's movements stiffened.

Utatane Koharu's already unsightly complexion grew three shades gloomier.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a face full of gravity at this moment.

Genkawa Uchiha showed no courtesy, directly gouging that eye out from Shimura Danzō's socket.

"Heh heh heh, you've all seen it now. I'd like to ask, where did this eye come from? Surely it wasn't a gift from the Uchiha clan?"

He spread his hand open, his palm covered in blood, the eyeball lying quietly in the center of his palm.

After finishing this, Genkawa Uchiha took a roll of bandages from his ninja tool pouch, wrapped the eyeball, and put it away.

"Now, I require an explanation."

Genkawa Uchiha spoke once more.

The atmosphere at the scene was deathly silent.

Logically, having one's eye gouged out alive should be excruciatingly painful; even if one could endure it, there would at least be some kind of reaction.

However, Shimura Danzō did not.

He acted as if he had lost all sensation, making not a single sound.

Yet his twisted face made it clear that the pain caused by Genkawa Uchiha gouging out his eye was immense; he simply didn't know why he couldn't make a sound.

"What did you do?" Utatane Koharu asked hurriedly.

She was naturally referring to Shimura Danzō's current state.

Of course, there was also the intention to change the subject and avoid the weightier issue.

Unfortunately, Genkawa Uchiha ignored her, simply watching Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly.

"Go and invite Clan Leader Fugaku to come over," Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke.

"Yes!"

An Anbu ninja immediately acknowledged the order and departed.

"Hiruzen!"

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's expressions shifted slightly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi merely sighed and waved his hand.

"Treat Danzō."

An Anbu ninja immediately stepped forward, using the Mystical Palm Technique to treat Shimura Danzō.

It would have been better if he hadn't; the moment he started, a problem arose.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"

Shimura Danzō suddenly opened his mouth, letting out a shrill, agonizing cry.

The Anbu was startled, assuming Shimura Danzō couldn't bear the pain, and increased the intensity of the treatment.

Unexpectedly, this only made Shimura Danzō's screams louder.

The Anbu ninja hurriedly withdrew his hand, the pale green glow of the Mystical Palm Technique vanishing.

Shimura Danzō suddenly stopped screaming, his face still twisted, and he fell silent once more.

"This..."

It wasn't just the Anbu ninja who was alarmed; Hiruzen Sarutobi also sensed the abnormality.

Genkawa Uchiha sneered inwardly.

The already fragile balance had been shattered the moment the Sharingan was gouged out.

The Hashirama cells in Shimura Danzō's body hadn't gone berserk yet, which clearly meant the man had other methods to temporarily suppress them.

In such a state, treating the wound with the Mystical Palm Technique amounted to interference from foreign chakra, further breaking the equilibrium.

With natural energy still lingering in his body, Shimura Danzō was unable to move, and his pain was being directly amplified.

"This is retribution."

Genkawa Uchiha laughed heartily.