Shimura Danzō: It's Over!

Hum--!

A massive swarm of Kikaichū took flight, pouncing toward the Root ninja who were restraining the Aburame Clan children.

Shibi Aburame, a man with a negligible presence but formidable strength, was the first to make a move!

He had been dissatisfied with Shimura Danzō forcibly conscripting children from his clan and had followed them silently; seeing his own kin being treated so roughly, the dissatisfaction in his heart was on the verge of exploding.

When Yamanaka Chujiu analyzed that Shimura Danzō was faking the Third Hokage's orders, Shibi Aburame could no longer hold back and launched his attack directly.

Shibi Aburame was one of the strongest Jonin in Konoha and one of the few ninjas who still maintained an undefeated record to this day.

Shibi Aburame was the first to attack because he was certain that striking the Root ninja now would not make the Third Hokage feel betrayed.

On the contrary, as long as he did not attack Shimura Danzō directly, no matter how many Root ninja he killed, the Third Hokage would not be angry; instead, he would trust the Aburame Clan even more.

Because Shimura Danzō was undoubtedly faking the Hokage's orders, using Hiruzen Sarutobi's name to poach people and secure benefits for Root.

Well, the benefits all went to Shimura Danzō, while the blame was pinned on the Third Hokage.

Even with Hiruzen Sarutobi's good temper, there was no way he could endure this.

After Shibi Aburame decisively launched his attack, Yamanaka Inoichi also reacted quickly, directing his clansmen to surround the Root ninja, protecting all the children behind them while he himself stood directly in front of Shimura Danzō.

With a stern expression, he asked, "Elder Danzō, please produce the Hokage's written order!"

Shimura Danzō narrowed his eyes: "Inoichi, you are not qualified to demand orders from me!"

"I am!" Yamanaka Inoichi said loudly: "I am the Chief of the Intelligence Department of Konoha, and also an executive ninja of the Surveillance Department!"

"One of my duties is to verify the orders of the Hokage! And to supervise the execution of those orders!"

"Elder Shimura Danzō, please produce the Hokage's order! Or release all the children immediately and leave!"

"Otherwise, I will have no choice but to issue an emergency alert signal to the Anbu."

Shimura Danzō actually lacked the ability to adapt to sudden changes; from the moment Yamanaka Chujiu jumped out to question him, his mind had been a blank.

Just like when he joined forces with Hanzo to surround and kill the Akatsuki, the sudden appearance of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had been unexpected, and Shimura Danzō had been completely at a loss for how to respond.

As a result, he had subconsciously abandoned his subordinates and Hanzo, slipping away back to Konoha in a flash.

From this, it is evident that Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi are worthy of being old classmates and inseparable confidants; both possess the character of taking a step back when encountering trouble.

The situation before him was spiraling out of control, and Shimura Danzō instinctively began to retreat, huffing angrily: "Yamanaka Inoichi, you are too insolent!"

"I will tell Hiruzen Sarutobi that your Yamanaka Clan does not obey his orders and refuses to let your own clansmen fight for Konoha!"

Yamanaka Inoichi said calmly: "Elder Shimura Danzō, produce the Hokage's order before you pin such a crime on me."

"If you cannot produce it, then it is you who are faking the Hokage's orders, and you who are usurping the Hokage's authority!"

Shimura Danzō knew he could not intimidate Yamanaka Inoichi anymore, so he made up his mind to retreat; as long as he wasn't caught red-handed by Hiruzen Sarutobi, he had plenty of ways to quibble.

Thus, he feigned anger and flicked his sleeves: "Nonsense! I am the Hokage's advisor, I am an Elder of Konoha, and everything I do is for the sake of Konoha!"

"It is not for a mere Intelligence Department Chief to question me!"

"Yamanaka Inoichi, just wait for Hiruzen Sarutobi's accountability!"

"Root ninja, let's go!"

Shimura Danzō walked seven or eight steps away before suddenly realizing something was wrong; the Root ninja he had brought with him were not following his lead at all.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out the Root ninja were being controlled by various secret techniques.

The Nara Clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu, the Yamanaka Clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu, and the Aburame Clan's Insect Control Jutsu had all deprived the Root ninja of their ability to act through different means.

Shimura Danzō was furious: "How dare you attack Konoha ninja! Are you trying to betray the village?"

As a puff of white smoke dissipated, Shikaku, who had used the Body Flicker Jutsu, appeared on the scene and said lazily: "Elder Shimura Danzō, your accusation is too severe."

"We are executing the Hokage's orders—the orders of the Third Hokage, Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi!"

Before the words had even faded, a tall and sturdy figure appeared; it was Torifu Akimichi, who had stood firm against the Nine-Tails ten days ago.

And standing beside Torifu Akimichi, wearing a conical hat with a gloomy expression, was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Seeing the chaotic scene—his core supporters, the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Aburame clans, in a standoff with the Root ninja, and Shimura Danzō in a standoff with the three clan heads—along with over twenty Yamanaka and Aburame children crying, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt as if his brain were about to explode.

These are all my own people, for heaven's sake!

No matter who won or lost, it was a loss for him, Hiruzen Sarutobi; was this an attempt to undermine him?

Thinking back to how he had humbled himself to beg Uchiha Fugaku for support, throwing away all his dignity, while Shimura Danzō was busy undermining his own foundation, Hiruzen Sarutobi became even angrier!

When Shimura Danzō saw his old classmate, he realized the situation was dire!

Especially since Hiruzen Sarutobi had been summoned by Torifu Akimichi, the situation was even worse.

Shimura Danzō could neither argue forcefully with Torifu Akimichi, nor could he use his status to suppress him, nor could he even resort to unreasonable bickering.

Torifu Akimichi was their old classmate who had voluntarily faded from the center of power many years ago, staying quietly at home, only to stand out at every critical moment.

Not long ago, in order to protect Konoha, he had fought the Nine-Tails head-on without taking a single step back.

Torifu Akimichi's lack of desire and his valor earned him far more of Hiruzen Sarutobi's trust than Shimura Danzō ever could.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed his rising anger and asked sternly, "What exactly is going on here?"

Shimura Danzō's eyes flickered; he prepared to ignore Torifu Akimichi and suppress Inoichi Yamanaka by being the first to lodge a complaint.

At that very instant, Yamanaka Chujiu precisely captured his thoughts.

A thin thread of malicious intent coiled around him silently, instantly piercing his mental defenses to exert a subtle influence upon him.

Let me see if Hiruzen will actually believe the words of the Ino-Shika-Cho!

This was indeed Shimura Danzō's own thought, though it was usually suppressed deep within his mind by his sense of reason.

Under the influence of Yamanaka Chujiu, this ill-timed thought ballooned, replacing his original intention to muddy the waters and altering the judgment of the Darkness of the Shinobi.

The moment his mind control was complete, Yamanaka Chujiu did not wait for Shikaku Nara or Inoichi Yamanaka to speak; instead, he stepped forward himself, drawing Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze.

His older brother, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shikaku Nara were quite young, but he knew well that both men bore the heavy burdens of their clans, which inevitably led to the flaw of being overly cautious and indecisive.

These were excellent qualities for a clan head, but at this critical juncture, one could not count on them to react in time.

Thus, Yamanaka Chujiu jumped out and wailed, "Lord Third Hokage!"