You Didn't Stop Me Either, Did You?

"Danzō!"

"How dare you?"

A roar of fury filled the entire Hokage office.

If not for the sound-dampening barrier set up beforehand, the residents of the entire Konoha district would likely have felt the full weight of the Third Hokage's wrath!

"Calm down, Hiruzen."

"What kind of Hokage do you look like right now?"

Utatane Koharu frowned slightly.

Aside from the Uchiha clan, things were relatively peaceful, and there shouldn't have been any major incidents recently.

Furthermore, even if an outside force were to attack, the Kage, as the highest authority of the village, must maintain basic composure!

"Ask him!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth as he spoke.

His rage was so palpable it felt as though it might manifest into a Fire Style jutsu and incinerate the old man standing there with his eyes closed.

"What happe—"

"I did nothing wrong; everything I have done was for the sake of the village."

Before Utatane Koharu could even finish her question, Shimura Danzō denied any wrongdoing, his voice flat and calm.

Such a statement clearly failed to satisfy Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Even the two advisors furrowed their brows.

They were certain that Danzō's intentions were rooted in the well-being of Konoha; that required no explanation.

However, the consequences that might follow at the end of this incident remained uncertain.

Presumably, the reason for Hiruzen's anger lay in that very outcome.

"What exactly have you done, Danzō?"

Mitokado Homura couldn't help but ask.

"He secretly sent men to collude with the Hidden Stone, sending two jonin to their deaths!"

Before the perpetrator could answer, Hiruzen Sarutobi, unable to contain his temper any longer, roared!

Colluding with an enemy nation!

Betraying comrades!

These two keywords instantly crystallized in the minds of the two advisors.

Either one of these was a crime punishable by death!

Utatane Koharu fell silent.

On this point, she could no longer speak in Danzō's defense.

Colluding with an enemy nation could be understood.

In the ninja world, planting spies was a common practice, especially in the power struggles between great nations.

Sometimes, seemingly precise and highly profitable intelligence was merely a piece of flesh the opponent had painfully cut away!

And Danzō was most adept at playing that very game!

But betraying comrades—and two powerful jonin at that!

Such a loss was something no faction could ever accept with a clear conscience. Moreover, judging by Hiruzen's tone, it was clear that those two ninjas belonged to the village, not the Uchiha clan.

"Have you seen the Uchiha of today?"

"Have you heard the voices of the common residents regarding the Uchiha?"

"Or have you, too, been blinded by that brief victory in the East!"

Shimura Danzō answered with a question of his own.

Yet, every word struck at the crux of the issue.

Indeed, the Uchiha had changed.

The Uchiha, who should have been wallowing in the pain of losing Shisui, had reversed their previous decline because of the actions of a single youth!

With the strength of a single clan, they had struck deep into the heart of the Land of Water, unstoppable wherever they went, even forcing the Kaguya clan to retreat.

One must realize, that was a clan with the word "war" carved into their very marrow!

For them, there was only ever a fight to the death; there was never a second option.

Yet, facing the Uchiha who had gone on a killing spree, facing those eyes that could easily drag men into purgatory, they had feared, they had panicked, and they had retreated!

Without the deployment of peak combat power, no one could stop the Uchiha!

No.

There once was.

But that clan no longer exists.

This achievement, which drove Konoha ninjas to madness and pride, also etched that boy's name into the borders of Kirigakure.

Arata Uchiha!

The Blood Asura Arata!

Alone, facing the hunt of hundreds of Kirigakure elites, he still managed to kill a jonin in retaliation.

Even Kakashi Hatake, who bears the name of Cold-Blooded, had never achieved such a feat!

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not refute this.

The Uchiha had indeed been too active lately, and the reason for this activity was solely because of a ten-year-old boy!

Therefore, when Danzō Shimura secretly issued an A-rank mission, he did not intervene.

But who would have thought, what has become of the dignified Kirigakure, known for its Bloody Mist?

Where are those seven blades?

Where is that Tailed Beast without a tail?

Where is Mei Terumi, the dual Kekkei Genkai user once mentioned in the same breath as Kakashi?

How could they fail to eliminate even a small child!

Instead, they only made the anger and power of the Uchiha felt more clearly, even inversely boosting the morale of that clan!

How could the high-level officials of Konoha not be alarmed by this?

"Hiruzen, Danzō did nothing wrong."

Utatane Koharu said in a deep voice.

Although the two did not spell out every detail, the two advisors were no fools; having worked together for many years, they could already guess the whole story.

Danzō colluded with Iwagakure, selling out the information of his own comrades, all to borrow their hands to erase Arata Uchiha and leave that clan with absolutely no hope!

However, the price was the loss of two jonin.

"If it is only two jonin, Konoha can still afford it."

Mitokado Homura said through gritted teeth.

Although he also knew what two jonin represented as a tangible combat force for the current Konoha.

And it was not just combat power, but also rich experience and the ability to lead newcomers.

"But that was Hayama Shirakumo!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was filled with sorrow.

This was genuine grief.

Otherwise, he would not have revealed it in front of these three old partners who knew him inside and out.

Hearing this, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura could not help but stiffen, exchanging a glance and seeing the shock in each other's eyes; only Danzō Shimura remained unmoved, maintaining his silence.

Hayama Shirakumo.

An elite jonin of Konoha, a pillar of the village.

After the death of Sakumo Hatake, he was the undisputed master of swordsmanship in Konoha.

But what people truly valued about him was not his combat power, but his incomparable character, his experienced command ability, and that burning Will of Fire!

All the genin and chunin who had followed him saw qualitative improvements in every aspect, especially in squad unity and the inheritance of the Will of Fire.

Of course, there was another very important point.

Although Hayama Shirakumo was strong and held considerable prestige among ninjas, he never participated in politics!

This was why, when the two advisors heard that the one betrayed was him, they lost their initial certainty.

Such a price was truly too high!

"Necessary sacrifices are worth it."

"Besides, if it weren't for him, would that old man from Iwagakure have made any decent response?"

Danzō Shimura finally spoke.

He had always believed that Arata not dying was not due to the incompetence of Kirigakure, but their lack of seriousness!

A ten-year-old child, even if he came from the Uchiha, was sending nearly a hundred elites not enough?

It was more than enough!

But those idiots ignored what the Body Flicker Technique was, and they ignored how much the Uchiha valued this clansman.

That was why they were caught off guard and beaten back.

So this time, he chose the more cautious Iwagakure, even offering up an elite jonin and a jonin as bait for the funeral!

"But you cannot—"

Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to say something more.

In truth, this old man who had held power for half a lifetime understood clearly that Danzo was not merely trying to eliminate Arata, but also wanted to dispose of everyone capable of vying for power with him. After all these years, he still had not abandoned his obsession with this position!

Never mind that Hayama Shirakumo had no such intentions at all.

The same had been true for Hatake Sakumo in the past.

But before the Hokage could finish his sentence, Danzo's voice cut in.

"You, did you not also fail to stop it?"

His gaze was filled with contempt.