So What?

(Author's note: Danzo is doomed in these chapters. As a plot-driving character, he isn't strong enough at this stage, and he can't create any tension for the story. Keeping him around to run wild would just make him irritating. Just letting everyone know, in case some readers object.)

One eye...

Minato leaned aside to dodge the kunai thrust at his chest and watched the head soar through the air.

From the moment he first saw Danzo, he had noticed the bandages wrapped around the man's right eye.

His right hand, however, was still a normal skin color. It seemed he hadn't transplanted Hashirama Cells yet.

"Danzo..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at the scene before him, his lips trembling slightly.

Seeing a companion he'd known for decades beheaded right in front of him hit him hard.

"Minato, you..."

"Just a moment, Lord Hokage."

Before Hiruzen could continue, Minato raised a hand and cut him off.

He looked down at Danzo's body, formed a Wood Clone, then used the Body Flicker Technique to appear dozens of meters away.

Everyone watched Minato's actions, baffled.

The Wood Clone took two steps forward and reached for the bandages around Danzo's head!

But before it could touch them, Danzo's body slowly faded away like a reflection in water.

Danzo, who Minato had beheaded just seconds ago, appeared in the middle of the scene, completely unharmed!

No, not entirely unharmed.

Minato's gaze swept over the blood on Danzo's face. It seemed Izanagi couldn't rewrite injuries sustained before its activation. That was good news.

"Hah... hah..."

Danzo stared at Minato from dozens of meters away, his heart filled with shock and terror.

He couldn't understand how Minato had realized he wasn't dead.

"Impossible... How did you know?"

"What on earth is going on?"

Hiruzen frowned deeply, watching Danzo in disbelief.

The instant he saw Danzo come back to life, he'd instinctively disrupted the flow of chakra in his body, but found no sign that he was under a genjutsu.

"This must be... the Uchiha Clan's Izanagi, right? I remember reading about it in the clan's old records."

Tsunade's expression darkened. "That man must have transplanted a Sharingan from the Uchiha."

"I see. An Uchiha forbidden technique..."

Hiruzen immediately understood.

Although Izanagi was a forbidden technique of the Uchiha Clan, it wasn't much of a secret. During the Warring States period, the Uchiha had lorded it over others with this technique for quite some time.

The Sarutobi Clan was also a shinobi clan that had survived since the Warring States period, so of course their records mentioned it.

Danzo shot Tsunade a cold glance. He hadn't expected her to recognize his trump card at once, but considering who she was, it wasn't all that surprising.

He'd learned of the technique by chance. The trail led back to the Battle of the Valley of the End between the First and Madara.

The First had won that battle, and Madara, the loser, had met his end. His body had fallen into the hands of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

After all, Madara was a powerful shinobi who had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan. The Second Hokage wasn't about to pass up such an excellent subject for research.

But out of regard for his friend, the First had never allowed the Second Hokage to study Madara.

After the First died, the Second Hokage hadn't had a chance to conduct his research before the First Shinobi World War broke out.

Later, the Second Hokage sacrificed himself to cover their retreat. Before then, he had appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi as the Third Hokage.

But... they had all been too young at the time.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just taken up the Hokage Position, lacked the strength and reputation to command everyone's support. He had to rely on the help of friends like them.

It was around then that Danzo gained access to the Second Hokage's abandoned laboratory.

He also discovered something: Madara Uchiha's body was gone!

At the time, Danzo had just been appointed captain of an Anbu squad. He didn't dare hide the matter and immediately informed the newly appointed Third Hokage.

For a time, the two of them suspected that the Uchiha Clan had stolen Madara's body. They even intensified their surveillance of the Uchiha, until Danzo learned of Izanagi...

He'd been chilled to the bone. His scalp had nearly burst with horror!

But years went by without a word about Madara. Danzo began to suspect that Madara might have died of old age, and turned his attention to the Uchiha Clan instead.

In the end, he obtained the eye that could grant someone a second life from an old friend...

"But how did that boy figure it out?"

Utatane Koharu was confused. Danzo wasn't the only one who wanted to know; she was curious, too.

"Minato's a sensor-type shinobi. My family also has some records about the Uchiha. With his intelligence, it shouldn't have been hard for him to guess," Tsunade said casually, making an excuse for Minato.

She didn't know how Minato had figured it out, either, but she didn't care.

The resentment in Danzo's eyes was almost tangible.

He'd almost forgotten. The boy lived with Tsunade, and the Senju Clan's surviving old scrolls of ninjutsu were practically his for the taking.

Such talent, such advantages... Why couldn't it have been me?!

"That's enough, Danzo."

Hiruzen said solemnly, "Attacking our fellow villagers is unforgivable. I warned you before not to keep making one mistake after another!"

"Hmph. After all this, you still don't see it, Hiruzen?"

Danzo sneered. "This genius you've placed so much hope in is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He pretends to be innocent and has everyone wrapped around his finger!"

As he spoke, he pointed at the corpses littering the area, along with the three or five Root shinobi who remained.

"Do you see all these bodies? In the minute before you arrived, he nearly wiped out Root single-handedly! He's been hiding his true strength all along!"

"If you've got a screw loose, go see a doctor!"

Tsunade scoffed. "What shinobi doesn't hide their strength? The ones who don't know how to conceal it are all dead!"

Utatane Koharu sighed. "Indeed. You should stop making such specious arguments."

Danzo ignored them both and stared fixedly at Hiruzen.

Minato said nothing, quietly watching to see how Hiruzen would respond.

Even if all of them jumped him, the sheer difference in strength meant they couldn't stop him.

Besides, the Wood Clone he'd just made was still releasing spores.

With his sensory abilities and the spores to track Danzo, there was no chance of him escaping.

Minato looked at Hiruzen and made up his mind: if the man dared to speak up for Danzo, he'd declare on the spot, "This naturally evil Cloud Village spy dares to deceive Lord Hokage! I'll..."

Fortunately, Hiruzen still had some sense.

"So what?"

After a brief silence, Hiruzen gave an almost imperceptible sigh, his heart full of disappointment.

He'd never thought Minato was innocent.

His wariness toward the village elders, the deliberate trap he'd set to get his classmate hospitalized, and his attempt to force their hand just now all showed that the boy wasn't as innocent as he seemed.

But... so what?