The Truth Was, You Really Could!

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Uchiha Clan needs an explanation."

Of course, it was Ensei Uchiha who had said this.

The two good-for-nothings beside him didn't have the nerve to say something like that in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Perhaps they were thinking of the bigger picture. Perhaps there were people they couldn't afford to put at risk. But behavior like this only made their enemies think they were easy to bully.

Looking at the Sharingan in Ensei Uchiha's palm, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened. His gaze toward Shimura Danzō was full of meaning.

Now that the Sharingan had been discovered, Shimura Danzō merely let out a cold laugh.

"I see. I don't know where you got your information, but this Sharingan was a gift from a friend."

"Actually, Kakashi's Sharingan wasn't the first one to come from a friend's gift. This one in your hand was. It belonged to Kagami Uchiha."

"You, on the other hand, have gone so far that your actions are tantamount to treason."

"That brat is a weapon created by the Uchiha Clan, isn't he?"

Shimura Danzō had come up with an excuse for this long ago, so he wasn't the least bit flustered. He even had the leisure to pay attention to Ensei Uchiha.

"Is that so? Then..."

Ensei Uchiha spoke, and his figure vanished in an instant. But this time, his attack failed to land. Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in his way, holding a pipe.

Even after entering Chakra Mode, Ensei still couldn't break through Hiruzen Sarutobi's defense. He couldn't help but think a little more highly of him.

Still, what he intended to do wouldn't be stopped so easily.

A hand made of blue Chakra suddenly emerged from behind Ensei Uchiha, in his blind spot, and grabbed Shimura Danzō's right arm, tearing it clean off.

This time, the Cursed Seal on the arm was even more extensive. Countless seals spread like chains throughout the entire Hokage Office, attacking everything within range.

Shimura Danzō was the first to bear the brunt.

Poor Shimura Danzō. He had once possessed power on par with the Hokage, but after being ambushed and losing a Sharingan, the various chaotic forces inside him had gone out of control. He couldn't use his power at all and could only huddle under Hiruzen Sarutobi's protection like a useless wreck.

The Cursed Seal chains lashed out in every direction. Besides attacking Ensei Uchiha, the culprit, they struck everything around them indiscriminately.

No one in the room could escape, so everyone had to defend themselves with all their might.

The entire Hokage Office descended into chaos. Anbu members outside noticed the commotion and tried to rush in, but the moment they drew near, the Cursed Seals badly injured them.

If their companions hadn't rescued them in time, the seals would probably have killed them.

"Everyone, get out of here!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi truly lived up to his title as Hokage. He protected Shimura Danzō, who was little more than a cripple, while defending himself and even starting to undo the rampant Cursed Seals.

The two men beside Ensei Uchiha could only rely on the Susanoo Chakra released by their Mangekyo ocular power to hold out. The difference between them was plain to see.

"The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan is indeed powerful. But if you rely on it too much, you'll never become a true strongman."

Ensei Uchiha spoke calmly. The dense blue-white Chakra surrounding him seemed endless, steadily wearing down the Cursed Seals.

Neither Fugaku Uchiha nor Shisui Uchiha reacted to Ensei Uchiha's taunt. They were both used to it.

At last, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō worked together to remove the Cursed Seal from the arm.

Once the seal was undone, the arm bound in medical bandages finally revealed what it really looked like.

"Ensei Uchiha, don't just jump straight into a fight next time!"

"I'm still here, you know. Do you really think I'd cover for Danzō?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help reminding him. By now, he had figured out the situation.

He didn't know why Ensei Uchiha possessed such power at such a young age, but it was obvious that Ensei was the main character here. The other two would be easy enough to deal with.

"The truth is, you really would!"

Ensei Uchiha weighed the arm in his hand. It contained Hashirama Cells, along with another kind of cell capable of fusing all Kekkei Genkai. He couldn't help seeing it as a valuable asset.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had nothing to say in response to Ensei Uchiha's blunt accusation.

In all his years as Hokage, he had never encountered someone who was neither moved by threats nor softened by persuasion—and whose strength was in no way inferior to his own.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also knew that if this matter wasn't handled properly today, Konoha would face a tremendous disaster.

"All right. I have no interest in hearing your clumsy excuses."

"Do you remember the mysterious person who passed information to Minato Namikaze before the Nine-Tails' Rampage? That was me. My power was insufficient back then, so I had to keep my identity hidden."

"I know every secret in Konoha, and I know what foolish things you'll do in the future."

"So there's no need to fob me off with those childish lies."

"I didn't come here today to settle things with Danzō. I came to discuss the Uchiha Clan with you."

"As for Danzō...I'm waiting for him to come after me. If he dares, I'll kill him—and the entire Root along with him."

Ensei Uchiha's voice remained calm, without the slightest hint of emotion, as if he were simply chatting.

Yet no one dared ignore a single word he said.

That was right. Even Shimura Danzō, who loathed Ensei Uchiha at this moment, didn't dare disregard anything he said.

After all, he was bad, not stupid.

Well, maybe a little stupid.

But from his own point of view, everything he did was truly for the sake of Konoha.

"I see. You're demonstrating your strength."

"Tell me what you want. As Hokage, I'll take care of this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for a moment, then, as expected, chose to compromise.

In his youth, he might truly have been the Shinobi Hero. But after making his first compromise, he had grown weaker and weaker.

"First, I want you to keep Shimura Danzō in line. I don't mean just saying you will. I mean actually keeping him in line."

"If you ignore me this time, don't blame me for failing to warn you before I act next time."

"And here's some advice: investigate Danzō properly. You let a lot of things happen, but what Danzō's done has long since gone beyond what you expected."

"Second, the Uchiha Clan's situation in the village has to change."

"We'll give up half of our authority over the Konoha Military Police Force, and members of other clans can join."

"And the Uchiha Clan's other shinobi must be allowed to take on missions as normal."

"Third..."