Danzo's Treachery, Assassinating the Hokage!

Danzō returned to the surface, his clothes soaked in blood, his complexion rapidly draining of color.

Clutching the wound on his chest, Danzō deliberately walked toward a nearby street, intent on pinning the crime of treason—the assassination of the Hokage—on Hiruzen Sarutobi in full view of the public.

Danzō feigned weakness, his footsteps unsteady and staggering as he approached the street and caught sight of figures.

Among them, two ninjas from the Military Police Force wearing the Uchiha crest appeared in his line of sight.

Danzō felt a surge of joy, instantly conceiving a plan to kill two birds with one stone, and quickened his pace.

"Lord Hokage!" one of the ninjas, having just stepped out of a shop, was the first to spot Danzō.

Following this exclamation, nearby villagers and ninjas alike noticed the Third Hokage, who was clutching his chest and appeared to be severely wounded.

"Make way!" The two Uchiha ninjas from the Military Police Force pushed through the crowd and rushed to Danzō's side, reaching out to support him.

"Lord Hokage, what happened?" The older Uchiha ninja immediately activated his Sharingan to confirm that the Hokage before him was not a transformation, then asked with concern.

A look of sorrow flashed across Danzō's face. After a heavy sigh, he spoke in a weak voice: "Danzō plotted to assassinate the Hokage. One of you must return to the Military Police Force headquarters immediately and notify Fugaku, telling him to gather the Uchiha ninjas remaining in the village and assemble at the Hokage Building."

Upon hearing Danzō's words, the two Uchiha ninjas were shocked. After the initial surprise, a glimmer of joy appeared in the eyes of the older one, who immediately ordered: "Tekka, go notify the clan leader at once. I will escort Lord Hokage to the hospital."

"Yes!" the young ninja named Uchiha Tekka replied, turning and sprinting away.

The surrounding villagers and ninjas, having heard what Danzō said, instantly erupted into a frenzy.

Elder Danzō actually assassinated the Hokage, and during wartime at that! Something major was about to happen to the village!

Ninjas in the crowd stepped forward, spontaneously forming a perimeter to guard Danzō.

A medical ninja from the Konoha Hospital who happened to be nearby rushed to Danzō's side, ready to treat the Hokage's injuries.

Deep in the underground base of Root, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just received a report from his subordinates that the two guards at the tunnel entrance had likely been killed by the Third Hokage.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi analyzed Danzō's intentions, another subordinate arrived with news that left him furious and horrified.

That bastard Danzō! His methods were so vicious; he was actually framing him for treason and the attempted assassination of the Hokage!

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned ghastly. He knew he had little time left to react.

Only two paths lay before him: stay and expose Danzō's conspiracy in person, or leave through the secret passage to hide and plan his next move.

The first option was essentially impossible, given that Danzō had struck first.

The ninjas of the village, deceived by Danzō, would not believe a word he said—especially since he was currently wearing Danzō's face.

Thus, only one path remained for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Either stay, lead the Root ninjas into a civil war against Danzō, and die in the siege, leaving the village severely weakened.

Or leave immediately and plot for the future.

After a moment of thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to leave. He strode out of the room, looked at the Root ninjas gathered in the corridor, and spoke.

"Stay here. If you encounter the village ninjas, do not resist. Surrender immediately."

With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed through the crowd, turned into the right-hand tunnel with a calm expression, and vanished into the darkness.

Danzō, this game of chess is far from over!

In the open space before the Hokage Building, Danzō, having received treatment, ignored the medical ninja's protests. Clad in the Hokage's ceremonial robes, he appeared before the urgently assembled Konoha Military Police Force and Anbu ninjas.

"Hokage Advisor Shimura Danzō has acted with malicious intent and attempted to assassinate the Hokage. Effective immediately, all his positions are revoked. Go and apprehend him at once—dead or alive."

"Yes!" the hundreds of gathered ninjas replied in unison.

Among the crowd, the Uchiha ninjas—especially the mid-to-high-ranking officers of the Military Police Force—felt a surge of joy.

If there was anyone the Uchiha hated most in the village, it was undoubtedly Danzō.

In the past, Danzō had constantly suppressed and harassed the Uchiha clan on every possible occasion.

Now, Danzō had actually dared to assassinate the Hokage, and he had failed.

Was this not a heaven-sent opportunity for the Uchiha to take their revenge?

More importantly, the fact that the Third Hokage had chosen to deploy the Military Police Force to deal with Danzō was a clear gesture of goodwill toward the Uchiha.

Standing at the front of the formation, Uchiha Fugaku maintained a stern expression, though his heart was filled with excitement.

Danzō stood on the steps, watching the Uchiha and Anbu ninjas depart in orderly fashion, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

Hiruzen, you forced my hand! Once you are dead, I will send the Uchiha clan down to join you in the grave!

"Hiruzen, is there some misunderstanding between you and Danzō? He couldn't possibly have done such a thing," Utatane Koharu said, having finally arrived, as she leaned in to whisper her advice.

Danzō turned to look at Koharu, his expression grim and imposing.

"Do you think the wounds on my body are fake?"

Koharu looked at Danzō's chest and was momentarily speechless. Yet, decades of camaraderie in war compelled her to continue: "Regardless, spare Danzō's life for now. Lock him up and interrogate him properly. I don't believe Danzō is that..."

"Enough!" Danzō snapped, cutting her off. "I have already made my decision regarding Danzō!"

Koharu was stunned by the ferocity of his anger. As she looked at him, she couldn't shake the strange feeling that the "Hiruzen" before her possessed a temperament remarkably similar to Danzō's.

Danzō lowered his voice, regaining his composure. "Koharu, I understand your thoughts. Danzō and I have been comrades for decades; his contributions to Konoha's survival have been immense."

"But none of that justifies his treasonous assassination attempt. This time, Danzō has gone too far. Even I cannot let him go!"

Seeing Danzo's attitude was so resolute, Koharu found it difficult to persuade him further; she merely sighed, turned to look ahead, and lamented, "After decades of being together, how did it come to this? What exactly is Danzo trying to do?"

Danzo sighed as well, putting on an expression of heartache, "Koharu, the situation in the village is unstable right now; you take charge of stabilizing the situation. As for Danzo's affairs, I will resolve them myself."

"I understand," Koharu said in a low voice, turning to walk into the Hokage Building.

Danzo walked toward the steps, facing the golden sunlight, and took firm strides as he headed forward.

Hiruzen, this round, I have won!