The Wicked Accuse First

At dawn, the sun had just risen. This was the birth of the morning sun.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was still strolling leisurely down the streets, warmly greeting the villagers he passed.

When he arrived beneath the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi's right eyelid suddenly began twitching uncontrollably. For no reason, unease rose in his heart, accompanied by an ominous premonition.

He went upstairs and pushed open the door to the Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that his chair had its back turned toward him.

Then the chair spun around, revealing the person he least wanted to see right now sitting in it.

That's right! It was Danzo!

When Danzo saw Hiruzen arrive, he remained leaned against the back of the chair without moving, merely watching Hiruzen with cold, smug eyes.

Hiruzen felt that something was off. This was not how Danzo usually acted.

Just as he was about to ask, Danzo beat him to it.

"Hiruzen, Root Base was attacked last night. Every Root member within the base was killed."

Danzo rose from the chair of his own accord, straightened it, then stood to one side and gestured for Hiruzen to come sit down.

Hiruzen was first stunned by the news, then enraged once again.

"Did the culprit leave behind any information? I will definitely seek justice for you!"

That was right. At this moment, it was not Danzo who was furious, but Hiruzen.

Although Hiruzen disliked some of his good friend Danzo's usual conduct, Danzo was still his closest brother.

He had turned a blind eye to many things. Even when Danzo had once sent people to assassinate him, Hiruzen had merely reprimanded and suppressed him, without imposing much punishment on Danzo.

Now that Root Base had been wiped out, how could he possibly remain indifferent? He had to seek justice for Root.

A mocking expression appeared on Danzo's face as he looked at Hiruzen.

"The culprits were Uchiha Senya, Uchiha Fugaku, and Itachi Uchiha."

"I told you long ago that the Uchiha clan was rotten to the core and had long harbored rebellious intentions. Do you believe me now?"

"What a pity. If you had listened to me sooner, Root's ninja would not have died so unjustly."

"I never expected it. My Root's elite ninja had selflessly contributed so much to the village. They were not killed by enemies on dangerous missions, yet they lost their lives at the hands of their own fellow villagers! How laughable!"

As he spoke, Danzo gradually became more emotional and directly swept all the documents from the desk.

With every word Danzo uttered, Hiruzen felt himself falling deeper into despair. Yet reason compelled him to ask one final question—the answer he feared hearing most.

"How could Senya, Fugaku, and Itachi possibly wipe out the hundreds of ninja in Root by themselves? There were more than thirty elite Jonin and special Jonin among them!"

"Impossible! It absolutely could not have been the three of them! Your intelligence must be wrong!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi desperately denied the answer Danzo had just given.

At that moment, Danzo stepped toward Hiruzen one step at a time, his eyes fixed firmly on Hiruzen's.

"If they were merely three ordinary Uchiha, then it would indeed be impossible."

"But the ninja who escaped from Root saw it with his own eyes. Uchiha Senya's Sharingan pattern was not Three-Tomoe, but an entirely different pattern!"

Those words struck Hiruzen's ears like a bolt from the blue, stabbing into his mind.

Unconsciously, he began recalling that legendary forbidden ninja, a man renowned alongside Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage and God of the Ninja World—the legendary ninja known as the Asura of the Ninja World, Uchiha Madara!

A massive blue crow-tengu giant surfaced in his mind.

In that battle, although Uchiha Madara had lost, he had severely wounded Lord Hashirama, the First Hokage. Not long after returning to the village, Hashirama had succumbed to his injuries.

And what Uchiha Madara had relied upon was that godlike power—the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Hiruzen did not know, however, that Uchiha Madara had possessed the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

At that moment, he believed Senya had acquired power equal to Uchiha Madara's back then! He had no choice but to fear him, to a degree that far surpassed even the White Fang of the Leaf!

The fear on Hiruzen's face made Danzo inwardly ecstatic!

That's right, that expression! That look of fear! Hurry and think of a way to wipe out all those Uchiha scum with me! Then I can have a complete pair of Mangekyō Sharingan!

When that time comes, forget Konoha! The entire Ninja World will submit beneath my feet!

Danzo was already imagining the glorious future of sweeping across the Ninja World with Susanoo and commanding a Wood Golem. Perhaps he could even try fitting Susanoo around the Great Buddha—it was not impossible!

"Hiruzen, do you understand now? Not a single word of what I said before was wrong. The Police Force reforms were nothing more than a smokescreen."

"They wanted to deceive both you and me, making us immerse ourselves in false beauty."

"Then, after we had placed our trust in the Uchiha, they would deliver a fatal blow. By then, the entire village would be destroyed!"

"If the sole survivor of Root Base had not witnessed it himself, even I might have been deceived by the Uchiha clan's previous behavior!"

Danzo once again began relentlessly poisoning Hiruzen's mind.

This situation with the Uchiha differed from Jiraiya's previous case. Fear and suspicion had always filled Hiruzen's heart. Though he had been moved by the Uchiha's sincere display, doubt still remained within him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew darker and darker. At last, he slowly walked up to the Hokage's desk and recalled Tobirama Senju's words.

[Monkey, I failed to properly deal with the Uchiha problem. Though it has not erupted for now, the conflict surrounding the Police Force will certainly explode in ten or twenty years.]

At that moment, Hiruzen had completely forgotten the rest of Tobirama Senju's words: You must resolve it properly. That is also why I took Kagami Uchiha as my disciple—I hoped he could become a bridge... I failed to fulfill my elder brother's wish. From now on, I entrust it to you, the Third Hokage!

All he knew was that he was the Third Hokage! He was Konoha's ruler. If the Uchiha clan dared to slaughter everyone in Root Base today, then tomorrow they would dare to destroy the Hokage's Anbu! The day after that, they would dare to assassinate the Hokage!

"Danzo, gather the remaining Root ninja. I will immediately assemble the Hokage Guard Platoon and Anbu ninja. Once everyone is gathered, have them stand by!"

"I will send someone to deliver the order shortly. Uchiha Senya and Uchiha Fugaku are to proceed alone to the Forest of Death."

"If Uchiha Senya and Uchiha Fugaku cannot give us a satisfactory answer, then we will immediately eliminate them both and rectify the Uchiha clan!"

The kindness that had once been visible on Hiruzen's face was nowhere to be found. He had already forgotten the tears he shed on the day of the Police Force celebration.

Now, his heart contained only fear of the Uchiha and his obsession with the position of Hokage...