Danzo: I See Through Everything!

Time ticked by, second by second; the wait was both agonizing and unsettling.

Even with Danzo's temperament, he found it hard to sit still. He couldn't help but reach up to rub his brow, while his other hand tapped rhythmically against the armrest of his chair.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

A flurry of hurried footsteps approached from the darkness, growing louder by the second.

Several Root ninjas strode into the main hall and knelt before Danzo.

"Lord Danzo, the Uchiha Clan Meeting has concluded. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred during the proceedings."

"Nothing happened?"

Danzo's brows furrowed tightly.

This was not the answer he had expected, nor was it even among his conjectures.

He had seen with his own eyes the barely concealed malice Setsuna Uchiha held toward the Konoha leadership while in prison; that could not have been faked.

How could a man like that attend a Clan Meeting and do absolutely nothing?!

"Is the intelligence flawed, or are the Uchiha hiding something?!"

"No."

The Root ninja who had come to report shook his head.

"There is a barrier outside Naka Shrine that blocks the prying eyes of our surveillance ninjas."

"Although we do not know exactly what happened inside, there were no casualties among the Uchiha ninjas before or after the Clan Meeting."

"This is sufficient proof that, during the meeting, no direct conflict broke out between Setsuna Uchiha and Fugaku Uchiha."

"That is impossible!"

Danzo rejected the speculation without a second thought.

"One of those two is the former power-holder of the Uchiha, and the other is the current leader."

"One is a hardline hawk who hates Konoha, and the other is a dove attempting to join hands with Hiruzen."

"To say there was no conflict between these two is absolutely impossible!"

"Something we are unaware of must have occurred during the Clan Meeting. Keep investigating; I want everything that happened before and after the Clan Meeting!"

"Wait!"

Another Root ninja stepped forward, handing the mission report for the night to Danzo. "I recall one detail that is quite concerning," he said.

"After the Clan Meeting ended, the Uchiha ninjas did not leave together; they emerged in several separate groups."

"Setsuna Uchiha and Fugaku Uchiha spent a period of time alone inside Naka Shrine."

"Those two, talking in private..."

Danzo lowered his eyes, looking at the mission report provided by the Root ninja responsible for monitoring the Uchiha.

Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!

The pages flipped rapidly as the events of the Clan Meeting flashed before Danzo's eyes.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled upward in the process.

"So that's how it is. I understand now!"

Everyone present looked up, waiting for Danzo to continue.

"The fact that those two spoke in private and then emerged from the shrine one after the other, each taking away a genius who has recently appeared in Konoha, is proof enough that their negotiation was not pleasant."

"Perhaps..."

Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze fell upon the mission report. He continued, "Fugaku Uchiha must have made concessions; otherwise, he would never have allowed Uchiha Shingen—a genius with such outstanding talent who is naturally inclined toward Konoha—to be taken away by Setsuna Uchiha!"

"This signifies that Setsuna Uchiha wants to sever the possibility of cooperation between Konoha and the Uchiha."

"In other words, Fugaku Uchiha was at a disadvantage during this Clan Meeting. My plan is already half-successful!"

"With Setsuna Uchiha in the mix, there is no way Hiruzen will ever be able to win over the Uchiha!"

Aburame Ryoma was taken aback by this explanation.

He felt inexplicably that something was wrong, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He spoke up tactfully, "Lord Danzo, we currently have no evidence to support your conjecture."

"That is true."

Danzo nodded, acknowledging Aburame Ryoma's point, then immediately ordered the Root ninjas before him:

"Return to Naka Shrine at once and see if you can find any clues."

"Understood!"

The group scattered like birds and beasts, returning to the vicinity of Naka Shrine to search for any possible clues.

Four hours later.

The Root ninja responsible for the search returned to the base, bringing back several kunai that had been completely deformed.

"These were found near Naka Shrine."

"Although these kunai were found more than ten kilometers away from Naka Shrine, based on the reverse trajectory, they were launched from within the shrine."

"We also found corresponding small holes in the perimeter wall of Naka Shrine."

Danzo reached out and took one of the kunai into his hand, feeling a chill, but the corners of his mouth slowly curled up:

"This is the evidence!"

"It seems that the meeting between Fugaku Uchiha and Setsuna Uchiha was not just a simple disagreement, but that they have already come to blows."

"Judging by the results, Fugaku Uchiha likely suffered a significant loss."

"Just wait."

"The eruption of internal conflict within the Uchiha will not be far off!"

"Patriarch, is it really appropriate to leave Shingen-kun by Setsuna Uchiha's side?!"

Konoha Military Police Force.

After leaving Naka Shrine, Uchiha Yakumi had followed Fugaku back here.

He had been worried throughout the journey, and now he could finally no longer hold back his words.

Fugaku Uchiha did not respond, merely picking up the teacup on the table, pouring a cup of water for Uchiha Yakumi, and slowly sitting back in his own seat.

"How can you still be drinking water at a time like this!"

Seeing that Fugaku had no reaction, Uchiha Yakumi felt even more anxious:

"Patriarch, Shingen is still young. If he is influenced by Setsuna Uchiha's ideology and follows in his footsteps, the current favorable situation will all go down the drain!"

Fugaku Uchiha remained calm and collected, taking a light sip of tea before speaking slowly:

"No matter what he wants to do, I have the confidence to keep him in check. Furthermore, the existence of Elder Setsuna may not necessarily be a bad thing for us."

"What do you mean?!"

Fugaku Uchiha set down his teacup, raised his eyes to look at Uchiha Yakumi, and said:

"Who do you think it was that let Elder Setsuna out?"

"Danzo?!"

Uchiha Yakumi spoke instinctively, but seeing Fugaku shake his head, he was stunned for a moment before blurting out:

"It couldn't possibly be the Third Hokage, could it?!"

"That's right, it is the Third Hokage!"

Fugaku Uchiha nodded:

"In Konoha, the only person with the authority to release Elder Setsuna from prison early is the Third Hokage. He is likely hoping to use this to force me to lean completely toward Konoha."

"This..."

Uchiha Yakumi was slightly taken aback, vaguely sensing something, yet his vision felt as if it were shrouded in a layer of fog; he only felt that the situation within the Uchiha was becoming increasingly treacherous.

Seeing this, Fugaku Uchiha patiently explained:

"The current situation of the Uchiha is already clear."

"As long as no accidents happen to Shingen-kun, in a few years, or at most ten, the conflict between the Uchiha and the village will be completely resolved."

"Our focus must be on that time, and how to secure more benefits for the Uchiha."

"Elder Setsuna is a card played by the Hokage, but he is also the very card I need!"