Mitaraishi Anko

Watching Fugaku and Genya leave, Shimura Danzō immediately changed his expression and roared at Sarutobi Hiruzen:

"Hiruzen! It was all because you were too soft-hearted! Now the Uchiha have produced another Mangekyō. He might become the next Uchiha Madara! You must take full responsibility for this!"

Even as Danzo fumed, he became even more determined to eradicate the entire Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha clan was simply too dangerous. A power as uncontrollable as the Sharingan could only be safest for Konoha when it was in his own hands!

I will fulfill my teacher's goal!

Sarutobi Hiruzen was also furious. He had never expected that one day, he would be forced into a corner in the field he was most proud of and professional in.

After Danzo suddenly shouted at him, he became even angrier. There was no one around anyway, so he simply vented all his rage on Danzo.

"Now you know how to raise your voice? Then why didn't you dare say that when Fugaku was here?"

"Come on, they haven't gone far yet. If you've got the guts, go over there and tell Fugaku to his face that you don't agree to their demands."

"If he doesn't chop you into several pieces on the spot, I'll admit you've really got some guts!"

Danzo was stunned by the barrage of shouting and did not recover for a long while.

It was not because he had run out of words, but because of Hiruzen's attitude toward him.

Hiruzen, how dare you shout at me!

It was the first time Danzo had ever been scolded so harshly by Sarutobi Hiruzen, and his old face flushed bright red.

But there was no way he would dare chase after them and risk his life against a pair of Mangekyō.

He had only just begun cooperating with Orochimaru, and the Wood Release research had not been underway for long.

Without a Wood Release right arm transplanted into him, he only had one Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his right eye to activate Izanagi.

Using one Three-Tomoe Sharingan to face a pair of Mangekyō head-on was nothing but suicide.

"Hiruzen, you... Hmph!"

This time, Danzo seemed to have truly been hurt. He did not even throw out his usual threat of "You'll regret this," instead slamming the door and leaving.

Sarutobi Hiruzen forcefully pinched the bridge of his nose. Feeling exhausted, he began considering how to solve the current problem.

That soft pushover Fugaku had actually awakened the Mangekyō...

For the first time, Sarutobi Hiruzen realized that things seemed to be developing beyond his control.

After returning to Root, Shimura Danzō felt a knot of anger lodged in his chest no matter how he thought about it.

He had never been the type to endure humiliation. If someone crossed him, he usually took revenge that very day.

Shimura Danzō shouted, "Someone!"

Several Root ninjas wearing animal masks appeared behind Danzo and dropped to one knee.

"You. Go kill the Uchiha clansman who's been making the biggest fuss lately, and bring his eyes back."

Danzo knew this was surely what Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted most as well. He was merely putting one of the recently overactive Uchiha in his place; it was not as though this was the first time they had done it.

Hiruzen simply could not bring himself to do it.

As long as they did not touch Fugaku's family, that coward Fugaku would probably just endure it.

"Yes!" The Root ninjas immediately left using the Body Flicker Technique.

This was Danzo's philosophy for training ninjas. They existed solely to complete missions, utterly and completely as tools.

In Danzo's eyes, these ninjas only needed to risk their lives on the front lines. But as the leader of Root and the future Hokage, he had far more matters to consider.

Having gained authority over the Security Division, along with Fugaku's indulgence, Genya had now become the de facto second-most influential figure in the entire Uchiha clan.

Genya was not particularly interested in the position of clan head.

The Security Division's authority allowed him to mobilize nearly eighty percent of the Uchiha's elite. Only some highly respected Elders and clansmen who had not awakened their Sharingan could not be mobilized.

But the clan head had to handle every aspect of the entire Uchiha clan's daily lives.

In any case, the mission required prestige within the Uchiha, not status.

Gaining enough prestige among this bunch of red-eyed maniacs was actually very simple.

All he needed to do was display unmatched power.

Just as Genya was still considering how to make a grand show of himself, he suddenly ran into a bold, spirited young girl with wildly spiked hair on the streets of Konoha.

She was Orochimaru's disciple, Mitaraishi Anko.

Mitaraishi Anko wore a black fishnet bodysuit, paired with black thigh-high socks and short ninja boots. Over them, however, she wore a cropped khaki trench coat to conceal the Cursed Seal of Heaven on her neck.

At that moment, Mitaraishi Anko had just bought a skewer of tricolored dango and was about to put it into her mouth.

It was obvious that she had an extraordinary fondness for sweets.

When Genya saw Mitaraishi Anko, he thought of that man who did science in the ninja world, so he immediately stepped forward and stopped her.

"Who are you?" Mitaraishi Anko was interrupted just as she was about to eat something sweet, and she gave Genya an annoyed look.

At this time, Mitaraishi Anko was still a young girl in the prime of her youth, with a rather flamboyant personality.

Since Orochimaru had not yet defected and her darker side had not been awakened, her overall disposition was still relatively cheerful.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru had always regarded Anko as nothing more than a tool for developing Cursed Seals. When he defected, he sealed her memories as well, causing Anko to live in resentment for the rest of her life.

She did not resent Orochimaru for defecting; she resented him for not taking her with him when he did.

He had turned such a fine girl into this. Orochimaru truly had committed every kind of evil.

After noticing the table tennis paddle emblem on Genya's clothes, Mitaraishi Anko became wary. She casually pulled her trench coat higher, covering the Cursed Seal on her neck.

Her teacher had told her not to get involved with the Uchiha clan unless necessary.

Genya said, "Let me introduce myself. I'm Uchiha Genya."

Anko crossed her arms and said distantly, "I've heard of you. Why did you stop me?"

"Can you contact your teacher? I want to meet Orochimaru."

The moment that name appeared, Anko's gaze changed, and she even looked at Genya with some wariness.

"Why are you looking for my teacher? Let me make this clear first: if this is about the Uchiha's petty affairs, my teacher can't help you right now."

The Uchiha's ambition to become Hokage was known by practically everyone in Konoha.

Strictly speaking, Orochimaru had also been one of the strongest candidates for Fourth Hokage. However, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought Orochimaru was too gloomy and difficult to control, so he directly passed the position of Fourth Hokage to Namikaze Minato.

Anko probably thought the Uchiha wanted to join forces with Orochimaru and stir up some major trouble in Konoha.

Genya shook his head. "This time, I only represent myself in cooperating with Senior Orochimaru. It has nothing to do with the Uchiha clan."

"You only need to pass along a message. Whether he wants to meet me is a decision your teacher will make himself."