Watching Fugaku and Xuanye leave, Shimura Danzō's expression changed at once. He roared at Sarutobi Hiruzen:
"Hiruzen! This is all because you're too soft! Now another Uchiha has awakened the Mangekyō. He could be the next Uchiha Madara! You'll bear full responsibility for this!"
The angrier Danzo grew, the more determined he became to wipe out the entire Uchiha Family.
The Uchiha Family was far too dangerous. A power as uncontrollable as the Sharingan would only be safe for Konoha in his hands!
I'll fulfill our teacher's goal myself!
Sarutobi Hiruzen was furious too. He had never imagined that one day someone would corner him in the field he prided himself on most.
Danzo's sudden outburst only made him angrier. With no one else around, he let all that anger loose on Danzo.
"Now you've found your voice? Why didn't you say any of this while Fugaku was here?"
"Go on. He hasn't gone far. If you've got the nerve, catch up and tell him to his face that you oppose their demands."
"If he doesn't cut you into pieces on the spot, I'll admit you've got guts!"
The barrage left Danzo stunned. He couldn't respond for a long moment.
It wasn't that he had run out of words. It was Hiruzen's attitude toward him.
Hiruzen, you dare yell at me!
It was the first time Sarutobi Hiruzen had ever torn into Danzo like that. His aging face flushed crimson.
But there was no chance he would chase after Fugaku and fight a pair of Mangekyō eyes to the death.
He had only just begun working with Orochimaru, and their Wood Release research was still in its early stages.
Without an implanted Wood Release right arm, he had only the Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his right eye with which to activate Izanagi.
Taking on a pair of Mangekyō eyes head-on with a single Three-Tomoe Sharingan would be suicide.
"Hiruzen, you... Hmph!"
This time, Danzo seemed genuinely hurt. He didn't even throw out his usual "You'll regret this." He simply slammed the door and left.
Sarutobi Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose. Exhaustion washed over him as he considered how to solve the problem before him.
Fugaku, of all people, awakened the Mangekyō...
For the first time, Sarutobi Hiruzen realized that events seemed to be slipping beyond his control.
Back at Root, Shimura Danzō couldn't shake the anger bottled up inside him.
He had never been one to swallow a grudge. Usually, he settled scores the same day.
"Someone, come here!" Shimura Danzō shouted.
Several Root Shinobi wearing animal masks appeared behind Danzo and knelt on one knee.
"Kill the Uchiha clansman who's been making the most noise lately. Bring back his eyes."
Danzo knew Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted the same thing. It was only a matter of putting the Uchiha, who had grown far too bold lately, in their place. They had done it before.
Hiruzen simply couldn't bring himself to give the order.
As long as they left Fugaku's family alone, that pushover Fugaku would probably just endure it.
"Yes!" The Root Shinobi immediately vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
That was Danzo's philosophy for training Shinobi. They existed solely to complete missions, tools through and through.
As Danzo saw it, those Shinobi only needed to risk their lives on the front lines. As the leader of Root and the future Hokage, he had far more to consider.
With authority over the Security Division and Fugaku giving him free rein, Xuanye had effectively become the second most powerful figure in the Uchiha Family.
Xuanye had little interest in becoming clan head.
Authority over the Security Division let him command nearly eighty percent of the Uchiha's elite. Only a few respected elders and clansmen who had not awakened their Sharingan remained outside his reach.
The clan head, on the other hand, had to manage every detail of the Uchiha Family's daily life.
Besides, his task called for prestige among the Uchiha, not rank.
Winning prestige among that bunch of red-eyed fanatics was simple enough.
All he had to do was display overwhelming power.
While Xuanye was still thinking about how to make a spectacular show of himself, he happened across a bold-looking girl on a Konoha street, her hair swept sharply upward at the ends.
It was Orochimaru's disciple, Mitaraishi Anko.
Mitaraishi Anko wore a tight black mesh outfit, black stockings, and short Shinobi boots. Over them, though, she wore a cropped khaki coat to hide the Cursed Seal of Heaven on her neck.
She had just bought a skewer of three-colored dango and was about to take a bite.
She clearly had quite a sweet tooth.
The sight of Mitaraishi Anko reminded Xuanye of the man pursuing science in the Shinobi world. He promptly stepped forward and stopped her.
"Who are you?" Annoyed at having her sweets interrupted, Mitaraishi Anko shot Xuanye a displeased look.
At this point, Mitaraishi Anko was still a young girl with a bold personality.
Orochimaru had yet to defect, and her darker side had yet to surface. On the whole, she was still cheerful.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru had always treated Anko as a tool for developing the Cursed Seal. When he defected, he sealed her memories too, leaving her to spend the years that followed nursing a grudge.
She didn't resent Orochimaru for defecting. She resented him for leaving her behind.
Orochimaru had done no end of terrible things to turn a perfectly good girl into that.
Anko glanced at the fan emblem on Xuanye's clothes, her expression turning wary. She tugged her coat higher to cover the Cursed Seal on her neck.
Her teacher had told her to avoid getting involved with the Uchiha Family unless she had to.
"I should introduce myself," Xuanye said. "I'm Uchiha Genya."
Anko folded her arms and kept her distance. "I've heard of you. Why did you stop me?"
"Can you contact your teacher? I'd like to meet Orochimaru."
At the mention of that name, Anko's expression changed. She looked at Xuanye with open suspicion.
"What do you want with my teacher? Let me make this clear: if it's about the Uchiha's problems, he can't help you right now."
Practically everyone in Konoha knew the Uchiha wanted to become Hokage.
Strictly speaking, Orochimaru had also been a strong candidate for Fourth Hokage. But Sarutobi Hiruzen had considered him too gloomy and too difficult to control, so he had passed the position directly to Namikaze Minato.
Anko probably thought the Uchiha wanted to join forces with Orochimaru and stir up major trouble in Konoha.
Xuanye shook his head. "This time, I'm approaching Orochimaru as an individual. It has nothing to do with the Uchiha Family."
"Just pass on my message. Your teacher can decide for himself whether to meet me."