Pot Kage

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo with suspicion and wariness, wondering whether he had caused the Nine-Tails Incident.

Given what he knew of Danzo, he was absolutely capable of doing something like that.

They had known each other for decades, yet Danzo had even been capable of attempting to assassinate Sarutobi Hiruzen. What was there that Danzo would not dare to do?!

Moreover, Root had shown no movement at all last night and had never appeared from beginning to end. That was also a massive point of suspicion.

It was hard not to wonder what Danzo had been off doing.

This showed just how important a good reputation was.

Because Danzo normally never did anything decent, whenever something happened at a critical moment, everyone believed Danzo had done it if there was even the slightest sign of trouble.

But this really had not been done by Danzo!

Danzo was so furious he nearly spat blood. Last night, he had merely preserved his strength and ordered Root to remain hidden.

How had it suddenly become him sending Root's ninja off to do some shady, unspeakable business?

"You still have not explained why the shape of the Sharingan appeared in the Nine-Tails' eyes."

"If you cannot explain that, you Uchiha will remain the primary suspects in the Nine-Tails Incident and in the murder of the Fourth Hokage and his wife!"

Seeing that he could not persuade the crowd, Danzo could only try to shift the blame.

That had always been his usual tactic. No matter what, the Sharingan shape in the Nine-Tails' eyes last night could not have been faked. Many people had seen it with their own eyes.

Sarutobi Hiruzen also stepped forward at this point, wanting to clear his old friend of suspicion.

"That's right. The Uchiha must give Konoha an explanation for this."

"After all, quite a few civilians were killed or injured last night. This matter must be investigated thoroughly."

Sarutobi Hiruzen truly did not want to abandon Danzo. Leaving aside their many years of brotherhood, Sarutobi Hiruzen had tacitly approved much of what Root did behind the scenes.

It would be a pity to give up such a useful Pot Kage.

Besides, if Danzo were backed into a corner, there was no telling whether he might bite back.

And targeting the Uchiha was practically a staple of the Hokage faction. Naturally, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not remain silent at a time like this.

Xuanye shifted his gaze toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, his expression still beaming.

"Third Hokage, are you sure you want to investigate this thoroughly?" Xuanye continued digging a pit for him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen said righteously, "This concerns the Fourth Hokage. A thorough investigation is inevitable."

At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen was just short of declaring that he would never coexist with evil.

Xuanye nodded. That was exactly what he wanted to hear.

But seeing Xuanye's expression, Sarutobi Hiruzen began to feel uneasy.

He had the distinct feeling that Xuanye had dug a huge pit and was waiting for him to jump in.

"I said earlier that there are two ways to determine whether someone is the culprit."

"One is to look at his motive, and the other is to look at his ability."

He had finished discussing motive. Now it was time to discuss ability.

"Before the Fourth Hokage used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, he told me that the mysterious man he fought last night wore a spiral-patterned mask, with only a Sharingan in his right eye exposed."

"Although he did not see his face, that masked man's hairstyle and hair color were exactly the same as yours, Elder Danzo."

"What a coincidence! Don't you think so?"

The instant Xuanye said this, the way everyone looked at Danzo changed.

Especially when they looked at Danzo's right eye, wrapped in bandages. They had always wondered why Danzo kept his right eye covered with bandages.

So there had been such an unspeakable purpose behind it?

Xuanye continued pressing him. "Elder Danzo, could you please remove the bandages from your face and let everyone see exactly what your right eye looks like?"

Danzo was utterly shocked. He could not even maintain his superficial calm, instinctively raising one hand to cover the bandaged area over his right eye.

It was common knowledge that after someone without Uchiha bloodline transplanted a Sharingan, it could not be closed.

Whether Danzo had truly transplanted a Sharingan could be determined immediately if the bandages over his right eye were removed.

Little did he know that his current action was the clearest proof of guilt.

The fact that Sharingan could be transplanted was no secret. Kakashi's left eye had been transplanted from his close friend Obito.

But that matter had been approved by the Uchiha Clan—at least, it had been approved by Fugaku.

Of course, that had also been to show goodwill toward the Hokage faction, to curry favor with Namikaze Minato, or perhaps to win him over.

But unexpectedly, Namikaze Minato had become the Fourth Hokage after the war.

Leaving those side matters aside, everyone present sharpened their gazes as Danzo covered his right eye.

He was trying to hide the truth. There was already more than enough evidence.

The bloodline clans, especially the Hyuuga Clan, who also possessed a dōjutsu bloodline, had veins bulging on their foreheads. Others even mistook them for having activated their Byakugan.

Transplanting another bloodline clan's inherited abilities without permission was a precedent that absolutely could not be set.

Today it was the Uchiha. Tomorrow, it could very well be the Hyuga!

Some ninja who had been saved by Namikaze Minato on the battlefield even revealed undisguised killing intent.

Kakashi especially would have already rushed up to fight Danzo to the death if he had not retained a shred of reason.

There was already more than enough evidence. The deaths and injuries of Minato and his wife, as well as so many villagers, had all been caused by Danzo!

"This old man has nothing to prove! This is all an Uchiha conspiracy!"

Danzo roared. He knew he absolutely could not remove the bandages now. Once he did, it would be like mud smeared on his pants—whether it was shit or not, everyone would think it was shit!

He had motive and ability.

Even the attacker's physical traits matched him.

Danzo was beginning to doubt himself. Had he really done it last night?

Could it be that he had been asleep, and everything that happened last night had been caused by him sleepwalking?

Sarutobi Hiruzen, meanwhile, closed his eyes.

He knew that the truth no longer mattered.

Danzo's act of covering his right eye had already confirmed his position as the primary suspect in the Nine-Tails Incident.

No, perhaps he was not merely a suspect, because ninja did not need to place much importance on evidence.

Wanted evidence? Once Danzo was captured, there were plenty of ways to extract his memories from his mind.

And now even Sarutobi Hiruzen suspected that everything last night had truly been done by Danzo, with the goal of framing the Uchiha today while seizing the position of Fifth Hokage.

Given Danzo's character, he was absolutely capable of doing such a thing!

Xuanye smiled brightly.

Danzo, you old dog, so you could be wrongly accused too.