Danzo, You Fool!

Because Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped him, Hyuga Hiashi indeed did not activate his Byakugan immediately.

The Hyuuga Clan had always maintained a neutral stance in Konoha.

There was no problem with despising Danzo, but openly going against the Hokage did not serve the Hyuuga Clan's interests.

Besides, whether he used the Byakugan now no longer mattered. Unless Danzo removed the bandage over his right eye and revealed that there was only an ordinary eye beneath it, proving with facts that Xuanye's accusations against him were slander.

Otherwise, every jonin in Konoha would unanimously believe that Shimura Danzō had caused the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, as well as so many casualties during the Nine-Tails Incident.

One had to know that the dead in that disaster were not merely civilians. There had also been shinobi who tried to stop the Nine-Tails, only to be crushed beneath its foot like speed bumps.

Quite a few people present had even lost friends and family in that turmoil.

Facing the culprit behind it all, the fact that they could remain calm already showed immense restraint.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen still tried to handle this coldly, his prestige would fall to rock bottom.

Seeing the public outrage at the scene becoming difficult to contain, Sarutobi Hiruzen silently groaned.

He even somewhat regretted stepping forward to speak for Danzo earlier.

At this moment, all of Konoha's jonin, aside from some stationed along the Land of Fire's borders, had gathered here.

They even had the power to launch a vote of no confidence and strip him, the Third Hokage, of all authority.

Uchiha Genya's move was truly ruthless! Using Danzo's name as a pretext, he was actually undermining the authority of the Hokage himself.

"Xuanye..."

Xuanye directly cut off whatever Sarutobi Hiruzen had been about to say.

"Third Hokage-sama, surely you weren't about to say something like how you would definitely give everyone justice?"

"I recall that just now, you were still saying this matter had to be thoroughly investigated and that the Fourth Hokage and his wife had to be given justice."

"But why is it that now the prime suspect is your close friend, you make every excuse and start covering for him?"

Xuanye wore an expression as though he were considering Sarutobi Hiruzen's interests and said earnestly, "Of course, Elder Shimura Danzō is merely under suspicion. Everything I have done was to clear him of suspicion."

"Third Hokage-sama, surely you do not want to clear Elder Shimura Danzō's name?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's old face flushed crimson. Whether he answered yes or no, neither was right.

Uchiha Genya had completely blocked off every word he could say next, turning a dead end into one blocked from both sides.

For someone as concerned with appearances as him, this kind of public humiliation was absolutely unacceptable.

Xuanye sneered.

You want to handle this coldly and stall for time? I refuse to give you that chance.

Danzo is as good as mine this time. Even if the Sage of Six Paths himself came, he could not save him. I said so.

Danzo continued to exert himself at this moment.

Leaning on his cane, his face red with fury and looking as though he wanted nothing more than to rush up and fight Uchiha Genya to the death, he pointed at him and said:

"This old man has nothing to explain. Everything this old man has done was for the village!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's raised heart sank completely.

If he had previously only been 99.99...9% suspicious, then the moment Danzo uttered those words, he was certain.

The tragedy involving Minato and his wife last night, along with the Nine-Tails disaster, had absolutely been Danzo's doing!

Because whenever Danzo had done something Sarutobi Hiruzen did not permit in the past, he would habitually say those very words.

It had already become a fixed impression.

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes.

Danzo, you fool!

Even if it was to become Hokage, you could not use such methods! How was this any different from pushing all of Konoha to the edge of a cliff?

The Third Great Ninja War had only just ended, and the surrounding great nations and villages were all watching like tigers stalking prey.

Were you trying to destroy Konoha?

Yet at this moment, he still had to protect Danzo. As long as Danzo was not convicted on the spot, there would be plenty of room to maneuver afterward.

Thus, under Xuanye's half-smiling gaze, Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward yet again.

"I... I am absolutely not covering for Danzo, but this matter must be thoroughly investigated!"

"Matters involving us shinobi... cannot be concluded so casually. We need complete evidence."

The moment Sarutobi Hiruzen said those words, not only the ninja clans present, but even the Anbu looked at him with profound disappointment.

Kakashi stood among the Anbu, watching Sarutobi Hiruzen repeatedly conceal himself behind clumsy excuses. Remembering what Xuanye had once said to him, the final filter over his eyes shattered.

Was this ugly spectacle truly the Shinobi Hero, Sarutobi Hiruzen, whom he had known?

Or was this his true face, while the Sarutobi Hiruzen of the past had merely been a disguise?

Watching Sarutobi Hiruzen go on and on about the Three Prohibitions of Shinobi and the Will of Fire, Xuanye could no longer be bothered to listen.

His goal had already been achieved. He had no desire to keep wasting time here.

"Then I shall wait here with great anticipation for Third Hokage-sama's final investigation results."

"Remember to announce the final result publicly to everyone. I hope this will not once again end without resolution, treating everyone like fools."

"If even the assassination of the Hokage has no outcome, then the Hokage's prestige will cease to exist."

After saying that, Xuanye rose directly and led the Uchiha away.

Everyone immediately understood what Uchiha Genya meant.

If something like killing the Hokage could be brushed aside so lightly, then it could be Danzo today—but why could it not be Uchiha Genya tomorrow?

That slash from last night still had not faded from anyone's mind.

Had that slash not struck toward the outskirts of the village, it would have been enough to split all of Konoha in two.

This was a threat, and an open threat made through the assassination of the Hokage.

Yet Sarutobi Hiruzen truly did not dare do anything now.

At this all-jonin conference, Xuanye had forcibly turned the Uchiha from suspects into victims, while also dumping a stain on Shimura Danzō that could never be washed away.

At the very end, he had even viciously threatened Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Old man, do you think my blade is not sharp enough?

Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally understood the hidden threat in Xuanye's words. His expression shifted repeatedly, yet he could never make up his mind.

Many who had seen through the situation already understood that Konoha's skies were likely about to change.

"Oh, right."

Before leaving, Xuanye glanced back at Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō, who looked like two clowns on the stage, his voice exceptionally calm.

"Elder Shimura was right about one thing. The Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai will definitely be taken back by us in the end."

"Anyone who dares transplant Uchiha Sharingan will suffer the Uchiha's unending vengeance."

"No matter who it is."