Sow the Seeds of Chaos

Hiruzen!

Danzo's expression turned cold as he said, "If Orochimaru had killed Uchiha Shisui, do you really think he would have snuck into Konoha so quietly?"

The three of them were stunned once again.

If Shisui had truly been killed by Orochimaru, that man would certainly have found a place to hide; he would never have come to Konoha.

Since it wasn't Orochimaru, that left only Root.

However...

A thought crossed all three of their minds simultaneously.

The possibility of it being Root was also slim.

After all, assassinating Uchiha Shisui at this time offered no benefit to Root.

Danzo sneered and said, "Do you still suspect that Root killed Uchiha Shisui?"

The three looked at each other and shook their heads one after another.

Since neither Root nor Orochimaru were responsible, Uchiha Shisui's death must have been the work of someone else.

Danzo narrowed his single eye.

"There is only one possibility: Uchiha Shisui staged this farce himself. He must have been directed by the Uchiha Clan, and the goal is naturally to seize control of the village."

He tapped his cane again and sneered, "The Uchiha have already launched their attack; are we just going to sit here and wait for our deaths?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent for a moment.

It had to be said that Danzo's words held some logic.

The sudden death of Uchiha Shisui was originally full of suspicious points, and both Orochimaru and Root seemed to be cleared of suspicion.

That could only mean one thing: another force was manipulating the situation.

Their goal was to disrupt the peace between the Uchiha and the village, and the Uchiha Clan themselves were highly suspicious.

But...

Mitokado Homura asked in confusion, "What Kakashi and the Byakugan saw..."

"That was a genjutsu!"

Danzo interrupted him bluntly and sneered, "The Uchiha Clan is a family of genjutsu masters, and Shisui is one of their best. With his strength, deceiving Kakashi's defective Sharingan and the Hyuga's Byakugan is not difficult at all."

He paused and suddenly said, "The real suspicious point of this matter is that Uchiha Shisui's body was never found. A scene can be faked, but a body cannot. Therefore, I believe Uchiha Shisui is still alive and is perhaps the mastermind behind this. We must strike first; I propose an immediate attack on the Uchiha to completely eradicate this evil race."

Ever since learning of Uchiha Shisui's true strength from Orochimaru, Danzo had solidified his resolve to eradicate the Uchiha.

The Sharingan was a powerful kekkei genkai, and the Uchiha Clan already stood proudly in Konoha by virtue of its power. If they were to awaken a few more Mangekyo, Konoha would likely fall into their hands.

"Absolutely not!"

The three spoke in unison.

The village was already showing signs of division; if they provoked a war now, it would only cause the village to fall further apart and invite invasion from other villages.

"Danzo!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed his hand on the table and said, "These are all your guesses, without a shred of evidence. Furthermore, the most important thing right now is to protect the stability of the village. Once an internal war breaks out, it will give other villages an opportunity."

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura nodded as well.

Taking action against the Uchiha at this time was indeed inappropriate.

Danzo remained calm and said, "If our Anbu join forces to launch a surprise attack, the battle will end quickly and cause no other losses."

As he spoke, he produced a sketch.

He had run many simulations for this event.

He was now fully confident.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura stared closely at Danzo's deployment, their faces turning grave.

It had to be said that Danzo was truly a talent; this plan could be considered flawless. If it went smoothly, the battle could be ended in a single night.

As long as the Uchiha were completely wiped out, they could simply pin a charge of treason on them, and no one else would be able to say anything.

The two were already tempted; after all, they were also deeply worried about the Uchiha Clan.

"No!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen refused without hesitation.

"Konoha was founded by the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan together. If we take action against the Uchiha without concrete evidence, it will have dire consequences. How would the other great clans in the village view us? How would the villagers view us? Would the trust that the First Hokage worked so hard to build not collapse overnight? I do not agree with this approach. We must return to the path of negotiation and can appropriately increase the power of the Uchiha Clan."

Indeed!

If the Uchiha Clan were annihilated without solid evidence to prove their crimes, it would inevitably cause anxiety among the other great clans.

In this way, the centripetal force of the village would dissipate, every great clan would fear for their own safety, and Konoha would exist in name only.

"Hiruzen!"

A flash of disdain crossed Danzo's single eye.

How could one allow others to snore beside one's own bed? Once the Uchiha Clan seized power, how could they possibly be content to stand on equal footing with the rest of them?

As expected, Sarutobi Hiruzen still inherited the naivety of the First Hokage.

He fundamentally failed to understand the painstaking efforts of the Second Hokage in stripping the Uchiha Clan from the center of power.

The Uchiha Clan would never be satisfied with this; they would certainly pursue even greater power.

"What if the Uchiha Clan demands the position of Hokage?"

Danzo sneered, "Are you going to obediently step aside and let them have it?"

This...

Sarutobi Hiruzen hesitated, falling silent.

The position of Hokage had always been decided by nomination. For decades, the Uchiha Clan had served as the Police Force, doing all the work that offended others. Consequently, their relationship with the other clans in the village had never been particularly friendly, and the people would never agree to an Uchiha becoming Hokage.

There was only one path for an Uchiha to become Hokage: to incite a war and seize the position by force, but that would tear the village apart.

For the peace-loving Sarutobi Hiruzen, that was an outcome he could not accept.

For a moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt caught in a dilemma.

It seemed that no matter what, it would be difficult for the village to coexist peacefully with the Uchiha.

Danzo let out a cold laugh and said, "It seems that we can only reach a consensus on the matter of maintaining the integrity of the village. But to maintain that integrity, the Uchiha Clan must be eliminated. Hiruzen, things have reached this point; you must make a decision."

After a long silence, Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly replied, "As long as there is concrete evidence that the Uchiha Clan intends to rebel, I will agree to your proposal. If there is no concrete evidence, then we must return to the path of negotiation. I believe time will be the best solution. However..."

A cold glint flashed through his eyes.

"If anyone plays tricks in this matter to incite internal strife in the village and takes advantage of the situation to do something unspeakable, I will not let them off."

As he said this, Sarutobi Hiruzen stared fixedly at Danzo.

He feared that Danzo would use the authority in his hands to force the Uchiha Clan into rebellion prematurely.