"But speaking of which, Sarutobi Hiruzen really is arrogant."
"With one offhand remark, he just brushed today's events aside."
"No wonder he was once the Third Hokage."
Hearing Masaki Uchiha's casual remarks, the Inuzuka Clan Head knew perfectly well that he was trying to turn him against Hiruzen.
But there was nothing he could do. Sarutobi Hiruzen still wielded considerable influence.
Although he had stepped down, the Fourth Hokage was technically his grand-disciple.
Sometimes, you just had to play dumb.
But now that he had one foot aboard the Uchiha ship, he ought to show some support.
"I'm truly grateful you came today, Clan Head Masaki. Otherwise, I don't know what might have happened next." As he spoke, he bowed to Masaki Uchiha in thanks.
Masaki Uchiha raised a hand to stop him from bowing too deeply. "You're too kind, Clan Head Inuzuka. We're allies, after all. How could I stand by and do nothing?"
Well, he still had to thank Shimura Danzō for giving him a helping hand.
Just like that, the Inuzuka Clan and the Uchiha had grown closer.
As the saying went,
there were three bonds in the Ninja World:
fighting in the same war,
grinding for "gear" together,
and fighting Danzo together.
Hadn't they just formed one of those bonds today?
"If anything like this happens again, feel free to contact me."
"I'll be there."
No matter who was taking on Danzo, I, Masaki Uchiha, would always be there to back them up.
Hokage Assistant's Office
"Bang!"
The teacup met the tabletop in a rather intimate embrace.
Then came a low growl, brimming with anger and restraint.
"Danzō, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"I'd only just finished talking to you, and you'd already forgotten everything?"
"You were even planning to invite the Inuzuka Clan Head to Root for tea?"
"What right did you have to just barge into someone else's clan compound and arrest people?"
"And the person you arrested was their clan head?"
"What do you think the other ninja clans will think of us?"
"Huh?!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was so furious at Shimura Danzō's stunt that he was nearly seeing stars.
Everyone in Konoha knew you were my man.
Didn't you realize this would leave me out to dry?
What had I ever done to offend you?
Did you really want to ruin my reputation in my final years?
The more Hiruzen thought about it, the angrier he became. He couldn't let Danzō keep this up.
Today, he dared to arrest a clan head. Would he be arresting the Hokage tomorrow?
At that thought, Hiruzen took a moment to compose himself, then announced to Shimura Danzō with a stony expression, "Danzō, you're relieved of your duties."
"Homura and Koharu will take over Root for now. Go home and rest."
Shimura Danzō had been stunned by Hiruzen's barrage of questions and hadn't even had time to process them.
Then he heard that he was being forced to "take a vacation."
How could he put up with that?
He immediately bristled.
"Hiruzen, Root can't do without me!"
"I did all of this for Konoha!"
Hiruzen couldn't stand Danzō's excuses any longer. He roared at him, "Shut up! How dare you say you did this for Konoha?"
"If I hadn't sent Anbu to stop you today, Konoha would be facing a crisis of trust!"
"The Inuzuka Clan and the others could have been brought back to our side. Now you've gone and driven them away."
"If the other ninja clans see this, how can we expect them to get close to us?"
In the past, Shimura Danzō had only picked out talented members from those clans.
Now, he was bold enough to arrest their clan heads in broad daylight.
Who knew whether Root would ever be able to recruit from those clans again?
Sigh.
Hiruzen let out a long sigh and rubbed his aching head. He still had to figure out how to placate those clan heads.
"Hiruzen, Danzō was just too hasty, but his intentions were good. Why not give him a chance to make up for it?"
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, seated nearby, spoke up.
"Besides, those ninja clans really have gotten mixed up with the Uchiha."
"Danzō was just a little too aggressive. His heart was in the right place."
Hearing his two old comrades plead on his behalf, Shimura Danzō realized he had nearly botched things this time. He decided to go along with them and take the opportunity to back down.
Admitting defeat wasn't anything new to him.
"Hiruzen, I..."
Hiruzen cut him off as soon as he began to speak. "Don't plead on his behalf. Let him go home and reflect while he rests."
"His injuries haven't healed anyway. You two can take charge of Root for now."
Seeing how firm the old monkey was, the two understood there was no changing his mind, so they stopped pleading for Danzō.
Besides, a little time off would do Danzō good. He still had the bandages on his head.
When Hiruzen ignored him completely, Danzō knew there was no changing the fact that he was being forced to take a break.
There was no point staying here. He might as well go home and recover.
Yamanaka Fu would take care of everything.
And if something went wrong, no one could blame him.
Hiruzen, this is all for Konoha.
The Uchiha must be watched.
At the thought, a surge of satisfaction welled up inside him.
He stood and walked straight out.
At the doorway, he deliberately let out a heavy snort.
"Hmph."
The other three merely glanced at him, then turned back to discussing Root's next steps.
"Next, we'll assign some of Root's personnel to monitor the ninja clans working with the Uchiha Clan."
"Homura, you'll handle this."
"Understood."
"Koharu, I'll leave the task of sounding out those clans to you."
"No problem."
Konoha Police Force
Several core members of the Uchiha Clan had gathered in the department head's office.
They had all just been called in, except for those out on missions.
In addition to the two deputy department heads, Uchiha Tetsuya and Uchiha Fugaku, there were also the brothers Uchiha Shun and Uchiha Ichiro.
The two brothers were rising stars who had recently made a name for themselves in the Uchiha Clan.
Everyone knew they were Masaki Uchiha's trusted subordinates.
"Ichiro, Shun, I have a task for you."
"That mad dog Shimura Danzō won't let this go so easily."
"Knowing him, there'll probably be rumors about the Uchiha Clan flying all over the village before long."
"So we need to strike first and spread the news about what happened today as quickly as possible."
"I'm leaving this to the two of you. You know what to do, right?"
"Understood!" X2
The brothers answered loudly and confidently. "We won't let you down, Clan Head!"
Uchiha Fugaku was trying to make sense of Masaki Uchiha's actions, one hand stroking his beard.
Noticing the confusion on Uchiha Fugaku's face, Masaki Uchiha took the initiative to explain. "Deputy Department Head Fugaku, are you wondering why I'm so sure rumors will spread through the village before long?"
"It's simple. In terms of strength, Shimura Danzō can't take me down."
A glint of amusement flashed in Masaki Uchiha's eyes.
"His only option is to resort to dirty tricks to damage my reputation."
Just like what had happened to the "White Fang of Konoha."
His reputation had been second only to the Hokage's.
His strength had been exceptional.
In the end, rumors had driven him to take his own life.
There was just one difference.
He wouldn't accept Sarutobi Hiruzen's so-called "Will of Fire." He had his own [Will of Fire].