A Dog-Eat-Dog Fight, One for One! / Chapter 19: Orochimaru: The Prelude to a New Era Has Begun

Danzō furrowed his brows.

A smile appeared on Orochimaru's face. To outsiders, it probably looked sinister. He had a feeling Uchiha Gin was about to make a move.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was silent for a moment before speaking. "Go on."

"I suspect Shimura Danzō, the Hokage Assistant, is colluding with Uchiha Madara!"

"During the Nine-Tails Incident, the Military Police Force led a team to provide support, but Shimura Danzō stopped them. If the Military Police Force had been able to intervene then, the losses could definitely have been reduced, but Shimura Danzō prevented it!"

"This time, the place where the incident occurred was also very close to the Anbu and Root bases. So I believe Uchiha Madara and Shimura Danzō must be working together."

Uchiha Gin's words rang out like a thunderclap, leaving everyone present speechless.

"Bullshit!!"

Shimura Danzō's face flushed red as he pointed furiously at Uchiha Gin.

Those were my lines!

The ones colluding with Uchiha Madara have to be the Uchiha Clan, not us!!!

Chapter 18: A Dog-Eat-Dog Fight, One for One!

At Shimura Danzō's furious roar, the place instantly became as noisy as a marketplace, with everyone talking at once.

They all seemed to be speculating about whether the accusation was true.

But inwardly, they were delighted.

A dog-eat-dog fight!

They disliked both the Uchiha and Shimura Danzō.

The Uchiha swaggered around in plain sight, which annoyed them to no end. Danzō, meanwhile, used all kinds of threats behind the scenes to force their clans to hand over their talents, turning them into Danzō's puppets.

Fight, fight!

Quite a few people cheered inwardly.

But none of them dared to fan the flames openly. They couldn't afford retaliation from either the Uchiha or Danzō.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen was taken aback for a moment by Uchiha Gin's words, because they seemed to make some sense.

After all, Danzō's intentions were practically written all over his face. Hiruzen could see them clearly.

Minato becoming Hokage had undoubtedly stood in Danzō's way, so eliminating Minato would have made sense. And the later attack on Root's base could have been an attempt to frame the Uchiha.

If Uchiha Gin hadn't revealed the power of his Mangekyo, things might really have gone badly.

"Whatever I do, I would never work with the Uchiha Clan. The Uchiha Clan are all—"

Danzō rose to his feet and roared, but he stopped himself before finishing. His head had cooled a little.

Uchiha Gin's words had felt like an insult to him, one more painful than being told to his face that he was inferior to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

I, Danzō, have risked my life for Konoha and fought in countless battles, large and small. Who has a stronger Will of Fire than I do?!

"I think there's very little chance that suspicion is true. I can vouch for Danzō's convictions," Sarutobi Hiruzen said.

Seeing Danzō like this, he knew that Danzō hadn't done it.

Besides, he couldn't deal with Danzō over just one or two accusations. Danzō was an important tool in his hands. Without him drawing people's hatred, Hiruzen would have a much harder time getting things done.

"Hmph. I think the Uchiha Clan is colluding with Uchiha Madara and deliberately saying this to frame me," Danzō retorted without holding back.

And that was what he already believed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so wary of the Uchiha Clan.

"Hmph. If the Uchiha Clan really still had ties to Uchiha Madara, they would have been able to launch a rebellion on the night of the Nine-Tails Incident."

"I believe Shimura Danzō is seriously suspect. But since the Third Hokage has vouched for him, I won't press the matter. Still, he shouldn't continue leading Root for the time being. I think the Third Hokage's disciple, Orochimaru, would be a better choice."

"Once Shimura Danzō is cleared of suspicion, we can decide whether to put him back in charge of Root."

Uchiha Gin had finally revealed his real aim.

He had picked this fight to show Orochimaru his sincerity.

And making Danzō miserable was worthwhile, whether or not it got him anything else.

On the surface, Root was responsible for training the Anbu and preparing its recruits. But behind the scenes, Danzō had plenty of other tricks up his sleeve.

Root handled all kinds of unsavory work: spying, assassinating nobles from other countries to stir up trouble, and other jobs that couldn't be traced back to Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally turned a blind eye to it. Otherwise, Root could never have been established.

"You arrogant brat! Do you think someone like you gets to give orders about something like this?"

"And the Uchiha Clan is highly suspect too. No one can get in there to investigate. Who knows what you've been up to? Hmph, I also propose that the Anbu be put in charge of overseeing the Military Police Force!"

Danzō was beside himself with rage.

He was determined to drag the Uchiha down with him, as though he wanted them to go down together.

After all, he had indeed done many things in Root without Sarutobi Hiruzen's knowledge. He wasn't strong enough to oppose Sarutobi yet, and didn't want his old classmate to discover his ambitions.

The onlookers were delighted.

A dog-eat-dog fight!

What a show!

"Enough. Let's put an end to this—" Sarutobi Hiruzen said with a frown. He didn't want things to escalate any further.

It wasn't the time for that yet.

But then Fugaku spoke up!

"Having the Anbu oversee us would be a bit much. But to prove our innocence, the Uchiha Clan is willing to give up one squad's worth of positions in the Military Police Force and let Lord Hokage appoint the members."

"This shows the Uchiha Clan's determination to prove that Uchiha Madara has nothing to do with the Uchiha of today."

Everyone present was stunned by those words.

Even the Second, who had wielded the most power of any Hokage, had never interfered with the Military Police Force by planting his own people there.

Over the years, the Uchiha Clan had firmly rejected Sarutobi Hiruzen's hints that he wanted to do the same.

They had put up with plenty of indignities, but they would never back down on this.

And yet now, they were actually!!! giving ground?

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen looked astonished, and Danzō was utterly incredulous.

Are you serious?

Danzō couldn't help wondering.

"Are you sure?" Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help asking.

"Of course. The Uchiha Clan is duty-bound to prove its innocence."

"But Lord Danzō should also be investigated. The Uchiha won't interfere; the Anbu can handle it."

Uchiha Fugaku answered with complete seriousness.

Everyone else thought Fugaku had gone mad. Letting the Anbu investigate would just mean officials covering for one another. It would be a miracle if they uncovered anything!

"You—!"

Danzō was furious, his face still red.

Sarutobi Hiruzen understood. He thought Danzō had gone too far and provoked the Uchiha into anger, but he felt as if he was overlooking something.

He fell silent.

Seeing this, Danzō grew anxious. He knew Sarutobi Hiruzen was beginning to hesitate, and he really might be replaced and investigated.

He knew they wouldn't find anything incriminating, but this would be humiliating. And it was happening because of the Uchiha Clan. He couldn't accept it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Shisui and saw that he, too, seemed shocked. Tekka Uchiha looked the same.

Is this Fugaku and Uchiha Gin's plan? Are they willing to pay this price to get Danzō removed?

Sarutobi Hiruzen considered whether the price was worth it.

On the surface, it might look as if anyone could discuss the matter, but only Sarutobi Hiruzen could make the decision.

What trouble would Danzō cause after moving into the shadows?

What would the Uchiha gain by getting involved in the Military Police Force?

"Orochimaru, what do you think?" Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly asked.

"If necessary, I can take charge of Root."

Orochimaru's hoarse voice rang out.

Danzō's gaze immediately locked onto Orochimaru, filled with anger.

"Then, Danzō, you'll step down from your duties in Root for now. Let the Anbu investigate and confirm you're not a suspect before you return to your post."

"In the meantime, Orochimaru will temporarily take charge of Root."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke.

After he finished, he looked at Orochimaru with a hint of suspicion.

He wondered whether Orochimaru had some connection with the Uchiha.

But if his disciple had simply teamed up with the Uchiha to do something, Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't worried at all. The only one he feared was Uchiha Madara, a man on a par with the First Hokage.

Orochimaru?

He was only Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciple.

Chapter 19: Orochimaru: The Prelude to a New Era Has Begun

"I understand!"

Danzō swallowed the bloody froth from where his teeth had cut into his mouth in anger, then managed to reply.

He knew there was no point in arguing any further in this situation.

He understood that Sarutobi wouldn't give up on dealing with the Uchiha. This only meant Danzō was moving from the public eye into the shadows.

But he couldn't tolerate backing down to the Uchiha!

"Then, Orochimaru, Root is yours to oversee."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then continued, addressing Orochimaru.

"No problem. I'll carry out the task properly," Orochimaru replied.

"Third Hokage, the Uchiha Clan has relied on the Military Police Force for its livelihood for generations. Giving up one squad's worth of positions will mean losing some of its income."

"I wonder if you could authorize the Uchiha Clan to do business in Konoha, perhaps by making ninja tools or opening restaurants and pharmacies? That would give the Uchiha another source of income and ease their reliance on the Military Police Force."

Seeing his chance, Fugaku hurriedly spoke up.

Actually, he was puzzled that Uchiha Gin had asked for this permission. The Uchiha Clan wasn't particularly short on money.

Within Konoha, the Uchiha received funding that was, on average, two to three times higher than normal.

But the risks they faced were lower than those of the ninja on the front lines.

That was one reason the other clans resented the Uchiha. With Danzō secretly influencing them, even civilians believed the Uchiha were taking a share of their benefits.

"Just open shops in Konoha?" Sarutobi Hiruzen repeated.

Doing business inside Konoha and doing business outside it were two different things.