Since Uchiha Gin had suggested it, and the Anbu were more than happy to leave the matter for the Hokage to handle, neither side could make the decision on its own.
So the group brought all the people they had captured back to Konoha.
Only the two who had held off the Anbu escaped. Uchiha Gin had no interest in chasing them. Capturing these few was enough to establish guilt.
Chapter 27: Uchiha's Fury
Before long, the group returned to Konoha.
"Guard the gate. From this moment on, no one is allowed to leave Konoha."
Uchiha Gin ordered the two clan members guarding the gate.
Before the Uchiha Clan was wiped out, guarding the gate and the prison had both been Uchiha duties. It was only after the clan's destruction that two gatekeepers took over.
"Yes!"
"Captain Gin!"
Though they didn't know why, Uchiha Gin's standing in the clan was now almost equal to Fugaku's.
He also had the support of more young people. On top of that, Uchiha Gin belonged to the Great Elder's faction, so many of the older generation supported him as well. Aside from directly killing Fugaku, there was almost no one in the Uchiha Clan who would disobey Uchiha Gin's orders.
The Anbu exchanged glances, realizing how serious the situation had become.
They silently cursed Shimura Danzō over and over.
The sudden closure of Konoha's gate was also noticed by the Anbu hidden in the shadows.
This was a very bad sign, and someone immediately went to inform Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage.
"I'll report to Lord Hokage first and have him send people to take Shimura Danzō into custody!"
Seeing the situation, the Anbu squad leader could only speak quickly.
Then, without waiting for Uchiha Gin to reply, he immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to leave. He was betting that Uchiha Gin wouldn't attack him.
He was betting that the Uchiha Clan wouldn't dare truly defy the Hokage's authority.
When he realized that no Uchiha had pursued him, he breathed a sigh of relief, then raced with all his strength toward the Hokage Building.
"Hmph. This time, I'll make Sarutobi Hiruzen openly order Shimura Danzō's death!"
Uchiha Gin didn't care in the slightest what the Anbu had done.
The Anbu squad leader was betting that Uchiha Gin wouldn't attack him. Uchiha Gin, in turn, was betting that Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't dare provoke a coup by the Uchiha Clan now.
This might mean a complete break with Sarutobi Hiruzen. But if he still protected Shimura Danzō after all this, then they might as well break with him outright and kill Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Still, putting down a rebellion afterward would be a huge hassle. The Will of Fire had poisoned people's minds too deeply, and any fighting would cost the Uchiha lives.
He had made a promise to the grandfather of the body he now occupied: he would protect the clan. It was a conviction deep in his heart.
"Go inform the clan head."
Uchiha Gin also began calling in his people.
At the same time, he used genjutsu to compress the information for transmission. In just a moment, he sent enough details for the clan member to report everything to Fugaku.
The clan member, caught in the genjutsu, froze for a moment, then his eyes grew resolute.
"I'll deliver the information to the clan head in full!"
With that, he too raced toward the Military Police Force headquarters.
The three remaining Anbu couldn't do anything. They could only accompany Uchiha Gin and take the captured prisoners straight to the Hokage Building.
The sudden turn of events also caught the attention of many of the village's ninja.
After all, Uchiha Gin had made no attempt to conceal himself on the way. He was openly escorting several prisoners toward the Hokage Building.
Three Anbu were accompanying him as well.
The Uchiha Police Force soon began moving too, with its members appearing in the streets.
Ordinary people might not have reacted so quickly, but all the major clans had received the news.
Realizing that something might be wrong, they began gathering their clansmen in case they didn't have enough people to respond.
Inside the Hokage Building, Sarutobi Hiruzen was watching Uchiha Gin and the others through the Telescope Technique while listening to the Anbu's report.
"Uchiha Gin is furious, and his target is Lord Danzō. He's also notified the Uchiha Clan. This could escalate..."
After recounting what had happened that day, the Anbu captain added his own conclusion.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned cold.
He hadn't expected Danzō to act so rashly—and to fail so completely. He hadn't gained anything at all, and Uchiha Gin had returned without a scratch.
Worse, he had left behind a pile of evidence and let Uchiha Gin capture his men alive.
"Notify all the clan heads, along with the Elite Jonin, to come to the Hokage Building."
"Contact the three Hokage Assistants and ask them to come discuss this emergency. Oh, and notify Orochimaru as well."
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately gave the orders.
He had already spoken with the major clans in advance, and they had all promised to stand with Konoha.
Now, if he wanted to apply pressure, he needed them to make their position clear.
"Yes!"
The Anbu inside the Hokage Building immediately followed Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders, splitting up to notify everyone on the list.
Sarutobi Hiruzen continued using the Telescope Technique to watch Uchiha Gin.
"He's taking his time. Does he have enough confidence to act?"
"The Mangekyō Sharingan... What use would it be against a hundred people? A thousand?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was ruthless.
If the other side tried to use this chance to stage a coup, he wouldn't show mercy.
"Huh?"
"Captain Tekka, is there an urgent mission?"
Hyuga Himon was leading a patrol when he saw a colleague from the Military Police Force hurrying in one direction with his subordinates.
Thinking something had happened, he quickly called out to ask.
He'd been there for so many days without doing a single proper job. All he'd done was argue with old ladies in the street, and people had even spread rumors that he used his Byakugan to peep into the women's bathhouse. It had made him furious.
To make use of his role as an inside spy, he naturally wanted to take part in more of the Military Police Force's work and gather information.
"Arrest Shimura Danzō. His men ambushed Captain Uchiha Gin!"
"Come with us. Use your Byakugan to search for Shimura Danzō."
Tekka saw that Hyuga Himon had come to him on his own, so he immediately gave him an assignment.
"Huh?"
"Me?"
Hyuga Himon froze.
Was this really something he was supposed to get involved in?
He had no time to think it over. Four Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared at his squad, and after hesitating for a while, Hyuga Himon decided to follow them and see what happened.
If things got bad, he could always figure something out then. He didn't believe Lord Hokage had no countermeasures.
As soon as Fugaku received the message, he immediately summoned all the clan members and began mobilizing them to arrest Shimura Danzō.
Fugaku was furious that Uchiha Gin had been attacked. The Uchiha had already backed down and even handed over control of the Military Police Force. All they wanted was peace.
As for Uchiha Gin's proposal that the Uchiha Clan choose its own Hokage, Fugaku hadn't really expected much from it. He had only hoped to strengthen the Uchiha's influence in Konoha so they wouldn't be so powerless in the future.
But now it seemed the Konoha High Command wanted the Uchiha dead!
"We've been held back for so many years. This time, let's show them the Uchiha's might!"
Fugaku's pupils contracted as he activated his Sharingan.
Then he led his subordinates into action.
Uchiha Gin's instructions to him were to make sure everyone knew that Danzō had attacked his own fellow Konoha ninja.
Danzō liked spreading rumors in secret and framing the Uchiha.
This time, the Uchiha would openly announce Shimura Danzō's crimes.
Although this would completely offend Sarutobi Hiruzen, Fugaku had realized over the past few years that Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't show them mercy whether they offended him or not. So he didn't hesitate. He simply followed Uchiha Gin's instructions.
"With everything exposed to the light, what choice will you make, Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
Uchiha Gin and his people stood beneath the Hokage Building, looking up at Konoha's "pyramid."
The sky was already turning yellow.
Quite a few ninja had gathered outside the building.
Their hostile gazes were fixed firmly on Uchiha Gin.
"What is it?"
"Has Lord Hokage already prepared to arrest Konoha's traitor, Shimura Danzō?"
Uchiha Gin looked at them and gave a mocking smile.
"Lord Hokage requests your presence upstairs!"
Kakashi, wearing a mask, spoke to Uchiha Gin at the entrance.
"Let's go."
Uchiha Gin didn't pay the people around him any attention.
He stopped his subordinates and followed Kakashi into the Hokage Building alone.
Chapter 28: Shimura Danzō Becomes a Missing-nin!
As soon as he entered the Hokage Building, Uchiha Gin sensed hostility all around him. The hidden Anbu were everywhere.
But he didn't care. He followed Kakashi straight into the Hokage's office.
Only Sarutobi Hiruzen was in the office. No one else was there.
After they entered, Kakashi shut the door and stood off to the side without moving. Silence fell over the room.
Sarutobi Hiruzen held a pipe in his mouth and narrowed his eyes slightly, as if studying Uchiha Gin.
But he wasn't actually looking into Uchiha Gin's eyes. He was already taking precautions to avoid falling victim to the Uchiha Clan's genjutsu.
After waiting a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. He had meant to wait for the Uchiha to speak first, then offer some words to placate him.
But Uchiha Gin said nothing. He just stared at him, making the hair on the back of Sarutobi Hiruzen's neck stand on end.
Uchiha Gin was prepared to break with him. He had already switched to black contact lenses, though he had in fact kept his Mangekyō Sharingan activated, using his precognition intermittently.
It would be foolish to let himself be caught off guard.
"I didn't expect so many things to happen during this mission. Thanks to you, we caught these spies in the village."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to pin all the blame on the spies.
At the very least, he wanted to lessen Danzō's responsibility.
"Right. I never expected Hokage Assistant Shimura Danzō to be a spy. The Lord Third must have already sent people to arrest him, hasn't he?"
Uchiha Gin nodded and played along.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened at those words. He understood that the Uchiha wouldn't let this go easily.
"This matter hasn't been decided yet. We can't confirm that Danzō was responsible."
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke firmly.
"What? It wasn't Danzō? Then was it one of the other two Hokage Assistants, or Orochimaru, the new leader of Root?"
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