I Choose Orochimaru as Hokage, Ten Years to Reach the Moon Chapter 7

Being a ninja is a job for dogs; anyone who does it has a screw loose.

"Then I shall wait and see."

Orochimaru was intrigued, eager to see how Uchiha Gin would handle this.

Though Danzo was sinister and wretched, he was a master at dealing with the Uchiha. Uchiha Gin's actions this time were bold, and Orochimaru did not doubt for a second that Danzo would lock onto the Uchiha as his primary target.

Uchiha Gin did not answer, leaving behind only a cold silhouette before vanishing from Orochimaru's sight.

"Quick, the intruder is in this direction!"

Over a dozen Root members dressed in Anbu attire and wearing animal masks tracked the trail in the direction of Uchiha Gin.

Uchiha Gin had only sent a Shadow Clone; in fact, after meeting with Orochimaru, he could have simply dispelled it, leaving no traces behind.

However, if he didn't find a good excuse for breaking in and causing a commotion, Danzo would undoubtedly pin the blame directly on the Uchiha. Therefore, Uchiha Gin needed to provide Danzo with a suspect to target.

Uchiha Gin didn't want to go through all this trouble, but Orochimaru had been hiding away lately and refused to show his face, leaving him no choice. As it happened, the target Uchiha Gin intended to frame was a perfect choice, so he had decided to break into the Root base to find Orochimaru—killing two birds with one stone.

"Sorry about this, Akatsuki."

Uchiha Gin felt not a shred of guilt about using the Akatsuki organization as a scapegoat.

After all, this was an important part of the plans held by Obito and Uchiha Madara.

Danzo: Arrogant!

"Getting anxious?"

In Konoha, Uchiha Gin looked at the rage on Danzo's face, pointing his right hand at him with a sneer.

The few Uchiha Clan elders Uchiha Gin had brought along to help couldn't hold back their laughter, bursting into guffaws.

Seeing Danzo get humiliated felt better than anything; it was even more satisfying than the verbal abuse from moments ago.

"You bastard!!"

Danzo was indeed anxious.

He could tolerate being called anything, but he could not stand being told he was inferior to Sarutobi Hiruzen!

Simultaneously, three Root members appeared behind Danzo, assuming a combat stance and glaring at the Uchiha group.

In response, they were met with a sea of blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"What's the matter?"

"Do you want to abuse your power within Konoha?"

"I didn't expect the Hokage's advisor to violate the village's regulations."

Uchiha Gin was naturally unafraid; his goal today was to make Danzo lose his cool and snap.

Hearing this, Danzo's head, which had been on the verge of losing reason, instantly cooled down.

Yet, the fury in his heart could not be suppressed. He had already conceived thousands of ways to target the Uchiha and was ready to start implementing them the moment he returned.

The surrounding Uchiha were eager for a fight, having long wanted to finish Danzo off. Now that the opportunity was here, they naturally didn't want to miss it.

But after waiting for a while and seeing that Danzo had no intention of continuing the fight, they all wore expressions of dissatisfaction.

They also realized that today was a perfect opportunity; if they could strike and take Danzo out, the village would have nothing to say.

The reason the Uchiha were so feared by the Third Hokage, aside from the fact that the Uchiha Clan and the Senju were two of the founding families of Konoha, was primarily because the Uchiha held the authority over all internal security matters in the village.

Although the Second Hokage had weakened the Uchiha after taking office, he had not wiped them out entirely due to the instructions left by his older brother, Hashirama. This left the Uchiha a path to survive, but the Uchiha Police Force still held significant influence over Konoha.

As someone with a strong desire for power, Sarutobi Hiruzen could naturally not tolerate such a thing.

When Konoha was strong, he could endure it, planning to leave the matter for the Fourth Hokage to handle. But after the Nine-Tails Incident, and with the Uchiha unable to shake the suspicion of being involved, Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer tolerate their existence. Thus, he tacitly allowed Danzo to aggressively suppress the Uchiha and seize their power.

However, the legal authority of the Uchiha Police Force remained in the hands of the Uchiha. Even though parts of it had been stripped away following the Nine-Tails Incident, it could not be fully controlled, which stuck in Sarutobi Hiruzen's throat like a fishbone. He condoned everything Danzo did while secretly preparing for the Uchiha's potential desperate struggle or final counterattack.

The Uchiha Madara lurking outside was another thorn in his side. He couldn't allow them to be pincered from both inside and out; if one side had to be dealt with, the Uchiha Clan right under his nose was the most suitable target.

"Enough, Danzo!"

"Let's end this here."

Before the situation could escalate further, Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared and sternly rebuked Danzo.

Though he desperately wanted to eliminate the Uchiha, it was clearly not the right time to act. If a real fight broke out, Konoha would truly be torn apart; the scars of the Nine-Tails Incident had yet to heal.

"Hiruzen!"

Upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice, Danzo's expression stiffened, though his dissatisfaction did not vanish.

Knowing that today was not the time to continue, he had no choice but to let it go, but he had already mentally prepared hundreds of ways to target the Uchiha, just waiting to execute them upon his return!

"Third Hokage!"

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen appear, the onlookers became solemn.

The members of the Uchiha Police Force did the same, and Uchiha Gin put away his cavalier attitude, becoming serious.

Compared to Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the truly insidious one. Uchiha Gin dared not underestimate this old man; at the very least, he had to ensure he didn't show any flaws today.

"You were wrong in this matter, Danzō."

"The security affairs within the village were established by the First Hokage to be handled entirely by the Uchiha Clan. Even I, as Hokage, cannot interfere."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke in the tone of someone reprimanding Shimura Danzō.

Most members of the Uchiha Police Force beamed upon hearing this.

They felt a sense of pride, believing the Uchiha to be a noble clan within Konoha, one that even the Hokage had to treat with deference.

However, the ordinary villagers watching the Uchiha at this moment wore expressions of dissatisfaction, though the clan members did not care in the slightest.

"Are you really going to be this blatant?"

Uchiha Gin's expression remained calm.

Looking at his clansmen, only Fugaku and a few of the older generation frowned, sensing the malice hidden within Sarutobi Hiruzen's words; the vast majority of the younger generation failed to perceive it at all.

This was a "killing by praise."

They haven't taken any political courses, and combined with the arrogance the Uchiha are raised with from childhood, it seems normal for the youngsters to be like this...

He sighed inwardly. The Uchiha Clan had offended too many people in Konoha over the years; trying to restore their reputation by playing along with Sarutobi Hiruzen like this was nearly impossible.

After all, the Uchiha Clan was currently no different from mere city enforcers. They didn't actually possess the vast authority Sarutobi Hiruzen claimed they had, yet being enforcers made them unpopular. Unlike the city enforcers, the Uchiha couldn't shift the blame onto temporary workers—the Police Force represented the Uchiha, and they couldn't shake that association.

Furthermore, even if they continued to concede, Sarutobi Hiruzen would not abandon his plan to slaughter the Uchiha. Perhaps they could prolong their miserable existence by a little longer, but Uchiha Gin had no interest in that, nor did he intend to abandon his clansmen.

"For the sake of the Hokage, I will not take you away for interrogation this time."

"I hope you remember this lesson. Rules are always rules, and they can never be changed!"

Uchiha Gin knew that clashing head-on with Sarutobi Hiruzen was asking for trouble, so he chose to target Danzō instead.

"You!"

"Arrogant!!!"

Hearing this, Danzō glared at Uchiha Gin, feeling a suffocating rage in his chest that he couldn't release. This insolent Uchiha brat, damn him!

The Uchiha Clan was currently in the state of a stray dog, yet they dared to be so arrogant and spout such wild words.

Beside him, Fugaku's eyes widened; he couldn't imagine where Uchiha Gin found such courage. He wanted to scold Uchiha Gin to ease the tension, but recalling the conversation they had a few days prior, he hesitated and ultimately remained silent.

Uchiha Gin naturally understood the current situation of the clan. Under Fugaku's leadership, they had retreated time and again, completely losing their morale.

If it could buy peace, Uchiha Gin might have endured it, but he knew it was useless. They claimed the Uchiha were responsible for all village affairs, but the Anbu had already siphoned off the core powers, leaving the Uchiha to act as nothing more than city enforcers.

To continue retreating was simply waiting for the day they would be slaughtered like livestock.

Since weakness only led to death, he might as well be tough. After all, handouts given to the weak only lead to others pushing for more, making them believe it is their due.

But if you are strong and instill fear, then when you do offer a handout, the effect is entirely different—it makes them feel gratitude.

A good man must go through ten lifetimes of reincarnation to become a Buddha, but an evil man can become a Buddha the moment he lays down his butcher's knife.

Therefore, Uchiha Gin would be the villain!

A gentleman who lacks gravity will not be respected!

If a gentleman does not strike with weight, he cannot establish prestige. His ancestors had said as much, and Uchiha Gin had certainly not forgotten.

These words made the hypocritical kindness on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face difficult to maintain for a moment.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a violent shockwave erupted in the distance, drawing the attention of everyone present.

After all, the shadow of the Nine-Tails Incident had not yet faded. The sudden, massive disturbance reminded many of the terror of that night, leaving them jumpy and suspicious of every sound.

Many wore expressions of sheer panic!

Chapter 12: I Really Do Have a Mangekyō!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Without hesitation, Danzō and the Anbu he brought vanished instantly, rushing toward the source of the explosion. Since the disturbance came from the direction of the Root Base, and the base was in trouble, Danzō had no other thoughts; the base contained too many secrets that could not be exposed!

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't say another word. The sudden commotion made him feel uneasy, so he immediately followed, accompanied by the Anbu hidden in the shadows who were responsible for his protection.

"Lock this guy up and interrogate him later. See if he's been brainwashed or controlled by people from another village."

"The rest of you, follow me. Let's see who is bold enough to cause such a massive disturbance in Konoha."

Uchiha Gin issued his orders directly, having no intention of letting the young man from the Shimura Clan go.

"Yes!"

The men Uchiha Gin brought immediately obeyed, seizing the man who had stepped forward and handing him off to one of their own to be taken away.

The rest followed closely behind Uchiha Gin, pursuing the direction Sarutobi Hiruzen had taken.

Fugaku wanted to say that the area was Anbu territory and not under Uchiha jurisdiction, but the events of the day had made him feel Uchiha Gin's resolve, and Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions had left him feeling deeply uncomfortable.

Furthermore, Fugaku had already been wanting to resist, so he tacitly allowed Uchiha Gin's actions.

"Hmph, you're still not following? This village was built by the Uchiha and the Senju. Now that we're being suppressed like dogs, you don't even dare to make a sound!"

However, the old men of the clan were still there, and seeing Fugaku remain motionless, they began to berate him, causing Fugaku's expression to stiffen.

"Leave two behind to look after the elders; everyone else, follow me."

Fugaku hesitated no longer. Fearing that Uchiha Gin might stir up even greater trouble, he arranged for the others to tend to those old fossils before setting off in pursuit.

Within minutes, Danzo arrived at the source of the commotion with his men. The area was still billowing with black smoke, making it highly conspicuous and easy to locate.

Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived shortly after, followed by Uchiha Gin.

The scene was a chaotic mess. A large number of trees had been destroyed, and four or five ninjas dressed in Anbu attire lay on the ground, while several others were being treated by medical ninjas from the Anbu ranks.

"Damn it, where is the enemy!"

Danzo demanded furiously of his subordinates on the scene.

He was so enraged because those who had died were his own men—members of Root.

After all, Root members could not be recruited in large numbers like the Anbu; each one was hand-picked and required a great deal of effort to cultivate. They were all elite among Chunin, and losing so many at once was a painful blow.

"They vanished during the explosion. We suspect they used space-time ninjutsu, or perhaps it was merely a shadow clone. Furthermore..."

A Root member wearing a cat mask immediately stepped forward and whispered his report to Danzo.

He hesitated at the end, glancing toward the direction of the Uchiha Police Force.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed deeply. The Anbu he had brought were already scouring the perimeter to assess the situation. This sudden incident felt wrong, and his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the Uchiha as well.

He suspected the Uchiha might be behind this, yet he found it unlikely; the Uchiha's behavior over the past few years had been far too submissive for them to pull off something like this.

"Furthermore what? Speak!"

Danzo barked.

His temper was already flaring today; after being subjected to the Uchiha's snide, mocking remarks, he was already boiling with rage.

"The enemy's appearance was very similar to the person who attacked the Fourth Hokage. They wore a mask with the same pattern... and they possessed the Sharingan!"