Danzo: Arrogant! / I Really Do Have the Mangekyo!

Being a ninja was a job even dogs wouldn't take. They were all crazy.

"Then I'll be looking forward to it."

Orochimaru was quite interested. He wanted to see how Uchiha Gin would handle things.

Danzo was sinister and despicable, but he was an expert when it came to dealing with the Uchiha. Uchiha Gin's move this time was a big one, and Orochimaru had no doubt Danzo would make the Uchiha his first target.

Uchiha Gin didn't reply. He simply left with a cold expression, then disappeared from Orochimaru's sight.

"Quick! The intruder went this way!"

A dozen Root members dressed like Anbu and wearing animal masks tracked Uchiha Gin's trail.

Uchiha Gin had only sent a Shadow Clone. After meeting Orochimaru, he could have dispelled it without leaving a trace.

But if he didn't come up with a good excuse for breaking in and causing a commotion, Danzo would undoubtedly pin the blame on the Uchiha. So Uchiha Gin needed to give Danzo a suspect to focus on.

Uchiha Gin didn't want to go to all this trouble either, but Orochimaru had been holed up and keeping out of sight for some time, so he had no choice. Besides, the person Uchiha Gin planned to pin the blame on was a very good choice. That was why he'd decided to break into Root Base and look for Orochimaru. It was the perfect way to kill two birds with one stone.

"Sorry about this, Akatsuki."

Uchiha Gin didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about putting the Akatsuki organization up as a target.

After all, this was an important part of Obito and Uchiha Madara's plan.

Chapter 11: Danzo: Arrogant!

"Getting mad?"

In Konoha, Uchiha Gin looked at the anger on Danzo's face and pointed at him with his right hand, sneering.

The Uchiha elders Uchiha Gin had brought in to help couldn't hold back their laughter. They burst out laughing.

Seeing Danzo get humiliated felt amazing—better than when they'd been cursing him out earlier.

"You little—!"

Danzo really was getting mad.

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

At the same time, three Root members appeared behind Danzo, assuming combat stances as they glared at Uchiha Gin and his group.

Their response was a set of blood-red Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

"What's the matter?"

"Are you planning to use force in Konoha?"

"I never thought the Hokage Assistant would break the village's rules, too."

Uchiha Gin wasn't scared in the least. His goal today was to make Danzo lose his temper and fly into a rage.

Hearing this, Danzo's mind, which had almost lost control, instantly cleared.

But he couldn't suppress the anger in his heart. He'd already thought up thousands of ways to target the Uchiha and was ready to put them into action as soon as he got back.

The Uchiha around them were eager to fight. They'd wanted to kill Danzo for ages, and now that they had the chance, they weren't about to pass it up.

But after waiting a while, they realized Danzo wasn't going to make another move, and they all looked displeased.

They could see that today was a perfect opportunity. If they made a move and killed Danzo, the village wouldn't have a thing to say about it.

The Third Hokage was so wary of the Uchiha for more than just the fact that the Uchiha and Senju were the two clans that had founded Konoha. More importantly, the Uchiha had the authority to handle all security matters within the village.

Although the Second Hokage had weakened the Uchiha after taking office, he hadn't wiped out the clan because of what his older brother, Hashirama, had asked of him. He had left the Uchiha a way to survive. Still, the Military Police Force's influence over Konoha remained considerable.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had a powerful hunger for control and couldn't tolerate such a situation.

Back when Konoha was strong, he could put up with it for a while and leave the matter for the Fourth Hokage to handle. But after the Nine-Tails Incident, the Uchiha had become impossible to clear of suspicion over their involvement. Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer tolerate their existence, so he tacitly approved of Danzo's heavy-handed suppression of the Uchiha and seizure of their power.

But the Uchiha still held the Military Police Force's legitimate authority. The Nine-Tails Incident had let them take some of it away, but they couldn't take complete control. It felt like a bone stuck in Sarutobi Hiruzen's throat, so he turned a blind eye to everything Danzo did. At the same time, he began making preparations in secret, in case the Uchiha made a desperate last stand—or, rather, fought back before they died.

Uchiha Madara, still at large, was another thorn in his side. He couldn't let the two sides attack from both inside and out. If he had to deal with one of them, then the Uchiha Clan right under his nose was obviously the better choice.

"That's enough, Danzo!"

"Let's end this here."

Before things could get any more complicated, Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared and rebuked Danzo.

Although he wanted to get rid of the Uchiha, now clearly wasn't the time to act. If a fight broke out, Konoha really would split apart. The village still hadn't recovered from the Nine-Tails Incident.

"Hiruzen!"

At the sound of Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice, Danzo's expression faltered, but the displeasure on his face remained.

Still, he knew this wasn't the time to keep fighting. He could only let it go for now. But he'd already thought up hundreds of ways to target the Uchiha and was just waiting to put them into action when he got back!

"Third Hokage!"

When Sarutobi Hiruzen appeared, the onlookers grew serious.

The Uchiha Military Police Force members did the same. Uchiha Gin also dropped his carefree act and became serious.

Compared to Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the real schemer. Uchiha Gin didn't dare underestimate the old man. At the very least, he couldn't afford to let anything slip today.

"You were in the wrong, Danzo."

"The First Hokage decreed that all security matters within the village were to be handled by the Uchiha Clan. Even I, as Hokage, can't interfere."

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke as though he were scolding Shimura Danzo.

Most of the Uchiha Military Police Force members smiled when they heard this.

They felt proud, believing the Uchiha were a noble clan in Konoha, one the Hokage himself had to treat with deference.

But the ordinary villagers looked at the Uchiha with resentment. The Uchiha didn't care at all.

"So you're dropping the act now?"

Uchiha Gin remained expressionless.

Of the people around him, only Fugaku and a few of the older generation had sensed the malice in Sarutobi Hiruzen's words and frowned. Most of the younger clan members hadn't noticed it.

This was praise meant to destroy them.

They never took political classes, and the Uchiha had been raised to be arrogant and conceited from childhood. It made sense that the younger ones were like this...

Uchiha Gin sighed inwardly. Over the years, the Uchiha Clan had offended too many people in Konoha. There was almost no chance of rebuilding their reputation with Sarutobi Hiruzen putting on a show like this.

The Uchiha had become something like the city enforcement officers. They didn't have nearly as much power as Sarutobi Hiruzen's words suggested, but those officers made enemies of people. The Uchiha couldn't pass the blame to some temporary hire, either. The Military Police Force represented the Uchiha, and there was no shaking off the blame.

Besides, if they kept backing down, Sarutobi Hiruzen still wouldn't give up on wiping out the Uchiha. Perhaps they could leave a few more people alive to eke out an existence, but Uchiha Gin had no interest in that. Nor did he intend to abandon his clan.

"Out of respect for Lord Hokage, I'll let you off this time instead of taking you in for questioning."

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

Uchiha Gin knew that going head-to-head with Sarutobi Hiruzen would only bring trouble, so he chose to confront Danzo instead.

"You!"

"Arrogant!!!"

Hearing those words, Danzo glared at Uchiha Gin. The fury burning in his chest had nowhere to go. That brazen little Uchiha brat deserved to die!

The Uchiha Clan was already like a pack of stray dogs, yet they still dared to act so arrogantly and make such outrageous claims.

Fugaku's eyes widened. He couldn't imagine where Uchiha Gin had found the nerve. He wanted to scold Uchiha Gin and ease the tension, but then he remembered what Uchiha Gin had told him a few days ago. After hesitating again and again, he stayed silent.

Uchiha Gin understood the clan's situation. Under Fugaku's leadership, they'd backed down again and again until they'd lost all their fighting spirit.

If giving in could buy them peace, Uchiha Gin might have endured it. But he knew it wouldn't work. They claimed the Uchiha were responsible for everything in the village, but the Anbu had already taken some of the core authority away, leaving the Uchiha with little more than the role of city enforcers.

If they kept giving ground, all they could do was wait to be slaughtered like livestock.

So if weakness only meant death, they might as well stand firm. After all, yielding meekly would only encourage others to push their luck and take more, until they believed they were entitled to it.

But if they stood firm and made others fear them, then later, when they offered concessions, the effect would be entirely different. Those people would feel grateful.

A good man had to reincarnate for ten lifetimes before he could become a Buddha, but a wicked man could become one simply by laying down his butcher's knife.

So Uchiha Gin was going to be the villain!

A gentleman who didn't carry himself with authority couldn't command respect!

The ancestors had said it themselves: if a gentleman didn't strike hard enough, he couldn't establish his authority. Uchiha Gin naturally hadn't forgotten.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's hypocritically kind expression almost slipped for a moment when he heard those words.

"Rumble!"

Suddenly, a tremendous impact sounded in the distance, drawing everyone's attention.

The shadow of the Nine-Tails Incident still hung over them. The sudden noise reminded many of the terror of that night, leaving them jumpy and seeing danger in every shadow.

Many people looked terrified!

Chapter 12: I Really Do Have the Mangekyo!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Without hesitation, Danzo and the Anbu he'd brought with him used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed toward the explosion. It had come from the direction of Root Base. The base was in trouble, and Danzo couldn't spare a thought for anything else. It held a great deal of sensitive information that couldn't be exposed!

Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing more. The sudden commotion made him uneasy, and he immediately followed. The Anbu hidden nearby to protect him followed as well.

"Lock this guy up and interrogate him when we get back. Find out if someone from another village brainwashed and controlled him."

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

Uchiha Gin gave the orders directly. He wasn't about to let this young man from the Shimura Clan off the hook.

"Yes!"

The men Uchiha Gin had brought immediately obeyed. They seized the man who'd stepped forward and ordered one of their number to take him away.

The rest followed Uchiha Gin toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Fugaku wanted to point out that the area belonged to the Anbu and wasn't under the Uchiha's jurisdiction. But so many things had happened today that he could feel Uchiha Gin's resolve. Sarutobi Hiruzen's actions had also left him uneasy.

Besides, Fugaku already wanted to resist, so he tacitly approved of Uchiha Gin's actions.

"Hmph! Get moving! The Uchiha and the Senju founded this village, but now the Uchiha are being pushed around like dogs, and you don't even dare speak up!"

The old men were still there, and when they saw Fugaku standing still, they immediately tore into him. Fugaku's expression stiffened.

"Leave two people to look after the elders. Everyone else, follow me."

Fugaku hesitated no longer. He was also afraid Uchiha Gin would cause even more trouble, so after assigning a couple of people to look after the old men, he hurried after them.

A few minutes later, Danzo was the first to reach the site of the commotion. Smoke still billowed from it, making it easy to spot.

Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived next, followed by Uchiha Gin.

The scene was a mess. Trees had been destroyed, and four or five shinobi dressed as Anbu lay on the ground. Several others were injured and were being treated by the medical ninja among the Anbu.

"Damn it! Where's the enemy?"

Danzo demanded angrily, glaring at his subordinates.

He was furious because the dead were all his men—members of Root.

Root couldn't recruit as freely as the Anbu. Every member had been carefully selected, and Danzo had put a great deal of effort into them. They were among the strongest Chunin. Losing so many at once was heartbreaking.

"The explosion just now made him disappear. We suspect he used a Space-Time Ninjutsu, or that the one who appeared was only a Shadow Clone. And..."

A Root member wearing a cat mask hurried over to Danzo and reported in a low voice.

But he hesitated before continuing, turning his head toward the Uchiha Military Police Force.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. The Anbu he'd brought were already searching the area to assess the situation. The sudden events today made him uneasy, and he couldn't help looking toward the Uchiha.

He suspected the Uchiha were behind it, but he also thought it unlikely. They'd been too weak-willed these past few years to pull off something like this.

"And what? Speak!"

Danzo snapped.

He was already furious. After being mocked and taunted by those evil Uchiha, he'd been fuming for a while now.

"The enemy looked a lot like the person who attacked the Fourth Hokage. He wore a mask with the same pattern... and he had a Sharingan!"