Tit for Tat

"Qin Yu, nothing happened on your way here, did it? Why were you delayed by fifteen minutes?" Minato Namikaze asked, his face lighting up with joy.

However, the look he cast toward Danzo held a hint of provocation.

A moment ago, Danzo had been insisting it was impossible, yet now Qin Yu had suddenly appeared.

This slap to the face was loud and clear.

"Nothing happened at all; we were just tired and took a break," Qin Yu said with a smile, patting Minato Namikaze on the shoulder.

"Is there anything else? If not, I'll head back to rest first."

This scene immediately caused the Police Force standing not far away to stir with restlessness.

"Did you see that? That loser Uchiha Qin Yu is actually acting like brothers with Minato Namikaze."

"Their relationship seems pretty good."

"Konoha really is quick to win people over; no wonder he's a top candidate for the next Hokage," said the leader of the Police Force.

He was clearly a thin, gaunt man in his early twenties, with hostility flickering in his pupils.

Qin Yu remembered this one; he seemed to be called Uchiha Seki.

He possessed a two-tomoe Sharingan.

Before Uchiha Shisui rose to prominence, he had been hailed as the rising star and the hope of the Uchiha Clan.

Unfortunately, the moment Uchiha Shisui became famous overnight, Uchiha Seki was instantly reduced to trash.

Now that another Uchiha Qin Yu had popped up, it likely made him feel resentful.

However, Qin Yu didn't take any of this to heart.

In this world where strength is respected, there is no problem that cannot be solved with a fist.

If it doesn't work, then hit them again.

"So you are Uchiha Qin Yu. Truly a hero among youths. To be able to arrive at Konoha safely despite such dangers along the way—it seems the legends are true," Danzo said, turning around with a smile.

However, his expression, neither smiling nor frowning, gave off an inexplicable sense of oppression.

In Qin Yu's words, this was a classic case of a knife hidden behind a smile.

"Thank you for your concern. Aside from a few flies along the way, there really hasn't been any trouble," Qin Feng said with a warm smile.

"Or perhaps, is it that my luck is too good, or is it that some of Lord Danzo's subordinates have such terrible luck that they got lost and couldn't find their way back?"

As he said this, Qin Yu met Danzo's gaze without backing down, his smile growing even brighter.

"Lord Danzo, do you think a stray dog that bites people should be killed? Don't let me see those two beasts again, or I won't show mercy to anyone."

As his voice fell, Qin Yu's Mangekyo Sharingan suddenly began to spin.

Immediately after, a massive surge of ocular power erupted like a tidal wave, sweeping outward as a shockwave.

However, this aura came and went in a flash.

It vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"Such powerful ocular power!" Danzo's expression froze.

But as he looked at Qin Yu, a hint of greed deepened in his pupils.

Danzo both loved and hated the Uchiha Clan.

He hated the Uchiha Clan, but he loved their Sharingan.

Moreover, intelligence reports indicated that the eyes Qin Yu possessed were clearly different from those of ordinary clansmen.

Now, having witnessed it with his own eyes, Danzo was even more certain that these eyes were definitely similar to the Mangekyo recorded by the Second Hokage.

Most importantly, the sheer power of the ocular energy that had just erupted could not be explained if it weren't measured by the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Uchiha Qin Yu, you are indeed extraordinary, to have awakened even the legendary eyes. Perhaps you will surpass Uchiha Shisui and become the peerless genius of the clan," Danzo said, pointing it out directly.

The expressions of Uchiha Seki and the other members of the Police Force shifted involuntarily.

As fellow members of the Uchiha Clan, they were happy to see a powerhouse emerge within their ranks.

But who wouldn't want to be that powerhouse themselves?

Now, the former bottom-feeder had become the peerless genius in Danzo's mouth.

He had even awakened the legendary Sharingan.

Such treatment was enough to twist anyone's mind.

"Heh, Lord Danzo, you really know how to joke. Perhaps compared to you, I still have a long way to go," Qin Yu said with a dry laugh.

"If you have nothing else, I still need to go report for duty."

"Right, right, I almost forgot about that," Minato Namikaze quickly took over the conversation.

"The Third Hokage and the two Konoha advisors have been waiting for a long time. Let's go report first."

"Yugao, Hayate, you two go back and rest first. You've been exhausted during this period, so don't wander around."

Upon hearing this, Gekko Hayate felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. After casting a glance at Uchiha Qin Yu, he hurriedly expressed his gratitude, turned, and dashed away.

Uzuki Yugao felt a bit reluctant to leave, but sensing the atmosphere on the scene, she knew it was not the right time to linger.

After casting a worried glance at Uchiha Qin Yu, she also turned and left.

For a moment, the vast city gate was filled with an inexplicable, oppressive air.

"Minato, let's go." Uchiha Qin Yu patted Minato Namikaze on the shoulder.

"Don't keep the Third Hokage waiting too long. Lord Danzo, if you like, feel free to stay here; perhaps you will wait for the hope you seek."

Leaving these words behind, Uchiha Qin Yu took the lead and headed toward the Hokage Office Building.

Minato Namikaze gave a helpless, bitter smile.

However, he did not approve of Danzo's actions either.

Now that someone was able to make Danzo suffer, Minato Namikaze was too happy to care.

He certainly wouldn't go out of his way to protect Danzo's fragile ego.

Watching Uchiha Qin Yu and Minato Namikaze depart, Uchiha Seki left with the Police Force, his face dark and gloomy.

"Lord Danzo, do you still wish to wait? My shift is already over," the Chunin guarding the Sealing Gate asked timidly.

"Get lost! Is Lord Danzo someone you have the qualifications to question?" Yamanaka Fu flashed out from the shadows.

Aburame Torune followed behind him, both of their expressions clearly looking sour.

Danzo did not speak.

He was still brooding over the words Uchiha Qin Yu had just spoken.

Although they were somewhat cryptic, the mere thought of the Sharingan he had painstakingly collected on his arm, along with his secret dealings with Orochimaru, left him with the unsettling feeling of being seen through.

As the founder of the Root Division and a high-ranking official of Konoha, Danzo prided himself on his intellect, strategy, and cunning, believing that even the Third Hokage could not compete with him.

Yet, this time, not only did the assassination fail, but he couldn't even see through a mere brat.

For the first time, Danzo understood what it meant to feel completely unable to fathom someone.

"Lord Danzo, didn't you send an S-rank missing-nin from Takigakure to intercept and kill Uchiha Qin Yu? Why is he unharmed?" Yamanaka Fu could no longer contain his impatience.

Thinking of the death of Yamanaka Tatsuya, he wished he could tear Uchiha Qin Yu to pieces.

"Fu, don't be nervous. Could it be that the brat changed his route, and Kakuzu missed him?" Aburame Torune said in a low voice.

"Otherwise, given this brat's personality, if Kakuzu had truly failed, he would have launched a violent attack by now."

Danzo nodded silently in agreement with this assessment.

"Find some people, contact Kakuzu, and at the same time, go check the Post Station. I want results within thirty minutes."

"Rest assured, Lord Danzo, I will go right now." Yamanaka Fu could not hold back his agitation.

Leaving these words behind, he turned and rushed out past the Sealing Gate.

He was now desperate to verify Aburame Torune's theory.

However, another thought kept flashing through his mind.