By Lord Danzo's Order

The Daimyo's chest heaved as he snatched up a teacup and hurled it away, completely abandoning the composure expected of a Daimyo.

Yet, it was precisely this display that made the high-ranking officials of Konoha wary, if not outright fearful.

The more the Daimyo adhered to protocol and the more furious he appeared, the more it signaled the gravity with which he viewed this matter.

At the same time, it served as a side-handed message to the Third Hokage that pacifying this rage would be no simple or easy task.

Seeing that the situation had reached a point of no return, the Third Hokage had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, putting on a show of deference:

"Lord Daimyo, could this matter be a misunderstanding? Danzo, he..."

Before he could finish, the Daimyo cut him off with a cold snort:

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, are you joking with me? The witnesses and physical evidence are all here, and even little Tsunade can testify to this. Are you implying that I am framing the Lord Advisor?"

Framing!

Of course, this was a frame-up!

He understood Danzo better than anyone.

While Danzo was indeed radical and desperate to bring Ye Ning under his control, he was by no means a brainless fool.

Such an absurd act was not something Danzo would commit.

Furthermore, intimidating and threatening Ye Ning was their pre-determined plan; why would Danzo suddenly resort to assassination?

Attempted assassination of the Daimyo's Son was a crime of the highest order.

Given that Ye Ning was already confirmed as the heir to the Land of Fire, assassinating the Daimyo's Son was functionally equivalent to assassinating the Daimyo himself.

And the crime of assassinating the Daimyo was something Konoha simply could not afford to bear!

Once this charge was set in stone, it would mean that Danzo would have no place left to stand in Konoha, the Land of Fire, or even the entire Shinobi World!

Konoha itself would be implicated as a result.

Compared to other consequences, the Daimyo's wrath was already a minor concern.

If this news leaked, Konoha would become the target of everyone's ire.

Once the news of an attempted assassination of the heir reached the public, the Daimyo Mansion and Konoha would be completely estranged. No matter how diligently they tried to mend the rift, their relationship would never return to what it once was. And by then, if the other major ninja villages added fuel to the fire and collectively denounced Konoha, the village would be unable to withstand the pressure!

This matter had to be contained and controlled to the absolute minimum!

The Third Hokage felt bitter, and seeing the Daimyo in such a fit of rage, he knew that anything he said would be dismissed as mere sophistry. He had no choice but to pin his hopes on Tsunade.

As an eyewitness, if Tsunade could say even a single word for Danzo—no, for Konoha—it might slightly dampen the Daimyo's fury, and the situation might not spiral completely out of control. But if Tsunade refused to budge...

The Third Hokage cast a hopeful glance toward Tsunade.

In those eyes, there was a faint hint of pleading.

Tsunade pursed her lips and turned her head slightly, pretending not to see him.

As the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage, Tsunade had grown up immersed in politics and possessed no small amount of talent; she understood exactly what the Third Hokage was thinking.

But the Konoha of today was no longer the Konoha she once knew.

And her teacher was no longer the teacher he once was.

Furthermore, her heart was still filled with resentment.

Because of the disappearance of the Senju Clan, the loss of her younger brother, the incident involving the White Fang, and even more so, because of Ye Ning.

Admittedly, this time, Danzo only intended to invite Ye Ning over and had no plans to kill him.

But what about the future?

Who could guarantee that Danzo wouldn't actually commit an assassination later on?

After this incident, the mask had been completely torn off between Ye Ning and Danzo. Even if she felt a moment of compassion and pleaded for him now, Danzo would not appreciate it.

With Danzo's temperament, he would surely retaliate in the future.

Perhaps an assassination attempt might actually happen one day.

Seeing Tsunade turn her head away, a flash of disappointment crossed the Third Hokage's eyes.

This matter was now truly beyond redemption.

"Ye Ning."

Danzo, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.

At this moment, even though he was about to be saddled with the crime of assassinating the Daimyo's heir, Danzo's expression remained calm; he showed no panic over Ye Ning's tactics or the Daimyo's verbal abuse.

When it came down to it, this was nothing more than a simple frame-up.

Danzo was confident that he could turn this situation around.

Seeing that Danzo still wore an air of absolute certainty, Ye Ning crossed his arms, looking as if he were watching a show.

He was curious to see what Danzo could possibly say under these circumstances.

"Lord Advisor, please, speak your mind."

"Hmph."

Danzo snorted, his tone dripping with disdain:

"You keep insisting that I sent men to assassinate you, and you claim to have captured witnesses. Why not simply ask them what the mission I assigned them actually was? We cannot just take your word for it that they were sent to kill you simply because you say so, can we?"

Danzo smiled, a smile of absolute confidence.

He believed he had caught Ye Ning in a fatal oversight.

As long as he questioned his subordinates, it would naturally be revealed that the ninjas he had dispatched were never sent to assassinate anyone!

Ye Ning clicked his tongue, feeling no panic at Danzo's words.

If Danzo couldn't even come up with such a flimsy excuse, then all the planning and scheming he had done over the past few days would have been a complete waste.

How could he not have anticipated something like this?

"If Lord Advisor wishes to ask, then by all means, go ahead."

So straightforward?

Danzo found it hard to believe.

Because he truly had never intended to assassinate Ye Ning; the ninjas he sent were only tasked with bringing Ye Ning back, and he had specifically instructed them not to harm him.

In Danzo's view, this level of framing was completely amateurish.

Only the White Fang incident he had orchestrated previously could be considered a true frame-up.

Because in that case, White Fang had actually done the deed.

He had merely spread rumors and amplified the public discourse.

But in this matter, he had done nothing of the sort, so he had nothing to fear.

Unsure of what Ye Ning was planning, Danzo snorted, stepped forward, and looked down at the bound yet physically intact Root ninja.

"Fujiyama Nakakage, look up and look at me."

The Root ninja, who had kept his head bowed ever since entering the room, lifted his head in a daze.

His expression was panicked and fearful, his entire demeanor radiating unease.

"Tell me clearly, what exactly was my mission that day?"

Danzo felt deeply annoyed by the Root ninja's cowering appearance, but he had no choice but to compose himself and ask.

"Tell me everything that happened that night, from start to finish!"

The Root ninja nodded, stammering:

"That night, Iri Mutsuzawa and I were both summoned by Lord Danzo and ordered to assassinate the Daimyo's Son. After arriving at the Senju Clan Grounds, we first had a verbal altercation with Ye Ning, and then, because Ye Ning mocked Lord Danzo, a battle ensued."

"During the fight, I wounded Ye Ning and was just about to finish him off when Tsunade suddenly woke up. Mutsuzawa and I were no match for Lady Tsunade; Mutsuzawa was smashed into the wall with a single punch, and I was captured as well."

Although the account was stuttered and broken, it was, at the very least, a complete narrative.

Upon hearing these words, everyone's gaze shifted toward Danzo.