Famous Scene Reenacted

"What is the next step?"

Tobi did not understand.

The first phase of the plan had failed before it even began; could the subsequent steps really proceed?

However, he was not truly brainless.

"I understand. Uchiha Madara intends to use Uchiha Obito's weakness to lure him in."

"Correct. As the agent for the Eye of the Moon Plan that I went to such lengths to select, I will not give up so easily."

Uchiha Madara sneered, "He cannot escape the palm of my hand."

"Lord Madara, you shouldn't be too confident."

Tobi raised a hand in a gesture of caution, then quickly explained himself when faced with Uchiha Madara's hostile glare.

"Uchiha Aoba is currently a student of Namikaze Minato. Trying to take that little girl, Nohara Rin, right under his nose will not be an easy task."

"We might even expose ourselves."

"Then ensure he has no leisure time to remain in that squad," Uchiha Madara stated decisively.

"As a member of the Uchiha Clan who has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, given the personalities of Sarutobi Hiruzen and those other boys, they will certainly keep a strict watch on the Aoba boy."

"Have White Zetsu find a way to infiltrate Konoha and sow discord between him and the village."

"But..."

Tobi's tone was full of hesitation, "Lord Madara, Namikaze Minato trusts him deeply now."

"One must always try."

Uchiha Madara said with a hint of irritation.

"Furthermore, in this Ninja World War, Konoha, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure have all participated."

"As one of the five great ninja villages, how can Kirigakure remain on the sidelines?"

"If the first plan fails, find a way to provoke a war between Konoha and Kirigakure. As a high-end combat asset, Uchiha Aoba will definitely be dispatched to the battlefield by Sarutobi Hiruzen once again."

Is this a good thing, or a bad thing?

Konoha.

Hokage Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the battle report sent back jointly by Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya, lost in deep thought.

He had thought he held Uchiha Aoba in high enough regard, yet he had still underestimated him.

Thirteen years old...

To be precise, fourteen, and he had already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Such a rate of growth stirred a strong sense of apprehension in the depths of Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.

It made him involuntarily recall the stories Tobirama had told him during his youth regarding Uchiha Madara, as well as his assessment of the Uchiha Clan.

There is no clan in the ninja world with a love deeper than that of the Uchiha, which is why they seal it away. Once an Uchiha clansman understands love, the emotions they have long suppressed are released.

Even a power of love that surpasses that of the Senju Clan can be awakened as a result.

However, such intense love hides the potential for spiraling out of control. Once an Uchiha who has understood love loses that intense bond, the affection is replaced by an even stronger hatred, causing their entire personality to change drastically.

In the midst of such a transformation, a specific symptom appears: when an Uchiha loses a significant love or suffers from the pain of their own failure, a special chakra surges in the brain, acting upon the optic nerves.

Simply put, this is how the Sharingan is awakened.

As the eyes that reflect the heart, the Sharingan synchronizes with the power of the soul, allowing one to grow stronger rapidly.

Most Uchiha are sensitive by nature; accompanied by the power of inner hatred, those who awaken such intense emotions are almost all swallowed by darkness and fall into evil paths.

The deeper the darkness, the more powerful the ocular prowess, and the more difficult they are to deal with—just like Uchiha Madara.

So...

Will Uchiha Aoba become the next Uchiha Madara?

Sarutobi Hiruzen wondered.

It was no wonder that the Third Hokage experienced such a surge of emotions and thoughts upon learning the situation.

After all, the current Konoha did not have another Senju Hashirama.

In his imagination.

If Uchiha Aoba were to go mad, the entire village might not be able to find a powerhouse capable of stopping him.

As for letting Shimura Danzō suppress and target him again?

The moment this thought appeared in Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind, he immediately dismissed it.

He did not want his old comrade to be skewered by Uchiha Aoba's Susanoo and hung upon the village gates.

Thinking back and forth in this manner.

In the end, he decided to trust Namikaze Minato, believing that this sun capable of illuminating Konoha could also melt the heart of Uchiha Aoba, preventing him from walking the same path as Uchiha Madara.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen made his decision and temporarily cast Uchiha Aoba to the back of his mind, he began considering his reply to Namikaze Minato regarding the dispatch of envoys to the front lines to negotiate with Iwagakure.

A figure pushed the door open and walked straight in.

"Danzō, what is it? You didn't even bother to knock."

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even need to look up to know who had arrived, and he asked in a flat tone.

"Hiruzen, don't play dumb with me."

Shimura Danzō reached the desk and slammed his cane hard against the floor.

"Uchiha Aoba has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and shone brilliantly on the battlefield—such an important matter, and you intend to pretend you don't know about it here with me?"

"And so? What do you want to do?" Sarutobi Hiruzen helplessly set down his documents and looked up. "Recall him to the village immediately, arrange for Anbu to arrest him, and throw him in a cell?"

"Since you know, why haven't you done it?"

Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen voice his own thoughts, Danzō inwardly praised him—as expected of a companion of many years—before asking with a look of confusion, "Could it be that your naivety has taken hold again?"

"Sigh, what am I supposed to say to you?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "I truly beg you, stop being so suspicious of the Uchiha."

"It's just a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan, isn't it?"

"Uchiha Aoba is a man of merit; it is because of him that we were able to defeat Iwagakure so quickly."

"Furthermore, I have already decided to leave everything to Minato. I trust that he will not let Uchiha Aoba walk down an extreme path, so Danzō, there is no need for you to worry about this matter."

BANG!

Shimura Danzō slammed his hand onto the desk. "Hiruzen, do you even know what you're saying?"

"Enough! I am the Hokage!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen roared in irritation. "The Uchiha are Konoha's Uchiha, and Uchiha Aoba is also a member of Konoha. He is now Minato's student; he is a pure ninja of the Hokage's lineage."

"Danzō, I will say this one last time: put away your old ways!"

"The times have changed!"

Checkmate.

The moment those words were spoken, Sarutobi Hiruzen had effectively delivered the killing blow.

I am the Hokage.

These five words directly choked back everything else Shimura Danzō had intended to say.

At the same time, they made his obsession with becoming Hokage even more deeply rooted.

Knowing that further discussion would be futile, Shimura Danzō finally uttered the line that had been repeated many times within this office.

"Hiruzen, you will regret this!"

Having said that, he turned and left.