The Famous Scene Plays Out Again

"What's the next step?"

Tobi didn't understand.

The first plan hadn't even gotten started before it failed. Could they still carry out the plans that came after it?

But he wasn't actually stupid.

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

"Exactly. As the chosen executor of the Eye of the Moon Plan, I won't give up so easily."

Uchiha Madara sneered. "He can't escape my grasp."

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

Tobi raised a hand in a gesture of caution. Facing Uchiha Madara's hostile glare, he hurriedly explained.

"Uchiha Aoba is also Namikaze Minato's student now. Taking that little girl, Nohara Rin, right under his nose won't be easy."

"We might even expose ourselves."

"Then we'll make sure he has no time to stay with that team," Uchiha Madara said decisively.

"As a member of the Uchiha Clan who has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, the likes of Sarutobi Hiruzen will undoubtedly keep a close eye on Aoba."

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

"But..."

Tobi sounded troubled. "Lord Madara, Namikaze Minato trusts him a lot these days."

"We have to try."

Uchiha Madara sounded slightly irritated.

"Besides, the current Shinobi World War has drawn in Konoha, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure."

"And Kirigakure is one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. How can it stay out of this?"

"If the first plan doesn't work, find a way to start a war between Konoha and Kirigakure. As a high-level combatant, Uchiha Aoba will definitely be sent to the battlefield again by Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Was 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 thought.

He'd thought he had fully appreciated Uchiha Aoba's abilities. As it turned out, he'd still underestimated him.

Thirteen years old...

More precisely, fourteen years old, and he'd awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Such rapid growth stirred deep apprehension in Sarutobi Hiruzen.

It reminded him of the stories Tobirama Senju had told him when he was young—stories about Uchiha Madara, and Tobirama's assessment of the Uchiha Clan.

No clan in the Shinobi World loved more deeply than the Uchiha. That was why they sealed their love away. Once an Uchiha understood love, the emotions they had kept restrained all along would be unleashed.

They might even awaken a power of love that surpassed that of the Senju Clan.

But such intense love concealed the possibility of a violent outburst. If an Uchiha who understood love lost that great love, it would be replaced by even greater hatred, completely changing their nature.

And amid that transformation, a particular symptom would appear. When an Uchiha lost someone they loved dearly, or suffered over a personal setback, special chakra would surge through their brain and affect their optic nerves.

In simple terms, they would awaken the Sharingan.

As the eyes that reflected the heart, the Sharingan grew in step with the power of one's spirit, allowing its wielder to grow stronger rapidly.

Most Uchiha were sensitive by nature. When someone with intense emotions awakened alongside the power of hatred in their heart, they were almost always consumed by darkness and led astray.

The deeper the darkness, the stronger their visual prowess—and the harder they were to deal with. Uchiha Madara was a perfect example.

So...

Would Uchiha Aoba become the next Uchiha Madara?

Sarutobi Hiruzen wondered.

It was no surprise that the Third Hokage had been overwhelmed with so many thoughts and emotions the moment he learned what had happened.

After all, Konoha had no Senju Hashirama now.

In his mind, if Uchiha Aoba went berserk, there might not be a single person in the whole village strong enough to stop him.

As for having Shimura Danzō suppress and target him again...

The thought had barely crossed Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind before he dismissed it.

He didn't want his old friend to be pierced through by Uchiha Aoba's Susanoo and hung up on the gate.

After turning it over in his mind again and again,

he finally decided to trust Namikaze Minato. He believed that this sun, capable of illuminating Konoha, could also melt the ice in Uchiha Aoba's heart and keep him from going down Uchiha Madara's path.

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen made up his mind and temporarily put Uchiha Aoba aside, he turned his thoughts to replying to Namikaze Minato about sending an envoy to the front to negotiate with Iwagakure.

A figure strode in through the door without knocking.

"Danzo, what is it? Was it so urgent you couldn't even knock?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't even need to look up to know who it was. He asked in an even tone.

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

Shimura Danzō came to the desk, planting his cane forcefully on the floor.

"Uchiha Aoba awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and distinguished himself on the battlefield. This is an important matter. Are you going to pretend you don't know about it?"

"So what do you want me to do?" Sarutobi Hiruzen set down the documents in his hand and looked up helplessly. "Summon him back to the village at once, have Anbu capture him, and lock him up?"

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

Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen lay out his exact plan, Danzō silently praised his old friend for knowing him so well. Then he asked in confusion, "Have you started being naive again?"

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

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed. "I'm asking you sincerely: stop being so suspicious of the Uchiha all the time."

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

"Uchiha Aoba has earned his merit. It's thanks to him that we were able to defeat Iwagakure so quickly."

"Besides, I've already decided to leave everything to Minato. I trust him to keep Uchiha Aoba from going down an extreme path. So, Danzō, you don't need to worry about this."

Bang!

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

"That's enough! I'm the Hokage!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen roared in frustration. "The Uchiha are part of Konoha, and Uchiha Aoba is a member of Konoha too. He's Minato's student now, and he's a true shinobi of the Hokage's faction."

"Danzō, I'll say this one last time: stop using the same old tactics!"

"The times have changed!"

Checkmate.

The moment those words left his mouth, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already checkmated him.

I'm the Hokage.

Those five words shut down everything Shimura Danzō had left to say.

At the same time, they made his determination to become Hokage even more deeply rooted.

Realizing there was no point in continuing the conversation,

Shimura Danzō finally said the words he had repeated so many times in this office.

"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!"

With that, he turned and left.