Are You Good at Fighting?

Although Danzo was anxious when he intercepted Uchiha Kei and his group, he felt confident in his position.

A ninja battle involving three to four hundred people is enough to constitute a war of annihilation for a small nation in the ninja world.

If you don't believe it, look at the Land of Waves or the Land of Birds; could they scrape together three hundred ninjas even if they exhausted their entire national strength?

If a battle of this scale were to break out at the gates of Konoha, and between its own people at that, then Sarutobi would have no choice but to step down as Hokage; he would have no option other than to die to atone for his failure.

Therefore, even though Danzo knew his own combat strength was inferior to Uchiha Kei's, he still felt emboldened when he finally faced him.

The masked members of Root appeared under the sunlight with unprecedented righteousness, and even as they faced the encirclement of the Uchiha clan, they remained fearless.

Because Konoha stood behind them, they were naturally righteous.

Everything for Konoha!

In Danzo's mind, Uchiha Kei was just a child who didn't understand the gravity of the situation, and this child, who possessed great military power, had no idea what he was doing.

As long as he explained clearly what kind of treacherous act he was committing, the boy would likely be scared enough to wet his pants.

Assaulting a government institution—what immense courage!

And the first step was to pin the terrifying label of treason onto him.

Danzo stood with his hands behind his back and said righteously, "Uchiha Kei, are you planning to rebel?"

Openly besieging a power center of Konoha—how is this any different from treason?

Danzo was certain that Uchiha Kei must have discovered his plot to assassinate him, and that this full-scale mobilization was intended to start a war against him.

As for how the news leaked, that was not something to ponder at the moment.

Right now, with his strength inferior to his opponent's, he needed to intimidate the other party, make them realize the severity of the consequences, and force them to retreat.

The rest would be to wait until he survived this crisis, then use this incident as a pretext to unite with Sarutobi's power and annihilate the Uchiha in the name of suppressing a private army.

By then, Sarutobi would have no excuse to avoid taking action!

For now, Danzo believed that Uchiha Kei did not have the guts to bear the label of a rebel.

Even the Uchiha of the past, who possessed Madara, did not dare to accept the label of treason; the moment Madara intended to rebel, the clan head immediately distanced himself from him.

Danzo truly couldn't think of a single way Kei was superior to Madara. Even if Kei were ignorant of the world and dared to defy the entire world, Danzo didn't believe his subordinates would dare to accompany him.

As long as Kei's support wavered, it would be Danzo's victory.

When Danzo spoke those words, he was full of confidence; he had already imagined Kei's panic.

It was just a child's fit of pique; he had no idea what his actions represented.

But after the words fell, Danzo did not see the panic he had expected from Kei.

Danzo felt his confidence waver.

Are children these days all this ignorant?

What kind of family upbringing did this guy have?

Once this is over, I must hold the Uchiha clan head accountable.

Uchiha Kei was also speechless. I'm just moving house, and I'm doing it with lightning speed to make it a fait accompli so that there will be less bickering and persuasion from within Konoha and the Uchiha clan.

How did I run into Danzo halfway there? This grandson's skill at pinning labels is pathetic!

I, Uchiha Kei, cannot accept this heavy label for now; I don't want a record of being a failed rebel who was scared off by Danzo.

Since you, Danzo, have shouted such a slogan, you cannot blame me for being ruthless.

Looking at the righteous Danzo, Uchiha Kei smiled with contempt.

"Shimura Danzo, is this your last will and testament?"

Danzo was stunned. This wasn't what was supposed to happen; why aren't you playing by the rules?

What exactly did I do to make Uchiha Kei so determined to kill me?

Although I planned to assassinate him, I hadn't even carried it out yet, had I?

Is it worth it for him to go all-in and bear the label of a rebel just to kill me?

What good would it do him? Aside from venting his anger, what else could he achieve?

Afterward, it would only give Sarutobi a pretext, providing him with enough justification to mobilize all of Konoha's power to deal with the Uchiha.

This is fighting near the heart of Konoha.

Is he really not considering the consequences?

Danzo was no longer certain.

"Uchiha Kei, do you have any idea what you are doing?"

Uchiha Kei was also speechless. You came over aggressively, so you should know very well what I am doing. By provoking me with those words, haven't you already prepared yourself?

Now that it has reached this point, is there any point in asking these things?

"Shimura Danzo, you dare to come before me to seek death with just a few people; are you really that capable?"

In Kei's mind, Danzo must be looking for trouble, using his own sacrifice to gain a moral advantage for Konoha.

Otherwise, look at the strength of the men Danzo brought; it wasn't just a coincidence.

It was enough to allow Uchiha Kei to fight a beautiful battle of annihilation, yet possessed enough power to stall him long enough for Konoha to enter the fray.

Of course, all of this was predicated on the conventional conditions of ninja warfare.

Seeing Danzo's unscrupulous actions, Kei felt he had been too rash, giving Konoha an opening.

Kei had assumed that once the fighting started and the fact of Danzo and his subordinates' mass deaths was established, the elites of the Anbu and Root would immediately intervene to slaughter the Uchiha clan.

He had thought that with such a sudden operation, Konoha's response wouldn't be so timely.

Who would have guessed that Konoha was watching him so closely? They had moved the moment he left the Uchiha sphere of influence.

It seemed that killing him had already become a consensus in Konoha.

Kei felt a twinge of regret, but at this moment, there was no room for it.

He had to be tough; he couldn't actually give Danzo a pretext.

Since Danzo wanted to pin a major crime on him, he would start by intimidating Danzo to see what exactly this guy was planning.

Could it be that he was really prepared to sacrifice his life for Konoha?

Admittedly, Uchiha Kei believed that Danzo was someone who would do anything for Konoha and sacrifice anyone.

But this "anyone" did not include Danzo himself.

On this point, Danzo and Kei were the same type of person.

Kei was perhaps even better at it.

Stall. Stall until the Uchiha clan reacted, stall until Konoha reacted.

Let's see what this situation really is today.

At worst, there would be a massive war, and he would drag the Uchiha down with him.

If Konoha was truly prepared to fight him to the death, then dragging the Uchiha into the fray was the only way to secure his own survival.

Watching Kei's disdain, Danzo no longer maintained his previous facade of righteousness.

Who could stop a young warrior from rushing to his death? They wouldn't listen; once a fighter's sword is swung, they will surely hear the wails of the defeated.

Young people simply cannot endure grievances. It seems his assassination plan really did enrage Uchiha Kei; this boy is truly prepared to risk his life against me.

I knew it. One should never let a young man who follows his own passions and seeks status attain a high position.

They simply do not understand the rules of the adult game.

I, Danzo, am not backing down; I am merely trying to avoid further bloodshed and sacrifice for Konoha. I hope Sarutobi can understand my painstaking efforts and send someone to save me soon.

I must stall, stall until Konoha knows, and then strangle this restless sprout out in the wilderness.

Everything for Konoha!