The Boast Came True

Danzo had only meant to help Kei brag a little, exaggerating his strength to make the Third Hokage wary and bolster his resolve to eliminate him.♪🐠 爪 🏆😾

From the very beginning, Danzo had known exactly what he was doing: betray Uchiha Kei to Sarutobi, and betray the Third Hokage to Uchiha Kei. He would survive by playing both sides.

Besides, given the state of their relationship now, those two would never have a chance to speak privately. That was the perfect opportunity for him to stir up trouble.

As long as he sparked a war between them and one side wiped out the other, he would be safe.

And all the betrayals along the way would no longer count as betrayals. They would instead be seen as acts of support.

Danzo understood things clearly now. The Hokage position was out of his reach; his intelligence plainly couldn't keep up with theirs.

But everyone needed something to look forward to. His goal from now on was to become one of Konoha's elders. He didn't care who became Hokage.

So he had to make Uchiha Kei and Sarutobi realize who their greatest enemy was—and just how terrifying that enemy had become.

Terrifying enough that they couldn't afford to let him run free any longer.

Sarutobi had already known how strong Kei was, yet he hadn't acted against him under those circumstances. That meant Kei was still someone Sarutobi could tolerate.

But that wasn't what Danzo wanted. He had to make Sarutobi understand just how powerful this Uchiha had become.

Whether that power was real or not didn't matter.

Danzo figured that Uchiha Kei's few hundred men could bully him, but they stood no chance against the tens of thousands in the Sarutobi Clan. So he had to sing Kei's praises.

And Kei had some obvious advantages. ６９ｓｈｕｘ．ｃｏｍ　(Yeyan )

The Sarutobi Clan had tens of thousands of people, but only three thousand active-duty shinobi. Even if they pulled out all the stops, they could field only five thousand, and the only ones among them who could really fight were Sarutobi and his eldest son.

The Uchiha Kei had at least as many jonin as the Sarutobi Clan, and he was only leading one branch of the entire Uchiha Clan.

When it came to elite fighters, the Sarutobi Clan fell short.

So Danzo had to boast about how powerful Kei's elites were: every one of them as strong as a Kage, maybe even stronger. He wanted to know if Sarutobi was scared.

But who could have expected that, after he'd talked them up, Minato would bring something even more explosive? He'd actually seen a Mangekyō Sharingan!

Danzo had only been bragging. His boasts were based on intelligence, and the Uchiha had been infiltrated like a sieve. Even this kind of vague, half-true information could get out.

But Minato wasn't the sort to make things up!

"Minato, do you know what you're saying?" Danzo and Sarutobi asked in unison.

"I said I also encountered a Uchiha with unusual eyes." Minato was starting to feel uncomfortable. What was the big deal about the Mangekyō?

"What did it look like?"

"What was special about it?"

The old couple didn't ask in unison this time, but they were still asking the same thing.

"It was a typical red Three-Comma Pattern, except there was a line through the middle, like a knife slash."

"So it's true. No two Mangekyō are the same. Did you notice whether the person who awakened those eyes had any special abilities?" Sarutobi asked with concern.

"Yes. The man only slashed at me once, but I felt as if I'd been hit twice." As he spoke, Minato lifted his Forehead Protector to show them.

"Look. There's only one slash on my Forehead Protector, but you can see two marks of different depths.💢♣  🐺👍They're subtle, but you can still tell them apart."

If not for a shinobi's extraordinary eyesight, the oddity would have been almost impossible to spot.

Even Sarutobi, the professor of ninjutsu, had to study it carefully before concluding that it was probably a highly unusual ability.

The Third Hokage's expression grew increasingly grim. It was definitely a Mangekyō.

They said every Mangekyō had its own unique ninjutsu.

It seemed that Uchiha Kei not only had dozens of elite-level shinobi or stronger, but also possessed two Mangekyō.

But how had someone so young managed to control all those people?

The awakening of every Mangekyō brought a storm of bloodshed. It took an immense price to gain that power. Usually, either someone else's entire family died, or the wielder's entire family did. No Mangekyō had ever appeared without upheaval.

Yet Kei had stood firm through two unknown bloodbaths. What had made that possible?

Could this unremarkable Uchiha Kei himself be a Mangekyō wielder? Or did the person backing him possess even greater power?

At least three Mangekyō. That would be terrifying.

What am I supposed to do with you, my Uchiha Clan, one of Konoha's founding clans?

Why can't you be sensible like the Senju Clan? Take your heaps of money and live in luxury. Let Konoha be your cash cow, and stop worrying about its affairs.

Wouldn't that make everyone happy?

Why do you always have to stir up trouble and force me to target you?

Do you really think having a Mangekyō makes you invincible?

The Uchiha of the past couldn't do it, and the Uchiha of the future won't be able to either.

The Third Hokage didn't back down after seeing the legendary eyes once more. If anything, he became even more determined.

Still, the situation was a real headache. In that case, they would have to prepare to face three Mangekyō Sharingan.

Until they were ready, they could only placate the Uchiha Clan.

"Danzo, how did Uchiha Kei let you go?"

Sarutobi stopped dwelling on whether the Mangekyō were real. What was coming would come.

Danzo was stunned too. His boast had actually been proven true. Had he messed up again?

He'd only meant to make Uchiha Kei seem more dangerous. He'd exaggerated Kei's strength to a level Sarutobi could accept but couldn't tolerate.

Now Minato had gotten involved, and Uchiha Kei had become someone Sarutobi couldn't accept—but had to tolerate.

Danzo's days of playing both sides would never end.

From what Danzo knew of Sarutobi, Sarutobi believed it took two jonin to deal with one Uchiha jonin. So unless he had at least six Kage-level fighters, he wouldn't dare move against someone with two or more Mangekyō.

A few years ago, Konoha might have managed to scrape together six Kage-level fighters.

Now there was the Third Hokage, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, half of Tsunade, Minato, and half of the Green Hat, who could open the Eight Gates.

Konoha had five Kage-level fighters at most, and those five had never been united.

If anything happened, they might stab one another in the back.

Danzo had no idea how long it would take the Third Hokage to bring them together.

When Sarutobi asked how he had survived, Danzo had no enthusiasm for the subject.

"I traded the Root's ninjutsu and intelligence records for my life!"

Danzo had no mood left to deal with Sarutobi. He answered offhandedly, then focused on thinking about his future.

The Third Hokage thought for a while, then formed Hand Seals.

A scroll appeared in his hand.

"Then, Danzo, give this to Uchiha Kei as well."

"What is it?"

"It's a record of the Uchiha Clan and the Sharingan. It details the achievements of every great Uchiha who possessed the Sharingan and led the clan to glory."

"Third Hokage, what are you getting at?" Danzo was shocked. He understood exactly what Sarutobi intended, but still felt that doing this was underhanded.

"Ambition needs to be flattered," Sarutobi explained for once.

Then, without waiting for Danzo's reaction, he turned and left.

"Get some rest. I'm leaving."

Danzo was left clutching the scroll the Third Hokage had given him, on the verge of tears.

Sarutobi, if you think those Uchiha are holding Konoha back, then send troops and wipe them out! Your clan could beat them. Sure, you'd take heavy losses—but what kind of hero schemes behind their backs?

And if you're going to scheme against them, deliver the scroll yourself! Why make me slip it in with the things I promised Uchiha Kei?

If Uchiha Kei sees through it, I'm done for.

He'd really kill me. All he needed now was an excuse to kill me and dispose of the body.

You're sending me to my death!

These people who schemed with their brains were rotten to the core.