Bragging Becomes Reality

Danzo had originally intended only to blow smoke, exaggerating Uchiha Kei's strength to make the Third Hokage wary and solidify his resolve to eliminate him.

From the very beginning, Danzo had thought this through clearly: he would betray Uchiha Kei to Sarutobi, and betray the Third Hokage to Uchiha Kei, maneuvering between the two to ensure his own survival.

Given their current relationship, it was impossible for the two of them to have a private conversation, which was the perfect opportunity for him to stir up trouble.

As long as he could ignite a war between them and have one side wipe out the other, he would be safe.

Any betrayal committed during this period would no longer be seen as such; instead, it would be reframed as loyal assistance.

Danzo understood clearly now that the position of Hokage was out of his reach; his intelligence simply couldn't keep up with the two of them.

But a man must have something to look forward to; his goal now was to become an elder of Konoha. As for who became Hokage, he didn't care.

Therefore, 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 could no longer afford to let him be.

Since Sarutobi had known of Kei's strength before and hadn't taken action, it meant Kei was still within the realm of what Sarutobi could tolerate.

But this was not what Danzo wanted to see; he had to make Sarutobi understand just how much the strength of this Uchiha had inflated.

And this inflation didn't matter whether it was "true or false."

Danzo felt that with only a few hundred men, Uchiha Kei could bully him, but he had no right to contend with the Sarutobi clan's ten thousand. So, he had to hype Uchiha Kei up.

Kei's advantages were also quite obvious.

Sarutobi, your clan has ten thousand people, but only three thousand standing ninjas. Even if you pushed yourself to the limit, you could only field five thousand, and besides yourself, only your eldest son is worth anything.

The number of Jonin you have might not even exceed Uchiha Kei's, not to mention that he is only one branch of the entire Uchiha clan.

When it comes to elite combat power, Sarutobi, you are lacking.

So, he had to brag about how strong Kei's elites were—each one at or above Kage-level—just to see if Sarutobi was afraid.

But who would have thought that just as he was blowing smoke, Minato would come in with something even more explosive: he had actually seen a Mangekyo Sharingan!

What I saw was just bragging, the kind built on intelligence reports—the Uchiha clan has been infiltrated like a sieve, and such ambiguous information is easily leaked.

But Minato is not the type to brag!

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

"I said, I also encountered an Uchiha who possessed different eyes." Minato felt a bit uncomfortable; why was the Mangekyo so terrifying?

"What kind?"

"What was special about them?"

The two old men didn't speak in unison this time, but the meaning behind their questions remained the same.

"It was the typical red three-tomoe pattern, but with an extra line in the center that looked like a knife scar."

"As expected, no two pairs of Mangekyo are identical. Did you discover any special techniques used by the person who awakened these eyes?"

Sarutobi asked with concern.

"Yes, that man only swung his blade at me once, yet I always had the feeling that I had been struck twice." As he spoke, Minato lifted his forehead protector to show them.

"Look, although my forehead protector only has one knife mark, there are two distinct depths to the scratch. Although it is very subtle, you can see the difference."

If a ninja didn't possess extraordinary eyesight, they probably wouldn't have noticed the trick.

Even Sarutobi, the Professor of Ninjutsu, only confirmed after careful deliberation that this must be a very special ability.

The Third Hokage's expression grew increasingly grave; it was confirmed to be a Mangekyo.

It is said that every pair of Mangekyo possesses its own unique, peerless ninjutsu.

Looking at it this way, this Uchiha Kei not only possessed dozens of elite-level ninjas, but also two pairs of Mangekyo.

How could he control these people at such a young age?

One must know that the birth of every pair of Mangekyo is a bloody affair. It is a power gained at a tremendous cost; usually, it involves the death of someone else's entire family or one's own. No Mangekyo has ever appeared without a storm of tragedy.

And for Kei to stand tall after two unknown, bloody upheavals—what exactly is he relying on?

Could this unremarkable Uchiha Kei also be a Mangekyo user? Or perhaps the person supporting him from the shadows possesses even greater power.

At least three pairs of Mangekyo—that would be too terrifying.

What am I to do with you, my Uchiha clan, founders of Konoha?

Why can't you be as sensible as the Senju clan, taking your piles of money to live a life of luxury, letting Konoha become your money-making machine, and never worrying about the affairs of the village again?

How wonderful it would be if everyone were satisfied.

Why must you always stir up trouble that forces me to target you?

Do you really think that possessing a Mangekyo makes you invincible?

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

The Third Hokage did not shrink back from seeing the legendary eyes once again; if anything, he became even more determined.

However, the current situation was indeed a headache. Since that was the case, he would have to prepare to deal with three pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan.

Before being fully prepared, the only option was to properly appease the Uchiha clan.

"Danzo, how could Uchiha Kei possibly let you off?"

Sarutobi stopped obsessing over the authenticity of the Mangekyo; what was meant to come would come eventually.

Danzo was also stunned. He had been bluffing, only to have it confirmed as the truth—had he messed up again?

He had intended to inflate the danger posed by Uchiha Kei, exaggerating his strength to a level that Sarutobi could accept but not tolerate.

Now, with Minato interfering, Uchiha Kei had become someone Sarutobi could not accept, yet was forced to tolerate.

His days of playing both sides were never going to end.

Based on Danzo's understanding of Sarutobi, the Third Hokage believed it took two jonin to handle one Uchiha jonin. Therefore, without at least six Kage-level shinobi, Sarutobi would never make a move against a Uchiha who possessed two or more pairs of Mangekyo.

A few years ago, if Konoha scraped together its resources, they might have actually managed to field six Kage-level fighters.

Nowadays, there was the Third Hokage, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade (who counted as half), Minato, and that Green Hat who could open the Eight Gates (who also counted as half).

At most, the entire village had five Kage-level shinobi, and those five had never been of one mind.

If something went wrong, there was no telling who would stab whom in the back.

He wondered how long it would take for the Third Hokage to consolidate these people.

Seeing the Third Hokage ask how he had survived, Danzo felt listless.

"I promised to hand over the Root's ninjutsu intelligence to him in exchange for my life!"

Danzo was in no mood to bicker with Sarutobi; he brushed him off with a perfunctory reply and focused on his own future.

The Third Hokage pondered for a moment, then performed a hand seal.

A scroll appeared in his hands.

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

"What is this?"

"These are the Uchiha clan's records regarding the Sharingan. They describe in detail the achievements of every great Uchiha who possessed the Sharingan and led the clan toward glory."

"Third, what do you mean by this?" Danzo was shocked. He understood exactly what Sarutobi was trying to do, but he felt it was rather underhanded.

"Ambition needs to be flattered," Sarutobi said, being unusually clear with Danzo.

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

"Get some rest. I'm leaving."

He left Danzo clutching the scroll, wanting to cry but having no tears.

Sarutobi, if you think those Uchiha are hindering Konoha's development, then just send troops to wipe them out! Your side isn't incapable of winning; it's just that the losses would be a bit high. What kind of hero schemes against people behind their backs like this?

The key is, if you're going to scheme, do it yourself! Why make me include this with the things I promised Uchiha Kei?

If Uchiha Kei figures it out, I'm done for.

He really would dare to kill me; he's just waiting for an excuse to finish me off and destroy the evidence.

Aren't you just sending me to my death?

These guys who play mind games—their hearts are truly filthy.