Sarutobi, Come Save Me!

"Uchiha!"

Before Uchiha Jin and Shisui could finish their conversation, an enraged roar came hurtling over from the distance.

That chilling, furious chakra presence also entered the awareness of every Uchiha present.

The next moment!

As dozens of flickering figures solidified, a grim old man wrapped in bandages strode in, leading dozens of masked subordinates.

Shimura Danzō!

Recognizing the newcomer's ugly face at a glance, Uchiha Jin and Uchiha Shisui couldn't help frowning.

Although neither of them liked the old man, the reasons for their frowns were completely different.

Shisui was concerned about the situation spiraling out of control, while Uchiha Jin simply detested Shimura Danzō himself.

Just like a certain someone who could use a technique called Mother's Embrace, killing Shimura Danzō would be immensely satisfying.

But compared to that, Uchiha Jin was more curious about how someone who looked so dim-witted had managed to survive until now.

He'd brought so few people and dared to take on his Uchiha elites head-on!

Well!

In fact, today was Uchiha Jin and Shimura Danzō's first formal meeting. Jin had needed to keep a low profile before, so he'd stayed safely within the clan compound drinking tea. Naturally, he'd never had a chance to meet this rat who was always hiding in the sewers!

However!

The instant Uchiha Jin and Shimura Danzō met, they both immediately recognized each other. An invisible pressure surged outward from the two of them.

After only a brief clash of auras, Shimura Danzō realized he couldn't directly overpower Uchiha Jin. A trace of alarm flickered through him, but then his gaze fell on the bodies that had been neatly gathered nearby.

Only after confirming that every subordinate he'd sent had died did Shimura Danzō finally accept the source of the intense unease in his heart.

How dare you!

When he'd sensed the battle from afar, Shimura Danzō had realized his perfect plan had gone awry. But he'd never imagined that the other party would actually kill them outright!

There had been eight full-fledged jōnin and ten Special Jōnin! Even among the Root, they'd been elite forces.

Even after years of gathering his strength, Shimura Danzō had only managed to build up a small reserve. Yet in a single moment, he'd lost more than a fifth of it.

Tsk...

The pain of that loss made Shimura Danzō's expression look ghastly. But more than the loss of Root members, he cared about losing this perfect opportunity to deal with the Uchiha.

Shimura Danzō's cold gaze swept slowly across the Uchiha present. Though alarmed, he still barked at them with force.

"Uchiha Jin, you dared to attack Konoha's Anbu so viciously. Do you even consider yourself a shinobi of Konoha?"

"No."

Uchiha Jin answered without hesitation, a mocking smile in his voice.

Hearing Uchiha Jin's utterly disrespectful answer, Shimura Danzō froze on the spot. Even Uchiha Shisui behind him was completely dumbfounded!

He's really this bold...

Hadn't he just been planning to claim they'd killed spies?

Why was he suddenly confronting Shimura Danzō so openly? Was Jin really not afraid of this going too far?

The sweat on Uchiha Shisui's cheeks had only just dried, but now it was threatening to pour down again. Clearly, though, the one even more furious was our "Pot Kage," Shimura Danzō.

"Uchiha Jin!"

At Shimura Danzō's angry shout, the dozens of Root members behind him all drew their kunai and took up attacking stances.

"By the authority of my position as Hokage Assistant, I hereby declare Uchiha Jin a rogue ninja of Konoha. Kill him without—"

Just as Shimura Danzō tried to invoke the greater good to suppress the Uchiha army before him, then order the Root shinobi behind him to kill Uchiha Jin, that familiar mocking voice rang out again.

"I'm an Uchiha elder, not a shinobi of Konoha. Did you hear me?"

As Uchiha Jin spoke calmly, pairs of scarlet Sharingan appeared. Their chilling ocular power made even the broad streets of Konoha feel cold.

"You..."

Shimura Danzō had failed to intimidate the other side. His already ugly expression twisted even further, but he forced himself to scold them again.

"Shisui, are you Uchiha planning a rebellion?"

People always picked on the weakest, and at that moment, Danzō had clearly decided Shisui was the easiest target.

"I..."

Scolded by Danzō, Shisui instinctively took a step back and stammered, unsure how to respond.

But Uchiha Jin had clearly seen through Danzō's intentions. He casually kicked Shisui more than ten meters away, then fixed a cold stare on the Root members nearby.

"We ran into a few spies who didn't know when to quit. The Police Force was ordered to kill them all. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Lies! These are clearly Anbu members. Uchiha Jin, you committed murder in the street and still dare to spout nonsense? Everyone, obey my orders and seize him!"

Furious at Uchiha Jin's answer, Danzō immediately issued orders to the many Uchiha standing before him, actually trying to make the Uchiha Clan arrest one of their own.

But unfortunately...

The Uchiha present all wore cold smiles and paid no heed to Shimura Danzō's command. The Root members behind him didn't move either.

For a moment.

Maintaining his righteous air, Danzō found himself in an awkward position. But a little humiliation was nothing to someone with skin as thick as his.

Otherwise, the Root shinobi he'd brainwashed would have rushed in already. Did they really think that he, the Darkness of the Ninja World, couldn't command his own subordinates? He'd only been testing the Uchiha's limits.

But now there was clearly no chance of catching them off guard. Understanding this, Danzō immediately changed his strategy.

After all.

His earlier decision to send Root shinobi disguised as Anbu to summon Uchiha Jin had been a mistake. He'd thought sending only a small group to summon Jin would make the story more convincing and make it easier to lure him out alone and kill him on the spot.

He hadn't expected Uchiha Jin to act so decisively and kill them right there in Konoha. Now that he'd suffered heavy losses, he was even less able to face so many elite Uchiha shinobi head-on.

His next mistake had been showing up before Uchiha Jin, hoping he could, as usual, use the village's greater good to sway the other man. Clearly, this time, it hadn't worked at all.

Now all he could do was stall. Stall until Sarutobi Hiruzen realized what was happening, stall until Konoha's clans gathered here. Only then could he return to familiar territory.

But Shimura Danzō was scared, too. He'd heard of Uchiha Jin's reputation as "Jade Shatter." He'd thought the Uchiha were all just useless blowhards, but he hadn't expected this man to be genuinely reckless!

Danzō felt that his assassination plan might really have enraged this Uchiha "Jade Shatter"!

If the other man truly intended to fight him to the death, then Shimura Danzō felt that he was in serious danger.

Young man, impulsiveness is the devil...

Shimura Danzō maintained his rigid, cold expression, while his mind frantically chattered away.

Sarutobi, come save me!