Danzo, You Can Scream Until Your Throat Gives Out...

When Heaven stirs with killing intent, stars shift their courses; when Earth stirs with killing intent, dragons and serpents rise; when mankind stirs with killing intent, Heaven and Earth are overturned.

Under the gaze of pairs of scarlet Sharingan blazing with fervor, those words dripping with killing intent made the air turn three degrees colder.

"Yes!"

Led by Uchiha Habara, the clan members roared excitedly at the Root members not far away.

"Anyone who dares interfere will be killed without exception!"

"Kill them without exception!"

"You dare? I am the Hokage Assistant! If you lay a hand on me, Sarutobi won't let you get away with it!"

Shimura Danzo glared furiously. His sleeves fluttered despite the still air as he pointed an uncovered left hand at Uchiha Jin. The powerful aura of the Hokage Assistant surged forth once more.

And yet.

Though it seemed as if they were about to fight to the death at any moment, Danzo, who was now putting on a righteous front, didn't take a single step forward.

Was he chickening out?

Seeing Shimura Danzo like this, Uchiha Jin finally understood that he had completely cornered this "Pot Kage."

Good!

Though Uchiha Jin had always looked forward to grinding this "Ninja World Scapegoat" to dust, Shimura Danzo still had some value to him right now.

It would be a shame to kill him just yet.

Since Shimura Danzo was being so sensible, perhaps Jin could consider sparing the man's miserable life and letting him experience what true despair felt like.

However!

Though he had no intention of killing Danzo here, Uchiha Jin wasn't about to let this loathsome man leave so easily today.

Didn't Uchiha Jin deserve to save face?

"Looks like you've forgotten!"

Just as Danzo thought he had cowed his opponent with his imposing aura, Uchiha Jin's familiar, mocking voice rang out again.

"Tunan, show him!"

"Yes!"

At Uchiha Jin's order, Uchiha Tunan, dressed in a black kimono, Body Flickered forward and bit his finger.

Boar—Dog—Rooster—Monkey—Ram. Summoning Technique!

Poof!

As a cloud of smoke dispersed, a huge, dark-green scroll appeared in Uchiha Tunan's hands.

"Read it!"

Uchiha Jin's brows lifted slightly, and his voice carried an unmistakable hint of amusement.

"Yes!"

Uchiha Tunan answered again, then decisively swept his hand out, unfurling the dark-green scroll completely.

Swish! Swish!

Two Uchiha shinobi appeared in a Body Flicker, one on either side. They caught the unfurled scroll and held it aloft behind Uchiha Tunan.

"In the forty-eighth year of Konoha, during the Nine-Tails Rebellion, Shimura Danzo and Root failed to protect the Hokage and obstructed the Uchiha Clan's efforts to rescue the Fourth Hokage!"

"Following deliberations between Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen and the heads of Konoha's clans, Root was ordered to disband immediately. All Root personnel were to be placed under Anbu administration. Shimura Danzo was stripped of his position as Hokage Assistant and ordered to remain confined to the Shimura Clan Grounds. He was not to leave without a summons from the Hokage!"

Uchiha Tunan's forceful words made the Uchiha shinobi present exchange excited glances. At the same time, confusion stirred in their hearts.

If Shimura Danzo really had been confined, why hadn't he disappeared without a trace over the past few years?

"Uchiha Jin, why are you dragging out these old, worn-out stories? That all happened ages ago!"

Shimura Danzo was furious. He remembered how, after the Fourth Hokage's death, he had recommended himself as the next Hokage, only to be stabbed in the back by his beloved Monkey.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been the one to order him to organize the evacuation of the villagers. Not only had Shimura Danzo completed the task flawlessly, he had even kept the Uchiha, a ticking time bomb, in check.

Yet at the meeting to choose the next Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen had accused Danzo and Root of dereliction of duty, then joined forces with the heads of the other clans...

"Exactly. I was the one who suggested it!"

Just as Shimura Danzo suddenly realized something, Uchiha Jin answered the question on his mind.

That was right.

Though Uchiha Jin had always prioritized caution over the past few years, how could a transmigrator like him endure complete boredom? From time to time, he still had to stir up trouble.

Even if it didn't achieve anything substantial, it was still worth annoying someone.

Danzo's early removal from the position of Hokage Assistant, along with the forced disbandment of Root on paper, had been the result of Uchiha Jin's little intervention.

At the time, Jin hadn't been powerful, and as an ordinary Chunin, he hadn't been valued by the clan. But the timing, circumstances, and support had all been against Danzo.

Uchiha Fugaku had already planned to stake everything on a single throw, hoping the Uchiha Clan's concessions and compromise would win the village peace and trust.

Jin found the idea detestable, but there was no way to stop it when the tide was running that way. Still, it was a perfect opportunity for him to put himself forward.

While demonstrating his abilities to the Uchiha Clan's leadership, Uchiha Jin had also connected with Uchiha Setsuna, a member of the Radical Faction who had already been dissatisfied with the clan head's decision.

Thanks to the joint efforts of Uchiha Jin and Uchiha Setsuna, even the usually compromising Fugaku had been happy to give Danzo a kick. He proposed an additional condition in response to the village forcing the Uchiha Clan to relocate.

And yet.

Neither Sarutobi Hiruzen, the other two Hokage Assistants, nor the many Konoha clans that had been burned during the Third Shinobi World War hesitated to accept this condition—which barely even qualified as one.

And so!

A world where only Shimura Danzo got hurt was born!

Not only was he shut out of the race for Fifth Hokage, he was also betrayed by his good buddy in the most humiliating way. And more than half of the assets he had painstakingly built up were seized.

Of course!

Both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Jin knew that someone with Danzo's personality would never willingly hand over all of Root's assets.

And even if Shimura Danzo was stripped of his position on paper and the Hokage ordered him confined, such measures couldn't last very long. They could barely affect him at all.

But things were different now!

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had only been back in the Hokage's seat for half a year, he had already begun to sense signs of their "Pot Kage" becoming active again by the day the Uchiha Clan finished relocating.

But in a sense, all of Danzo's actions—including those of the Root members behind him—were illegal!

Perhaps nobody had ever cared about that before. They might even have thought it was all perfectly natural. But now that Uchiha Tunan had brought out the Police Force's Konoha Major Incident Memorandum, the nature of the situation had completely changed.

The Hokage held great authority in Konoha, but he couldn't truly do as he pleased.

The position of Hokage Assistant carried real power, enough to impeach and restrain the Hokage. Even when appointing someone to that post, the Hokage had to notify the major clans, including the Uchiha.

Clearly, once Shimura Danzo felt he could move freely again, he had assumed he was once more the lofty Hokage Assistant.

And with the Root shinobi still under his control, the "Pot Kage" had never felt that he'd lost his authority as Root's leader.

And so.

Though Uchiha Tunan had just read aloud the resolution from the Konoha High Command meeting, Danzo was still only angry at Uchiha Jin for reopening old wounds.

"Still don't get it?"

Uchiha Jin sighed softly. He finally understood why Sarutobi Hiruzen had been able to toy with Danzo so easily.

Danzo was just a man with a little cunning, but no political sense whatsoever when it came to matters of principle.

Sigh...

Uchiha Jin sighed again. He had already put on quite a show, so he decided to stop wasting words.

"Move in!"

"Yes!"

At Uchiha Jin's slight wave, a white-clad figure and a black-clad figure began walking toward Danzo. They didn't give a second thought to the dozens of masked shinobi behind him.

Even now, Danzo still couldn't believe Uchiha Jin was actually going to attack him.

But as the two Uchiha shinobi drew closer, their eyes filled with neither hesitation nor fear. Danzo couldn't help but panic.

"Uchiha, are you really going to betray the village?!"

Swish! Swish! Swish...

At Shimura Danzo's furious shout, the dozens of Root shinobi behind him drew their Kunai in unison and prepared to lunge.

But Root moved quickly, and the Uchiha Clan reacted even faster. The moment the Root members drew their Kunai, at least two pairs of Sharingan were already suppressing each of them with their visual prowess.

Smack!

Some of the weaker Root shinobi collapsed under the terrifying force of that visual prowess.

"The Police Force is carrying out its duties!"

Uchiha Jin's cold gaze swept over the Root shinobi one by one, then over Danzo, whose face was "impassive" despite his slight trembling. Finally, it settled on Uchiha Shisui, who had just been kicked away.

"Anyone who dares obstruct us will make suspect Shimura Danzo guilty of resisting arrest. The Police Force is duty-bound to kill them all!"

"Jin..."

Uchiha Shisui felt a chill in his heart. He understood perfectly well that Jin's words were aimed not only at Root. More than anything, they were directed at him.

"Mm."

Uchiha Jin's eyes narrowed slightly. Seeing that Shisui had wisely kept his mouth shut, he added coolly, "It's the Police Force's duty. This has nothing to do with personal grudges. But if they resist arrest, they'll have only themselves to blame."

"Uchiha Jin, don't do anything reckless! Sarutobi won't let you get away with this!"

Now Danzo was genuinely panicking. He hadn't imagined that the head of the "Jade Shatter" faction would be serious. Did the Uchiha have no qualms at all?

The Uchiha Clan clearly held the absolute advantage right now, but Danzo's Root wasn't a pushover. Even if the two sides really fought, Root could hold out for a while.

But that depended on Root suffering heavy losses before Sarutobi Hiruzen's reinforcements could arrive. Danzo himself might even lose his life in the chaos.

As for putting his hopes in Sarutobi Hiruzen?

Shimura Danzo believed his old buddy wouldn't stand by and watch him die at the hands of the Uchiha. But he was also sure that, at a time like this, his good buddy would let the two sides fight like snipe and clam, then reap the benefits himself.

Tch. How shameless!

Danzo clenched his teeth, at a loss over what to do.

Resisting meant suffering heavy losses. But if he didn't resist, he'd inevitably be at someone else's mercy—and might even be hauled before Sarutobi Hiruzen and humiliated...

Mm!

No matter how he considered it, Shimura Danzo couldn't come up with a solution that pleased everyone. Meanwhile, Uchiha Habara and Uchiha Tunan were closing in on him.

At last!

Shimura Danzo took a deep breath, then abruptly began forming Hand Seals. Rat—Dog—Boar—Snake—Dragon!

Wind Style: Great Trumpet Technique!

"Sarutobi, the Uchiha Clan has rebelled! Come save me!"

A deafening wave of sound burst outward from Shimura Danzo, making even the Uchiha shinobi blocking the way behind him freeze for a moment.

He can do that?!

Hmph!

Shimura Danzo snorted, not caring in the least about the disdain in everyone's eyes.

That was right.

If he really fought the Uchiha, it wasn't as though Shimura Danzo had no chance. But was he really going to sacrifice his life for it?

Shimura Danzo could do anything for Konoha. He could sacrifice anyone, even himself...

But!

Only I can lead Konoha into the future!

Fueled by that firm conviction, Shimura Danzo wasn't bothered by the helpless looks of those around him. He'd abandoned any sense of shame years ago.

"Since you want to follow Konoha's rules, let's see how you explain this once Sarutobi arrives!"

A rare, smug smile spread across Danzo's face. His one exposed eye looked down on everyone before him.

"Uh..."

Uchiha Tunan and Uchiha Habara had been about to seize Danzo, but they faltered and glanced toward Uchiha Jin for instructions.

"Take him down!"

Uchiha Jin sneered in disdain as he walked forward, then issued the order without hesitation.

"Yes!"

With the order given, Uchiha Tunan and Uchiha Habara stopped holding back and moved to seize Danzo...

"Stand aside! I'll go see Sarutobi myself!"

Shimura Danzo puffed out his chest and brushed aside their hands, rebuking them righteously.

"Wait—"

Tunan and Habara hesitated again, uncertain whether to let him go or keep trying to seize him. But Uchiha Jin had already stepped up beside them, and suddenly struck out... with his foot!

"You're feeling pretty full of yourself, aren't you?"

As Uchiha Jin poured all the power of his Sharingan into the blow, his size-42 foot delivered a Groin Kick that made Danzo let out a squawk before he crumpled to the ground in agony.

"Since when has the Police Force treated suspects so gently? Have you forgotten the Uchiha's motto?"

"Fairness! Fairness! And more fucking fairness!"

Uchiha Jin barked at Tunan and Habara. Then his size-42 shoe came down hard on Danzo's deeply wrinkled old face. With every shout of "Fairness!" his shoe ground against those wrinkles.

"Lord Danzo!"

Seeing Danzo attacked, a few Root shinobi with powerful mental strength broke free of the suppression and charged over to save their leader.

"Those who are part of Root have no names and no feelings, no past and no future."

Uchiha Jin watched them coolly. He made no move to stop them, only giving them a faint, mocking smile.

"You don't even have names or shinobi registrations, and a bunch of unregistered nobodies dare attack the Police Force in Konoha... tsk, tsk..."

Swish! Swish!

Tunan and Habara, who had just been scolded by Uchiha Jin, no longer hesitated. Their Kage Level strength erupted in full.

Uchiha Style: Gale Sword.

Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame.

Blood mist surged into the air in an instant, followed by helpless wails. Already under the heavy pressure of the Sharingan, the Root shinobi had no ability to resist. Their deaths came swiftly.

"Uchiha Jin..."

Shimura Danzo's eyes bulged with rage. He had only signaled his men to test the waters, but he hadn't expected his opponent to actually attack the people he'd brought.

He was insane!

Was this the Uchiha's Jade Shatter?!

At that moment, Danzo wanted to spring up and fight Uchiha Jin to the death. But that last strike had come too suddenly and decisively, and now a powerful ocular force had him firmly restrained.

Danzo was now like a pig on a chopping board, completely unable to fight back for the time being. All he could do was unleash furious, defiant roars.

Uchiha Jin didn't care in the slightest. He pressed a Kunai to Danzo's heart, signaling to the Root members and Shisui not to make a move, then teased him with a hint of mockery.

"Go ahead and scream. You could scream until your throat gave out, and still no one would come to your rescue!"