Danzo Backs Down!

"Darkness of the Ninja World? Hah!"

"Stay in a sewer long enough, and you'll turn into a rat in a dark corner!"

Watching Danzo's complexion shift from an enraged crimson to a deathly, ashen gray, Uchiha Jin let out a scoff filled with utter disdain.

It wasn't that Uchiha Jin hadn't sensed Danzo silently activating the 'Self-Karma Curse Seal' in the shadows, but it was precisely for that reason that he looked down on this 'Pot Shadow,' Shimura Danzo, even more.

That's right!

Uchiha Jin's sudden assault just now had been swift and fierce; even Tunan and Habara, two newly ascended Kage-level powerhouses, hadn't anticipated such a stroke of genius.

But Danzo shouldn't have been caught off guard!

Once upon a time, this Hokage Assistant had clawed his way up from the battlefield; in terms of experience and grit, he was considered the cream of the crop. Otherwise, he never could have served as a member of Senju Tobirama's personal guard.

Yet, at this moment...

In a situation where it was already clear they were mortal enemies, he still didn't believe the Uchiha would truly dare to strike him.

This intense arrogance led Shimura Danzo to believe that even if he were manipulating his subordinates to probe the other side, he could avoid the gaze of the Sharingan—and he had acted on that belief with resolve.

He did it, and he paid the price!

What left Uchiha Jin even more speechless was that this guy Danzo actually dared to let his mind wander in front of him, as if he were already three steps ahead, planning how to continue stirring up trouble.

To kill... or not to kill?

Could the Uchiha withstand the consequences?

The result was obvious: not only was he going to slaughter the lackeys Danzo had sent to probe him, but he was also going to grind his size-ten boot into Danzo's face!

Uchiha Jin looked down at Danzo, who was still fantasizing that he wouldn't dare to truly 'harm' him, and was preparing a desperate counterattack with the 'Self-Karma Curse Seal.'

Rip!

As the blade of the kunai met flesh and blood, one already frail and aged kidney was thoroughly sent to the afterlife, and Shimura Danzo's pig-like roar echoed across the sky.

"Damn you! You evil Uchiha..."

Hmph!

Uchiha Jin let out a cold, dismissive snort. Taking advantage of Danzo's scattered focus, his powerful ocular prowess finally severed the man's control over his chakra.

"Who do you think you're looking down on?"

"A mere Self-Karma Curse Seal—with a startup time that long, do you think I'm blind?"

"If it were the 'Reverse Four-Symbols Sealing,' it might be worth a look, but how... Danzo-sama, who always has self-sacrifice on his lips, can't even do it himself when his turn finally comes!"

Danzo's already wrinkled face twisted further from the excruciating pain, looking like a hysterical demon struggling in purgatory.

Yet, Danzo himself couldn't tell if the pain radiating from his kidney was more intense, or if Uchiha Jin's knife-like words were more piercing.

"Damn it, Sarutobi won't let you get away with this!"

By now, Danzo had seen it clearly: Uchiha Jin was a 'hawk' in the truest sense, an unreasonable man willing to ignite the flames of war just to uphold his own ideology.

Danzo felt he and Uchiha Jin were the same kind of person, only it was clear that this ridiculously young man was even more excellent than him in terms of toughness and decisiveness.

He had exploited two consecutive errors in judgment: first, the surprise attack that stripped him of his ability to fight head-on, and then, the complete suppression of his ability to counterattack.

Therefore.

Danzo could only pin his hopes on his good friend Sarutobi Hiruzen, hoping to use the names of the Hokage and the village to stabilize Uchiha Jin and buy time for reinforcements to arrive.

At the same time... there was another reinforcement on the scene!

"Shisui... gurgle #￥... #￥%￥#&..."

Danzo seemed to have found a straw to clutch at, letting out another frantic, excited roar, but the next moment, he was once again brought into friendly, intimate contact with the dark earth under a size-ten boot.

"Jin..."

Shisui walked slowly to Uchiha Jin's side, looking at him with a pitiful, pleading gaze. But when he saw the kunai poised to plunge into the other kidney...

"The Police Force has already apprehended the suspect; let the village handle the rest!"

Uchiha Shisui decisively abandoned his plea for Danzo, immediately realizing the correct way to interact with Jin at this moment.

"That's more like it!"

Uchiha Jin continued to assist Danzo in his intimate activities with the ground while finally casting a look of satisfaction at Shisui.

"Shisui, you must understand: the Police Force has its duties. This is the bottom line that we Uchiha uphold!"

"Uh..."

Looking at Uchiha Jin, who was standing there with the same righteous air Danzo had worn when he first appeared, even the somewhat stoic Shisui couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Also!"

"Have you forgotten why the village deliberately suppressed and made things difficult for us Uchiha? Have you forgotten why we Uchiha have been pushed to this point?"

"When facing someone like this who sows discord between my Uchiha and the village, if you get an opportunity like today, you must beat them into the ground!"

Uchiha Jin's words clearly resonated with Shisui; after all, he too had recently identified the flashpoint of the conflict between the clan and the village during his own discussions with the man.

But clearly, regarding Shimura Danzo—the Hokage Assistant... the civilian ninja deeply trusted by the Third Hokage—Shisui still lacked the ability to resolve the root of the conflict.

To be honest.

Seeing Danzo in such a miserable and pathetic state, Shisui actually felt a flicker of secret joy in his heart, but for the sake of the village and the Uchiha...

"Jin... er, I mean, Danzo is, after all, a close friend of the Third Hokage. If we can... we should leave the final decision to the Hokage!"

Shisui's words were somewhat stuttered, and he kept a close watch on Uchiha Jin's expression, truly afraid that this guy might lose his head and slaughter Danzo right then and there.

"That depends on whether our suspect is law-abiding and willing to cooperate properly with the Police Force's investigation and trial..."

Uchiha Jin stopped twisting his right foot and smiled with a hint of mockery at Danzo, who had begun to play dead.

Hmph!

Danzo still clung to a shred of pride, having clearly sensed that the other party truly wouldn't mind killing him.

Realizing that his only hope for survival lay in waiting for his dear friend's reinforcements, Danzo, having completely conceded, decisively buried his dust-covered old face into the dirt pit that had just been dug.

"Whew..."

Only then did Uchiha Shisui finally heave a sigh of relief, looking back at the twenty corpses already lying on the ground, and the dozens of Root ninjas suppressed by the Uchiha...

Should... probably... maybe... perhaps...

There's still a chance for salvation, right?

Uchiha Jin naturally sensed Shisui's desolate gaze, but he no longer had the heart to pay him any mind.

He had collected enough interest from Danzo today, and the groundwork he had laid regarding Shisui was sufficient. Furthermore, the dead Root ninjas might even provide some unexpected surprises...

So.

It was time!

It was time to meet our righteous and glorious Sarutobi Hiruzen!