No, You're Only the Acting Hokage!

"I understand!"

Although Sarutobi Hiruzen had lost the initiative with that opening move, he still wore an air of complete control. Uchiha Jin's pointed words hadn't angered him in the slightest.

The Second Hokage's notes were a nasty move. Sarutobi Hiruzen had only become Hokage because of Senju Tobirama's dying wish, so there was no way he could deny his teacher.

Otherwise!

What would that make him as Hokage?

Though this tactic was a little underhanded, that was all it was.

The world wasn't divided into nothing but black and white; there was a long stretch of give and take between victory and defeat, too.

Even if the Uchiha Clan had gained a small advantage today, for Sarutobi Hiruzen it was only a minor sting. It didn't threaten the foundation of his rule over Konoha.

After all!

I'm the Hokage!

Sarutobi Hiruzen completely ignored Uchiha Jin's accusations against Danzo. Instead, he turned and instructed the Anbu Ninja behind him.

"The Anbu will take over from here. Afterward, I'll make sure the Uchiha receive a fair ruling!"

At once!

Several Anbu Ninja, dressed exactly like the corpses on the ground, moved to clear the scene under the direction of an Anbu squad leader.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

With several sharp whistles, three Kunai plunged into the ground in a triangular formation. Their metal handles quivered slightly, warning the Anbu before them not to make a move.

"Uchiha, are you trying to stop the Anbu from carrying out their duties?"

The Anbu squad leader's eyes narrowed. He stopped and shouted at Uchiha Jin.

Uchiha Jin naturally had no interest in responding to someone so insignificant. He kept his foot on Danzo's head and calmly watched Sarutobi Hiruzen in the distance.

"Since these spies were able to impersonate the Anbu and infiltrate Konoha, whatever the reason, this must involve the village's most sensitive secrets. Naturally, the Anbu must conduct a thorough investigation!"

With that simple statement, Sarutobi Hiruzen had defined the dead Root members as spies and emphasized that the Anbu were the official body responsible for handling matters beyond the village.

There was no helping it!

Politics was the art of compromise. Unless they intended to fall out completely with the Uchiha Clan, they couldn't allow any public connection between the village and these bodies.

Whether they were spies sent by an enemy nation or the targets of Shimura Danzo's personal vendetta didn't matter to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

What mattered was seizing the initiative—and making the Hokage's faction pay the price today!

Without needing Sarutobi Hiruzen to tell her what to do, Utatane Koharu, already aware of her superior's intentions, slowly stepped forward and angrily berated Uchiha Jin like a shrew.

"How does your Police Force do its job? You didn't leave a single survivor!"

Hmph!

Uchiha Jin knew this was just the other side's way of bargaining, but he was still furious.

Sharingan: Suppression!

Tap... tap...

Utatane Koharu pressed a hand to her forehead and staggered back weakly, falling right into Mitokado Homura's arms.

"Uchiha Jin, are you trying to rebel?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was delighted. The boy was just a greenhorn, after all. The pressure of the strongest Hokage, "Ninja Bear," now erupted in full force.

Uchiha Jin knew exactly what Sarutobi Hiruzen was getting at, and had no intention of taking the bait. Instead, he turned to Yamanaka Inoichi.

"There's no need to trouble the Anbu with the investigation. If you don't trust the Police Force's evidence-gathering methods, you can ask the Yamanaka Clan leader over there to take a look. I'm sure the Yamanaka Clan can give everyone a fair answer!"

"Uh..."

Yamanaka Inoichi, who had been watching from the sidelines, froze. He hadn't expected to get dragged into this. At a loss for what to do, he instinctively looked to Nara Shikaku.

When Nara Shikaku gave him a slight shake of the head, the awkward Yamanaka Inoichi turned his gaze to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"What... are you saying the Yamanaka Clan can't be trusted either?"

Seeing the situation fall into the awkward impasse he'd anticipated, Uchiha Jin felt much better. He knew nothing would likely come of this today, but there was still a point in making things unpleasant for the other side.

"Sarutobi, no..."

Hearing that the Yamanaka Clan might get involved, Danzo, who had been lying motionless, could no longer sit still. He immediately tried to struggle to his feet.

Even if the Root Ninja were dead, the information in their brains would be extremely difficult to uncover, and they hadn't known the real secrets anyway. Still, Danzo couldn't let them be exposed in front of everyone.

Even a few scraps of information...

Would be enough to keep Shimura Danzo from ever becoming Hokage!

So Danzo began thrashing frantically, hoping Sarutobi Hiruzen would step in and stop this as soon as possible.

But his connection to his mind and chakra had been severed by ocular power. No matter how wildly Danzo convulsed on the ground, all he could do was have another round of friendly conversation with the earth.

"Damn it!"

Seeing Uchiha Jin strike straight at the heart of the matter, Sarutobi Hiruzen could no longer afford to worry about Danzo.

After all, the moment everyone arrived and saw Danzo in such a disgraceful state, he had already lost face. A little more hardship might teach him a lesson.

The real problem was Uchiha Jin. Did this mean they truly had to fight to the death?

Thinking of Uchiha Jin's so-called "Jade Shatter Faction" declaration, Sarutobi Hiruzen hesitated.

But Sarutobi Hiruzen had been Hokage for many years. He only needed a moment to think before he knew what to do.

"I'm the Hokage!"

With Sarutobi Hiruzen's furious shout, the might of the strongest Hokage, "Ninja Bear," erupted once more. His Hokage Cloak shattered in an instant, revealing a black, tight-fitting combat uniform beneath.

Politics was the art of compromise!

Sarutobi Hiruzen firmly believed that anyone who could make him feel as if he'd finally met his match would never break this rule.

"I'm the Hokage" wasn't just a Noble Phantasm aimed at Danzo. Its power was directed at every shinobi affiliated with Konoha.

And that was exactly what happened. As Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze swept across the scene, the clan leaders and ordinary shinobi alike lowered their heads despite themselves.

"Sarutobi, you will..."

Danzo, in the pit, shuddered instinctively. Those words rose unbidden in his mind, but the next moment he felt tremendous force crash down on his head again.

"Finally, the moment has come!"

When Uchiha Jin heard Sarutobi Hiruzen's signature line, he finally got what he had been waiting for.

You vermin...

You've made your choice today. Don't blame me for what comes next!

After sentencing most of those present to death in his heart, Uchiha Jin straightened his chest and unleashed his own aura without restraint, meeting Sarutobi Hiruzen's overwhelming presence head-on.

"No, you're only the Acting Hokage!"