I'm the Hokage!

"What's going on? The Seven Ninja Swordsmen are the pride of our village. Every one of them was an elite, carefully selected for the role."

"How could they all have been killed so easily by a little Uchiha brat? Mizukage-sama, is there something wrong with your intel?"

Genji couldn't accept what the Third Mizukage had told him.

Or rather...

He refused to believe it!

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were both the pride of Kirigakure and its strongest fighting force.

For them to die so easily at one person's hands...

No village could possibly accept that!

The Third Mizukage had no good answer for Genji's disbelief.

Under someone else's control, his mind was always in a daze.

At that moment,

all he could do was follow Uchiha Madara's instructions and say to Genji:

"Whether you believe it or not, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen have been wiped out. That's a fact."

"Given the situation, summon the village's important Jonin."

As a Genjutsu puppet, he wanted to carry out Madara's orders properly.

He would do his best to direct the hatred over the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's deaths toward Uchiha Yuzhen.

Before long, in Kirigakure,

the other important Jonin, aside from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, gathered at the Mizukage's Office under Karatachi Yagura's leadership.

After entering,

Karatachi Yagura politely asked the Third Mizukage and Genji:

"Mizukage-sama, Genji-sama... You suddenly summoned us here. Is there some urgent matter?"

At that, the Third Mizukage glanced at Genji, signaling him. "Genji, tell them the intel."

"sigh..." Genji let out a helpless sigh. "I summoned you here because the Seven Ninja Swordsmen have been wiped out."

"As the pillars of Kirigakure, Mizukage-sama and I decided to inform you of this first."

"Then we can discuss what to do next."

As soon as Genji finished speaking, Karatachi Yagura urgently asked:

"Genji-sama, what exactly happened? How could the Seven Ninja Swordsmen just be gone?!"

He couldn't help but panic. As a Perfect Jinchuriki, he was Kirigakure's strongest fighter now that the Third Mizukage was growing old.

With his impressive leadership and charisma, Genji had already marked him as the next Mizukage.

Now, as the village's heir apparent, he'd just heard that their pride had been wiped out.

How could he not panic?!

"It was Uchiha Yuzhen—the brat who killed Biwa Juzo. He wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!" After answering Karatachi Yagura, Genji began explaining the intel the Third Mizukage had provided in detail.

The Jonin who had just arrived all heard the news.

Their faces changed dramatically!

"How could that Uchiha Yuzhen be so strong?!"

"Exactly! The Seven Ninja Swordsmen aren't just some nobodies. Only the most elite ninja in our village can earn a place among them. How could they be killed by some brat..."

"Enough!" Karatachi Yagura barked, frowning deeply as he silenced the room. "The facts speak for themselves. That Uchiha Yuzhen must have awakened the Uchiha's ultimate power... the Mangekyō Sharingan!"

"Otherwise, there's no way he could have wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."

"The Mangekyō Sharingan?" Hearing Karatachi Yagura's words, Genji immediately demanded, "Yagura... what makes you think that?"

Genji had been part of Kirigakure in the same era as the Third Mizukage.

He'd lived through the early days of the shinobi villages.

He knew all too well what the Mangekyō Sharingan represented...

"Mm! There's no doubt... Isobu told me..." Karatachi Yagura said gravely. "Only by awakening those miraculous eyes could an Uchiha do something like this."

Everyone present knew what it meant to be a Perfect Jinchuriki.

It was a state achieved only by becoming a trusted partner of a Tailed Beast.

And Tailed Beasts...

They'd existed since ancient times and lived to this day.

Their words could hardly be wrong.

Besides, they had no reason to deceive humans!

If you're enjoying this book and want to find it again, remember to add it to your bookshelf.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan?" The Third Mizukage, still under Madara's control, put on a show of concern. "We must eliminate this threat. From now on, the village should focus all its strength on that brat."

"Mizukage-sama! That's impossible!" Genji exclaimed, alarmed. "An Uchiha with the Mangekyō Sharingan is beyond our ability to fight. We should avoid his strength, not clash with him head-on!"

"You make a good point, but I'm the Mizukage. This is an order from the Mizukage!"

The Mizukage and Genji then began arguing fiercely over the matter.

And the impact of Uchiha Yuzhen wiping out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen spread through the village along with the news of the meeting.

His name rang throughout the Village of Bloody Dance!

Meanwhile,

Konoha wasn't doing any better.

The report of Uchiha Yuzhen wiping out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen...

and the impeachment report against Danzo, jointly filed by the entire coastal camp, both landed on Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk at the same time.

"Phew~" Sarutobi Hiruzen let out the last of his smoke and set down his pipe.

He raised his eyes and fixed Danzo with a sharp gaze. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Hmph! Nothing!!!" Danzo snorted, answering irritably. "Everything I've done was for Konoha!"

That was a lie.

He knew perfectly well he'd acted out of prejudice.

Bang!

"Danzo! That's all you have to say to us?" Sarutobi Hiruzen slapped the desk, furious. "You joined forces with outsiders to kill your own comrades. That's an act of treason!"

"What I did was right. Read the report carefully. This brat has awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Doesn't that prove... his evil runs deep in his bones?!"

"And every evil Uchiha must be brought to justice!" Danzo snarled as he tried to justify himself to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen said nothing.

The Mangekyō Sharingan...

He knew all too well what that power meant. Any ninja who'd lived through that era would.

He'd also read the research conducted by his own teacher, Senju Tobirama.

He'd already considered the possibility that Uchiha Yuzhen might become a powerhouse like Uchiha Madara, ever since the boy displayed his extraordinary talent.

But a Mangekyō Sharingan in one's teens? That was unheard of!

Sarutobi Hiruzen could only marvel at the news.

Yuzhen was truly terrifying.

Fortunately, he was one of his own descendants in the line of disciples.

There was no need to guard against him.

It was simple. Whatever remarkable achievements the boy made,

Sarutobi Hiruzen, as the leading figure of the current master-and-disciple lineage, would share in a little of the glory.

With nothing to lose, he wasn't about to take Danzo's words to heart.

Evil or not.

After being Hokage for decades, did he really not know better?

His teacher, Senju Tobirama...

had spoken those cruel words because of the centuries-old feud with the Uchiha,

and because the Uchiha had killed several of his brothers!

"I've heard your excuses. So you can step down as head of Root for now."

"I can't suppress the news of dozens of Jonin jointly impeaching you, either."

"Stay home and reflect on what you've done for a while!"

Seeing that Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't care about his words at all,

Danzo turned away, his mood impossible to read.

"That brat really is dangerous. If you don't listen to me, you'll regret it one day... Hiruzen!"

Hearing Danzo still arguing at a time like this, Sarutobi Hiruzen lowered his eyes, thoroughly fed up with him.

"Shut up, Danzo. I'll judge the situation for myself. I don't need you telling me what to do."

"Remember, I'm the Hokage!"

With that, Danzo slammed the door on his way out.