Konoha.
Hokage Office.
"Hiruzen."
"Wake up!"
"He even dared to attack the Anbu. Do you think he still cares about you, the Hokage?"
"Once someone like him is allowed to fully grow, he'll become Konoha's greatest hidden danger!"
"Only Root can control him."
"Hand him over to me."
"I'll erase his emotions and make him receive the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."
"I'll completely dissect his body and study the secrets of the Senju Clan's bloodline!"
Danzo once again revealed his objective.
A flash of greed passed through his single eye.
It was a thirst for immense power.
He simply did not believe Chiba had awakened Wood Style.
How could a godlike power such as Wood Style possibly appear in a younger generation member?
Ever since the First had fallen.
No one in the Senju Clan had been able to wield that power again.
In Danzo's eyes, Chiba had merely been exceptionally lucky.
He had simply experienced a rare ancestral reversion, with a bloodline concentration far beyond that of ordinary people.
As long as he could bring Chiba into Root.
He could extract Chiba's cells to improve the arm implanted with First Hokage Cells.
He could gain a longer lifespan and greater power!
"No!"
However.
Even though Danzo's logic had driven him into a cold sweat.
Sarutobi Hiruzen still gritted his teeth.
He abruptly rose to his feet, and the aura of a Kage Level expert burst forth instantly.
He stared straight into Danzo's eyes without yielding an inch.
"I said no. Absolutely not!"
"As long as I remain Hokage for even one day, don't even think about laying a hand on Chiba!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was not a fool.
He understood that Chiba was an enormous threat.
But he understood even more clearly that Danzo was an insatiable venomous snake.
Handing Chiba over to Danzo would be no different from drinking poison to quench thirst.
If Danzo truly discovered something through his research, or used Chiba's power to launch a coup.
Then Konoha would truly be beyond salvation.
"Hiruzen!"
"You're pushing Konoha into the abyss!"
Danzo flew into a rage.
The Chakra around him surged as well.
Cracks even appeared in the floor around his cane.
The two men stood toe to toe, neither willing to retreat half a step.
The air in the Hokage Office seemed to have frozen solid.
At that critical moment.
Steady footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Enough."
An elderly yet authoritative woman's voice rang out.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura entered the office side by side.
These two elder Advisors of Konoha usually lived in seclusion, yet they had exceptionally arrived together today.
Clearly.
Chiba's matter had already reached their ears as well.
Utatane Koharu frowned, glanced at the bloodstains on the floor, then looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo, who were on the verge of clashing.
"Look at yourselves."
"What kind of display is this?"
"The Anbu and Root are all watching outside."
"Do you want the entire village to laugh at you?"
Utatane Koharu rebuked them without the slightest courtesy.
Mitokado Homura adjusted the glasses on his nose.
His usually expressionless face now carried unprecedented gravity.
"Hiruzen, Danzo."
"Now isn't the time for you to fight over power and profit."
Mitokado Homura's voice was calm, yet it struck directly at the heart of the matter.
"We already understand Chiba's situation."
"A Senju Bloodline that has been hidden for sixteen years."
"A dangerous individual who could severely injure Anbu elites through sheer presence alone."
"He is currently entrenched at the former Senju Clan grounds."
"What can you change by arguing yourselves hoarse here?"
Mitokado Homura raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo.
"That's right."
"Whether Chiba is loyal or treacherous, and what his attitude toward the village truly is."
"Isn't something you can guess by standing here."
"Since he refuses to come see the Hokage."
"Then we'll go see him."
Utatane Koharu took over, her tone carrying cold rationality.
"Only by speaking face to face."
"Can we confirm what he truly thinks."
"And decide..."
At this point.
Utatane Koharu paused, and a flicker of killing intent flashed through her eyes.
"What comes next."
What came next.
Those words made the three people in the office fall silent at once.
Everyone understood perfectly well.
If Chiba was willing to obey the higher-ups' arrangements, then they would continue using the village's bonds to restrain him.
If Chiba showed even the slightest thought of rebellion.
Then what awaited him would be Konoha's ruthless crushing force as a whole!
Even if he carried the Senju Clan's bloodline.
Even if he was Tsunade's disciple.
As long as he threatened Konoha's stability, he had to be eliminated!
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep draw from his pipe.
The pipe that had fallen to the ground earlier had somehow already been picked up by him.
But the tobacco inside had long since gone out.
He inhaled cold air, struggling to calm his wildly pounding heart.
"Fine."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tapped his pipe against the edge of the desk, producing a crisp sound.
"Then let's go meet him."
He turned to look at the Anbu squad captain waiting outside the door.
"Deliver my orders."
"Gather five Anbu squads."
"The Barrier Squad and Sealing Squad are to take their positions immediately."
A trace of resolve flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes.
If Chiba was willing to back down.
Then he did not mind playing the good old man.
After all, Chiba was Tsunade's disciple, his own disciple's disciple.
But.
If Chiba wanted to tear away all pretense.
Then he had to prepare for the worst.
Danzo snorted coldly.
He gestured to the Root ninja behind him.
"Notify Root."
"Class-A combat readiness."
"Everyone, converge on the Senju Compound."
Danzo's thinking was simple.
If the negotiations fell apart.
He had to capture Chiba before the Anbu did!
Capturing Chiba alive was his most crucial strategic objective right now.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged glances.
Neither of them objected.
When facing a monster of such an unknown level, no amount of caution was excessive.
A few minutes later.
Below the Hokage Building.
A dense mass of ninja gathered like ghosts.
Not a single noisy sound could be heard.
Only the faint metallic clinks produced by weapons occasionally striking each other.
A grim, murderous atmosphere instantly enveloped Konoha's central district.
Sarutobi Hiruzen changed into the combat uniform he had not worn in a long time.
It was a set of black, form-fitting clothing covered by specially made armor.
Though he was already old.
Though his face was covered in wrinkles.
The moment he donned that equipment.
He was still the Ninja Hero who had once shaken the Ninja World!
Danzo stood beside Sarutobi Hiruzen.
As always, he leaned on his cane, his cold gaze sweeping across the surrounding ranks.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura stood behind them.
Surrounded by elite ninja.
The four elders standing at the absolute pinnacle of Konoha's power advanced in grand formation toward the village's southeastern corner.
Along the way.
All civilians and ordinary ninja sensed that something was wrong.
They hurriedly stepped aside, staring fearfully at this terrifying force.
"What happened?"
"Why has Lord Hokage personally mobilized?"
"..."
Whispers spread along both sides of the street.
But no one dared to speak loudly.
Because everyone could feel the killing intent, oppressive to the extreme.
Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored the surrounding stares.
His gaze remained fixed firmly on the southeast.
That was where the former Senju Clan grounds lay.
Once, it had been Konoha's most prosperous and sacred place.
But after the First and Second Hokage fell one after another.
In order to integrate into the village, the Senju Clan had voluntarily dissolved its clan structure.
Countless Senju clan members concealed their identities and blended among the civilians.
That vast compound had gradually fallen into ruin, becoming an untouchable scar in Konoha's history.
Before you continue