Uchiha Ao stared into Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes. After a long silence, he suddenly chuckled.
"Lord Hokage's decision... is an acceptable explanation."
His goal had never been to kill Danzo. He had only used him as a pretext.
After all, Danzo was more useful alive than dead.
Konoha's "fall guy" hadn't earned that title for nothing.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he put his pipe back between his calloused lips.
It seemed the new clan head had a temperament much like Fugaku's.
As for Danzo, he had only himself to blame. Fugaku would have demanded an explanation from him, too.
But when he thought about the major changes that had recently taken place in the Uchiha Clan,
and how he hadn't received so much as a hint about them,
the old man's grip on his pipe tightened without his realizing it. Through the swirling smoke, his gaze swept over the quiet streets of Konoha beyond the window, and he resolved to summon Uchiha Itachi as soon as possible.
Meanwhile.
At the Root Base.
"Inabi, come take a look at this!" Uchiha Tekka held a scroll in his hand, looking as if he'd seen something unbelievable. He quickly called over his companion.
Several bound Root shinobi suddenly began struggling violently. Seeing this, Uchiha Inabi stepped forward and slapped each of them once.
"Shut up, all of you!"
The Root shinobi were stunned by the blows.
They were usually the ones slapping others. Aside from Lord Danzo, who had ever dared to slap them?
"Hmph! If the clan head hadn't ordered us to leave a few alive, I'd have killed you already!"
Uchiha Inabi viciously kicked one of the Root shinobi sprawled on the ground and spat. "Pah!"
"All right, Inabi. Forget them and come look at this first." Uchiha Tekka was certainly glad to see the Root shinobi suffering, but the scroll was more important right now.
Uchiha Inabi, now in much better spirits, shook out his tingling wrist and strode over to Tekka.
Uchiha Tekka carefully unrolled the scroll. The yellowed pages were packed with tiny writing, making his eyes ache.
"What?! Root used the First's remains to research Wood Release—and actually managed to develop it?!" Uchiha Inabi's pupils contracted sharply as his trembling finger traced the words on the scroll.
Several crumpled experiment results were tucked between the yellowed pages.
"How could they..." His voice quavered.
Though Hashirama Senju had been an enemy of the Uchiha Clan during the Warring States Period,
as a shinobi renowned alongside Lord Madara as the God of Shinobi,
he was respected from the bottom of their hearts, even by the proud Uchiha Clan.
"Shh!" Uchiha Tekka suddenly grabbed his shoulder and warily glanced toward the corner.
"Make sure nothing happens to this scroll. Take it straight to the clan head." Uchiha Tekka held Inabi by the shoulder, his expression grave.
"Got it!" Uchiha Inabi nodded firmly.
He carefully took the scroll from Tekka, tucked it safely against his body, and hurried toward the Hokage Building.
"Clan Head Ao, now that everything's settled, if there's nothing else, this old man should go get some rest." At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi just wanted the Uchiha to leave as soon as possible.
"Lord Hokage, don't rush off." Uchiha Ao smiled cheerfully, then signaled Shisui with his eyes to stand guard outside.
Shisui hadn't said a word the entire time. He silently walked outside to keep watch.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils narrowed at the sight.
Shisui hadn't shown the slightest displeasure.
He had been a genius in his youth, too, so he understood better than most how proud a genius could be.
It seemed he had still underestimated this new clan head.
"If Clan Head Ao has anything else to discuss, we can leave it until tomorrow. This old man is getting on in years; I can't keep up with you young people." Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes.
Though he didn't know what this Uchiha brat was up to, if he could put this off until tomorrow, he could call a meeting and summon everyone in the village.
That would give him the advantage in numbers. Even if the Uchiha Clan had something in mind, they wouldn't dare make a move then.
Uchiha Ao chuckled to himself, cursing the old fox.
You say you're old?
When you fought Orochimaru in the future, I didn't see a hint of frailty.
You still had enough strength to use the Reaper Death Seal, yet here you were pretending to be weak.
Uchiha Ao knew what Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking. He was simply trying to buy time.
"Lord Hokage, you're mistaken. I'm only nine, and I'm still growing, so I can hardly be called a young man." Uchiha Ao tilted his head, his innocent smile at odds with the coldness in his eyes. "It's still early, Lord Hokage."
The wicked Uchiha Clan truly had no respect for their elders!
Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed inwardly.
Then he sighed and tapped his pipe against the table. The falling ash and sparks left a charred mark on the wood grain.
Fine, fine. It seemed he wouldn't be able to avoid this today.
"Go ahead. What else do you want this old man to do?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked calmly.
"Lord Hokage, there's no rush." Uchiha Ao estimated that Tekka and the others should be back soon, and smiled cheerfully.
As soon as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the door.
Uchiha Inabi entered, carrying a scroll.
"Clan head!"
He came before Uchiha Ao, knelt on one knee, and presented the scroll.
"Mm, well done." Uchiha Ao praised him casually and took the scroll.
Then he showed it to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Lord Hokage, why don't you take a look at this?"
The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze fell on the scroll, his pipe clattered to the floor.
The words "First Hokage Cells" burned through the mask of composure he had put on.
Danzo, Danzo... I told you to destroy all the data back then. Why did you keep it?
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt helpless.
Even if he wanted to save Danzo, there was nothing he could do now.
Forget using the First's remains to research Wood Release. Secretly digging up the First's grave was enough to get him executed a hundred times over.
"Lord Hokage, this scroll says the Root shinobi used the First's cells to create a Wood Release shinobi." Uchiha Ao picked up the scroll and began reading from it.
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and said sternly, "The First founded Konoha. I would never approve of these acts of desecration!"
He slammed his hand on the table and jumped to his feet, making the scrolls rustle. His aged face flushed red with anger. "Danzo has been acting behind my back! Root's separation from the Anbu was something I explicitly forbade!"
Uchiha Ao nodded. "Lord Hokage, naturally, we don't suspect you had anything to do with this."
"However, now that we know all this, don't you think Danzo's punishment was a little too lenient?"
He rubbed the edge of the scroll with his fingertips, his tone unhurried. "He dug up the First's remains without permission and carried out forbidden human experiments... How can mere dismissal and investigation silence the public?"
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi only wanted to distance himself from Danzo, so he naturally went along with Uchiha Ao's words. "Clan Head Ao is right. This matter must not be tolerated!"
He braced himself against the table and slowly rose, his aged knuckles turning white with the strain. "I'll convene the village leadership at once to reconsider Danzo's punishment. Treason, desecrating our forefather, violating Konoha's laws..."
He ground out every word through clenched teeth, as if he meant to pin all the blame on Danzo. "He must pay for what he's done!"
Uchiha Ao watched the old man's performance with an amused smile, then said, "Lord Hokage, the Uchiha Clan supports holding a full village assembly."
Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, "Good. I'll hold a full village assembly first thing tomorrow morning and execute Danzo. Now..."
"Lord Hokage, so everyone can learn that Konoha has such a cancer within it, I suggest we allow civilians to attend this time."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had just been about to say, "You can leave now," when Uchiha Ao's words struck his heart like a heavy hammer.
Damn it, what a little fox!
Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed inwardly.
Before you continue