Enough, Danzo! I'm the Hokage!

Moreover, Fugaku's arrival made Sarutobi Hiruzen deeply uneasy.

Although the Anbu hadn't come to report yet, he was genuinely worried that the Uchiha Clan might already be gathering.

At that thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked toward Kakashi.

Kakashi bowed in acknowledgment, then led several of his team members out of the Hokage Office.

The rest of the discussion wasn't something a few Anbu could hear, and Kakashi also needed to keep an eye on what was happening at the Uchiha Compound.

The moment the door closed, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Danzo. "Danzo, as I recall, Root needs my approval as Hokage before carrying out any operations. Is that right?"

Danzo hurriedly replied, "I was only doing it for the village! Besides, I only wanted Uchiha Shisui to cooperate with an investigation!"

"Then, Danzo-sama, what exactly did Shisui do to warrant this treatment from a Konoha elder?" Fugaku didn't even look his way as he asked.

Hayato and Shisui were already standing behind Fugaku.

That's it, Clan Head. You've got this.

"I had my reasons for sending them."

"Silence!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped coldly. Had Danzo been an elder for so long that he thought he could do whatever he wanted?

"Danzo, suspicions must be supported by evidence. You can't frame a fellow villager, even if you're an elder advisor."

Thud—!

Shimura Danzo slammed his cane against the floor and shouted, "Whether he's guilty or not, I'll interrogate him! Then we'll know the truth!"

Even Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, standing nearby, stared at Danzo in astonishment.

They had come because Danzo said that the Anbu Sarutobi Hiruzen had sent were killed by the Uchiha. But so far, what they'd heard was almost entirely different from Danzo's account.

Fugaku looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, the meaning in his eyes clear.

Is this what you want, Lord Third-sama?

"Enough, Danzo! I'm the Hokage!" Sarutobi Hiruzen roared.

When Danzo looked ready to speak, Sarutobi Hiruzen raised a hand to stop him. "If you have a target you suspect, you should report it to me first, not send people to seize them on your own!"

Danzo took a long moment to recover from being cut off, then said impassively, "Everything I do is for Konoha."

"Ha..."

A faint scoff sounded in the office, but it was enough to draw everyone's eyes.

Hayato raised his head and apologized to Sarutobi Hiruzen. "I'm sorry, Lord Third-sama. It just sounded like a joke, and I couldn't help myself."

"Uchiha Hayato, are you mocking the Council of Elders?"

Utatane Koharu turned a cold gaze on Hayato. He was just a youngster, yet he dared to scoff at the Council of Elders.

No matter how wrong Danzo was, a youngster had no right to mock him. It was an insult to all of them.

"Clan Head, may I speak?" Hayato looked toward Fugaku.

Fugaku gave Hayato a long look, then turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen and bowed. "I apologize for the disrespect, Lord Third-sama. But since Hayato wants to explain himself, I'll let him speak."

His demeanor was impeccable. At the very least, compared to Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen much preferred how Fugaku was behaving.

And it was only natural that Hayato had asked Fugaku first. Even though Konoha was ostensibly the Uchiha's leader, Hayato still needed his clan head's permission.

At least, there was nothing wrong with Fugaku asking the Hokage afterward.

"Very well."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded his consent.

"Konoha was founded on the partnership between the First Hokage and the great Uchiha Madara, a member of my clan. I was born and raised in Konoha. My father gave his life defending this land, shedding his last drop of blood for the village."

"Why does it sound like this elder is claiming Konoha as the private property of one family?"

"'Everything I do is for Konoha'... What a self-righteous thing to say."

"What gives you the right to declare our Uchiha Clan guilty with a single word, while completely disregarding the principles laid down by the First and Second Hokage?"

By the end, Hayato was staring directly at Shimura Danzo.

A heavy thump rang out as a cane struck the floor.

Shimura Danzo's eyes were as cold as poison. His face showed no emotion, only a bone-deep malice.

He turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen, his voice hoarse and icy. "Konoha was indeed founded jointly by the Senju and Uchiha. But Madara was a rogue ninja, and the village struck his name from its records long ago..."

"Wait. When was Uchiha Madara of my clan ever declared a rogue ninja? You're destroying the very foundation of Konoha!"

"I'd like to know: was that the judgment of the First and Second Hokage, or is it the opinion of Lord Third-sama?"

Hayato denounced him heatedly, as if he'd just heard the most ridiculous joke imaginable, then turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

After the final battle at the Valley of the End, the shinobi world had believed Uchiha Madara died fighting Senju Hashirama. Konoha had never officially issued an order declaring Madara a high-priority target or launching a manhunt for him.

A loophole.

"Calm down, Hayato."

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised a hand, signaling that Hayato needn't get so worked up. Then he turned to Danzo. "Don't make remarks like that. They only undermine the harmony of the village."

With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped paying attention to Danzo, whose face had darkened like coal, and looked at Hayato.

There was a glimmer in his eyes. He'd thought Shisui was the only Uchiha who still cared about Konoha.

He hadn't expected to discover another one today.

It was true: Konoha had never declared Uchiha Madara a rogue ninja. Even during the Second Hokage's time, nothing of the sort had happened.

The Uchiha Clan had been on edge for years because Madara had left the village, and because of the measures taken against them over the years. The Hawk Faction had always been restless, waiting for a chance to act.

Now that Hayato had said this, Sarutobi Hiruzen saw that he had room once more to make arrangements that could ease tensions.

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the young Uchiha Hayato, whose gaze was resolute and whose every word spoke of Konoha. His tense expression eased slightly.

He could tell that the young man cared about Konoha. He wasn't one of those whose minds had been poisoned by rumors.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze rested on Hayato, but Hayato didn't back down in the slightest. He met the Hokage's eyes, his gaze clear and steady. Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help feeling genuinely reassured.

"Well said. Konoha was built by the Senju and Uchiha working together. That is the foundation laid by the First and Second Hokage, and no one must forget it."

He paused. His tone grew more serious, but remained gentle. "You were born and raised in Konoha, and your father gave his life for the village.

"That background and that conviction are proof enough of your loyalty to the village. Condemning someone based on suspicion alone is not Konoha's way, and it goes against the will of those who came before us."

"You care about the foundations of Konoha. That's good. Don't be afraid. The village will see that you and the Uchiha receive justice."