The "Trial" in the Hokage's Office

Arashi's voice was as calm as if he were stating something that had nothing to do with him.

From the moment they set out escorting the boy who called himself "the son of a noble of the Land of Fire," to entering the perilous White Scale Valley and encountering the Hidden Stone Village's "Exploding Rock Corps."

Captain Yamashiro Aoba's sacrifice, and Inuzuka Tsume and Aburame Shibi's fierce battle and fall.

The desperate fight against the Hidden Stone jonin Rock Demon, and finally, how he had erupted in order to protect that boy, ultimately killing Rock Demon and driving back the remaining Hidden Stone ninja.

Of course, he also mentioned that in the aftermath of the final explosion, the protected target, "noble's son" Fujii Yuta, had unfortunately been pierced through the chest by flying rubble and died with his eyes open.

His tone was objective. He did not embellish, nor did he deliberately play up the grief. He simply stated the facts.

"Whew..."

The Third Hokage exhaled a long smoke ring. Amid the curling smoke, his voice carried a trace of fatigue and heaviness.

"I understand, Arashi. You've worked hard."

He paused, as if organizing his words, or perhaps calming his emotions.

"Yamashiro Aoba, Inuzuka Tsume, Aburame Shibi... they were all outstanding ninja. Their sacrifices will be remembered by me and by the village."

The office sank into a brief silence, broken only by the "sizzle" of tobacco burning in the Third's pipe.

Just then, a hoarse, icy voice rang out from the shadows in the corner of the office like a viper flicking its tongue.

"Hmph. An interesting story."

Arashi looked toward the voice.

In the shadows sat a one-eyed man with his right eye wrapped in bandages.

He wore a black vest, with fan patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs. It was none other than the leader of the Hidden Leaf's Root, Shimura Danzo.

Danzo's gaze scraped over Uchiha Arashi's entire body like a knife, filled with undisguised suspicion and hostility.

Arashi's heart chilled. The other man's blatant hostility was most likely tied to Orochimaru.

This man was someone with an extremely deep mind. He almost never revealed his political leanings or emotions in front of Hidden Leaf ninja. Everything out of his mouth was always for the prosperity of the Hidden Leaf, and precisely because of that, he often succeeded in fooling people, causing many to throw away their lives for nothing.

In reality, Arashi, who knew the plot, was very clear that the man was nothing more than an exquisite egoist, practically one of the Hidden Leaf's "great strategists," with many of the Hidden Leaf's disastrous crises connected to his baffling maneuvers.

As the saying went: an incompetent general exhausts the entire army.

With a pure beast like Danzo in charge, no matter how prosperous an organization was, it could not escape decline in the end.

That was why, in Arashi's little notebook, he ranked first on the must-kill list. He was the person Arashi most wanted to get rid of, and the person he had to get rid of. Second place was Orochimaru—a bastard obsessed with human experiments, someone who severely stabbed at the historical pain Arashi had carried in his previous life as a person of China.

"Your entire team was wiped out, even the target you were protecting died, yet only you, the Uchiha brat, came back without a scratch?"

Danzo's voice was not loud, but it carried a suffocating pressure.

"Is that not far too much of a coincidence?"

Uchiha Arashi's brows furrowed slightly, but he remained silent.

"How do you explain it?" Danzo leaned forward slightly, his single eye fixed on Arashi as if trying to see through him.

"Did you collude with foreign enemies and sell out your teammates and your protection target in exchange for your own life?"

"!!!" Uchiha Arashi abruptly raised his head, a fierce light flashing through his pupils.

Collude with foreign enemies? Betray the village?

This was simply the greatest insult to him!

It was also a desecration of those who had sacrificed themselves for the village!

Did Danzo really not know the truth of the mission?

"Danzo!"

The Third Hokage clearly had not expected Danzo to be so direct and sharp. He cut Danzo off in a deep voice, a trace of dissatisfaction in his tone.

"Do not rush to conclusions."

He turned to Uchiha Arashi, his tone much gentler.

"Arashi, in this mission, you faced the encirclement of a Hidden Stone jonin and several chunin. To successfully kill all the enemies already shows extraordinary strength and courage."

"The sacrifice of your teammates... pains me deeply, but this is part of the mission, and also the fate of ninja."

The Third tried to acknowledge Arashi's achievement while also working to ease the tension Danzo had brought.

However, Danzo refused to let it go.

"Fate?"

He sneered, the light in his single eye growing even sharper.

"Sarutobi, you are too softhearted! A six-year-old child surviving alone in such a desperate situation is suspicious in itself!"

"Could his so-called 'strength' have been the bargaining chip he used to trade with the enemy?"

"Why should we trust an Uchiha?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "Uchiha," the distrust and prejudice in his tone practically overflowing.

If someone wanted to condemn you, they would always find a pretext.

Uchiha Arashi's fists quietly clenched at his sides.

Whether it was questioning his strength or looking down on him for his age, either was enough to make him burn with rage.

Let alone the fact that it had clearly escalated into suspicion toward the entire Uchiha clan. This was naked malice.

Thinking that his parents might have lost their lives after being deceived by the faces of people like this, Arashi wanted nothing more than to kill Danzo right now.

However, he merely took one step forward, staring directly at Danzo, his gaze icy, a faint killing intent radiating from his body.

"You are Danzo, right?"

His voice was not loud, but it carried a bone-piercing chill.

"This is still your first time meeting me. I didn't expect your imagination to be so rich."

"You say I colluded with foreign enemies and betrayed the village. Where is your proof?"

His gaze was sharp as an eagle's, locked tightly on Danzo.

"Show the proof!"

"Otherwise, do not stand here slandering me and tarnishing the honor of my fallen teammates and myself!"

The instant his words fell, black tomoe quietly surfaced in Uchiha Arashi's pupils and slowly began to rotate.

Double Tomoe Sharingan!

Although he restrained himself very quickly and did not allow his chakra to surge too violently, that fleeting scarlet still made the atmosphere in the office even tenser.

Danzo's single eye shrank slightly. Clearly, he had not expected this six-year-old Uchiha brat to have already awakened the Double Tomoe Sharingan, let alone dare to talk back to him like this.

"You..."

Danzo seemed as if he still wanted to say something, but the Third interrupted him.

"Enough!"

The Third slammed the desk, his voice carrying unquestionable authority.

He first glanced at the furious Uchiha Arashi, then said in a stern tone:

"Arashi, mind your attitude! As one of the Hidden Leaf's elders, Danzo's every word and action also comes from a sense of responsibility toward the village."

Then he turned to Danzo, his gaze equally sharp.

"Danzo, without evidence, we cannot casually accuse a ninja who fought for the Hidden Leaf."

"The danger and unpredictability of this mission were extremely high. The Hidden Stone committed combat power far beyond our intelligence."

"For Arashi to survive under those circumstances and successfully kill the enemy commander was truly no easy feat."

The Third's tone was decisive.

"I believe that this mission counts as an A-rank mission completed by him."

These words effectively set the tone for this "trial."

They acknowledged Uchiha Arashi's achievement and also indirectly rejected Danzo's baseless accusation.

Danzo opened his mouth, as if he still wanted to argue, but under the Third's unquestionable gaze, he ultimately gave a cold snort and retreated back into the shadows.

Only that single eye still stared fixedly at Uchiha Arashi.

Uchiha Arashi took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the rage in his heart.

He knew that now was not the time to completely fall out with Danzo.

He was still too weak.

Before he had enough strength, any impulse was foolish.

He lowered his head slightly toward the Third Hokage.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

His voice returned to its previous calm.

"You should go back and rest for now. Adjust yourself properly. The follow-up rewards and pensions will be arranged by the village very soon."

The Third waved his hand, his tone carrying a trace of fatigue.

"Yes."

Uchiha Arashi answered, turned, and walked out of the office without the slightest reluctance.

The moment the heavy wooden door slowly closed behind him, the calm at the corners of Uchiha Arashi's mouth vanished instantly, replaced by an icy sneer of disdain.

"Hmph..."

He sneered inwardly.

One played the good cop, the other the bad cop.

Their coordination was seamless.

His sacrificed teammates had been brushed off so lightly as "part of the mission" and "the fate of ninja."

Responsibility had been lightly glossed over, while instead they threw dirty water onto him, the sole survivor, to knock him down a peg.

The Third played the benevolent elder and tried to placate him; Danzo was the obvious villain, in charge of applying pressure.

What a pair of jackals who had worked together for years!

Uchiha Arashi raised his head and looked toward the direction of the Hidden Leaf Village. The sun was bright, but he could not feel the slightest warmth.

He had known from the start that his road in the Hidden Leaf would not be easy, but he had not expected his first mission to end like this.

An ordinary man was innocent, but possession of a treasure made him guilty. If he were not an Uchiha, his situation probably would not be this bad.

"Hmph. You want to tame me so I can become your dog? No. Never! My will will never yield to anyone."

Uchiha Arashi murmured under his breath, his fists clenching once more.