Chapter 49

Talk spread like oil in a hot pan, from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred.

No one needed to deliberately spread it. That Yan Yan was planted right there on the cliff face. Anyone who was not blind only had to look up to see it.

And once they saw it, they had to say a few words.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the matter through his crystal ball at the first possible moment.

Staring at the image, his entire face went as black as the bottom of a pot.

Danzo's Yan Yan had been carved above his.

Most crucially, it was a full two sizes larger than his. At first glance, Hiruzen looked more like Danzo's little follower instead.

No matter what angle one looked at it from, this matter struck Hiruzen Sarutobi hard.

He had been Hokage for so many years, gripping the power in his hands tighter step by step, and just when he was about to fully integrate the village's major clans...

Great. Danzo had chosen this exact moment to flip the table.

And the moment he flipped it, he threw down the ultimate bomb.

During the Nine-Tails incident, Danzo had sat still and waited to scoop up the Hokage's seat. If Hiruzen Sarutobi had not come out of retirement, that old bastard really might have succeeded.

After that, Danzo had used the Nine-Tails as an excuse to suppress the Uchiha to death.

That petty little scheme—Hiruzen Sarutobi did not even need to think to see through it. Was he not just coveting their kekkei genkai?

Later on, Danzo acted more and more out of line, and Hiruzen had long since grown impatient.

He was just preparing to properly clean up the dirty things under Danzo's command when the Yan Yan incident blew up. "Lord Hokage—"

"I know."

The Anbu had only just opened his mouth when Hiruzen Sarutobi raised a hand and cut him off.

At a time like this, if the Anbu came to report, there was no need to ask. It had to be that damned Yan Yan business. "No, Lord Hokage."

There was a trace of urgency in the Anbu's voice. "Lord Danzo is here with his men."

"We tried to stop them, but—"

Old Third, it has already come to this, and you are still hiding in your room refusing to see me?

Before Danzo's words had even finished falling, he had already pushed open the door to the Hokage's office. Standing behind him were his personal guards, locked in a standoff with the Anbu at the entrance.

When big shots clashed, there always had to be a batch of pawns rushing up first to set the stage.

You want to say this matter has nothing to do with you, don't you? Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at him, his tone cold enough to freeze.

Danzo smiled and asked in return, "Does that still matter?"

The moment those words came out, Hiruzen Sarutobi was choked speechless on the spot.

It really did not matter anymore. Whether Danzo had sent someone to chisel the Yan Yan or not was already useless to pursue now. The key was how to clean up the aftermath.

Hiruzen Sarutobi pressed down the brim of his hat, revealing no expression on his face. "Say it. What exactly did you come here for today?"

Danzo did not beat around the bush either. "Right now, there are only two paths."

"The first is to announce to the outside that someone is trying to sow discord among us high-level officials, and that we must investigate it with great fanfare."

"The second is even simpler."

As he spoke, he pulled a scroll from his robe and threw it directly in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Please have the Third write a letter of recommendation, recommending me, Danzo Shimura, to become the Fifth Hokage."

To be honest, Danzo had no idea which damn kindhearted person had done this good deed.

But when the news reached his ears, he nearly laughed out loud on the spot.

How had he never thought of this move?

Carve his own head on the cliff, then use it to negotiate with Hiruzen Sarutobi. If he lost, he would only lose some face, but if he won, the Hokage's seat would be his!

Recommend you to become the Fifth Hokage?

Impossible.

Danzo, go back.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not even touch that scroll and directly refused him flatly.

With Danzo's personality, if he really sat in the Hokage's chair, the first thing he would do would definitely be to take a knife to the Uchiha. When the time came, it would not be strange even if internal strife broke out.

Moreover, with Danzo's way of doing things, he was simply unworthy of becoming the shadow of a village.

Since you have spent so long in the gutter, then obediently remain your root. Once a root breaks through the ground, it will not take long before it withers and rots away!

Danzo did not get angry either. His mouth twitched, and he turned to leave as if it did not matter.

The personal guards he had brought also withdrew from the Hokage Building in a rush.

"Lord Hokage, should we first remove that Yan Yan?" an Anbu stepped forward and asked for instructions. No matter how they handled things next, leaving that thing up there the whole time was an affront to the dignity of the shadow...

"Do not bother with it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, cutting him off.

"Let it stay there for now."

His voice sank. "When can Kakashi return?"

"Urge him. I need him to help me handle something now."

The Anbu quickly replied, "With Kakashi's current location, it will take two days at the fastest for him to hurry back. I will notify him immediately."

After saying that, his figure blurred and vanished.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took out that crystal ball and formed hand seals with five fingers—the Telescope Technique was unleashed.

[On Konoha Main Street: the Police Force was patrolling, and the one leading them was still Uchiha Natsume. This kid was training the newcomers while occasionally looking up at Danzo's Yan Yan on the cliff face XXXX ** ]

[Uchiha Clan Compound: clan members were gathered together in clusters, surrounding the matter of the Yan Yan and discussing it spiritedly, each giving their own analysis in a way that actually sounded quite plausible]

[Over at the Nara Clan...]

After looking around, Hiruzen Sarutobi's head throbbed.

These people looked far too calm no matter how he viewed it, so calm it made one's scalp prickle.

Danzo's head had already been hung on Hokage Rock, yet the normal part was instead those ordinary clans below.

The problem was most likely with their own people.

They had not been fighting the high-level officials for only a day or two, but no matter how much they usually fought, no one would touch this kind of bottom line.

Everyone knew perfectly well that once the balance shattered, it would be difficult to glue it back together. "Shadow One, take your people and watch Danzo's every move for me."

"Who he meets, what he says—all of it is to be reported."

"You..."

"That brat Asuma has been a little close to Danzo recently."

A figure slowly appeared from the darkness, stretched out a hand, and presented a scroll.

It recorded everything clearly—the details of Danzo's frequent recent contact with Asuma Sarutobi.

It even included that matter of Asuma taking Root people to find Sasuke.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi finished reading it, his face went completely black.

He had thought victory on his side was assured, only to find that his backyard was almost burned clean by someone.

No wonder that brat Asuma had seemed so strange these past two days. So Root had been buried here. "Go bring Asuma to me."

When the old man said this, his anger had already reached its limit.

Shadow One said nothing more. His figure sank and hid back into the dark, going to find the man.

On the other side, Asuma was currently acting all lovey-dovey with Kurenai Yuhi on the road. "The Third said that as long as I perform well, the Fifth Hokage's seat will be mine."

"When the time comes, I'll also become a big shot that everyone in the village looks up to."

"Lord Fifth Hokage... tsk, it sounds pleasant just hearing it."

He was talking enthusiastically by himself, completely failing to notice that Kurenai Yuhi's expression beside him had already changed.

The two of them had grown up together since childhood, gone to school together, and trained together.

After so many years together, some things no longer needed to be said aloud.

But recently, Kurenai increasingly felt that Asuma was not quite right.

It was not just that the way he spoke and did things had changed flavor; even his attitude was completely different from before.

Even today—Danzo's face had been carved onto Hokage Rock, yet he could still say things like this.

In that brief instant, Kurenai gave Asuma another low score in her heart. "Kurenai."

"Let's go eat barbecue."

"After we finish, I'll send you home. I still have to keep training tonight. There are a lot of things in the village waiting for me to lend Lord Hokage a hand."

Asuma was still smugly talking to himself over there. "Suit yourself."

"I..."

"Asuma?"

"Kurenai?"

"You two are both here. Perfect. There is something I want to ask."

An untimely voice suddenly cut in.

Asuma was just about to flare up, but once he saw who had come, he forcibly swallowed the words at the tip of his tongue.

Shisui Uchiha.

Now, whenever he saw someone from the Uchiha, Asuma's heart grew uneasy.

The matter of him secretly attacking Sasuke—maybe the other side already knew about it.

If Shisui really came to settle accounts with him over this, even if his father was the Third, he would still have to swallow this loss. "Kurenai Yuhi, where were you last night, what were you doing, and is there anyone who can testify for you?"

Shisui did not even spare Asuma a second glance.

What this man was thinking, Shisui could see through at a glance. He was not worth any extra consideration at all. "I was at home last night. My family was all there, and they can all prove it."

"Vice Minister Shisui, are you investigating that matter with Hokage Rock?"

Kurenai answered briefly, then subconsciously asked another question. "Mm."

"If you know anything, come find me anytime."

"Also, things have not been peaceful outside the village recently. Keep an eye out yourself."

"If you ask me, you can come find me anytime. I'll definitely protect you."

"I..."

"I'll be the one to protect Big Sister Kurenai!"

Shisui still wanted to continue, but Asuma exploded outright, roaring at the top of his lungs.

What kind of joke was this?

Even if you were the strongest genius of the Uchiha, even if your nickname was "Shisui of the Body Flicker," even if your reputation was huge—

Flirting with his woman right in front of him? Could he, Asuma Sarutobi, tolerate that?

"Jonin Asuma Sarutobi."

"This is my work, the duty of the Police Force. Please cooperate."

"As it happens, I also have some things to ask you about yesterday..."

Before Shisui could finish, Asuma oiled the soles of his feet and ran without looking back.

The misunderstanding had been cleared up. If he did not run, was he supposed to stay and wait?

Wait for Shisui to spill all that crap from yesterday and make him lose every bit of face in front of Kurenai?

"Looks like Jonin Asuma is hiding some secret."

"Kurenai, has anything been off about him recently?"

Shisui did not chase him. He turned and asked. "Off?"

"There is. I can't really explain it either. Compared to a while ago, it feels like he has become a different person, not much like the Asuma I know."

"Vice Minister Shisui, that barbecue restaurant up ahead tastes pretty good. Want to eat together at noon?"

Kurenai took the initiative to invite him. "All right. There are also some things I wanted to talk to you about."

Shisui did not refuse.

The two of them walked over side by side just like that, entering the barbecue restaurant not far away.

--

Uchiha Clan Compound. "Ding—Congratulations, host. Uchiha Defense Mission 2 has been completed."

Sasuke had just returned from training when the system prompt suddenly rang out in his mind. "That fast?"

His whole body froze. Staring at the three words on the panel—"Completed"—his heartbeat suddenly sped up.

One had to know, the things he had arranged had only just begun to unfold, yet the mission had already reached its end!

That was right. Sasuke was the one who had done that piece of rock for the Yan Yan.

As for who did it, naturally it was that handsome and powerful—Susanoo God.

Carving something onto it was easier for him than stir-frying vegetables.

Sasuke carefully thought through this mission.

The requirement was to make the Uchiha withdraw from the eye of the storm.

The simplest and crudest method was to throw out an even bigger melon and cover up the original rotten melon.

And what was the biggest melon in Konoha recently?

Of course, it was Danzo's shameful little ambition.

That was why he had pulled this move.

He had not expected the effect to be ridiculously good!

[Confirm]

Sasuke raised his hand and tapped confirm.

The next second, all the information about the Purification Technique flowed into his mind bit by bit like a receding tide.

That feeling was far too comfortable, as if his entire body had been washed from head to toe.

This wave of energy slowly settled into the area around his eyes.

The soreness and swelling from having kept his Sharingan open while training before actually vanished all at once.

Sasuke opened his eyes and discovered that his vision had never been clearer.

It was just like using the legendary "Zhenshiming" eye drops. "This Purification Technique can even clear this kind of negative status?"

Sasuke felt a burst of wild joy in his heart.

He suddenly thought of something.

Once the Uchiha clan's Sharingan awakened the Mangekyo, their eyesight would start to deteriorate bit by bit.

Use it once, damage it once. There was almost no turning back.

But now, he had this purification technique in his hands...

When I get the chance, I'll have to go find that cheap old man of mine. "System, panel."

Sasuke pushed aside his stray thoughts and called up his page.

Host: Uchiha Sasuke

Talent: 80 [ordinary person 10]

Chakra: 3 cards

Ninjutsu: Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, Fire Release: Little Fire Snake Technique, Lightning Release: Little White Worm, Lightning Release: Lightning Run, Lightning Release...

Taijutsu: beginner mastery of Uchiha taijutsu, beginner mastery of Konoha taijutsu

Genjutsu: Dream-Soul Valley, Thorny Forest, Chaos Impact, Hundred-Turn Spirit Art...

Items: 100 kg Layered Cloud Iron

Kekkei genkai: Sharingan [Three Tomoe], Lightning God Mode, purification technique