Saved Them, Then Turned Around and Tried to Kill Them Off? That Old Monkey Was Truly Ruthless

The scene was deathly silent.

Only the heavy, suppressed breathing of the Anbu kneeling all over the ground could be heard.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's wrinkled old face alternated between red and white, as colorful as a dye workshop.

Fight?

What a joke.

The terrifying pressure emanating from that Uchiha brat was even more absurd than the rampaging Nine-Tails.

If they really fought, the few dozen people on his side probably would not even be enough to make a meal for him.

But if he simply backed down, where would that leave the Third Hokage's dignity?

For a moment, the old man was caught between a rock and a hard place, so embarrassed his toes were nearly carving a Hokage Rock inside his shoes.

Yoru looked at his constipated expression and sneered.

He could not be bothered wasting time here with this bunch of trash.

Yoru withdrew the pressure of Sage Mode, and that force capable of freezing space instantly vanished.

The Anbu kneeling on the ground felt as though they had been pardoned. One after another, they collapsed limply, their backs already soaked through with cold sweat.

Yoru did not spare Hiruzen Sarutobi another glance, as if he truly were nothing but air.

He carefully used chakra to lift Minato and Kushina, both already unconscious, while gently cradling the swaddled infant Naruto in his other arm.

Then, under the watchful eyes of dozens of Anbu and the Third Hokage, he turned around openly and walked, step by step, toward Leaf Village Hospital.

His leisurely gait was outrageously arrogant.

Yet not a single person dared step forward to stop him.

"Third Hokage-sama..."

An Anbu squad captain struggled to his feet and asked hoarsely for instructions.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was so dark it seemed about to drip water. He stared fixedly at Yoru's retreating back before finally squeezing out two words through clenched teeth.

"...Follow him."

Leaf Village Hospital, special care ward.

Yoru settled Minato's family of three, then asked a medical ninja he knew well to look after them.

After finishing all that, he went alone to the hospital rooftop.

The night breeze was slightly cool as it brushed through his tousled black hair.

He sat cross-legged and slowly closed his eyes, but his awareness did not relax in the slightest.

His max-level Sage sensing spread out soundlessly, like a super radar covering the entire village.

He wanted to see exactly what that old fox Hiruzen Sarutobi was plotting.

Soon, he "saw" it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not go to the hospital. Instead, he hurried into the Hokage Building, made his way downward, and entered the place everyone knew of but no one dared mention—

Root's base.

In the dark, damp chamber, only one man sat there, as if he had been waiting for a long time.

Half his face was wrapped in bandages, while the other exposed eye gleamed with the cold, sinister light of a venomous snake.

The darkness of Leaf Village, Shimura Danzo!

"Hiruzen, you're late."

Danzo's voice was hoarse and low, like rusted blades scraping together.

"How are things outside?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was grim as he briefly recounted what had just happened.

When he heard that Minato had not died and had instead been saved by a young Uchiha, a terrifying gleam burst from Danzo's single eye!

"Uchiha?!"

"Hiiruzen, this is a heaven-sent opportunity!"

Danzo's voice suddenly rose, filled with excitement and cruelty.

"My people saw the reflection of the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes! This Nine-Tails uprising was definitely orchestrated by the Uchiha Clan behind the scenes!"

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi silently lit his pipe and did not refute him.

"Minato may not be dead, but he has suffered severe damage to his vitality. This is when he is at his weakest!"

The more Danzo spoke, the more excited he became. He even rose to his feet and paced back and forth through the chamber.

"We must seize this chance to pin the blame firmly on the Uchiha... Clan!"

"Use it as an excuse to strip them of their authority over the police force, relocate them to the edge of the village, and reclaim all their political rights!"

"Perhaps... we can even use this chance to thoroughly purge those disobedient Uchiha!"

"Only then can the Hokage's power truly return to your hands, Hiruzen!"

Danzo's voice, filled with temptation and killing intent, echoed through the chamber.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag from his pipe. The smoke he exhaled obscured his expression, making it impossible to tell whether he was pleased or angered.

After a long while.

He finally spoke slowly in an extremely weary tone.

"That Uchiha Yoru who saved Minato... his strength is unfathomable. He may not be easy to deal with."

At those words, Danzo smiled.

His smile was incomparably cold.

"No matter how strong he is, he is only one person."

"Can't we, the Uchiha Clan, deal with a mere brat?"

"Hiruzen, stop hesitating!"

"For the stability of Leaf Village, certain sacrifices are necessary."

The chamber fell silent once more.

On the rooftop, Yoru's Sage sensing heard every bit of it clearly.

Not a single word was missed.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Those black pupils, once calm, were now utterly icy, devoid of the slightest warmth.

A deeply mocking, bone-chilling curve rose at the corner of his lips.

"After I just saved your Hokage, you turn around and start plotting how to kill off my entire clan?"

"What a fine 'for the stability of Leaf Village,' what a fine 'necessary sacrifice.'"

"This rotten Leaf Village... truly is rotten to the core."