His Confidence Was Back

"Stop! Release Elder Danzo at once!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in black armor and dressed for battle, was the first to appear.

Close behind him came masked ANBU ninja, as well as clan ninja and civilian ninja who had rushed over after hearing the sounds of battle.

There were countless people, packed densely together. Eighty percent of Konoha's ninja had gathered here, forming a huge circle with Sasuke surrounded at its center.

At the same time, Uchiha Fugaku arrived with a group of Uchiha clan members.

The moment they arrived, they saw Danzo's face swollen like a pig's head, his chest a bloody mess. The flesh beneath could clearly be seen gushing blood as he was held aloft in one hand by a burly man.

They were all stunned!

The Konoha ninja surrounding them were stunned as well.

No one had expected the leader of Root, the darkness beneath the Hokage's shadow, to be beaten so miserably!

Once they recovered from their shock, they felt immensely satisfied and delighted.

After all, that old bastard Danzo was one of the higher-ups who had always targeted the Uchiha clan.

The worse Danzo looked now, the happier they naturally were. They wished they were the burly man themselves.

This was so satisfying, so damn refreshing!

Thus, the way they looked at Sasuke was filled with admiration and respect.

Even Fugaku found Sasuke much more pleasing to the eye at that moment, though he was also somewhat worried.

He had reduced the leader of Root to such a state and was now surrounded by so many Konoha ninja. Even the Third Hokage had come. This would probably be difficult to resolve!

So, how would you deal with this?

Fugaku stared deeply at Sasuke.

Elsewhere.

Unlike the Uchiha clan's delight, most of Konoha's ninja wore ugly expressions, their gazes toward Sasuke filled with hostility.

Although Danzo was not particularly well-liked among Konoha's ninja, he was still one of Konoha's higher-ups.

Seeing one of their village's leaders beaten so badly by an outsider naturally filled them with anger.

Arrogant! Far too arrogant!!

If Elder Danzo had not still been in the other man's hands, and if the Third Hokage had not yet given the order, they would have already attacked.

"Hahaha! This old man's reinforcements have arrived, brat! Why haven't you released this old man yet?"

With Hiruzen Sarutobi's arrival, Danzo's hope of survival was rekindled, and his confidence returned in full.

The way he looked at Sasuke became mocking.

Other than genin, practically every ninja in Konoha had gathered here. He refused to believe this guy still dared to kill him.

"Still pretending to be calm? It's useless!"

Seeing Sasuke's calm face, completely devoid of panic, made Danzo extremely displeased. He shouted sternly,

"Release this old man at once! This old man is seriously injured and needs immediate treatment. If this old man dies, you will be buried with me! If you know what's good for you, then..."

Slap!!

"Shut up! You're too damn noisy!"

Sasuke slapped him across the face and barked with a frown.

"Y-You... how dare you! You still dare attack this old man? Do you have a death wish?!"

Danzo's body trembled with fury, his eyes brimming with rage.

He was already trapped within layer upon layer of encirclement, yet he still dared slap him? Did he truly not want to live?

And being publicly slapped in front of so many Konoha ninja made Danzo feel utterly humiliated.

"Good! Good! You still dare hit me! Now you're finished, completely finished! Even if you release this old man, you won't be leaving Konoha in one piece. At the very least, you'll have to leave your hands behind!"

"If you don't leave behind a few body parts, you will never leave Konoha!!"

Danzo roared furiously, his eyes bloodshot.

"Damn it! I told you to shut up. Didn't you hear me?"

Sasuke's expression turned cold, and his hand immediately swung from side to side.

Slap! Slap! Slap!!

More than a dozen crisp slaps landed, swelling his already pig-like head another size larger.

This time, Danzo no longer dared to keep yapping. His lone eye merely glared hatefully at Sasuke as his bloodied chest rose and fell violently.

Everyone present was shocked by the sight.

No one had expected Sasuke to still attack so recklessly while surrounded by nearly twenty thousand ninja.

And he had used such a humiliating method—slapping Danzo repeatedly until he was in such a miserable state that even his mother probably would not recognize him!

Too crazy!

Too arrogant!

It was simply naked contempt for everyone present!

"Stop, you bastard! Stop at once!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was the first to recover, speaking coldly with an ugly expression.

Though Danzo had never gotten along with him and had always coveted his position as Hokage, he was still his longtime friend.

Seeing his friend in such a miserable state, and watching him get slapped in the face right in front of him, caused the anger in his heart to blaze.

At the same time, he could not understand it. They had originally come tonight to deal with the Uchiha clan, so how had things turned out like this?

Could this burly man be reinforcements invited by the Uchiha clan?

His thoughts were the same as Danzo's. Both believed Sasuke was an outside ally brought in by the Uchiha clan.

Sasuke swept his indifferent gaze across the densely packed Konoha ninja. His expression was utterly calm, without the slightest trace of fear.

After all, at his level, numbers had already lost all meaning.

Aside from top-tier fighters who warranted some caution, ordinary ninja were merely slightly larger ants!

Sasuke stopped what he was doing, turned to the Third Hokage glaring at him, and said lightly,

"What did you just say? Could you repeat that? I didn't quite hear you."

"This old man told you to stop!"

The Third Hokage's gaze was icy, his voice thick with killing intent.

"Oh! And then?"

Sasuke asked casually, his tone as natural as if he were asking what to have for dinner.

"Bastard! Of course you are to let go! Do you think you can contend against more than twenty thousand ninja here?!"

"A net has already been cast around you. Konoha's elites have all gathered here, and you have nowhere to run. Therefore, if Elder Danzo dies by your hand today, Konoha will become your burial ground!"

Yet as he spoke, his tone suddenly shifted completely, taking an abrupt turn as his voice softened.

"However, if you let go, there is still room for reconciliation between us. There is no need for us to truly fight to the death."

The Third Hokage glanced at Fugaku on the other side.

"Perhaps you have merely been used by certain people! There must be some misunderstanding involved. This old man does not know you, and there is no grudge between us."

"You truly should not have involved yourself in this matter!"

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi furrowed his brows tightly. Then, as though he had made some difficult decision, he said,

"How about this? This old man guarantees that you may leave safely, and we will not make things difficult for you afterward! After all, Konoha does not wish to gain a powerful enemy for no reason."

After a brief pause, he explained helplessly,

"After all, Konoha first went through the Third Shinobi World War, then the Nine-Tails Attack. We lost the powerful Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, along with a great many outstanding ninja. The village's overall strength has greatly declined."

"Therefore, Konoha truly does not wish to make an enemy of a powerhouse like you!"

"This old man was overly agitated earlier, and my words were somewhat offensive. I hope you can understand!"

What was more, Hiruzen Sarutobi even gave a slight nod to express his apology.

His attitude was exceedingly sincere.