In fact, you really would!

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, this matter requires an explanation to the Uchiha Clan."

Naturally, those words had come from Uchiha Ensei.

The two useless men beside him had no such confidence in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Perhaps they were considering the bigger picture, or perhaps they had people they absolutely needed to care about. But such behavior would only make their enemies think they were easy to push around.

Seeing the Sharingan in Uchiha Ensei's palm, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression turned ugly, and his gaze at Shimura Danzō became deeply meaningful.

Now that the Sharingan had been discovered, Shimura Danzō merely let out a cold laugh.

"I see. Though I don't know where you learned of this, the origin of this Sharingan was a gift from a friend."

"In fact, Kakashi's Sharingan was not the first gift from a friend. The one in your hand was. It was Kagami Uchiha's eye."

"On the contrary, your actions are tantamount to rebellion."

"That brat was a weapon created by your Uchiha Clan, wasn't he?"

Shimura Danzō had long since prepared an excuse for this matter, so he was not flustered in the slightest. He even had the leisure to pay attention to Uchiha Ensei.

"Is that so? Then..."

Uchiha Ensei spoke as his figure instantly vanished... but this time, his attack failed to succeed. Holding a smoking pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in Uchiha Ensei's path.

Even after entering Chakra Mode, he still could not break through Hiruzen Sarutobi's defense. That made Uchiha Ensei regard him a little more highly.

However, what he intended to do would naturally not be stopped so easily.

A hand formed from blue chakra suddenly emerged from Uchiha Ensei's blind spot and seized Shimura Danzō's right arm, forcibly tearing it off.

This time, the Cursed Seal applied to the arm was even more extensive. Countless Cursed Seals spread through the entire Hokage's Office like iron chains, attacking everything within their range.

The first to bear the brunt of it was naturally Shimura Danzō.

Poor Shimura Danzō had originally possessed strength nearly on par with the Hokage. But after losing a Sharingan in the ambush, all sorts of chaotic powers in his body ran rampant, leaving him unable to wield his original strength. He could only be protected by Hiruzen Sarutobi like a useless cripple.

The Cursed Seal chains whipping about everywhere attacked not only Uchiha Ensei, the culprit responsible for all this, but everything around them indiscriminately as well.

No one in the room could avoid such a situation, so they could only defend with all their strength.

For a time, the entire Hokage's Office descended into chaos. ANBU members outside noticed the disturbance and tried to rush in, but the moment they approached, they were severely injured by the Cursed Seals.

Had their companions not rescued them in time, the Cursed Seals would likely have invaded their bodies and killed them already.

"Everyone, leave this place!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi truly deserved to be called the Hokage. While protecting Shimura Danzō, who was practically incapacitated, he defended himself and even began unraveling the wildly spreading Cursed Seals.

The two men beside Uchiha Ensei could only rely on the Susanoo chakra unleashed through their Mangekyo ocular power to resist. The difference between them was obvious at a glance.

"The Uchiha Clan's Sharingan is indeed powerful, but relying on it too much will prevent you from becoming truly strong."

Uchiha Ensei spoke calmly. The dense blue-white chakra around him seemed endless as it steadily wore away at the Cursed Seals.

Both Fugaku Uchiha and Shisui Uchiha had grown accustomed to Uchiha Ensei's mockery and showed no unusual reaction.

At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally joined forces with Shimura Danzō and undid the Cursed Seal placed on the arm.

Once the Cursed Seal was removed, the arm wrapped in medical bandages finally revealed its original appearance.

"Uchiha Ensei, don't attack directly next time!"

"I'm still here. Do you really suspect I would cover for Danzo?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help reminding him. By now, he had already grasped the situation.

Though he did not understand why Uchiha Ensei possessed such power at such a young age, it was obvious that he was the main figure in this matter. The other two were easy enough to deal with.

"In fact, you really would!"

Uchiha Ensei weighed the arm in his hand. It contained Hashirama Cells, as well as another type of cell capable of merging with any Kekkei Genkai. It was nothing less than a precious asset.

Uchiha Ensei's undisguised accusation left Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat speechless.

After serving as Hokage for so many years, he had never encountered someone who refused both soft and hard tactics while possessing strength no weaker than his own.

At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew perfectly well that if this matter was not handled properly today, Konoha would face a tremendous disaster.

"Enough. I have no interest in listening to your clumsy excuses."

"Do you remember the mysterious person who passed intelligence to Minato Namikaze before the Nine-Tails' Attack? That was me. My strength was insufficient at the time, so I had no choice but to conceal my identity."

"I know every secret in Konoha, and I also know what foolish things you will do in the future."

"So there is no need to brush me off with those childish words."

"Today, I did not come to cause trouble for Danzo. I came to discuss the Uchiha Clan with you."

"As for Danzo... I'm waiting for him to make a move against me! If he dares to act, I dare to kill him, including all of Root."

Uchiha Ensei's tone remained exceptionally calm, without the slightest emotional fluctuation, as if he were merely having an ordinary conversation.

Yet not a single person dared to disregard his words.

That was right. Even Shimura Danzō, who hated him to the extreme at that moment, did not dare overlook a single word Uchiha Ensei said.

After all, he was merely evil, not stupid.

Well, perhaps he was a little stupid.

But from his own perspective, everything he had done truly had been for Konoha.

"I see. You wanted to demonstrate your strength."

"State your conditions. As Hokage, I will resolve these matters."

After a moment of silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi unsurprisingly chose to compromise.

In his youth, he might truly have been a hero among shinobi. But after making that first compromise, he had only become weaker and weaker.

"First, I want you to keep Shimura Danzō under control. Not merely pay lip service to it—I mean truly control him."

"If you refuse to listen to me this time, then don't blame me for not warning you before I act next time."

"Also, let me offer you some advice. Investigate Danzo properly. Although you have tolerated many things, what Danzo has done has long exceeded your expectations."

"Second, the Uchiha Clan's situation within the village must change."

"We will relinquish half the authority of the Hokage Guard Force and allow members of other clans to join."

"Also, the Uchiha Clan's other shinobi must participate in missions normally."

"Third..."