When Hiruzen Sarutobi's words fell, an eerie silence enveloped the entire conference room.
In the corner, Naruto, the ANBU wearing a raccoon mask, stood quietly, showing no extra emotional reaction. His gaze passed through the mask's eyeholes and settled on the indignant old man seated at the head of the table. Hiruzen Sarutobi's anger did not seem feigned. His determination to protect his comrade, his willingness to stand against everyone else—it all felt so real that it sent chills down their spines.
But precisely because it was too real, it seemed utterly false.
Naruto's mind raced. How could a Hokage who had just been preparing to settle accounts with Danzo, even willing to step down in order to cast a net over him, completely overturn his own position within minutes? Acting? Impossible. No matter how skilled the performance, he could not fool every pair of eyes here—especially Shikaku Nara's.
This was not acting. This was... a twisted will.
A will forcibly implanted, one that did not belong to him.
Naruto's gaze discreetly swept over Shimura Danzō, who stood nearby with the corners of his mouth already beginning to curl upward. Especially his right arm and right eye, both tightly wrapped in bandages. Only the Uchiha clan's Genjutsu could accomplish something like this. And it had to be a supreme Genjutsu capable of silently controlling a Kage Level expert beneath the noses of so many powerful people.
The answer was almost the only possible one.
The Sharingan. And the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Third Hokage, you..." Shikaku Nara's voice was dry as he tried to find even the slightest flaw in Hiruzen Sarutobi's face, but he failed. All he saw was an unquestionable, crazed obsession. His heart sank bit by bit. The situation was a hundred times worse than even the worst outcome