Break the Deadlock!

Tsunade hated Danzo. She had hated him since they were young—his scheming, his methods, and the dirty work he was always doing behind everyone's backs.

If she could have had her way, Danzo would have died beneath Uchiha Yongye's Water-and-Fire Staff. The more gruesome his death, the better.

But she could not let an Uchiha do whatever he pleased in Konoha.

If an Uchiha could beat Danzo today, he could beat someone else tomorrow. If he could pin a Konoha elder to the ground and beat his backside today, he could pin her down and do whatever he wanted to her tomorrow, newly appointed Hokage or not.

Konoha had rules, and those rules could not be thrown into chaos!

Uchiha Yongye did not address them. His gaze swept slowly over the dense crowd at the entrance, the ninja clan representatives, and the onlookers who had come to watch the spectacle.

Then he announced in a loud voice.

"Shisui Uchiha said himself that the one who gouged out his Mangekyō Sharingan was the Masked Man. No one else was involved."

"Therefore, this matter ends here!"

"Kakashi is released without charges."

"Hyuga Hiashi is released without charges."

"The warrant and pursuit order against Yakushi Nonō are revoked."

Kakashi stood on the right side of the hall. His silver-white hair hung over most of his face, hiding his expression. His hands, clenched into fists until now, relaxed.

Hyuga Hiashi stood on the left side of the hall and visibly breathed a sigh of relief. With two ninja having used Rotation at the crime scene, he had been under immense pressure!

Danzo, sprawled in a corner, struggled to lift his head.

The handprint on his left cheek had darkened from blue-purple to nearly black. The swelling rose half a finger's width and squeezed his