Only Danzo

It was not just everyone in the Shinobi World who was utterly stunned and filled with horror.

In reality, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart churned with boundless sorrow and desolation.

He watched everything on the Sky Screen draw to a close, then looked at the complicated, unreadable gazes of his old friends beside him, who seemed to want to speak but held back. He let out a long, weary breath, his eyes filled with the weight of years and helplessness.

At last, he fully understood.

Even years later, the repercussions of the Uchiha Clan Massacre had never truly subsided.

That bloody internal conflict had torn apart all of Konoha's warmth and harmony, leaving an unhealable rift deep within the village.

By this point, the great clans had long harbored deep resentment and dissatisfaction toward him, their Hokage.

That was why, when he was trapped in a hopeless battle against Orochimaru, fighting alone, not a single person came to save him.

Everyone stood by coldly, silently waiting for his end.

Waiting for him, the aging Hokage, to finally leave the stage.

Konoha's people had long since become divided. It was no longer the strongest shinobi village, united as one, that it had once been.

Inside the Hokage Office, the atmosphere was oppressively heavy.

Even Danzo had fallen unusually silent. His face remained expressionless, unfathomable schemes concealed in the depths of his lone eye.

The Third slowly turned toward Danzo beside him. His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a weary note of warning. "Danzo, Orochimaru must never be trusted."

At those words, Danzo's expression abruptly darkened.

He glanced at the Third, his tone icy and laced with undisguised scorn and displeasure, and gave a cold snort. "Of course I know that."

"Orochimaru is your personal disciple, someone you taught with your own hands. He commits these monstrous crimes, and you turn around and warn me?"

Every word challenged him, yielding nothing.

The Third stared steadily at Danzo, his gaze heavy. His eyes held the weary understanding of someone who saw through everything, and though his tone was calm, each word struck home.

"Danzo, you know perfectly well what I mean."

It was a simple sentence, free of accusations or fury, yet it instantly sent the temperature in the office plummeting.

Shimura Danzō's lone eye turned icy. His dark gaze locked onto the Third's without yielding an inch, and he retorted coldly:

"I don't understand."

The denial was stiff, a deliberate attempt to play dumb and evade responsibility.

The two men locked eyes in a silent standoff.

The air instantly grew tense and stagnant, so oppressive it was hard to breathe. Fierce undercurrents collided between them.

Beside them, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu shifted their gazes slightly, a sharp glint flashing in their eyes. They had already seen through every hidden detail.

But both sighed softly, their expressions complicated, and ultimately chose to remain silent.

The four highest-ranking leaders of Konoha present understood everything with perfect clarity.

They had all grasped the deepest meaning behind Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.

The chaos that swept through Konoha had been suspicious from beginning to end.

An army of Sound Ninja and troops from Sunagakure had reached Konoha's outskirts in great numbers without encountering any resistance, then invaded the village and wreaked havoc at will.

Most absurd of all-

The Anbu, responsible for security throughout the village and screening for enemy infiltrators, had noticed nothing the entire time.

Root, tasked with covert purges and keeping the village's hidden currents under control, had remained silent and taken no action whatsoever.

Such a staggering breach, such outrageous enemy infiltration.

It could never have been a coincidence!

There was only one explanation-

Within Konoha stood a highly placed insider, someone powerful enough to deceive the Anbu single-handedly, command Root, blind the entire village, and undermine Konoha's defenses.

In all of Konoha, anyone capable of that-

Aside from Hiruzen Sarutobi, who governed the entire village, there was only Shimura Danzō!

None of the four present were fools. They instantly connected every clue.

In the future, Orochimaru would brazenly invade Konoha, leaving the Third trapped and ultimately dead on the battlefield...

All of it would be the result of Danzo's secret acquiescence, if not his active assistance behind the scenes!

The office fell deathly silent.

No one exposed it aloud, but their eyes already said everything.

And Shimura Danzō, at the center of the standoff, understood it more clearly than anyone.

He knew exactly what the Third was implying. He knew everyone had seen through his hand.

Yet there was not a trace of guilt or panic on his face.

Deep down, he even calmly accepted that his future self would indeed do such a thing.

In his warped understanding, a weak peace would only doom Konoha. The indecisive Third had long since fallen behind the times, doing nothing but yielding, appeasing enemies, and tolerating hidden threats.

Konoha needed an iron fist. It needed darkness. It needed someone to shoulder the filth and cut down every obstacle.

He had long resented the Third's rule and coveted the Hokage position. He had even tried to assassinate Hiruzen Sarutobi before.

It was all for Konoha!

The scenes on the Sky Screen continued to unfold.

All of Konoha was steeped in boundless grief and solemnity.

News of the Third Hokage's death in battle spread through every street.

The whole village mourned the passing of its old Hokage, observing silence in his memory. The solemn memorial service was held as scheduled.

Everyone was consumed by grief, regret, fear, and confusion.

Konoha had lost the towering tree that had sheltered it for decades. Its future was uncertain.

Yet amid the solemn grief that enveloped the entire village-

Sasuke Uchiha alone seemed like an outsider, utterly detached from it all.

There was not the slightest sorrow in his eyes.

The Third's sacrifice, Konoha's turmoil, the villagers' grief...

None of it had anything to do with him.

Sasuke avoided everyone and plunged into the Training Ground late at night, beginning an even more frenzied regimen.

Day and night.

Late one night, an exceedingly faint footstep suddenly sounded outside the silent, deserted Training Ground.

The sound was barely audible, yet Sasuke, his senses constantly on edge, caught it instantly.

He stopped at once and whipped his head around, his gaze sharp!

A figure stood quietly amid the shifting shadows of the trees.

Moonlight fell across the man's profile. His scarlet Sharingan lay hidden in the darkness. Nothing stirred around him, yet his presence smothered the entire area in dead silence.

-Uchiha Itachi!

The instant Sasuke recognized him-

The blood in his veins seemed to reverse its flow!

The hatred for his clan's slaughter, the agony of loneliness, the resentment of humiliation, and the pain of helpless frustration that had built up in his heart for years erupted all at once!

Every shred of reason shattered!

"Uchiha Itachi-!!"

Sasuke roared in fury, his eyes wide enough to split!

Lightning exploded from his right hand with a thunderous crack!

Dazzling blue electricity coiled around his entire arm, its piercing roar ringing through the night!

Chidori formed instantly in his hand!

Sasuke burst forward at blistering speed, throwing caution aside as he charged at Itachi with hatred fierce enough to die for!

He would kill him!

Now!

Right now!

Yet as his younger brother hurled himself forward, pouring everything into that murderous charge-

Uchiha Itachi's expression remained indifferent, his eyes cold, without the slightest ripple of emotion.

Until the instant Sasuke reached him.

Itachi raised his hand.

One simple, effortless strike.

Thud!

A tremendous force slammed into Sasuke's chest!

Before Sasuke could even react, he was sent flying!