Which of You Could Take a Kick from Guy?

Boom!

Those words landed!

Inside the Hokage Office, all four began breathing heavily at once, the air turning suffocatingly tense.

Mitokado Homura looked grave as he said in a low voice, "We have to guard against this."

This was no longer a simple feud between brothers. This was a future top-tier fighter capable of overturning Konoha's power structure and shaking the balance of the Shinobi World!

Danzo's smile grew colder, like a snake flicking its tongue, as he slowly posed the most devastating question of all:

"Why don't you think about it?"

"If, in the future, Sasuke Uchiha awakens the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and gains Madara-level combat power..."

"And learns the whole truth of the massacre, learns how we in the high command gave our tacit approval, helped things along, and stood by as the Uchiha were wiped out..."

"When that time comes, how will he treat Konoha? How will he treat us?"

Whoosh-!

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura instantly went deathly pale. Their bodies stiffened slightly as a bone-deep chill rose in their hearts.

That was right.

Sasuke bore a blood debt, and his nature was cold and obsessive.

If he also gained the invincible power of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and learned the whole truth...

No one in Konoha could stop him!

She had seen Madara Uchiha herself. Even decades later, she still had absolutely no confidence in resisting him.

Only the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, remained calm. His gaze rested lightly on the Sky Screen, his thoughts unknown, his eyes as deep and unreadable as the sea.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, his voice steady yet carrying an unshakable authority.

"Danzo, I understand your schemes and your concerns."

"But I'll warn you one last time-don't even think about laying a hand on Sasuke."

"Otherwise, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

"I will keep my word. I'll disband your Root and strip you of every position you hold."

Those words finally ignited the anger Danzo had bottled up for so long.

He had carefully analyzed the future crisis and pointed out the terrifying danger of the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Every word had been spoken out of concern for Konoha's safety.

Yet in the end, Hiruzen still insisted on having his own way, suppressing him, obstructing him, and restraining him at every turn!

Why did he always assume I had selfish motives?

Am I, Danzo, really that contemptible?

Danzo abruptly raised his eyes, his face full of fury, and snarled, "Hiruzen! You keep indulging that Uchiha orphan today! You'll regret it!"

"And you two fence-sitters-are you still going to spinelessly support Hiruzen?"

At that moment, the balance shifted completely.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, who had always followed the Third's lead, were now thoroughly shaken by Danzo's warning. Both began trying to persuade him.

"Hiruzen, Danzo certainly has selfish motives, but what he's saying isn't mere fearmongering."

"Sasuke's potential to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan is too terrifying. We must take measures in advance."

"As for Uchiha Itachi's threat, we can find another way to contain him. We absolutely cannot allow an Uchiha to possess the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan."

The two began siding with Danzo again.

The four-way discussion instantly became three against one.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the three old friends who had stood beside him for decades, the members of Konoha High Command. Deep disappointment surfaced in his eyes, and he gently shook his head.

"You... still fail to see the bigger picture."

All three froze.

Danzo frowned and said in a low voice, "What else is there? Isn't Uchiha Itachi, lurking outside and watching us, the one you're wary of?"

"If you're worried, leave it all to me."

"It's not as though this would be the first or second time I've done this sort of thing for you."

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also looked puzzled, turning to him for an explanation.

In their eyes, the greatest threat at present was simply that man...

Uchiha Itachi, that psychopath.

Beyond him, the Uchiha had already been wiped out. Who could stand up for Sasuke?

The Third let out a long sigh and looked out the window, his eyes unfathomably deep, before revealing the danger everyone else had overlooked.

"You're right. Uchiha Itachi is indeed a source of trouble, a threat."

"But compared to enemies outside, the one place we absolutely cannot allow to fall into chaos is Konoha itself."

The three looked utterly bewildered.

Seeing their obtuse expressions, Hiruzen Sarutobi abandoned the preamble and went straight to the point none of them had considered.

"Have you never wondered?"

"Why has Kakashi passed on almost everything he knows, the very essence of his Lightning Release, to Sasuke?"

"While Naruto and Sakura have received almost none of his core teachings?"

"Leave Sakura aside for now, but Naruto is Minato's son!"

"Kakashi knows exactly who Naruto is!"

Boom!

Those few questions instantly sent a tremor through all three men's pupils, their minds reeling!

They had been so focused on the Uchiha, the Sky Screen, and the future that they had never looked closely at Kakashi's unusual attitude!

Under their shocked gazes, the Third's expression grew graver as he slowly revealed the fundamental reason.

"Because in Kakashi Hatake's heart, Sasuke matters every bit as much as Naruto."

"Don't forget where Kakashi's Sharingan came from."

"That was a man he would give his life for!"

That single sentence left all three utterly speechless, plunging them into silence.

Obito Uchiha.

He was the person Kakashi had never been able to let go of.

As Obito's clansman, and the last surviving orphan at that, Sasuke would naturally receive special attention from Kakashi.

Danzo's face darkened, but he remained unconvinced. "He's only Kakashi. If you have concerns, leave him to me!"

At that, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head helplessly. He looked at Danzo as though he were an impulsive, shortsighted old fool who understood nothing of the bigger picture.

That calm, disappointed gaze made Danzo's face flush red, humiliation turning into anger.

Before Danzo could erupt, the Third raised his hand and took out a clear crystal ball.

A faint light swirled, and an image appeared-

An open space outside the Ninja Academy, beneath the shade of a tree.

Kakashi Hatake leaned lazily against the trunk, his face covered by his mask, seemingly at ease.

Beside him, Might Guy stood quietly, keeping him company.

The two seemed casual, but in truth, they were already keeping the entire Ninja Academy firmly under their watch!

"Do you see now?"

The Third spoke in a low voice, every word clear and resounding through the office.

"Kakashi has already taken precautions."

"He may be standing guard there for Naruto, or he may be there for Sasuke."

"He's worried that, if the Sky Screen exposes something ugly, we might take action."

"But as long as he's there, we in the high command cannot lay so much as a finger on Sasuke."

The Third laid out one decisive consideration after another, utterly shattering their wishful thinking.

"And don't forget Might Guy's strength."

"If you push him too far, which of you could withstand a kick from him?"

"Do you think Guy would listen to me, the Hokage, or to Kakashi?"

At that point, even the Third's face twisted.

He remembered how, on the Sky Screen, a single sentence from Kakashi had made Guy abandon the attempt to save him.

You could at least have put up a little resistance!