The Rougher the Seas, the Pricier the Fish

Without question, the strength the Uchiha Clan had displayed during this upheaval was enough to make anyone think twice about underestimating them. More troublesome still, there was currently no foolproof way to deal with it.

But what gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a sliver of comfort was that things had not completely spiraled out of control.

Even if dark currents were already surging within the Uchiha Clan, and dangerous seeds had begun to sprout, at least for now, everything still barely remained within acceptable bounds...

Probably.

Glancing at the thoroughly wrecked Uchiha Residence, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his heart twitch. Goddammit, weren't you supposed to appeal to the unreasonable members of your clan with emotion and reason?

You fucking call this fucking emotion and reason?

If Hiruzen Sarutobi had been even a little less stouthearted, this stunt would have half killed him.

By this point, however, watching those two flying around overhead beating each other up, and the one below going pew-pew-pew with black flames, Hiruzen Sarutobi had more or less figured out why the Uchiha Clan was putting on this show.

Of course, he could not rule out the possibility that they had genuinely lost their tempers and stopped giving a damn. With any other clan, that possibility might not even exist. After all, what normal family was made up entirely of lunatics? If one or two members went off the rails, all those experts at the Clan Meeting would simply pin them down.

But the Uchiha were different. Nobody would be surprised if they blew up on the spot. Besides, if someone from this clan truly went berserk, there really might be no holding them down. Their bloodline was like a powder keg; when they snapped, they genuinely could unleash explosive power. It was not merely a thin thread of hope left in desperate straits-those fucking desperate straits were overflowing with hope!

Previously, perhaps everyone, himself included, had underestimated just how explosively the Uchiha could power up. They all knew a cornered Uchiha could leap over a wall, but who knew they could leap that high?!

Who the fuck could have guessed they could pilot Gundams over the Great Wall?!

Although it made perfect sense for them to leap over the wall like cornered dogs, Hiruzen Sarutobi still thought that possibility was unlikely.

Taken together with the Uchiha's actions over the past few years, this looked less like a sudden incident and more like something deliberate.

Of course, knowing the Uchiha as he did, the current situation was surely different from their original plan. If they did not throw in some bizarre stunt and improvise something unexpected, they would not be the Uchiha.

And with this spectacle the Uchiha had staged tonight...

Hiruzen Sarutobi swept a somewhat helpless glance over the stunned people around him, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Presumably, after tonight, whatever the outcome, many people would reassess the Uchiha Clan-and take them far more seriously.

After all, even if nothing else changed, a change in sheer fighting power alone made an entirely different impression in a place like the shinobi world, where the weak were prey to the strong.

Were Jinchūriki not even more prone to going berserk than the Uchiha? At least an Uchiha's breakdown could still be considered controllable; all one had to do was stabilize their emotions. When a Jinchūriki went berserk, it most likely was not something they could control themselves, even with the seal in place.

And speaking of seals...

Recalling the notes on the Uchiha left behind by his teacher, the Second Hokage, which he had been studying every day lately, the Third Hokage began to form a few ideas.

"Sealing" a clan of love like this wouldn't actually be difficult...

So what if they're a double-edged sword? Double-edged or single-edged, as long as it makes Konoha strong, it's a good sword!

As for how things would develop afterward, he would have to examine Uchiha Fugaku and the others' specific circumstances later before deciding...

Only...

Are you fuckers going to keep fighting up there forever?! Picking on us because we can't fly?! I really need to go back and see whether the Second left behind any secret flying or anti-air techniques!

Staring speechlessly up at the sky, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly.

Only when you need a technique do you regret knowing too few!

If I'd known, I'd have agreed when Danzo wanted to acquire Iwagakure's Light-Weight Rock Technique and the like.

No, I should've had Teacher develop a whole set himself while he was still alive!

Day n of missing Teacher...

Tobirama Senju: (눈益눈)

Are you fucking done yet, you bastard?!

In another corner of the Uchiha Clan Compound.

"Damn it, where the hell did that guy go?!"

In the shadows, Danzo stood shrouded in a black robe, a vicious gleam flickering in his eyes.

The agreed time had already arrived, yet the mysterious man calling himself Madara Uchiha still had not shown up!

Coward!

With a cold snort, Danzo looked back at the two giants battling in the distant night sky. There was not the slightest fear in his eyes; instead, they blazed with greed.

To think the Uchiha Clan possessed such power!

All those years of scheming haven't been wasted!

Who would've thought the Uchiha Clan would possess three pairs of the eyes once wielded by the Asura of the Ninja World, all at the same time!

If all three pairs were transplanted into me...

At that thought, Danzo could not help letting out a soft, smug hum.

Six special Dojutsu, three distinct Susanoo!

How could a mere Uchiha Clan deserve these Mangekyō Sharingan?! Giving them those eyes was simply squandering heaven's treasures!

Heavenly treasures belong to those destined for them, and I, Danzo, have quite the destiny with these Mangekyō Sharingan.

How could those fellows deserve such supreme power? It should belong to me, the magnificent Fifth Hokage!

With these powers, combined with that forbidden might, the strength of the Asura of the Ninja World and the God of the Shinobi World would belong to me alone. Under my wise leadership, Konoha would surely become great again!

I should've become the new Hokage long ago. Who could've known that after I stood aside and watched the Fourth Hokage die, that old bastard Hiruzen Sarutobi would come out of retirement and get rehired?!

The inherently evil Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the inherently evil Uchiha Clan-this time, I'll eliminate them all in one fell swoop!

The corners of his mouth curled wildly upward. Watching the Susanoo still locked in fierce combat, Danzo could barely contain his excitement.

Once he possessed the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, no one in Konoha would be able to oppose him. Becoming Hokage would be a done deal, his for the taking.

Others might grow frightened and retreat after seeing the Uchiha Clan wield such power, but as the Darkness of the Shinobi World, how could he shrink back over something so trivial?

The rougher the seas, the pricier the fish-I know that well. When others are afraid, I double down! The bold gorge themselves while the timid starve. To fulfill my grand ambitions, why begrudge this life?

Thinking with impassioned fervor, Danzo had almost convinced himself that he was risking his life for his ideals, his face a picture of righteous resolve.

It was absolutely not because he had read the relevant documents beforehand, learned that the Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan consumed enormous amounts of ocular power, and become certain that after this great battle, those few Mangekyo wielders in the Uchiha Clan would be running short.

Nor had he come here specifically to scoop up a massive bargain.

Heh, those Uchiha are still putting everything into their performance. Given the current situation, those evil Uchiha surely won't expect me to take the opposite approach and come here to intercept them.

Imagining the shocked, furious expressions on those Uchiha's faces as they lay in pools of blood, Danzo could not help throwing back his head with a laugh.

At last, the day I've been waiting for has arrived!

Mere Uchiha-become the firewood that fuels my ascent to the Hokage's throne!

"Hahahaha-Hiruzen, just you wait! I'll prove to you that I'm the one who's right! I'm the true Hokage!"

"Danzo, you'll regret this!" An aged voice thundered out. At that familiar voice, Danzo's expression instantly froze.

How could Hiruzen Sarutobi be here?!