Hyuga Hiashi Takes Sides, Shimura Danzō Finally Strikes

"Nonsense! You're all talking nonsense!"

"All you want is control of my Root! Let me tell you, that's never going to happen!"

"I'm a member of Konoha's Elder Council! I've made enormous contributions to Konoha! You have no right to touch me!"

Faced with Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Fugaku's questioning, Shimura Danzō suddenly raised his voice. He called the Root members over to surround him while shouting abuse.

He would never admit to experimenting with the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, or transplanting the Sharingan of Uchiha Clan members, even if it killed him.

Besides, given his position as an elder on the Elder Council, they surely wouldn't dare attack him in full view of everyone.

As long as he weathered this crisis, he could return to Root and destroy all the materials.

If everything still came to light in the end, he would pin all the crimes on Orochimaru!

After all, the man was nothing more than a pawn to him.

When necessary, sacrificing Orochimaru to save himself would be an honor for the man!

As for whether Senju Ye and Uchiha Fugaku would attack him, Shimura Danzō wasn't afraid in the slightest.

As long as he successfully returned to Root tonight, those two sides would have to commit their entire clans to a fight to the death against him.

Otherwise, they would never be able to breach his Root.

The only reason they had subdued him so easily last time was that Root's strongest fighters hadn't been there.

But after that incident, he had recalled most of his forces, apart from his undercover operatives.

In short, his Root was impregnable. No one could break through!

While Shimura Danzō was thinking this, the civilians and ninja below began discussing the situation again.

"That's true. Lord Danzo is a member of the Elder Council. Even Lord Senju Ye doesn't have the authority to touch him, does he?"

"But do you think what Lord Senju Ye and Lord Fugaku said is true? Would Lord Danzo really be depraved enough to tamper with the First Hokage's body and attack members of the Uchiha Clan?"

"Well, I don't think it's necessarily false. After all, Lord Senju Ye said it..."

Amid Shimura Danzō's roaring and the discussions below, Uchiha Fugaku suddenly turned to look in a certain direction.

Then came the current head of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he walked over to Shisui Uchiha and gave a slight nod.

"Lord Senju Ye."

"Hyuga Hiashi?"

"Hyuga Hiashi!"

Seeing the Hyuga Clan, which had always kept a low profile and remained neutral, step forward at this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō both stiffened, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Then their gazes shifted back to Shisui Uchiha.

This fellow named Senju Ye had actually managed to persuade even Hyuga Hiashi?

How on earth had he done it?!

As men who had long controlled Konoha's power and interests, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō knew very well how adept Hyuga Hiashi of the Hyuga Clan was at giving people the runaround.

Hyuga Hiashi never took sides of his own accord. He only acted once the prevailing tide became clear.

Whatever direction Konoha took, he followed.

Precisely for that reason, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and even the other members of the Elder Council paid Hyuga Hiashi little mind.

In his eyes, as long as the Hyuga Clan could continue to survive, he would neither interfere in Konoha's affairs nor compete for any power or benefits.

While Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō were still staring in disbelief, Shisui Uchiha suddenly turned and called out to Konoha's civilians and ninja below.

"Since everyone has doubts, let's have the current head of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi, use his clan's kekkei genkai, the Byakugan, to uncover the truth."

Shisui Uchiha's words immediately drew widespread support.

"The Hyuga Clan's Byakugan? That's right. If Lord Hyuga Hiashi personally takes action, the truth should come out very soon."

"Of course. The Byakugan, the kekkei genkai of our Konoha's Hyuga Clan, is renowned as an equal to the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan."

"Exactly. With Lord Hyuga Hiashi handling it, we can rest easy."

Damn it...

Seeing everyone begin to accept Hyuga Hiashi's intervention, Shimura Danzō gave him a sinister look, his eyes brimming with menace.

"Hyuga Hiashi, what benefits did that fellow Senju Ye promise you to make you step forward and help him?!"

Benefits? There was no need.

Even if this man named Senju Ye hadn't personally approached him, he would have stepped forward at this moment.

That was because, not long ago, the Hyuga Clan's death-sworn operatives had sent him a piece of intelligence.

The Root that Shimura Danzō had spent years building had already been completely uprooted!

In short, Shimura Danzō was already finished. By stepping forward now, he was simply following the tide.

It was the prevailing course of events, and it served Konoha's interests.

At that thought, Hyuga Hiashi gave Shimura Danzō a perfunctory nod.

"What benefits did he promise me? Lord Danzo, you've misunderstood."

"I merely stepped forward to uncover the truth everyone wants to know. Lord Senju Ye has made me no promises whatsoever."

The next moment, Hyuga Hiashi's eyes abruptly narrowed.

"Byakugan!"

Activate!

Seeing that Hyuga Hiashi really intended to use the Byakugan on him, Shimura Danzō hastily pulled a Root member in front of himself as a shield and shouted.

"Attack!"

"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

As the Root members sprang into action one after another, Shimura Danzō abruptly brought his hands together, having already completed the hand seals inside his sleeves.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"

The next moment, Shimura Danzō spat a rapid succession of bullet-like blasts of chakra straight at the Uchiha ninja blocking his escape behind him.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Boom!

As the explosion rang out, Shimura Danzō immediately accelerated and fled without looking back.

"Uchiha Fugaku has joined forces with Senju Ye, a suspect in the Nine-Tails Incident, and incited Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga Clan, to attack a member of the Elder Council! Their conduct is suspicious!"

"Root, seize him at once! If he resists, kill him without mercy!"

Watching the Root ninja charge at him and Uchiha Fugaku, Shisui Uchiha calmly gazed at the desperately fleeing Shimura Danzō, a knowing look on his face.

He wanted not only to ruin Shimura Danzō's reputation, but also to plunge him into utter despair!

And the way to drive someone into utter despair was simple: give him hope when he was desperate.

Then, just when he thought salvation was within reach, plunge him back into despair!

While Shisui Uchiha was thinking this, Shimura Danzō, who had successfully "escaped with his life," looked increasingly grim.

"Senju Ye, was it? Once I return to Root, you'll learn just how terrifying my true power is."

"As for who gets the last laugh, we'll just have to wait and see!"

"..."