Things got out of hand

Obito set his thoughts aside and pretended to wipe away more tears:

"Lord Hokage! I was training in the woods when someone tried to assassinate me!"

An uproar erupted!

The moment Obito said that, the villagers watching the spectacle burst into an uproar.

They had been following Obito for a while, their curiosity thoroughly piqued, wondering what the little fellow was up to.

But when they heard that this young Uchiha ninja had been targeted for assassination, right here in peaceful, stable Konoha, disbelief filled their eyes.

"The Third Hokage called that kid Obito Uchiha! I've heard that name before. He's a little prodigy from the latest graduating class."

"What on earth happened? Why would anyone try to kill a child? Who could be that ruthless?"

"Who knows? Maybe the Uchiha Clan has offended too many people, and someone wanted to get back at them through this kid."

"Shouldn't you all be focusing on the fact that this kid managed to kill both ninjas who attacked him?"

That last person's reminder left the villagers momentarily stunned.

Then it finally sank in.

The conversation shifted to how Obito had fought two enemies at once and even managed to kill them both.

Quite a few people even compared him with their own children, saying that if their kids were half as outstanding as Obito, they would surely amount to something and their families would never have to worry about putting food on the table.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saw that the situation was getting out of hand.

Yet he had to maintain his image as a kind, benevolent Hokage and could not simply drive the villagers away.

He could only force a smile and beckon to Obito:

"Obito! Well... why don't you come upstairs with me and explain what happened? Leave those two to them."

Then Hiruzen Sarutobi signaled with his eyes for the two gate guards to carry away the corpses.

"No! Lord Hokage! I'll only feel more confident with everyone here behind me as witnesses!"

Obito continued pretending to wipe away his tears, looking thoroughly aggrieved.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's aged face darkened at once. What does this little fellow mean? Does he suspect I'd handle this unfairly in private?

But to preserve his image, he held his temper.

He put on a false smile. "Haha, Obito, go ahead, then. How do you want this handled? Who exactly are these two?"

Obito said, "They were sent by Danzo's Root. When they tried to kill me in the woods, they admitted it themselves!"

"I came to you for an explanation. If this isn't resolved, I'm afraid I'll have to keep living in fear."

"Who knows? Someone might suddenly kill me one day while I'm just walking down the street!"

Obito grew more agitated as he spoke, but inwardly, he was grinning wickedly.

Danzo thinks he can kill yours truly? Let him try again in his next life.

Obito had even taken Grandmother's safety into account well in advance.

Grandmother was old, and she never ventured beyond the Uchiha Clan Grounds.

If Danzo wanted to send people into the Uchiha Clan Compound to kill someone at will, he would have to be pretty damn powerful to pull that off.

The Uchiha had long been dissatisfied with the people of Konoha.

Anyone from outside the clan who entered the Uchiha Clan Compound would be watched, both openly and covertly.

"What! Root!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed in shock.

Knowing Danzo as he did, he already suspected that Danzo was almost certainly behind this.

Hiruzen Sarutobi flew into a rage.

How dare you just decide to assassinate someone I value as Hokage, you old bastard? Do you have any respect for me at all?

Hiruzen Sarutobi bristled with fury and ordered the three Anbu ninjas following behind him:

"Go fetch Danzo immediately!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" an Anbu ninja answered before vanishing from the spot.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave another order. "Bring someone familiar with Root's ninjas. I want to confirm exactly who these two dead men are!"

"Understood, Lord Hokage!" another Anbu answered, then vanished as well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew full well that this matter had to be handled seriously.

Otherwise, it would not only provoke the Uchiha Clan's displeasure but also deepen the villagers' fear.

About ten minutes passed.

The Anbu sent to find someone familiar with Root's ninjas was the first to return.

A ninja wearing a green flak jacket followed behind him.

"Lord Hokage!"

The ninja in the green flak jacket bowed to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

At Hiruzen Sarutobi's signal, he stepped forward to examine the faces of the two Root ninjas.

"This is..."

Apparently recognizing the two corpses, the ninja in the green flak jacket let out a startled cry.

He hurried back to Hiruzen Sarutobi, intending to lean close to his ear and report in a whisper.

"If you have something to say, say it aloud! There's no need to hide anything!"

Somewhat displeased, Hiruzen Sarutobi pushed the ninja in the green flak jacket away.

I have to maintain my positive image as Hokage. What is there about this that the villagers shouldn't know?

It's Danzo's dirty business, anyway. It has nothing to do with me as Hokage.

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

The ninja in the green flak jacket nodded, then said, "One of them is a jōnin from the Yamanaka Clan named Yamanaka Kine."

"The other is a jōnin from the Shimura Clan named Shimura Yuri. Both were elite members of Root."

This ninja in the green flak jacket had once worked in Root for a time.

His job had been to register and screen new recruits.

As a result, he could name most of Root's elite members.

His words immediately caused another huge uproar among the villagers.

Everyone stared at Obito's back in disbelief, talking excitedly among themselves.

"This little fellow named Obito can't be more than ten, right? And both ninjas he defeated were jōnin?"

"Seriously...? Are jōnin in our village a dime a dozen? How could they get killed so easily by the kid they attacked?"

"What do you know? I heard ages ago that this little Obito Uchiha is a prodigy from the Ninja Academy's latest graduating class. He awakened the Uchiha's Three-Tomoe Sharingan kekkei genkai at just nine!"

"Ah, comparisons really are maddening. If my little chubby boy were even a third as good as young Obito, I'd be burning incense to thank our ancestors."

Before he knew it, Obito had gained a group of fans among the villagers.

But quite a few perceptive people among them still understood how serious this was.

They discussed what sort of organization Root was and why it had so much power that it could carry out assassinations at will.

The Third Hokage had no choice but to step forward again, maintaining his image as he soothed everyone's agitation.

Fortunately, the man at the center of the accusations soon arrived at the scene.

Leaning on his cane and surrounded by several masked Root ninjas, Shimura Danzō made his way through the crowd to the front.

"Sarutobi! Why did you summon me in such a hurry?"