Slap

Wood Release and the Sharingan were universally recognized as the two supreme powers of the Shinobi World.

Shimura Danzō had already transplanted a Three-Tomoe Sharingan. If he also transplanted Wood Release... with the two powers combined, becoming Hokage would not be difficult.

At that thought, Shimura Danzō's gaze sharpened as he said:

"Fox, go see Orochimaru yourself. Tell him that if he wants funding, he must exchange his latest Wood Release results for it."

"Understood!"

The Root ninja slowly withdrew.

"How dare you! Are you trying to force your way into Root?"

"Stop him!"

Just then, a commotion sounded outside.

Hearing the disturbance, Danzo knitted his brows tightly, displeasure showing on his face.

Who dared cause trouble in Root?

Whoosh!

Shisui Uchiha appeared in the office without warning.

His Body Flicker Technique was astonishing.

Danzo looked slightly surprised as he studied the newcomer with interest.

Through the mask, he saw a pair of scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

An Uchiha?

Combined with that masterful Body Flicker Technique, the newcomer's identity was obvious: Shisui Uchiha, the Uchiha Clan's greatest prodigy, known as "Body Flicker."

A trace of hidden darkness flashed through Danzo's eyes as he said coldly:

"Shisui, why have you forced your way into Root?"

Shisui said indifferently, "Lord Danzo, Lord Hokage wants you to see him immediately."

Shimura Danzō, nicknamed the "Darkness of the Shinobi," was an adviser to Konoha's Hokage and also the leader of Root.

In plain terms, Shimura Danzō was Hiruzen Sarutobi's shadow, handling unsavory dirty work for him.

Shimura Danzō had single-handedly arranged the Uchiha Clan's relocation from the center of the village to its outskirts.

Shisui cared about the Uchiha, and he also cared about the village.

Before Itachi died, Shisui Uchiha had held little affection for Shimura Danzō, but he had maintained a sense of respect and awe.

Now, however, Shimura Danzō was the prime suspect in Uchiha Itachi's murder.

Shisui Uchiha's regard for Shimura Danzō had plummeted.

Even Shisui himself had failed to notice that his image of Hiruzen Sarutobi had also deteriorated to varying degrees.

Hiruzen wants to see me? What could it be about?

At those words, Danzo pondered inwardly.

But no matter how hard he racked his brains, he could not figure it out.

When Uchiha Fugaku brought the Konoha Military Police Force to cause trouble, Hiruzen Sarutobi had ordered the Anbu to watch from a distance.

The first reason was to avoid provoking the Uchiha and coming into direct conflict with them.

The second was to suppress the news.

Thus, at this moment, Shimura Danzō did not know that Uchiha Itachi had died.

Shimura Danzō followed Shisui Uchiha to the Hokage's office. His gaze swept over Uchiha Douyang and Kakashi Hatake inside, and a flicker of confusion passed through his mind.

With outsiders present, this meant Hiruzen Sarutobi had not summoned him over a private matter.

Uchiha Douyang, Shisui Uchiha...

Could this have something to do with the Uchiha?

Shimura Danzō pondered inwardly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat upright at his desk without speaking, smoking as he watched Danzo with cloudy eyes.

Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's strange scrutiny, Shimura Danzō felt that something was wrong, but he could not understand what.

Time ticked by, and the atmosphere in the office gradually grew oppressive.

Only after Danzo had inhaled enough secondhand smoke did Hiruzen Sarutobi call out, "Shisui."

Almost the instant his voice fell silent.

Shisui Uchiha used the Body Flicker Technique to close in on the bewildered Shimura Danzō, reaching his right hand toward Shimura Danzō's bandages.

Shimura Danzō had never imagined that Hiruzen Sarutobi would have Shisui Uchiha attack him in this setting.

Completely unprepared, he had no time to dodge and could only drive his knee hard toward Shisui.

Thud!

With a dull impact, Shisui Uchiha flew backward and ended up hanging against the wall.

Shisui Uchiha was known as "Body Flicker," and his Body Flicker Technique was unrivaled in the Shinobi World.

After Minato Namikaze's death, there was probably no one who could reliably surpass him in speed.

To hunt down and kill Shisui Uchiha, Shimura Danzō had carefully studied tactics for dealing with him.

In the end, he had concluded that only a surprise attack, coupled with Izanagi, could subdue Shisui Uchiha.

There was absolutely no way an attack launched in such haste could hit Shisui Uchiha now.

Then the scene before him meant that he had already fallen under Shisui Uchiha's genjutsu.

Just as Shimura Danzō realized he was under genjutsu and prepared to disrupt the flow of chakra in his body to break it, Shisui Uchiha suddenly released the genjutsu.

Shimura Danzō regained awareness and demanded angrily, "Shisui Uchiha, just what are you..."

Before he could finish, Shimura Danzō discovered that, at some point, a violent mass of chakra had gathered around Hiruzen Sarutobi, ready to explode at any moment.

Shimura Danzō's eyes sharpened. This is bad.

Only then did he realize that Shisui had sliced apart the bandages over his right eye with a short sword, exposing a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Seeing the Sharingan in Shimura Danzō's eye socket, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, and the last shred of hope in his heart vanished.

Shimura Danzō really had killed Uchiha Itachi.

After the Nine-Tails' Attack, the village had suffered a severe blow and urgently needed time to recuperate. It could not withstand further upheaval.

This matter had to be handled properly. Otherwise, if the Uchiha launched a rebellion and the other ninja villages seized the opportunity to act, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Kakashi, Shisui, Douyang, the three of you are to lead teams to search the Root Base. See whether you can find any more valuable intelligence."

"What?"

At those words, Shimura Danzō said angrily, "Hiruzen, I am the leader of Root! You cannot do this."

In Shimura Danzō's view, he had transplanted the Sharingan to protect the village. It was righteous and beyond reproach.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not hold him accountable for this.

Hmph!

Only in my hands can an evil power like the Sharingan be put to proper use.

Everything I have done has been for Konoha.

"Shut your mouth!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and looked at Shimura Danzō angrily, his expression so dark it could have dripped water.

Seeing this, Shimura Danzō fell silent.

He understood Hiruzen Sarutobi very well and knew that he was truly angry now. He could not confront him head-on.

Let them search, then.

Over the years, he had indeed done many things behind Hiruzen Sarutobi's back.

But if the Anbu could uncover anything, he might as well stop being Root's leader.

After Kakashi and the other two left, Hiruzen Sarutobi put away his pipe and slowly walked over to Shimura Danzō.

Shimura Danzō forced a smile uglier than a crying face. "Hiruzen, everything I did was..."

Slap!

Hiruzen Sarutobi slapped Shimura Danzō across the face.

Shimura Danzō's eyes widened as he stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi in disbelief.

He hit me!

He actually hit me!

Over the years, one had worked in the light and the other in the shadows, coordinating seamlessly.

Although they often had disagreements, they always ended up like a married couple, quarreling at the head of the bed and making up at its foot.

Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi's vicious slap had left Danzo utterly stunned.