If you become the Fourth Hokage, I'll cut off my head for you to kick around!

"You refused the easy way, so now we'll do this the hard way."

A cold glint flashed in Shimura Danzō's eyes.

As expected, the Uchiha Clan were all destabilizing elements, unwilling to accept recruitment by the village leadership.

A clan like this would rebel sooner or later.

Once he successfully became Hokage, he would have to wipe them out with swift, decisive force.

Only then could he eliminate a major threat to the village.

The four Root ninja were all Jonin, an elite squad within Root.

In fact, few people in the village knew about Root ninja.

Even anyone who happened to see them would only assume they were Anbu.

After all, they existed to do the dirty work in the Anbu's place.

Of course, whether Shimura Danzō had any private intention of maintaining his own army was anyone's guess.

"Seize him."

As soon as Shimura Danzō spoke, the four Root ninja attacked at once.

Since normal methods could not recruit him, unconventional methods would be used to subdue him.

If all else failed, they would kill him.

Too many Uchiha Clan geniuses would be difficult to control and, over time, would pose a grave threat to the village.

Although doing this carried great risks, it was all for the village's safety.

Uchiha Jin's behavior clearly showed that he wanted to stand above the village.

As the future Lord Hokage, he naturally had to nip this danger in the bud!

"Tch. You really don't care about the consequences, you old dog."

An icy killing intent flashed in Uchiha Jin's eyes.

He had not intended to move against Shimura Danzō so soon.

After all, the man was a member of the village leadership, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's best buddy besides.

If he killed him without regard for the consequences...

He would surely find it difficult to maintain a foothold in the village afterward.

But things were different now.

This bastard had attacked first!

Whoosh!

A kunai flashed coldly as it shot toward his chest at tremendous speed.

Uchiha Jin turned sideways and caught his opponent's wrist, then twisted hard. The Root ninja dropped his kunai in pain.

Slash!

Before the kunai could hit the ground, he caught it in midair and slashed it across the man's throat with a backhand stroke.

The Root ninja clutched his throat with both hands and staggered backward, blood spraying from the wound without stopping.

Within a few short breaths, he collapsed to the ground, his head lolling to one side as he went still.

The three Root ninja instinctively looked toward Shimura Danzō.

Their orders were to seize Uchiha Jin, but his lethal response made things tricky.

Killing someone and subduing them were two different levels of difficulty.

"Bastard!"

Shimura Danzō clearly had not expected Uchiha Jin to dare kill one of his men.

"Kill him."

There was no need to recruit this brat anymore.

He was already so ruthless at such a young age and had no regard for the village.

If he were allowed to grow and gain the Uchiha Clan's support, wouldn't he incite his clansmen to rebel?

Only killing him with swift, decisive force would settle the problem once and for all.

The three Root ninja did not hesitate at his words, charging from different angles with kunai in hand.

"Ants."

Uchiha Jin used a Sharingan genjutsu to control the nearest Root ninja, then gripped his throat and used his body to block another Root ninja's attack.

Shluk!

The Root ninja watched his kunai sink into his companion's body, his face expressionless beneath his mask.

It did not matter if his companion died.

All that mattered was carrying out Lord Danzo's orders.

He pulled out his kunai and slashed toward Uchiha Jin's neck, but Jin dodged sideways, then hurled the corpse into him to obstruct his attack.

While the Root ninja was kicking the corpse away, Uchiha Jin used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind him, drew the tachi at his waist, and pierced his chest from behind.

Within a few dozen seconds, two Root ninja had been slain.

Only the last Root ninja and a livid Shimura Danzō remained.

"Useless!"

He truly had not expected the elite men he had trained to be killed so quickly.

Had he known, he would have brought his trusted subordinates.

Damn it.

He had truly underestimated Uchiha Jin's strength. If he could do it over, he would definitely bring more men.

While Shimura Danzō was regretting his decision, Uchiha Jin had already slain the last Root ninja.

He shook the blood off his blade and looked coldly at the old man beneath the streetlamp.

"Now it's your turn."

"Boy, do you know that attacking a member of the village leadership is tantamount to treason?"

Shimura Danzō questioned him coldly, his face dark.

He was Konoha's Hokage Advisor, the founder of Root, and the future Fourth Hokage, Shimura Danzō!

Yet today, a Uchiha Clan brat was pointing a blade at him.

It was an utter humiliation!

Uchiha Jin's name was already on his kill list.

No wonder this brat had refused recruitment by both the Hokage and himself.

His ambitions went beyond that!

Although Jin and Shisui were both Uchiha Clan geniuses, their views were worlds apart.

If Shisui Uchiha was a loyal dog, then Uchiha Jin was a madman with no regard for authority.

His head was filled with that so-called justice.

Someone like him acted recklessly, without regard for consequences. He was far more dangerous than those Uchiha Clan members plotting a coup.

He truly could not understand what that fellow Monkey was doing.

Why was he allowing this brat to run wild?

"The village leadership?"

Uchiha Jin tilted his head, making no effort to hide the contempt on his face.

"Why didn't you mention being part of the leadership when you ordered your men to attack me? Now that I've killed the dogs you raised, you suddenly remember your position, huh?"

Shimura Danzō remained silent, his face dark.

Verbal attacks of this level could not hurt him at all.

Those who accomplished great things did not sweat the small stuff.

What did a few insults matter, as long as he achieved his goal?

"No wonder you're still just a Hokage Advisor at your age."

Seeing how shameless he was, Uchiha Jin decided to attack his weakest point with words.

"If you ask me, with that sinister personality of yours, you should just stay in Root and keep dreaming. The village's Hokage seat has nothing to do with you."

"Bastard!"

Where he had previously faced mockery without a change in expression, his entire face now turned as red as a pig's head.

Becoming Hokage had been his dream since childhood.

The moment when his brief hesitation had cost him the Hokage position remained vivid in his mind.

Every time he thought about it, he was consumed with regret. It had become a lifelong source of pain.

And now this inherently evil Uchiha Clan brat was rubbing salt in his wound.

Spouting nonsense like, "The village's Hokage seat has nothing to do with you."

He deserved to die!

"What do you know? I will soon be the Fourth Hokage!"

Shimura Danzō retorted, his face and ears flushed red.

He believed that once Hiruzen Sarutobi retired, his experience and standing would make him the natural choice for Hokage.

"Oh, give it a rest. You're dreaming again."

Uchiha Jin mercilessly cut off his visions of the future.

"If a scumbag who's committed every evil imaginable like you really becomes Hokage, Konoha might as well hurry up and collapse."

"You... you!"

Shimura Danzō shook with rage, pointing at him as blood rushed to his head, unable to speak for a long while.

"I'll say it right here: if you become the Fourth Hokage, I'll cut off my head for you to kick around!"

Uchiha Jin continued his relentless verbal barrage.

Back when he bullied the students who bullied others at the Ninja Academy, his fists alone had not been enough to get results.

He had needed verbal attacks to go with them.

Attacking both the body and the mind-that was truly satisfying bullying...