"Of course, I have a suggestion for you. Lord Hokage, you could expand the Anbu, then 'temporarily' assign some of their authority to your aide, Danzo.
That would ease some of your burden without risking a violation of the Second's ironclad decree. Two birds with one stone. Wouldn't you agree?"
Agree, my ass.
Why hadn't Hiruzen Sarutobi done that in the first place?
First, Root's work was even less fit to see the light of day than the Anbu's. Wouldn't that just tarnish his image as the "great, glorious, and righteous" Hokage?
Second, Danzo had absolutely no scruples. Give him an inch and he would take a mile.
If he really gave Danzo even a small opening into the Anbu's authority, would the Anbu belong to the Sarutobi or the Shimura in the future?
That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi had never even considered letting Danzo get his hands on the Anbu's authority.
Everyone actually understood what he meant, including Danzo himself.
But he couldn't say it out loud.
It was agonizing.
Unbelievable. Who taught this brat to be so sharp-tongued?
Didn't they say he spent every day holed up in his laboratory? He should have been a man of few words, utterly wooden.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was having a hard time, but Danzo was having an even harder one.
Should I attack?
What are my chances of winning?
Should I take the opportunity to get Hiruzen Sarutobi killed, too?
If I win, and Hiruzen Sarutobi dies, could I become the Fourth Hokage?
Danzo felt as though his brain had never been this clever before. Countless thoughts surfaced in his mind.
Seiichi frowned as he watched Hiruzen Sarutobi lower his head and fiddle with his V-shaped tobacco pipe.
Danzo stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi's back with a wide grin, imagining who knew what delightful prospects.
Seiichi looked up at the sky. It was almost time to eat.
He couldn't be bothered to waste any more time on them.
They had already dropped all pretenses anyway.
There was no need to waste any more of his time on them.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem..."
Seiichi's extremely loud coughing finally dragged the two men back from their wandering thoughts.
Seeing Seiichi staring at him with a serious expression, Hiruzen knew this could not end amicably. His only choice was to make Danzo give up Root.
Because if word got out that he had ignored the ironclad decree laid down by their teacher, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, who had stayed behind to cover their retreat, there would be serious trouble.
He could not bear the consequences.
He could only let Danzo suffer this injustice.
Danzo, just put up with this little injustice one more time. Trust your old pal. Bear with it a little longer. I'll definitely avenge you later.
(Danzo: So that's what the "endure" in "ninja" means for me? Then why the hell am I even doing this?!)
After having so much time to calm down, Danzo had also come to his senses.
Though he thought an ironclad decree was no big deal-no, it did not even count as a problem.
After all, hadn't the Senju Clan disappeared because of them?
But now, under everyone's gaze, he had to bow his head.
Because the Second Hokage had not only been their teacher, but had ultimately sacrificed his life to save them.
So even if it was only an act, he had to play the dutiful son and grandson and strictly obey the Second Hokage's ironclad decree.
"I... I understand!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief.
"Root was established out of necessity due to the tense wartime situation. Now, I hereby announce that Root is officially disbanded.
All Root personnel may choose to join the Anbu after passing their screening. Everyone else shall return to life as regular ninja."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision sent waves surging through the hearts of everyone present who knew Root's inner workings.
This is bad. Something major is going to happen!
Danzo had never hidden his attitude toward the Uchiha Clan, so anyone in Konoha who wasn't blind knew about it.
Now, Uchiha Seiichi had forced Hiruzen Sarutobi to completely dismantle Root, the thing Danzo valued most.
Moreover, with Seiichi around, he would certainly have the Military Police Force keep watch. Danzo would have no chance to rebuild Root.
Unless the Military Police Force ceased to exist-or, more bluntly, the Uchiha ceased to exist!
That meant the inevitable battle between them would certainly come much sooner. It would probably break out before long.
Most likely, some time after the war.
They certainly couldn't fight now. There were currently around forty thousand ninja in Konoha, with the Uchiha Clan accounting for ten thousand of them.
Because the Uchiha Clan was responsible for maintaining order in Konoha, they needed enough people to patrol and rotate shifts.
As a result, the Uchiha Clan rarely sent its members to the battlefield in large numbers.
Sending a tenth of the clan's ninja this time already counted as a lot.
But once the war ended and Konoha's armed forces returned, things would be harder to predict.
The members of the various ninja clans present watched Seiichi bid Hiruzen Sarutobi farewell with a smile, before both sides dispersed as though everyone was happy.
They couldn't help shuddering.
Konoha was about to change!
Seiichi and Fugaku walked at the front.
A group of their clansmen from the Military Police Force followed behind.
There was not a trace of tension on Seiichi's face, as though he had not noticed the change in the atmosphere between the two sides.
Fugaku, however, was different.
He had worn an extremely serious expression ever since the confrontation began.
Now, he was even frowning a little.
Once the group arrived at the Uchiha Clan Compound...
"Everyone, go change shifts. Get some rest early. I should go eat, too."
Seiichi exchanged a few words with the clansmen from the Military Police Force, then prepared to head home with Fugaku.
"Goodbye, Young Clan Leader. Oh, goodbye to you too, Clan Leader."
A vein bulged on Fugaku's forehead at the clansman's words.
What the hell are you little brats trying to say?!
Seiichi draped an arm around Fugaku's shoulders and forcibly dragged him toward home.
Shisui and Itachi followed behind them, with Shisui carrying two large bags of clothes.
Itachi was a little envious of the affectionate way his elder brother acted with their father.
Shengyi noticed his soft, pleading gaze, but made no move to comfort him.
Shisui was still there. If the father and sons put on a display of family affection, how would that make an orphan like Shisui feel?
Wouldn't that be stabbing him in the heart?!
So, foolish little brother, stay strong!
By the time they arrived home, Mikoto had already finished cooking.
Seiichi brought his two little followers along to carry out the dishes.
The family began enjoying their lovely dinner.
Over in the Hokage's Office, the atmosphere was nowhere near as pleasant.
The four sat there in silence, and no one was smoking anymore.
A closer look revealed Hiruzen Sarutobi's checkmark-shaped tobacco pipe in the trash can, stuck upside down in a pile of discarded documents. It formed a tilted "7," making it particularly conspicuous.
"Hiruzen, that clan cannot be allowed to remain!!!"
Danzo now felt allergic to the name Uchiha. Never mind saying it-just hearing it left him unable to stay rational.
This time, his proposal met with no rejection.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had both been at the scene.
Even Danzo, a Hokage's aide with real power, had been thoroughly humiliated by the Uchiha. In the end, they had forcibly broken that "leg" of his called Root.
Then what the hell did elders and advisors like them, who held titles but no real power, amount to in the Uchiha's eyes?
If they accidentally offended them, wouldn't the Uchiha be free to toy with them however they pleased?
Besides, they had already offended them many times before, even climbing onto their heads and stomping all over them.
So, for their own sakes, the Uchiha truly could not be allowed to remain.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already decided to eradicate the Uchiha Clan half a day earlier.
Thus, this proposal became one of the few to receive unanimous approval from all four of them.
Before you continue