The Hokage meeting concluded successfully.
But everything that had happened in the conference room swept through Konoha like a category-twelve hurricane.
The Konoha ninja, who had been steeped in grief over the Nine-Tails' Rampage, were now all engaged in extremely heated discussions.
"Have you heard? Danzo caused the Nine-Tails' Rampage! That can't be true!"
A young Chunin looked utterly shocked, his voice trembling violently. He simply could not believe the information he had heard.
"Isn't Lord Danzo part of Konoha High Command and the leader of Root?! He's always saying everything he does is for the village. How could he betray Konoha?!"
Another ninja's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
"You haven't heard yet! At the Hokage meeting just now, Lord Uchiha Gengetsu, the Fifth Hokage, cut off Danzo's right arm in front of everyone!"
"Not only was there a row of Sharingan embedded in that right arm, it even possessed the First Hokage's Wood Release!"
An informed Jonin who had just left the area outside the conference room lowered his voice and spoke with disgust.
"What?! Danzo stole Wood Release and Sharingan! How could he do something like that?!"
The surrounding ninja gasped.
Stealing a kekkei genkai was an absolute capital offense in any ninja village, let alone stealing the bloodlines of Konoha's two founding clans!
"That's not all! Danzo has always wanted to become Hokage! He used the power of Wood Release and Sharingan to release the Nine-Tails and kill the Fourth Hokage and his wife!"
The Jonin roared through gritted teeth, his face filled with fury.
At those words, the surrounding crowd erupted.
"That bastard Danzo! Damn him, how could he do something like that?! Where is he? I'll kill him and avenge the Fourth Hokage!"
"Danzo is being held in prison now! The Fifth Hokage has already ordered him stripped of all his positions and placed under strict guard!"
"Someone like Danzo has no right to stay in Konoha! Even death by a thousand cuts would be too good for him! The Fifth Hokage should have killed him right in the conference room!"
"Exactly! If the Fifth Hokage hadn't been wise and formidable enough to expose that old scoundrel's true colors in public, all of Konoha might still be in the dark, deceived by him!"
"The Fifth Hokage is incredible! That's the kind of resolve our Hokage should have!"
"..."
Danzo had become someone everyone reviled, his name thoroughly nailed to Konoha's pillar of shame.
Meanwhile, inside Konoha's highest-security prison for serious offenders.
Shimura Danzō sat in a dark, damp cell.
He had lost his right arm, and Gengetsu had forcibly gouged out his right eye. Now his entire body was wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, his chakra firmly suppressed by a specially designed sealing jutsu. He was a miserable sight.
He also heard the undisguised curses of the Konoha ninja guarding the entrance.
"Bah! That bastard Danzo actually killed the Fourth Hokage. He's despicable!"
"Exactly. The Fourth Hokage was such a good man! He was always so kind to everyone. To think Danzo got him killed like that! Why isn't that scum dead yet?!"
"That's right! Danzo should be executed immediately! Keeping him here is just wasting the village's food!"
"..."
Inside his cell, Danzo listened to the vile curses outside. His remaining left hand clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh, and his expression turned utterly hideous.
I've been framed!
Danzo truly felt wronged beyond belief now. It felt worse than swallowing ten thousand flies!
I really didn't cause the Nine-Tails' Rampage! Last night, I only took Root members to block the Uchiha Clan. How did the blame for this enormous crime get pinned so firmly on me?!
Everything I did was for Konoha!
That brat Uchiha Gengetsu was spouting vicious lies, forcibly dumping all the blame on me!
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the cell.
Then someone opened the heavy iron door from outside.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura walked in, their faces dark.
At the sight of them, Danzo seemed to see hope and hurriedly shouted.
"Sarutobi! You're here!"
"Let me out immediately! This is a conspiracy! We have to stop Uchiha Gengetsu. That brat will destroy Konoha!"
Yet faced with Danzo's plea for help.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not step forward to help. Instead, he looked at Danzo and gave an irritated snort.
"Let you out?"
"You still want to leave? You're staying right here!"
At that point, Danzo also realized something was wrong and hurriedly asked.
"What happened?! Has that evil brat Uchiha Gengetsu really secured his position as Hokage?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep draw from his pipe and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke. His voice full of frustration and helplessness, he briefly recounted what had happened at the end of the Hokage meeting.
That included how Gengetsu had used the blame placed on Danzo to establish his authority, and how he had demoted all three of them to support departments with a single sentence.
"What?! Deputy director of Konoha Hospital? Deputy leader of the Barrier Team? Deputy head of the Ninjutsu Research Class?"
Danzo's expression also turned extremely ugly at the news.
How could this happen?!
Damn Uchiha! That teenage brat was so ruthless that he had kicked all of them, the senior officials who had controlled Konoha for decades, straight out of the center of power!
Seeing Danzo's shocked expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer contain his anger. He pointed right at Danzo's nose and began berating him.
"You have the nerve to talk!
"Isn't this all because of you?!"
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura also glared at Danzo furiously, wishing they could go over and kick him a few times.
"Danzo! The four of us had joined forces and were going to crush Gengetsu completely through political means!"
"Exactly! Who would have thought you'd let us down at the most crucial moment?!"
Utatane Koharu cursed through gritted teeth.
"It was bad enough that you secretly transplanted Wood Release and Sharingan into yourself, but you even let Gengetsu cut off your arm and expose it in front of everyone! You ruined our entire plan and cost us our power along with yours!"
Mitokado Homura immediately joined in the berating.
Faced with the furious accusations of his three old teammates, Danzo opened his mouth but could not muster a single word in rebuttal.
He had nothing to say now. He really had miscalculated this time.
Who could have imagined Gengetsu would dare draw his blade and attack someone right in the conference room?
At the same time, Danzo was also deeply puzzled.
How did Uchiha Gengetsu know my arm had Wood Release and Sharingan?
The Wood Release and Sharingan transplants in my arm were Root's most highly classified secret. Only Orochimaru and a few absolutely trusted confidants knew. How did that brat Gengetsu know everything so clearly, even that my right eye was a Sharingan?
Could there be a traitor in Root?
Once I get out, I'll have to investigate all of Root thoroughly and tear that traitor to pieces!
After they vented their anger, the atmosphere in the cell eased a little.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze became extremely serious as he stared at Danzo searchingly and asked.
"Danzo, tell me the truth."
"The Nine-Tails' Rampage... were you behind it or not?"
Hearing that question, Danzo nearly went mad with anger. Why did even his old friend not believe him?
"Sarutobi! You know me!"
"Everything I do is for Konoha! I would never do something like release the Nine-Tails and damage Konoha!"
Hearing Danzo's resolute answer, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura exchanged a glance and could not help speaking up.
"Sarutobi, Danzo may be extreme in his methods, but he really wouldn't destroy his own foundations like that."
"Yes, he dreams of becoming Hokage. Why would he destroy Konoha? That wouldn't benefit him in the slightest."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked into Danzo's eye and fell silent for a few seconds before nodding. "I understand."
As long as Danzo had not done it, there was still hope of saving him.
Then Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around and moved to leave the cell without hesitation.
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi about to leave, Danzo grew frantic and hurriedly shouted, "Sarutobi! What about me? You can't leave me here!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped and said without looking back, "Stay in prison for now."
"After some time has passed and we've regained control of Konoha, we'll let you out."
With that, Hiruzen Sarutobi strode out of the cell, with Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura following closely behind.
Bang! The heavy iron door slammed shut again.
Damn it!
Inside the cell, Danzo could only clench his left fist in frustration and smash it against the cold wall.
After leaving the gates of the high-security prison, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura hurried to catch up with Hiruzen Sarutobi, their faces filled with anxiety and worry.
"Sarutobi, how should we deal with Gengetsu next?"
"Our current positions have completely sidelined us. We have no authority to interfere with the village's operations at all."
Utatane Koharu could not help asking.
"Yes, Sarutobi, do you have any ideas?" Mitokado Homura also sighed repeatedly.
Hearing their worries, Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped.
The gloom on his face had vanished, replaced by a calculating sneer.
"Gengetsu is still too young, too naive."
"Does he think stripping us of our positions and kicking us out of High Command means he can truly control Konoha?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head, his tone brimming with confidence.
"Send word to the heads of every major department. Have them refuse to carry out any orders from Gengetsu!"
"Whether they pretend to obey while defying him in practice or stall and pass the buck, his orders must not get through smoothly!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with absolute confidence.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been Hokage for decades.
Over those decades, he had promoted countless confidants and planted countless informants.
Although he had now stepped down as Hokage, the department heads and captains who held real authority were still all his people!
Without his support, no one could hope to wield Konoha's real power!
Even when Minato Namikaze had become the Fourth Hokage, the implementation of every policy had required Hiruzen Sarutobi's approval. Otherwise, none of them could be put into effect.
Let alone Gengetsu, who had only just taken office and had no foundation whatsoever!
Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were initially taken aback, but they soon understood what he meant.
That's right! If his orders never left the Hokage building, how could Gengetsu act as Hokage?!
"Sarutobi, you're right!"
"Does that brat Gengetsu really think being Hokage is so easy?!" Utatane Koharu said excitedly.
"Without our support, none of the major departments will follow his commands! He'll be nothing more than a commander with no troops!"
"It won't take more than a few days. Once the village's operations grind to a halt, they'll come begging us sooner or later!"
A smug expression spread across Mitokado Homura's face, as though he could already see Gengetsu begging them.
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