Chapter 65: Danzō's Evil Plan; The Genocide Plan Is About to Start
In the Konoha High Council meeting room, a dossier was slammed heavily onto the table by Danzō Shimura. "Bang!"
"Hiruzen, and you two, take a look," Danzō said. "This is the most detailed intelligence on that brat named Uchiha Akira, brought back by Root agents who risked their lives."
The gazes of the two Advisors, Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado, immediately turned to the dossier. The heading read: "Uchiha Akira: Threat Assessment - Extremely Dangerous." The report continued: "A young man under 20 years old defeated Fugaku, who had awakened his Mangekyō, with overwhelming force."
Danzō's finger tapped the intelligence report repeatedly. "While he was fighting Fugaku, almost all of the spies infiltrated by Root were killed, with only 2 escaping back to the Root base. Hiruzen, your Anbu, were thrown out of the Uchiha Clan Territory like trash. He declared the Uchiha Clan Territory a forbidden zone, and any intruders would be killed without mercy!"
"This isn't a warning, Hiruzen!" Danzō's voice was filled with undisguised murderous intent. "This is a declaration of war! It's a trampling of your Hokage authority! It's an open betrayal of the entire Konoha Village! The Uchiha, under the leadership of that brat, are no longer the proud but suppressible clan we once knew."
Utatane Koharu's face turned grim. "Danzō is right, Hiruzen. The Uchiha Clan's power is out of control. That boy named Uchiha Akira, his eyes show no reverence for the Village whatsoever." Homura Mitokado also echoed in a deep voice, "The power of the Sharingan is inherently ominous. Fugaku was indecisive, but this Uchiha Akira is a thorough and thorough tiger who doesn't know how to sheathe his fangs."
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent. He picked up his pipe and took another deep puff. Pull it out? What would he use to pull it out? Would he use the entire Anbu to confront the Uchiha, to confront Uchiha Akira's Susanoo? That's not war; that's using Konoha's most elite forces to fill a bottomless abyss.
"So, what do you mean?" Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, his demeanor showing exhaustion. A cunning glint flashed in Danzō's single eye, signifying his success. Danzō knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi's hypocritical peace rhetoric was crumbling in the face of an absolute threat.
"A frontal assault would only lead to a brutal civil war, a price none of us can afford," Danzō's tone unexpectedly softened. "However, we can try a different approach. If a knife is too sharp and unwilling to be held by its owner, the best way is not to break it. Instead, let it rust and disintegrate from within." Danzō's gaze slowly swept over the 3 people present. Then he uttered a name: "Uchiha... Itachi."
"Itachi is loyal to the Village; he inherited the true Will of Fire. He yearns for peace more than anyone, and he cannot tolerate the arrival of war more than anyone. We can give him a choice. A correct choice that must be made to protect the Village's peace and prevent a full-scale war caused by an Uchiha coup."
Everyone present knew what the "correct choice" meant. Danzō then elaborated on his plan: have Uchiha Itachi personally carry out the extermination mission, completely wiping out the Uchiha Clan. The meeting room fell into a dead silence.
"This... this is too..." Utatane Koharu's voice trembled slightly.
Danzō sneered. "Womanly compassion."
"What if Itachi refuses?" Hiruzen Sarutobi retorted.
A cruel arc formed at the corner of Danzō's mouth. "Itachi loves his younger brother very much. A lovely child like Sasuke deserves to grow up carefree in a peaceful and tranquil Village, doesn't he?"
This was a naked threat, without any disguise. Using a child's life to force his elder brother to slaughter his entire clan.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly closed his eyes. A trace of struggle appeared on his aged face, as if he was enduring the most profound torment in the world. He was weighing: a civil war that could destroy Konoha against the demise of a powerful noble clan. Ultimately, the scales, named "Hokage," unsurprisingly, tipped towards the latter.
"The inheritance of the Will of Fire, at times, indeed requires some... unknown sacrifices," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried a profound sorrow, filled with compassion. "To protect the great tree of Konoha, excising the diseased branches is a helpless act for a guardian."
Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his eyes. In those cloudy old eyes, all traces of struggle had faded, leaving only the unquestionable resolve of a Kage. He acquiesced. He acquiesced to this bloodiest and most cruel conspiracy proposed by Danzō.
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances. For the stability of the Village and to suppress those Mangekyō Sharingan that filled them with dread, this plan had to be executed. The light of a victor shone in Danzō's single eye. He knew that Hiruzen would ultimately remain the Hiruzen Sarutobi who could sacrifice everything for the "greater good."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice sounded again. "But, Danzō. I have one condition." He stared at Danzō. "After the clan's extermination, Uchiha Sasuke's life must be spared."
Danzō's brow furrowed slightly. "An Uchiha orphan? Hiruzen, you must cut the grass by the roots."
"No," Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head. "Leaving Sasuke has significant meaning." This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's political foresight as Hokage, different from Danzō's. "Outwardly, we can claim that we are targeting the Uchiha rebels, not the entire clan. An orphan protected by Konoha is the best proof. Inwardly..." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice dropped even lower, audible only to the 4 of them. "A child with Uchiha blood flowing in his veins, yet filled with gratitude towards Konoha, might, in the future, become an important chess piece in our hands."
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi truly revealed his coldest side as Hokage. He was not passively accepting a tragedy. He was, on the ruins of this tragedy, calmly beginning to lay out the next political game, spanning decades.
Danzō looked deeply at Hiruzen Sarutobi. From those cloudy eyes, Danzō saw the same extreme desire for power that he himself possessed. Danzō concealed his true thoughts, a stiff smile appearing on his face.
"Good. As you say, Hiruzen. Everything, for Konoha."
Consensus was quietly reached among the 4 highest authorities of Konoha. What they didn't know was this: Danzō's intelligence report was precisely what Uchiha Akira had deliberately allowed the escaped stragglers to bring back. Akira's goal was simple: to put pressure on the Third Hokage and Danzō. As long as Danzō jumped out to cause trouble, he could then take the opportunity to uproot the entire Root and completely eliminate Danzō.