Tssss—
Hiruzen Sarutobi drew in a sharp breath, forcing himself to remain calm before speaking. "Shisui, about this matter—"
Uchiha Fugaku cut him off with a wave of his hand. His eyes shifted coldly to Danzo's right arm.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, not only has Danzo taken a Sharingan, but he's also implanted the First Hokage's Wood Release cells."
"Wood Release?" Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "Fugaku, what proof do you have?"
"My proof," Fugaku said, voice like steel, "is that his right arm is made of Wood Release."
Hiruzen's face darkened. "Danzo, remove your shirt."
"Hiruzen, you—"
"I said, remove it!"
A surge of chakra burst from the Hokage, rattling the desk and bookshelves. The room trembled.
Danzo hesitated, but the pressure left him no choice. He stripped off his garment, revealing a grotesque right arm of pale bark and writhing vines.
"It really is Wood Release…" One of the advisors whispered, eyes wide.
The other adviser looked just as shocked. After Senju Hashirama's death, the village had researched his cells in hopes of replicating the power that once calmed the chaotic world. But Hashirama's cells were too potent—every test subject either mutated into a tree or died violently. The gruesome failures had driven Hiruzen to outlaw all such experiments.
Never had he imagined Danzo would continue the research in secret—or succeed.
Danzo's gaze swept over Fugaku and Shisui, his composure brittle. He finally turned to Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, believe me. I had nothing to do with Uchiha Itachi's death. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan I transplanted did not belong to him."
Hiruzen's expression was like stone.
Whether the eye came from Itachi or not no longer mattered. Danzo's explanation was weak and unconvincing. The evidence was undeniable.
How should he deal with Danzo?
Would he truly kill an old comrade just to appease the Uchiha?
Memories stirred—decades of friendship, their carefree days as Academy students. He also recalled the words of the Second Hokage, who had always warned: The Uchiha are inherently dangerous. Among their generation, Hiruzen had chosen a path of tolerance, but Danzo had stayed faithful to the Second's harsh doctrine.
If Hiruzen killed Danzo now, how would he answer his teacher in the Pure Land? Would I say I executed the student who carried your will, just to placate the clan you feared most?
And would Danzo's death truly calm the Uchiha? No one valued their comrades more fiercely than they did. Even Shisui, the embodiment of the Will of Fire, now stood with his clan. The rest surely harbored even deeper hatred. One man's death would not erase it.
Perhaps keeping Danzo alive as a counterweight was wiser than cutting off a limb.
After a long silence, Hiruzen made his decision.
"Danzo's killing of Uchiha Itachi is unforgivable. But considering his age, his past achievements, and his great service to the village, he will receive a lighter sentence. All of his positions are revoked. Root will be disbanded."
He looked to Fugaku and Shisui. "Will this satisfy you?"
Hiruzen studied their faces, hoping they would accept the compromise. Perhaps time can still wash away this hatred, he thought, though even he knew it was wishful thinking.
"Hahaha!" Fugaku suddenly burst out laughing. Tears streaked his face as his shoulders shook with mirth that bordered on madness.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi," he said between fits of laughter, "do you take the Uchiha for fools? You strip Danzo of his titles and disband Root—what nonsense. You can reinstate him anytime. And Root answers only to him; he could rebuild it overnight."
Shisui's voice rang out, sharp and pained. "Hokage-sama, I always believed you were a fair and selfless leader. Despite the rumors, I chose to trust you. But this decision…" He clenched his fists. "This decision shatters that belief. You speak to Academy children of the Will of Fire. Why do you not speak of it now? Would not punishing the man who murdered his own comrade fit that very will?"
The words echoed in the office. Hiruzen lowered his gaze, ashamed, unable to meet Shisui's eyes.
If he reversed himself and punished Danzo severely, he might still remain the noble Hokage in Shisui's heart.
But he said nothing.
Fugaku placed a hand on Shisui's shoulder. "Enough, Shisui. Stop dreaming about Hiruzen Sarutobi. He's no longer the man he once was—just another scheming politician. Let's go."
With a final cold glance at Hiruzen, Danzo, and the advisers, Fugaku guided Shisui out of the office.
Hiruzen watched them leave, a heavy gloom settling over his face. The rift was clear now. The Hokage faction and the Uchiha had severed ties completely. This was no minor dispute. It was open confrontation.
The two advisers, Homura and Koharu, looked equally grim. Though they had long urged harsher measures against the Uchiha, they still felt the weight of what had just occurred. A clash with a clan as powerful as the Uchiha would cost the village dearly—victory would still mean broken teeth.
But there was no turning back. Every resource would now be focused on preparing for Uchiha retaliation.
Danzo's face remained stern, yet a flicker of satisfaction glinted in his eyes. The Hokage had finally abandoned his soft stance. The village would crush the Uchiha—exactly as Danzo had always desired. Though falsely accused, he relished the outcome.
His thoughts drifted to the mysterious one-eyed intruder who had slipped into the Root base and to the evidence Shisui had presented. Danzo was certain now: the true killer of Uchiha Itachi was that man.
As for motive? Likely to pit Konoha and the Uchiha against each other, weakening both for personal gain.
But the reason mattered little. All that mattered was that the Uchiha would be eradicated. Some sacrifices were worth that price.
Unlike Danzo, who wished for total annihilation, Hiruzen still clung to a faint hope. He envisioned a suppression like the Second Hokage's era—swift, decisive, with minimal bloodshed. Perhaps, he thought, both Konoha and the Uchiha could survive, though the clan's elite leaders—Fugaku, Shisui, and many jōnin—would inevitably fall.
Could the Uchiha coup succeed? Hiruzen doubted it. His judgment was not born of optimism but cold analysis. The Uchiha simply lacked the strength. The Military Police structure the Second Hokage had devised ensured no single clan could overpower the village.
Still, he couldn't ignore the unease in his chest. His eyes drifted to the carved visage of the Second Hokage on the Hokage Rock, silently admiring his teacher's foresight.
Konoha would endure. It was, after all, his Konoha.
---
At the Uchiha Compound
In Fugaku's home, tempers flared.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi protecting that murderer Danzo tramples on our honor!" one elder shouted.
"That senile Senju isolated us with the Military Police and let us wither," another spat. "From today we will not sit and wait. For the clan's future, we must strike!"
"Konoha was founded by Uchiha and Senju together. The Senju are gone. Konoha should belong to us. We will reclaim what is ours by force!"
Shisui sat silently on the steps, weariness etched across his face as he watched Fugaku rally the clan.
Since the formation of the hidden villages, no single clan had ever toppled an entire village. And none understood the Hokage faction's power better than Shisui.
Hiruzen might be old and weakening, but he was still among the strongest shinobi alive. The Anbu and Root units contained the village's elite. To exhaust those forces and still triumph was nearly impossible. If the Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mitokado clans joined the fight, the Uchiha's odds shrank to near zero.
Yes, some other clans might sympathize with the Uchiha's grievances. But Shisui knew that if the Uchiha struck recklessly, the others would unite against them rather than allow the fragile peace to shatter. A hasty coup would only lead to the clan's extermination.
His fingers brushed the scar beneath his left eye as he pondered. Perhaps if I used Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen, our chances might rise… but could a coup truly succeed?
It had been six years since he awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, never imagining he would need its ultimate power so soon.
Kotoamatsukami could subtly reshape a person's will. Against Hiruzen, no longer at his peak, success was likely. Yet even if he controlled the Hokage, that alone wouldn't secure victory. A Hokage ruled by consensus, not force. Controlling Hiruzen was not the same as controlling Konoha.
Where is the future of this clan?
The question Itachi had once asked echoed painfully in his mind. Shisui saw no answer.
Fugaku approached after his fiery speech, eyes hard. "Shisui, I have decided. We will fight the Hokage faction to the end, even if it costs the entire clan."
Shisui's voice was heavy. "The coup will fail. The Hokage faction will massacre us."
"I know," Fugaku replied, face like iron. "But we have no choice. I once hoped for peaceful negotiation, but Itachi's death showed their true face. They never intended peace. Better to die fighting than be swallowed bit by bit."
Grief for his lost friend and the shattering of his ideals hardened Shisui's resolve. He clenched his fists. "If they leave us no path, then let our blood teach them a lesson."
---
Elsewhere, at the Memorial Stone
The air rippled, and Uchiha Obito emerged, placing a bouquet before a solitary headstone. Though thought dead in battle, he had his own memorial. Kakashi, unable to find a body, had raised this stone beside Rin's grave.
White Zetsu slid from the earth with a mischievous grin. "Madara, something big happened in Konoha."
Obito glanced at Rin's name and whispered, "Not here. Let's talk elsewhere." He vanished into the night.
Moments later he stood atop the Hokage Rock, gazing down at the sleeping village. Black and White Zetsu surfaced beside him.
"Uchiha Itachi is dead," White Zetsu reported cheerfully. "Danzo killed him. The Uchiha and Hokage faction are completely at odds."
"Itachi, hm?" Obito's brow arched behind the mask. Of all the Uchiha, few had ever impressed him, but Itachi was one. Even at five, the boy had sensed the Nine-Tails' attack that Obito himself had orchestrated. Obito had watched him since.
Two years ago, Obito had even arranged the deaths of Itachi's teammates and captain to push the prodigy toward awakening the Mangekyō. Now Itachi was gone. A pity, but nothing more—a broken piece on the board.
Black Zetsu chuckled darkly. "Seems Danzo isn't entirely useless."
Obito's voice dripped with sarcasm. "That's only because I gave him Izanagi."
Both Zetsu and Obito were certain Danzo had done the deed, never guessing he blamed Obito in return.
"Madara," Black Zetsu said, rare praise in his tone, "your plan to pit tiger against wolf is brilliant. They'll tear each other apart."
"Hiruzen may waver," Obito replied, "but once he resolves to act, nothing stops him. Even if the Uchiha aren't completely destroyed, they'll be no threat. The Moon's Eye Plan will proceed unhindered."
"Do we need to interfere?" White Zetsu asked.
"No." Obito's voice was a low, mocking hum. "We'll simply watch from the shadows."
---
Morning at Neji's Lodging
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hyuga Neji awoke to urgent knocking. Outside, an Anbu spoke briskly through the door. "Genin Hyuga Neji, Hokage-sama has ordered the Chūnin Exams terminated. Prepare to leave Konoha."
Without waiting for questions, the Anbu departed, clearly rushing to alert the others.
Neji rubbed his eyes and yawned. Just as I expected—things are descending into chaos.
The joint Chūnin Exams, hosted by the Five Great Nations, had been abruptly cut short. With relations between Konoha and the Uchiha at an unprecedented low, the Hokage faction needed every resource free to deal with the crisis. The exams, meant to enhance Konoha's reputation, now only broadcast its scandal.
Neji grimaced. Ending the exams now? How am I supposed to make money? I waited for this chance—and lost a fortune!
---
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