Hyūga Shinichi's words were resolute. His statement that he didn't trust the Anbu was a veiled accusation against Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
Immediately, all eyes focused on Shinichi. No one seemed to have anticipated such a defiant answer. Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly shifted. Even with his composure and experience, he struggled to maintain his facade upon hearing Shinichi's reply. He remained silent, simply staring at Shinichi, attempting to decipher the boy's intentions.
As Hiruzen fell silent, Danzō Shimura leaped into the fray, shouting in rebuke:
"Impudent fool!"
"Do you know who you are speaking to? Don't think you can be disrespectful just because you are of the Hyūga Main House!"
"If you cannot trust the Third Hokage's direct Anbu, then who in this village can you trust?!"
"Is this how the Hyūga clan teaches you manners?"
Danzō positioned himself as an elder scolding Shinichi, while subtly narrowing his eyes and glancing at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had a rough idea why Hiruzen intended to claim the corpse—most likely to find evidence to definitively link the body to Danzō. If Hiruzen successfully gathered concrete evidence, he would be constrained by Hiruzen and become a puppet leader of the Root organization. However, it seemed Hiruzen's plan was not going smoothly.
Regardless of Shinichi's age, he was currently representing the entire Hyūga clan, a force that neither Danzō nor Hiruzen could afford to underestimate.
Shinichi didn't even bother to acknowledge Danzō's reprimand. He merely beckoned to the Hyūga guards, instructing them to collect Kurama Unkai's corpse.
This directive, which put him in confrontation with Hiruzen, caused a moment of hesitation among the Hyūga clansmen. They looked at Hiruzen, then at Shinichi. After a brief pause, the clansmen chose to obey Shinichi's command.
Seeing Shinichi, at his young age, successfully commanding the Hyūga clan members, a shadow passed through the eyes of both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō.
Hiruzen sighed, still reluctant to engage in direct conflict with the Hyūga. Just as he was about to compromise, Danzō seized the opportunity:
"Go! Obey the Hokage-sama's order!"
"This corpse is for the Anbu to investigate!"
"Anyone who resists will be killed!"
There was no one in this village that Danzō Shimura wouldn't offend, and no one he wouldn't dare to kill. He was a man who "did the dirty work" in the shadows; reputation was merely secondary to him.
His command over Root relied not on reputation, but on Cursed Seals and fear! Furthermore, at this very moment, he was leveraging Hiruzen Sarutobi's name!
The moment he gave the order, the two Root ninja behind him immediately lunged forward, swiftly approaching Kurama Unkai's corpse.
Their attack was sudden. Hyūga Hizashi, who was standing near the corpse, frowned. Unwilling to completely tear off relations with Hiruzen and the Hokage without clear instructions, he hesitated for an instant and chose to retreat, yielding his position.
The two Anbu successfully reached Kurama Unkai's corpse. The other Anbu, seeing the Root ninja join the fight, gained confidence. The Anbu quickly regrouped to collectively face the surrounding Hyūga ninja.
Seeing Root and the Anbu resort to force, the Hyūga clansmen looked at Shinichi. If the conflict had remained verbal and if the Third Hokage and Danzō hadn't personally intervened, they would have acted without hesitation. But facing a confrontation that would irrevocably break relations with the Third Hokage and Danzō was an entirely different matter. Even Hiashi and Satoru would have to think twice.
However, Shinichi's next words completely extinguished the clan members' hesitation:
"Hmph!"
"We have already been attacked right here in our home. Is there any room left for the Hyūga clan to concede?"
"The assassin has been slain. If we can't even investigate the mastermind, how can the Hyūga clan maintain its standing in the ninja world!"
"The more they try to stop us, the more determined we must be to see this through to the end."
"We, the Hyūga, fear no challenge!"
Shinichi's tone was resolute. Before the clansmen could act, he flung his hand, unleashing several kunai directly at the Anbu in the area.
For Shinichi, the matter had progressed beyond the point of worrying about breaking ties. The suspicious actions of both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō strongly suggested that the mastermind was likely one of the two.
Since the enemy was already trying to kill him, if he didn't use the Hyūga clan's influence to fight back, he would only embolden them. The ninja world was ultimately the ninja world. To secure their own survival, they had to strike hard!
"Zzzzz—"
Shinichi's attack was executed without reservation. The kunai were infused with Lightning Release chakra, emitting a sharp electrical crackle as they cut through the air, instantly drawing the attention of all the Anbu.
Earth Release: Earth style Wall!
An Anbu quickly flashed to the front of the group. As he completed the hand seals, he slammed his palms onto the ground.
He intended to use Earth Release to block Shinichi's attack. However, they underestimated Shinichi's hand speed and reaction time. The Lightning-enhanced kunai were incredibly fast, incomparable to ordinary kunai. The earth wall had not yet fully risen before the kunai arrived.
"Scatter!"
With a shout, the Anbu instantly scattered. Although they looked somewhat disheveled, they successfully evaded Shinichi's attack.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!!!!" Several kunai slammed into the ground around Kurama Unkai's body. The dull thuds caused everyone present to look over.
As the narrowly escaped Anbu looked up at the spot where they had been standing, they noticed that Shinichi had already appeared next to Kurama Unkai's corpse. Under everyone's gaze, Shinichi grabbed the back of Kurama Unkai's neck. In the next instant, the corpse vanished.
"!!!"
"The Flying Thunder God Technique!"
The Anbu were experienced. Shinichi's move had caught everyone off guard and, at the same time, deterred the few Anbu who were still intent on attacking. A name carried immense weight.
Minato Namikaze's exploits had firmly associated the Flying Thunder God Technique with the "Invincible Fourth Hokage." Seeing Shinichi use the technique, they subconsciously linked Shinichi's ability to Minato's.
At least from Shinichi's brief display, the boy was already exceptionally proficient in using the Flying Thunder God. Even if his true strength was significantly less than Minato's, if he were their opponent...
Moreover, the target corpse had already been teleported away by the technique. If they continued to pursue, they would have to attack the Hyūga Main House heir directly. Just as the Hyūga clansmen were wary of the Third Hokage and Danzō, the Anbu were now hesitant to directly attack Shinichi, fearing the massive retaliation of the Hyūga clan.
All the Anbu looked toward Hiruzen and Danzō.
"Interfering with Anbu operations is an act of betrayal against the village."
"Seize that boy!"
Danzō now completely ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi, giving the direct command. The corpse had been taken by the Hyūga clan. If the Hyūga truly found evidence linking the body to him, he would be implicated and forced into a confrontation with the Hyūga clan.
Rather than passively waiting for that moment, he would now actively force a showdown with Hiruzen. He could take advantage of the situation to kill Shinichi, making Hiruzen share the blame with him.
He commanded them to "seize," but in a ninja fight, accidents happened, didn't they?! Especially since Hyūga Shinichi was resisting violently!
Danzō gave the command, his eyes fixed on Shinichi.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did not stop Danzō's order. After all, the command was to "seize," not "kill." In Hiruzen's view, if he allowed Shinichi to act this way in public, his authority as Hokage (former) and the authority of the Anbu would be irrevocably compromised.
An organization like the Anbu absolutely could not lose its credibility.
As for whether Hiruzen truly knew Danzō's intentions... he probably did. Just as Hiruzen understood Danzō, Danzō understood Hiruzen perfectly. He and Danzō were the two sides of Konoha: light and shadow intertwined were the true essence of the village.
The Root ninja, following Danzō's command, attacked Shinichi without hesitation. The other Anbu, after glancing at Hiruzen and seeing his tacit approval, also joined the encirclement of Shinichi.
Seeing this, the Hyūga clan members could no longer stand by. With a roar from Hizashi, they all moved: "Protect Shinichi!"
Immediately, the Hyūga ninja surrounded the Anbu. However, Shinichi, who was the target of the Anbu, flickered again.
The next moment, he reappeared right next to Fugaku Uchiha. Before the conflict began, Shinichi had already placed a kunai engraved with the Flying Thunder God seal next to Fugaku. Retreating or advancing—it was all within Shinichi's grasp.
"Capture them all!"
Looking at the Anbu now trapped within the Hyūga encirclement, Shinichi commanded coldly. Danzō, noticing Shinichi's disappearance from the circle, looked back in the direction of his voice. After a brief consideration, Danzō Shimura, leaning on his cane, slowly began to walk toward Hyūga Shinichi.
Note: A chapter was missing between chapters 95 and 96, which has been corrected.
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