Hyuga Hizashi's expression was quite distorted; he was controlled by the Self-Mutilation Curse Seal and had no chance to commit suicide, only able to watch helplessly as he was held hostage by Danzo to threaten the Konoha Ninja.
This was an overt scheme; if they acted, it would mean that the major Ninja Clans' assertion that they could not be sacrificed was a joke, and then his sacrifice of the First Hokage's cells and those infants would be reasonable and legal.
If they did not act, Danzo and Root would leave Konoha unscathed, the major Ninja Clans would see Konoha's weakness, and they would become a laughingstock, leading to a reduction in mission volume from various countries.
The Third Hokage was unable to make a decision; no matter the outcome, it would be terrible for Konoha—one would harm the future, the other would harm the present.
Although they couldn't eliminate Danzo and Root, everyone still followed behind Danzo, ready to obey orders to eliminate Danzo and Root members at any moment.
"Any of you who dare to pursue me, this old man will kill Hyuga Hizashi, and you will bear the infamy and suffer the wrath of the Hyuga Clan!"
Danzo was quick-witted; as soon as he said this, no one pursued him, not even the Third Hokage.
But once Danzo was out of sight, the Third Hokage immediately ordered the remaining Anbu members to go outside Konoha to ambush Danzo.
He then ordered the Ninja present to pursue Danzo from outside his line of sight, and then, after the Anbu made their move, to jointly attack Danzo and Root.
At this moment, Danzo had already fled to Konoha's main gate, with dozens of Root members, the weakest of whom were Elite Chunin, protecting Danzo in the center, preparing to leave Konoha. Root members outside Konoha were also rapidly approaching to meet them on their way.
In fact, there were two people present who could instantly control Danzo, allowing for the elimination of Root.
One was Inoichi Yamanaka, the head of the Yamanaka Clan, who had just read Danzo's memories; he could use the Mind Body Switch Technique to immobilize Danzo.
Unfortunately, Inoichi Yamanaka's Chakra was severely depleted from reading Danzo's memories at this time, preventing him from using the Mind Body Switch Technique.
When reading the memories of individuals with particularly strong willpower, it's somewhat easier if such individuals are already dead or unconscious, but Danzo was not in that state, which naturally caused Inoichi Yamanaka significant Chakra and mental energy depletion.
The second was Uchiha Chiri, who had lowered her presence with the Dream Butterfly technique; a single Genjutsu or Izanami could control Danzo.
However, controlling Danzo at this moment would only make it possible for him not to be branded a traitor; only after a complete defection would Danzo be truly condemned.
"Oh, Lord Danzo, are you going on a long journey? Would you like me to see you off?"
Orochimaru, who was conducting an experiment, heard his subordinates' report about Danzo and immediately rushed over to watch the spectacle.
A small snake spit Orochimaru out of its mouth, and then Orochimaru, while straightening his clothes, showed a mocking smile towards Danzo.
"Hmph! Orochimaru, you also have a share in this old man's human experiments and Hashirama cells research. Aren't you going to break out of Konoha with this old man?"
Danzo was somewhat pleased to see Orochimaru; with Orochimaru leaving with him, he could continue his research on Wood Release and Hashirama cells, and he would eventually be able to return to Konoha to restore order and set things right.
"Heh heh, Lord Danzo, don't go slandering me and talking nonsense with your eyes wide open. How could I possibly research Hashirama cells and conduct human experiments?"
Orochimaru was not afraid of Danzo's accusations at all; his appearance here naturally meant he had tied up all loose ends. He didn't want to leave Konoha for now.
"You! Could it be ~! Damn it ~! Orochimaru, one day you will be like this old man too!"
Danzo also realized that Orochimaru must have cleared out all witnesses and experimental evidence, which meant that the equipment and test subjects he had purchased with heavy funds had definitely been destroyed or taken away.
"Lord Danzo, I didn't expect you to hide a successful Wood Release experiment subject. Is he called Tenzo? He's a very obedient child."
Zetsu revealed a malicious smile; he hadn't expected Danzo to hide a successful experimental subject from him, making him believe his previous research direction was wrong, and now he had wasted more time exploring the wrong path.
"Damn it, that's this old man's Wood Release experimental subject! How dare you seize him without permission?"
Danzo was extremely furious; he hadn't expected Tenzo to fall into Orochimaru's hands. Now, it would be impossible for him to research Wood Release through Tenzo.
"I know, of course he's your experimental subject, Lord Danzo, but I've already handed him over to my teacher. From now on, he'll be Konoha's Wood Release Ninja."
After Orochimaru took some of Tenzo's cells and experimental data, he no longer cared about this lucky individual who possessed inferior Wood Release, so he handed him over to Hiruzen Sarutobi, considering it his pledge of allegiance for abandoning the darkness.
"Damn it! I don't want to talk to you anymore!" Danzo didn't want to get entangled with Orochimaru and prepared to retreat before Konoha reacted, so he wouldn't be surrounded.
He estimated that Hiruzen Sarutobi had already ordered the Anbu to wait for him en route, and Konoha's border defense forces would also be ready to intercept him at any moment.
He understood Hiruzen Sarutobi too well; he could guess his thoughts and orders with great accuracy, so he couldn't just place his safety in the hands of an insignificant Hyuga Hizashi.
Stepping out of Konoha's main gate, the gate-keeping Ninja had already been casually killed by Root. It was a pity for those two unlucky Chunin; to dare to block Root, they truly had loyal hearts.
Uchiha Chiri and the Uchiha elders did not go together to pursue them; instead, they only sent Ling with a few Uchiha representative Jonin to pursue them.
Uchiha Chiri, meanwhile, returned to the clan compound with the elders from the three factions to hold a meeting to explain and arrange matters concerning the Konoha Military Police Force.
However, with Uchiha Chiri presiding, it's unlikely anyone would disagree. First, courtesy, then force; if they still disagree after the pros and cons have been clearly analyzed, then only physical persuasion remains.
One Izanami would be enough to rewrite even the strongest will, and Uchiha Setsuna was no exception; his Revolving Sharingan with three tomoe had no power to resist against the Mangekyo.
Other Ninja Clans also made similar arrangements; it was impossible for the entire clan to pursue them. Sending representatives was sufficient, and even so, there were more than a dozen Jonin and over two hundred Special Jonin who, under the Hokage's command, circled into the Death Forest, opening a barrier to enter and exit from that location.
Nine Jonin, including three Elite Jonin, moved out with Ling, a number far exceeding that sent by other Ninja Clans.
However, it was roughly the same number as that sent by the Hyuga Clan, as it was only right for them to exert more effort since the head of their branch family was being held hostage.
The Uchiha Clan dispatched so many Ninja naturally because they were extremely enthusiastic about eliminating Danzo. Everyone bravely signed up, and ultimately, it was decided that nine Jonin would go out with Ling to pursue and eliminate Danzo.
Ling was not optimistic about whether they could kill Danzo this time, but killing a few Root members would also be excellent. She remembered how a group of Root members had threatened her to go to the Root base; she remembered all of it.
I, Uchiha Ling, am indeed one to hold a grudge.
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