Chapter 21 — I, Danzō, Am Completely Innocent!
"What?!"
In the dead of night, Sarutobi Hiruzen burst from his bedroom wearing only a thin robe, hastily summoned by the ANBU standing outside.
And the moment he saw Uchiha Shisui kneeling weakly in his courtyard—
A disaster struck him head-on.
"Danzō is planning to attack the Uchiha clan? And he struck at you first?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Even he, the Hokage, wouldn't dare make such a reckless decision on his own authority—
and yet someone else really dared?
But then again… if it was Danzō…
That possibility wasn't small at all.
The thought alone made Hiruzen's expression harden.
He bent down and helped Shisui to his feet, his voice solemn:
"Shisui, rest assured."
"I will make sure justice is done."
"The Uchiha are part of this village. If Danzō truly attempts such a thing, he will be the one responsible for igniting a civil war."
"I will never allow that."
"Thank you, Lord Third!"
Shisui bowed, his lone eye filled with grateful tears.
At this point, even Itachi had drifted away from him.
There was no one left in the Uchiha he could rely on.
Only the Third Hokage remained trustworthy.
And sure enough, standing before him now—
Hiruzen seemed like the only one who truly understood him.
"Tell me in detail," Hiruzen said, his tone turning grave, "how Danzō managed to steal your eye."
Kotoamatsukami—
If that genjutsu fell into Danzō's hands, it would be disastrous.
Shisui dared not hesitate. He quickly recounted everything that had occurred tonight.
"...During the battle, when I was about to be overtaken, I had no choice but to use Kotoamatsukami on Danzō."
Hiruzen's pupils shrank; his hands clenched reflexively.
"The three commands I implanted were:
'Be loyal to Konoha,'
'View the Uchiha objectively,'
'Obey the Third Hokage's orders.'"
But as the next sentence fell, the Third's clenched fist loosened.
His tight expression gradually relaxed.
At last, he understood why Kotoamatsukami had failed.
After all, after decades of dealing with Danzō—
if Hiruzen hadn't known exactly what kind of man he was, he would've eliminated that stubborn, scheming bastard long ago.
Absolute obedience to the Third Hokage.
Excellent.
He should've let Shisui do this ages ago.
Thinking of their endless arguments over the years, a small, relieved smile tugged at Hiruzen's lips.
Shisui really was a good child.
But then he remembered the empty socket on Shisui's left side and quickly wiped away the smile, returning to a grave expression as he declared:
"Tonight's events—I understand everything now."
"Danzō used Root to attack a comrade of the village. This is something I will not tolerate."
"Shisui, tend to your injuries first."
"I will immediately deploy the ANBU to stop Danzō. His ambition will not be allowed to succeed."
"Yes!"
Shisui bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lord Third."
When Shisui was escorted away by medical-nin, Hiruzen remained standing in the courtyard, staring toward the Hokage Monument in the distance.
A long sigh escaped him.
Tonight's chaos was… troublesome.
But since Shisui was alive, that meant the other eye absolutely could not remain in Danzō's possession.
Danzō was far more dangerous than Shisui could ever be.
The only question was—
What should he do once the eye was retrieved?
"Kotoamatsukami…"
Hiruzen's expression flickered with hesitation.
Should he return the eye to Shisui?
Or…
Use Danzō as an excuse—
and quietly keep the eye for himself?
As a creature born entirely of power, Sarutobi Hiruzen was clearly no exception—
even he could not completely resist the temptation of a technique that could rewrite thought itself.
"Ha..."
"Looks like I'll have to let Danzō suffer a bit more."
---
The Next Morning
At dawn, Shimura Danzō was summoned to the Hokage's office.
Uchiha Shisui, his injured left eye bandaged, stood beside the Third Hokage with an expression colder than steel—staring at his former superior without a hint of emotion.
Because of the sensitivity of the matter, even the ANBU usually stationed in the shadows were dismissed.
Only three people remained inside the room.
"BANG!!"
A broad, calloused palm slammed onto the desk, sending papers flying.
Sarutobi Hiruzen roared, beard trembling:
"Danzō!!"
"I've already heard everything from Shisui! With both witness and evidence accounted for, you still dare deny it?!"
"Do you even understand how grave the crime of attacking your own comrade is?!"
"Hurry up and hand over that eye!"
Danzō remained seated calmly, his voice like cold stone:
"I said I don't have it, and I don't. Everything that happened is written in my report."
"All of this is simply the plan devised by that young man beside you."
Cold light flickered in his single eye as he shot Shisui a blade-like glare and snorted.
After witnessing that escaped messenger crow last night, how could he not understand?
He'd been played.
That eye—
clearly thrown at him intentionally, leaving behind a "fact" that couldn't be explained away.
Its only purpose was to have Hiruzen pressure him, to sow discord between them.
Danzō, sharp as ever, saw through Shisui's little scheme instantly.
Unfortunately, the fact remained—
he did take Shisui's eye.
Without returning it, Hiruzen would never let this slide.
He was stuck.
No matter how honestly he spoke, no one would believe him.
He'd fallen into the pit this time.
Uchiha Shisui… what a schemer.
These evil Uchiha, born with malice!
Hiruzen looked at Danzō's stubborn refusal and sighed inwardly.
Yes—this attitude was exactly the Danzō he'd known for decades.
Their familiarity was still there.
But now wasn't the time for sentiment.
He turned to Shisui:
"Shisui, did you leave any seals or tracking techniques on your own eye?"
Shisui froze.
What crow?
What "the eye flew away by itself"?
Even if Danzō wanted to lie, he could at least lie properly!
Did he think he and the Hokage were idiots?!
He gritted his teeth, knelt on one knee, and said solemnly:
"Lord Hokage, I have never placed any seal or summoning link on my eye."
"However, if I get close enough, I can sense its chakra signature."
"I request permission to lead a search of the Root base!"
Hiruzen nodded steadily, then looked toward Danzō:
"You heard him."
"If you hand over Shisui's eye now, there's still room for leniency. But if Shisui finds it himself… your position as Root commander ends today."
Danzō slammed the desk.
"What else do you want me to say?! Those are the facts!"
"I—Shimura Danzō—am completely innocent!"
"But you, Hiruzen—"
"These Uchiha, born evil as they are, must never be trusted!"
"After all these years, do you still not understand?!"
The words "Danzō" and "innocent" appearing in the same sentence made both Hiruzen and Shisui stiffen with matching constipated expressions.
But seeing Danzō's ironclad attitude, Hiruzen actually felt relieved.
Good—he's hiding something. That's enough.
Outwardly, however, he maintained a stern tone:
"If you refuse to admit it, I can only strip you of all positions for now."
"Shisui, you will lead the investigation."
"Yes."
Shisui bowed deeply.
Danzō slowly rose, leaning on the desk, and let out a cold snort:
"Everything I've done is for Konoha."
"Search all you want. What can you possibly find?"
"Hiruzen—you're the Hokage."
"Root is part of Konoha as well. From now on, you decide these matters yourself."
"No need to report to me."
"...?"
Hiruzen instinctively felt a question mark pop up on his forehead.
But watching Danzō stride out of the room, he finally shouted:
"Danzō—you'll regret this!"
"BANG!"
The door slammed shut.