Naruto: I'm in Konoha, my name is Uzumaki Menma

Chapter 256 Dealing with Danzo? What if they actually find something out?
As dawn broke, the smoke of gunpowder dissipated over Konoha Village, but the lingering smell of blood and burnt flesh remained.

The first ray of golden sunlight fell on Fire Shadow Rock, illuminating a tired and aged face.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in the Hokage's robes and holding a pipe, stood for a long time among the statues of the Hokage.

He looked down at the village below, his gaze finally settling on the Uchiha clan's territory in the distance, now reduced to ruins and scorched earth.

Amidst the ruins, Konoha ninjas could be seen carefully cleaning up the scene.

The losses that night, mainly on the outskirts of the village, did not exceed those caused by the Nine-Tails' rampage. The casualties were primarily concentrated in the subsequent battles involving the Anbu, Root, and the ninjas who came to provide support.

Footsteps sounded from behind, breaking the morning's tranquility.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't turn around. He just took a deep drag of his cigarette, letting the pungent smoke swirl in his lungs, as if he could use it to suppress the bitterness in his heart.

"Hokage-sama." Itachi Uchiha knelt on one knee, his voice low and hoarse, carrying an undisguised weariness.

His pale face, the deep red blood vessels in his eyes, and the traces of blood on his shady uniform all testified to the agony he had endured the previous night.

"The mission failed... Father and Mother... have committed suicide..."

"The situation has spiraled out of control to this point, and I cannot shirk my responsibility. Please punish me, Hokage-sama." He lowered his head, perfectly playing the role of an executor who had failed his mission and was filled with remorse.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly turned around and looked at the young genius he had once placed great hopes on.

Those once clear and calm eyes were now bloodshot and filled with exhaustion, but something deeper seemed to have changed completely.

He sighed, and the smoke drifted away.

"It is I who should apologize, Itachi." Hiruzen's voice was filled with a heavy sense of powerlessness: "It was my failure to notice Danzo's actions, my failure to stop it all in time... and I never expected that he would do so many things in secret... that crossed the line."

His gaze swept across the direction of the roots in the distance, a flash of heartache and anger in his eyes.

Itachi remained kneeling, silent.

At this moment, any words would be superfluous.

Hiruzen continued, his tone slightly reassuring: "I have officially removed Shimura Danzo from his position as elder advisor and relieved him of his leadership of the Root organization. As for the specific handling of him... we will need to consult with the various ninja clans."

This was both an explanation and a test; he wanted to see Itachi's reaction.

Itachi lowered his head even further, seemingly unconcerned about Danzo's fate, and asked anxiously, "Hokage-sama, what about Sasuke... what happened to him..."

“I will take good care of Sasuke.” Hiruzen immediately interjected, his tone resolute, attempting to convey an unquestionable promise: “He will live well in Konoha, receive the best education and protection, and become an excellent Konoha ninja. The Uchiha bloodline will continue and thrive in Konoha.”

In the past, Itachi might have felt a sense of relief upon hearing such a guarantee.

But at this moment, hearing these familiar words, recalling Shura's cold mockery, Shisui's accusations, and the mysterious masked man who called himself "Uchiha Madara" last night, all that remained in his heart was a cold doubt and confusion.

Can we still trust Konoha's promises?
Will Sasuke's future truly be as bright as the Third Hokage promised?

He had to have a backup plan, and he had to find another possible way out for himself and Sasuke.

So he raised his head, a hint of seriousness and worry showing in his eyes: "Lord Hokage, there is one more thing I must report to you regarding last night's operation."

"Oh?" Hiruzen's gaze sharpened.

“During the operation, a mysterious person approached me and offered…help.” Itachi carefully chose his words, selectively reporting: “He wore a swirling orange-red one-eyed mask and called himself… ‘Uchiha Madara’.”

"Uchiha Madara?!" Hiruzen exclaimed in shock, almost dropping his pipe.

The name is incredibly impactful.

"Yes. He possesses the Mangekyou Sharingan, and his abilities are extremely strange. He was the one who attacked the Konoha Police Department last night, causing numerous casualties," Itachi continued, his tone heavy.

"Moreover, he is not alone. He revealed that there is a mysterious organization called 'Akatsuki' behind him. I suspect... the Nine-Tails' rampage back then may have been related to them."

He revealed information about "Uchiha Madara" and the "Akatsuki" organization, especially linking it to the Nine-Tails' attack, successfully diverting Hiruzen Sarutobi's attention from internal Uchiha problems to external threats.

Sure enough, Hiruzen's expression instantly turned extremely serious, and his wrinkles deepened: "'Akatsuki' organization? Are you sure?"

“He said it himself. I think it’s highly credible,” Itachi affirmed, then presented his plan.

"This person and his organization are extremely dangerous and harbor ill will towards Konoha. I will infiltrate this Akatsuki organization to further investigate their objectives, members, and... their possible connections to the Nine-Tails' attack. I will eliminate this potentially huge threat to Konoha."

He portrayed himself as a loyal ninja who was willing to bear the name of a rogue ninja and venture into the lion's den for the safety of the village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi fell into a long silence, his face obscured by smoke.

Is Madara Uchiha still alive?

A mysterious organization possessing the Mangekyou Sharingan?

It's even highly likely that it's related to the Nine-Tails' rampage?
All of this is horrifying.

But he always trusted Itachi's intelligence and judgment.

If such an organization truly exists, then Konoha will face threats not only from the Land of Stars, but also from other hostile forces!
Moreover, while Shura has come out into the open, the Akatsuki organization has remained hidden in the shadows!

After a long silence, he spoke slowly, his voice hoarse: "...I understand. I will announce that you are a Konoha rogue ninja afterward. Everything... depends on your own safety, Itachi."

"Yes. For Konoha." Itachi lowered his head, concealing the complex expression in his eyes.

……

That afternoon, the atmosphere in the Hokage Building's conference room was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in the main seat, flanked by Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, both with gloomy expressions.

Danzo Shimura sat to the side, his face expressionless, his single eye lowered, as if everything was none of his concern.

Below, the heads of the major Konoha ninja clans, including Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Hyuga Hiashi, Inuzuka Tsurugi, and Aburame Shiki, were all seated, each with a frosty expression on their face.

Nara Shikaku, as the leader of the Jonin squad, was the first to stand up and report the cold, hard numbers with a blank expression: "Preliminary statistics show that in last night's turmoil, our side suffered a total of 69 casualties, including 5 Jonin and 7 Special Jonin; over 100 were seriously injured, and countless others were slightly wounded. Three elders of the Hyuga clan's main family were killed in the attack, and one is still in critical condition. There are 57 branch family members who have defected or been taken hostage. In addition, civilian casualties are only in the single digits, mainly because the battlefield is located in Uchiha clan territory, far from the Konoha complex..."

"Furthermore, the Root base was attacked by Star Ninja, and a large amount of classified information was stolen..."

"As for the Uchiha clan's casualties, since the bodies and survivors were taken away by the Star Ninja, it is impossible to count them."

With each number read out, the temperature in the conference room seemed to drop a degree.

The clan leaders' expressions grew increasingly grim, especially upon hearing the casualty figures for their own ninjas. After the report was completed, Shikaku sat down in silence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly stood up, his aged figure appearing somewhat hunched.

He faced the crowd and bowed deeply.

"Last night's events spiraled out of control, causing such devastating losses. As the Hokage, I bear the brunt of the blame. Here, I express my deepest apologies to everyone, to all the ninjas and civilians who perished." His voice was heavy and hoarse, filled with sincere remorse.

After straightening up, he continued, "Given the serious dereliction of duty and overstepping of authority by Shimura Danzo before and after this incident, it has been decided that he is hereby formally relieved of his duties as elder advisor and leader of Root. Root will be temporarily taken over by Aburame Ryoma to be responsible for the rectification and aftermath."

After the decision was announced, the meeting room fell into a deathly silence.

The tribal chiefs looked at each other, their expressions of dissatisfaction deepening rather than satisfaction.

The accusations made by Shisui last night still echoed in everyone's ears, and what Danzo might be hiding under his right eye and arm was like a poisonous thorn stuck in everyone's heart.

Each family has its own secret techniques and bloodline limits, and none of them want to become the next target of "Root".

Such a slap on the wrist, merely dismissing him from his post?

This is simply not enough to quell public anger.

Even the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, who have always stood with the Sarutobi clan, remained silent at this moment. Nara Shikaku even closed his eyes slightly, clearly unwilling to express his support.

Hiruzen smiled bitterly to himself; he knew all too well that this would not win over the people.
However, severely punishing Danzo now would be tantamount to confirming those shocking accusations, completely exposing the darkness of Konoha's upper echelons to the light of day, and the resulting turmoil would be even more difficult to control.

And what if they actually find out something?

Therefore, in order to maintain the stability of the leaf's surface, he could only lift it high and then gently lower it.

Just then, Danzo Shimura stood up on his own.

His single eye swept over the crowd, his voice low and tinged with resentment at being wrongly accused: "Hiruzen, clan leaders. I, Shimura Danzo, have devoted my life to Konoha. My methods may have been radical, but I have never harbored any disloyalty! As for Uchiha Shisui's slander..."

He suddenly raised his hand and, to everyone's astonishment, ripped off the eyepatch covering his right eye, revealing his scarlet Sharingan with three tomoe!
"This eye was not stolen! It was entrusted to me by my old friend, Uchiha Kagami, before his death, hoping that I could see the future of Konoha in his place! I have never used its power for many years, simply because it is a comrade's relic and deserves respect! But I never expected it to become an excuse for traitors to attack me!" His voice was impassioned, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"Shisui colluded with Hoshinobi, and his plot was discovered by the Root ninja. I wanted to persuade him to turn back because he is Kagami's grandson, but he turned around and bit me instead!"

"You all saw him standing with Shura last night, trying to stir up trouble in Konoha! Are you going to believe the nonsense of a traitor and doubt an old man who has dedicated his life to Konoha?"

Danzo's performance was extremely realistic; his grief-stricken expression and the touching story of "comrades entrusting him with something" temporarily stunned some of the audience.

At least, he only showed one Sharingan on the surface and did not involve the secret techniques of other families.

In contrast, the Uchiha clan actually defected.

The scales of doubt seem to be beginning to tip slightly again.

Mitokado Homura spoke up at the opportune moment, changing the subject: "What should be done about Uchiha Sasuke, the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan?"

Then everyone remembered the seven-year-old child who had lost everything overnight.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and delivered his prepared statement: "According to our investigation, Fugaku and his wife committed suicide last night. As for Itachi Uchiha..."

He paused, his tone heavy with sorrow: "He colluded with a mysterious organization called 'Akatsuki' and, in order to seize the so-called ultimate power of the Uchiha clan, cruelly slaughtered the entire clan. His crimes are heinous! His younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, was young and knew nothing about this; he was also a victim of this tragedy. I have decided that the village will raise him."

But to the clan leaders, this was nothing short of patching up Danzo's problems. As long as Itachi Uchiha and the Uchiha clan's issues were defined, Danzo's problems would be dealt with leniently.

Hiruzen then announced the official order: "All defectors are hereby officially listed as Konoha rogue ninjas. Former Konoha Jonin such as Uchiha Itachi, Hyuga Hizashi, and Uchiha Inahisa are listed as S-rank rogue ninjas and are wanted!"

"All assets of the Uchiha clan in Konoha and the Land of Fire will be confiscated to compensate the ninjas of various clans who were injured or killed in this incident."

Upon hearing Hyuga Hizashi's name added to the list of rogue ninjas, Hyuga Hiashi clenched his fist on his knees, his knuckles turning white, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

The meeting ended in an extremely oppressive and distrustful atmosphere.

The division of the Uchiha legacy caused the clan leaders to silently rise and leave.

But this silence itself is the greatest expression of dissatisfaction with the higher-ups.

This Third Hokage has gradually lost the hearts of the people.

After everyone left, leaving only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura in the conference room, the grief and indignation on Danzo's face vanished instantly, replaced by a chilling expression.

“Hiruzen,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion, “hand over Uchiha Sasuke to my Root organization for training.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi whirled around, staring at him in disbelief, his eyes finally blazing with fury: "Danzo! Don't you know any remorse?! You're just an ordinary Konoha ninja now! You have no right to command anyone! Sasuke is definitely not your responsibility!"

Danzo stared directly at Hiruzen with his one eye, refusing to back down: "Shura took away so many Uchiha survivors! Those are all destabilizing factors! If Sasuke isn't 'guided' more deeply, so that he develops an absolutely unshakable sense of belonging to Konoha, then sooner or later he will also be bewitched by those traitors and embark on the path of betraying the village!"

"This is the rebellious nature that Tobirama-sensei spoke of deep within the Uchiha clan's blood! Just like Madara Uchiha back then! You must take precautions against it!"

“That makes it even less likely that I will hand him over to your ‘Root’!” Hiruzen interrupted him sharply. “I will personally train him to become a true Konoha ninja who inherits the Will of Fire! Not turn him into an emotionless tool!”

"Your weakness and indecisiveness will bring even greater disaster to Konoha sooner or later!" Danzo took a step forward, his single eye flashing with a fanatical light.

"Hiruzen! You will regret it!"

"Danzo! I am the Hokage!" Hiruzen Sarutobi stared directly at him without fear and said each word clearly.

This statement completely thwarted Danzo's plans.

Danzo stared intently at Hiruzen, his chest heaving violently. Finally, he let out a cold snort, turned abruptly, and slammed the door shut as he left.

Door: Bang!
The heavy sound of the door closing echoed for a long time in the empty conference room.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood alone in place, closing his eyes wearily.

After leaving the Hokage Building, Ryoma Aburame appeared beside Danzo, still maintaining his respect: "Lord Danzo, Sasuke has woken up."

"Let's go to Konoha Hospital!" Upon hearing that the unconscious Sasuke had woken up, Danzo coldly looked towards the Hokage Building: "If this is Sasuke's own choice, what are you going to do?"

"Hiruzen."

[PS: Taking a break to gather drafts. I'll try to post 10,000 words early Monday morning, or maybe 20,000 words directly.]

(End of this chapter)