I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 33 Have you ever seen an adult who would actually get serious with a child?

"stop!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi had clearly run all the way here, and was slightly out of breath when he stopped, but he still immediately stated his purpose: "Miss Uchiha Hikaru, I... as the Third Hokage, guarantee that I will handle the Root assassination attempt properly. Please stop immediately!"

"..."

Uchiha Hikaru stood still, only tilting his head to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Although she didn't speak or show any extra expression, the aura emanating from her made Hiruzen Sarutobi unconsciously clench his fists, sweating profusely.

And next to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The two advisors and the members of the Dark Guard spread out slightly with small steps, preparing for battle while quickly observing their surroundings.

"Sandaime-sama..."

An ANBU member, who appeared to be from the Hyuga clan, activated his Byakugan, glanced in Danzo's direction, and then leaned close to Hiruzen Sarutobi and whispered, "Lord Danzo is over there, still alive, but his injuries are severe..."

"Um?!"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils dilated: "What did you say...?"

Still alive?!

Upon receiving Yugao Uzuki's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already prepared himself for the worst-case scenario. He immediately issued an emergency summons, calling all nearby Anbu members and rushing over with two advisors. However, what he had witnessed since arriving at the Root base had deeply shaken this veteran Hokage.

Especially when he entered this corridor and saw Uchiha Hikaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt an indescribable fear.

"She defeated Danzo and destroyed the entire Root base like this... and she wasn't even hurt?!"

"No, it looks like there are a few cuts on her arm from a wind-style attack, but only the sleeve is torn; the flesh underneath is perfectly intact... Does Danzo really have no ability to fight back at all in front of her?"

"If that's the case, I'm afraid the only option is to use the Corpse Demon Sealing Technique..."

Even with the Reaper Death Seal, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't confident he could win easily.

If the worst-case scenario were to occur, and all the high-ranking officials of Konoha were to perish in this dark and sunless cave, he didn't even dare to imagine what would happen to the leaderless village...

Along the way, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been calculating all the pros and cons in his mind, and had just made preparations to unleash his ultimate attack first.

Can……

"Danzo is still alive?"

This unexpected news even surprised Hiruzen Sarutobi.

the other side.

Uchiha Hikaru curled her lips into a bright, girlish smile: "Third Hokage, you're overthinking it. How could I do something so bloody and cruel? After all... have you ever seen an adult actually fight a child?!"

"?!"

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his two advisors' expressions changed drastically.

Since the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, passed away, no one has dared to speak to them in such a tone for a very long time.

but……

They simply couldn't refute it.

Although outwardly, Uchiha Hikari appears to be the "child," if calculated from her birth date, she is over a hundred years old. Not to mention her generation, even the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, would only be considered a junior in her presence.

Therefore, this seemingly provocative statement is actually stating a fact.

only……

(This tone of voice sounds so much like that of Madara Uchiha from back in the day...)

"Miss Hikari, you're joking."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a bitter smile, his gaze fixed on Danzo behind the smoke and dust. He carefully chose his words and slowly began, "I already knew about Danzo Shimura and Root's secret plot to assassinate you, and I suspended Danzo from his duties at the time. I just didn't have time to explain to you... It all started as a misunderstanding. Root acted on its own without sufficient intelligence. I will give you an explanation once this matter is resolved."

That's true.

When he first learned of the Root assassination attempt, Hiruzen Sarutobi did consider going to explain to Hikaru Uchiha—although he also secretly mobilized the sealing team and the barrier team, making two preparations to seal Hikaru Uchiha again.

However, Uchiha Hikaru disappeared without a trace after the assassination, presumably dead, so the matter was left unresolved.

If Uchiha Hikaru had appeared two months earlier, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have been much more confident in resolving the matter peacefully, or in sealing or killing him. But now, with all preparations already put on hold, he has suddenly reappeared…

Fortunately, the other party did not kill Danzo on the spot, which made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel a little more at ease.

"hehe."

Uchiha Hikaru sneered and casually said, "There's no need for explanations or anything like that. Let's talk about compensation."

"compensate?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly.

"I've heard that Konoha has a book called the 'Book of Sealing,' which records many powerful forbidden techniques. I'm very curious about it. As compensation for that 'misunderstanding,' how about I borrow that book to take a look? Don't worry, I'll return it to you afterwards."

Listening to Uchiha Hikaru's nonchalant words.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could say anything, Koharu Utatane couldn't hold back any longer: "That's impossible. The Scroll of Seals was sealed by order of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Only the Hokage of each generation are qualified to look at it. How could you, an Uchiha clan member, possibly..."

"Koharu!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed heavily, interrupting Koharu Utatane, and then carefully chose his words:

"Miss Hikari, the Book of Seals is an important item of Konoha. Unless one has made outstanding contributions to Konoha, it cannot be borrowed easily... Could you perhaps wait until things here are settled before discussing this at another time?"

Eyes facing each other.

"...Alright then."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded calmly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not definitively say he would not lend it.

Regardless, he was, after all, the Hokage of Konoha. He couldn't easily back down in front of his subordinates and colleagues, otherwise he'd lose face. Therefore, Uchiha Hikaru could give him a little face.

But what if, afterwards, Hiruzen Sarutobi doesn't want to save face...?

She wouldn't mind exercising her authority as an "elder" to teach these younger generations how to behave.

With the "mark" left from her last use of Tsukuyomi, she can pull Hiruzen Sarutobi into the illusion space at any time. If they really fight... it shouldn't be much more difficult than when she dealt with Danzo.

(End of this chapter)