Revitalizing the Uchiha clan starts with becoming a Kage.

After all, there is still a possibility that the Uchiha clan is the mastermind behind it all.

Even if it's only one in ten thousand.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also needs to be prepared for both possibilities.

Upon hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, Shisui's expression softened considerably. In his view, with Elder Mitomon personally leading people to Root, at the very least, the safety of those clansmen should be guaranteed.

The rest depends on the negotiations between the two sides.

The problem can be solved if everyone sits down and talks it out properly.

Thinking of this, Shisui still subconsciously glanced at Shoji and Fugaku, but it was clear that Shoji and Fugaku were not as naive as Shisui. Who was Shimura Danzo? Fugaku and Shoji knew very well that he was the most dangerous person who was completely hostile to their Uchiha clan.

Shoji still knows very well that this guy was capable of doing things like sending Root elites to assassinate the Third Hokage in the original work.

It's nothing to deal with the Uchiha clan.

How could someone as cunning as Danzo easily back down?

Although the majority of the power rests with the Third Hokage, if this dark figure of Konoha is determined to do something, with hundreds of elite Root members at his disposal, it would be very difficult for the Third Hokage to stop him immediately.

Therefore, Shoji did not disbelieve Hiruzen Sarutobi's words, but he believed them only halfway, or even less. He did not show any sign of the 'misunderstanding' in the words on the surface, but in his heart he scoffed at them.

If it weren't for clinging to the last glimmer of hope.

The officers are now planning to confront Hiruzen Sarutobi directly.

So what if things are inconsistent? It still comes down to this: he's a Uchiha, and his primary stance is always to consider things from the perspective of his clan. Don't ask why; in the original story, Shoji would never allow the massacre of his entire clan to happen.

Besides, how bad can the current situation be compared to the original story?

Orochimaru is about to defect.

There are three pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan here, so even the worst outcome is several times better than the entire clan being wiped out in the original story!

However, it's better to buy as much time as possible. Konoha has many concerns, and the Uchiha clan also has its own problems. Moreover, this is Shoji's last chance to believe in the village and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Let's see what happens next!

"Yes, Third Hokage, the Uchiha clan is naturally willing to believe in you!"

As Fugaku looked directly at Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shoji also took a deep breath, and from an angle unnoticed by the others below, clenched his hands slightly, and then slowly released them.

One in front of the other.

This sudden and dramatic change.

It takes time for them to process and react. At least those ninja clan leaders who learned of the news, even the major ninja clans like Hyuga, Aburame, Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka, are observing the situation. They are unwilling to get too involved in the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village's leadership.

The stability of Konoha Village is naturally the situation that these people most want to see.

However, the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the higher-ups is something they still need to think about carefully.

This is especially true for the great ninja clans.

All eyes were simultaneously fixed on the Hokage's office. They wanted to see how the village would handle the conflict with the Uchiha clan, and what the Uchiha clan's stance would be!

The final attitude of both sides in the conflict is the most important thing.

Everything that needed to be said has been said, and the things that can be done, at least at this stage, are very limited. And it is clear that what choice Hiruzen Sarutobi will ultimately make is still unknown to Shoji, Fugaku, Shisui, and the others.

We can only wait and see how Shimura Danzo responds to the Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders. Shoji really doesn't believe that Shimura Danzo actually possesses decisive evidence of the Uchiha clan's involvement in the Konoha mass disappearances.

therefore.

Just as Danzo Shimura appeared in the Hokage's office.

It instantly attracted the attention of the three Uchiha present.

Danzo was clearly used to it and didn't care at all. With a detached expression, he slowly walked to the center of the office, showing no sign of having done anything wrong, and sat down on the sofa with an air of nonchalance.

82. Increasingly intense contradictions

And just as he sat down...

Before the third generation could even say anything...

"Hiruzen, as the Shadow Slayer, I now formally propose that all members of the Uchiha clan's security detail be arrested. I have clear evidence that the Uchiha clan is connected to the largest missing persons case in the village to some extent. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, the Uchiha clan must be immediately restrained!"

He completely ignored Fugaku, Shoji, and Shisui, the three Uchiha who were sitting next to him, as if they were invisible. A sinister glint flashed in his single eye as he spoke in a cold voice.

"what?"

"this!?"

"what?"

When he opened his mouth, it was earth-shattering. This skill of lying through one's teeth and turning the tables was something Shimura Danzo could do with ease, and he was so skilled at it that not only Shoji, Fugaku, and Shisui were stunned, but even his longtime friends Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were unconsciously stunned for a few seconds at that moment.

This was an opening they never expected.

But this is precisely the approach that best reflects Danzo Shimura's style.

Shoji and Fugaku were only stunned for a moment before they came to their senses. They were the Uchiha clan members who knew Danzo's true colors best. This shameless and hateful appearance had been going on for more than a day or two. It was entirely conceivable that Danzo would say and do such things. The key issue still lay with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Both of them forcibly suppressed the anger deep within their hearts.

His gaze was fixed firmly on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

On the contrary, Shisui couldn't hold back at the first moment.

"Lord Danzo, I can guarantee that our Uchiha clan would never do anything to harm the village's interests or the lives of our comrades. There must be someone deliberately framing our Uchiha clan!"

Shisui looked directly at Danzo, a hint of anxiety and worry flashing in his dark pupils.

"Hmph! Uchiha Shisui, are you implying that I'm slandering your Uchiha clan? Mind your place! As the Kage, I act only according to Konoha's rules, and everything I do is to uphold Konoha's legitimate interests. Your Uchiha clan is deeply connected to the disappearances, and I even gave you a chance—sending Root members to invite some suspects for internal self-examination. Yet, not a single member of your Uchiha clan was willing to accept my offer. They all violently resisted, even severely injuring Root members who tried to reason with you. Doesn't that prove everything?!"

"Uchiha Shisui, is this what you call a setup? Uchiha Fugaku, as the head of the Uchiha clan, tell me, does your Uchiha clan intend to betray Konoha?! Just like a year ago!"

To distort the truth.

To confuse right and wrong.

Danzo Shimura's plan was clear from the beginning: first, to provoke the Uchiha clan with his actions, forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi to back down, and then, in a face-to-face meeting, to directly accuse the Uchiha clan with harsh words.

It's important to understand that Shimura Danzo initially only intended to divert attention from the conflict, allowing Orochimaru to extricate himself from the incident (he had no idea that Orochimaru had already decided to defect; otherwise, given his skill level, how could he have left such obvious traces?).

Later, he realized that he could actually use this incident to trap the Uchiha clan. The thought of using this opportunity to completely eliminate the Uchiha clan problem ignited Shimura Danzo's wickedness, and he could no longer suppress the restlessness in his heart.

On that morning, he directly ordered the Root to move out, not giving Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other two advisors a chance to react. The best proof of this was the forced arrest of those Uchiha clansmen. Don't ask Danzo if he had a problem with his brain. How many stupid things did he do in the original work?

The phrase "shortsighted" perfectly describes Shimura Danzo. He always believed that he was extremely powerful, and that even if the internal strife reached a certain level, as long as he was in power, Konoha could still dominate the world. This is why the things he did in the original story became more and more outrageous.

For no other reason than that.

Because he really is that 'confident'!

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were both completely astonished by their old friend's statement. It wasn't that there was a problem with suppressing the Uchiha clan, but Shimura Danzo's actions and words were truly beyond their imagination.

Danzo!

Fugaku still wanted to restrain himself.

At this moment, it was difficult to contain one's anger.

This isn't the way to put a label on someone.

This is simply throwing all sorts of mud at the Uchiha clan. If Fugaku could tolerate this, then...

He was truly unqualified to be the head of the Uchiha clan.

And this angry shout.

Danzo then turned his cold gaze directly onto Fugaku.

"Very good! They don't even understand hierarchy anymore. It seems the Uchiha clan is truly going to betray the village. Hiruzen, I think..."

"Alright! Shut up, all of you!"

Before Danzo could finish speaking.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, sitting at the head of the table, angrily stopped Danzo and Fugaku from arguing.

Hiruzen Sarutobi truly did not expect things to develop to this point. Danzo's audacity far exceeded Hiruzen Sarutobi's expectations, and now the situation was completely out of control!

Danzo's intentions were now blatantly clear.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi still hasn't figured things out by now, then he's been Hokage for nothing all these years. That's why he's feeling so troubled and frustrated. Not to mention that it's impossible to be sure that this incident is related to the Uchiha clan, even if we assume there is a connection, it's impossible and unacceptable to take such extreme measures.

This is practically blatantly bringing the conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village into the open.

Leaving aside the potential upheavals in the ninja world, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't possibly ignore the opinions of the other ninja clans in the village alone.

Therefore, no matter how difficult the current situation is.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also had to suppress the situation. In order to maintain the hard-won balance in the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi would not allow anything to be disrupted.

"Danzo, no matter what happened before, let's leave this matter here for today. Hand over all the Uchiha clan members detained by your Root organization to the Anbu. I will handle everything else from now on!"

We'll discuss how to handle this later.

The most important thing now is the group of Uchiha clan members captured by Root!

This is the bottom line for resolving conflicts and disputes!

83. A Determination at the End of the Road

As Mitokado Homura and Shimura Danzo returned.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had already discerned from Homura Mitokado's slight sway that Danzo had not handed over the captured Uchiha clan members to Homura Mitokado at all, and this was clearly a dead end. If anything happened to this group of Uchiha clan members...

For example, some people even said that they all died in the root prison.

Adding to the accumulated conflicts, there's no doubt that the Uchiha clan will erupt. Not to mention that Hiruzen Sarutobi was unwilling to deal with the Uchiha problem so brutally. Even his worst-case scenario involved thorough preparations, including establishing connections with Shisui, Shoji, and others beforehand, winning over a group of Uchiha clan members who were undoubtedly innocent, and then eliminating the most radical and suspicious members.

Only in this way can the deep-seated problem of the Uchiha clan be dealt with while minimizing the potential losses to the village.

This passive and brutal approach is definitely not what Hiruzen Sarutobi wants to see.

If it weren't for the current situation and old friendships, Hiruzen Sarutobi really wanted to kill Danzo Shimura directly. However, he could spare Danzo Shimura during that special assassination attempt half a year ago, let alone this time.

"Hmph! I've already said it, Hiruzen, these people are now prime suspects. And through the interrogation just now, I've already obtained some evidence of the Uchiha clan's intention to rebel. And it's not just now; more than a year ago, someone within the Uchiha clan proposed a coup plan!!"

Smearing people is Shimura Danzo's forte. He has people in his hands, and he can say whatever he wants. As for whether others believe him or not, does that matter? Not at all!

Moreover, not all of these statements are nonsense!

Hearing Danzo's words.