Right now, in the Hokage's office…
Sarutobi Hiruzen was pacing anxiously back and forth, smoking one pipeful after another. Thick clouds of smoke gathered in the entire office, and the pungent smell grew ever more suffocating.
Turning to look at each other, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado both frowned.
"Calm down, Hiruzen," said Koharu.
Sarutobi Hiruzen clenched his fists tightly.
"How do you expect me to calm down?"
"At this very moment, Uchiha Chiyu is locked in a life-or-death showdown with Danzō. Until the outcome is known, how can I possibly relax?"
"Don't you realize—this is the crucial moment between life and death?"
Homura Mitokado shook his head.
"There's no need to sound so dire. It's not guaranteed Danzō will lose. And even if he really is defeated, there's no way Uchiha Chiyu emerges completely unscathed. Remember, Danzō has an entire Edo Tensei army at his disposal."
Koharu Utatane concurred.
"That's right. With so many powerful individuals resurrected by Edo Tensei attacking all at once, plus Danzō himself and the rest of Root's forces, it's impossible for Uchiha Chiyu to handle it all easily."
Sarutobi Hiruzen responded in a cold voice, "I've received word that Hatake Kakashi and the Ino-Shika-Cho families have already left the village, clearly to join that battle!"
"That Kakashi fool has begun openly ignoring my orders!"
Homura let out a sigh.
"Even so, Kakashi's subordinates are only seven or eight people. And the Ino-Shika-Cho clans' elite troops are mostly at the front lines of the war. With just that, they can't make big waves."
"Besides," Koharu added, "didn't you send 'Baku' and the rest of the Anbu to gather intelligence? Any developments should reach us at once…"
A cold glint flickered in Koharu's eyes.
"Hiruzen, rather than agonizing here, why not take advantage of the opportunity?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was startled.
"You mean…with both Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Chiyu absent, launch a lightning attack to annihilate the entire Uchiha clan?!"
Koharu pressed on, "Would there be a better chance than this?"
Homura frowned.
"That…may be going too far, mightn't it?"
"What's inappropriate about it? The moment their two top figures leave, wiping out the remaining Uchiha is the perfect opportunity."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sank into silence, then shook his head resolutely.
"No."
Koharu frowned.
"Why not?"
Hiruzen spoke gravely:
"It's true the Uchiha clan is vulnerable right now, but even if we kill off the rest of them, that merely treats a symptom, not the root cause. The real problem—whether or not Uchiha Fugaku matters—is ultimately Uchiha Chiyu!"
"If he survives and returns to find his clan massacred…imagine the consequences. Simply unthinkable!"
"Moreover, you can be sure Uchiha Chiyu left some form of contingency behind."
"According to Anbu intel, he likely stationed a Shadow Clone at the Police Force Headquarters, in all probability. Just one clone, yet I dare not act rashly."
Koharu went wide-eyed.
She never expected that the man named Uchiha Chiyu had terrified Hiruzen this much…
Just one mere clone was enough to stop him from striking?
And yet, it made sense. Uchiha Chiyu's power had soared day by day, advancing at a speed impossible to measure. Who knew how strong he was now?
Homura sighed.
"Hiruzen's correct. We can't be hasty. Besides, slaughtering the entire Uchiha clan in Fugaku and Chiyu's absence would horrify the other families in the village and tarnish Konoha's reputation across all the ninja world—no justification at all… 'no righteous cause.'"
At that moment, two Anbu arrived at the office door.
"Hokage-sama!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen nearly dropped his pipe, his body giving a startled jolt.
"What news?"
"What's happening with Danzō's battle?! Speak!"
One Anbu, trembling, said:
"Lo–Lord Danzō… he…he's already…"
"'Already' what?"
"He's…been slain by Uchiha Chiyu!"
"What?!"
All at once, the three old foxes paled, color draining from their faces.
"How…how could this be…?"
"Then what about Danzō's Edo Tensei army?!"
The Anbu stammered on:
"They were wiped out by Uchiha Chiyu as well! He…he awakened Susanoo! Those Edo Tensei summons apparently couldn't use their full powers from life, so they were nothing against his Susanoo."
"And though Lord Danzō had transplanted the First Hokage's Wood-Release cells into his arm, along with five Sharingan, plus knowledge of the Uchiha clan's forbidden jutsu, Izanagi, it still…
still wasn't enough. He was easily killed by Uchiha Chiyu!"
"What's left of Root is also gone—eliminated by Uchiha Chiyu with help from Hatake Kakashi and Akimichi Shito. Root…is essentially no more!"
Thump!
Sarutobi Hiruzen's knees buckled as he practically collapsed onto his seat, stunned to the core. The pipe in his hand had gone out without him noticing.
"So… Danzō is dead…"
Danzō may well have betrayed him, but…
Hearing such news, Sarutobi Hiruzen could not help trembling.
Their relationship was complicated—hard to summarize in a sentence.
Koharu and Homura, similarly shocked, worked to keep calm.
Koharu said, "We did anticipate such a possibility, but not such a crushing defeat…"
"He's gone," Homura muttered. "Root has…fallen."
And then…
Koharu pressed further: "Wait, how about Uchiha Chiyu himself? Maintaining Susanoo is never easy. If he fought so fiercely, he must have paid a heavy price, yes?"
The two Anbu exchanged glances.
"He…doesn't appear harmed at all… The Mangekyō Sharingan showed no sign of weakening, let alone blindness…"
"What?!"
This time, the three old folks were truly, thoroughly stunned.
Homura's face beaded with sweat.
"So that means, after killing Danzō and his Root, that man is…is unscathed?!"
Neither Anbu dared speak. Their silence said it all.
Koharu and Homura both murmured, "We sure underestimated that fellow…"
Silence gripped the Hokage's office.
At last, Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled, relit his pipe, took a deep drag, and blew out the smoke in a heavy sigh.
"So… Danzō's dead. Root is finished."
"Now what?" Homura said quietly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen gazed down, expression grim and somber:
"Summon all forces and convene a Hokage Council.
We'll formally condemn Danzō and Root to settle this matter once and for all."
His two old comrades nodded.
…
Meanwhile…
In Chiyu's mind, a belated system prompt sounded:
[You have successfully helped Shimura Danzō escape the fate of taking all blame. Great Mercy!
You gain 2,000 Good Karma Points!]
[Mangekyō Sharingan Eye Power has reached 10,000!]
[You have awakened… the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan!]
~~~
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