"I," Hiruzen Sarutobi, was rendered speechless.
"You dare deny that the human experiments involving Hashirama's cells weren't arranged by you?" The fake Danzō took a step forward, shouting loudly.
Every step he took seemed to crush Hiruzen's momentum.
"What, you want me to make the files public before you're satisfied?"
"You—" Hiruzen pointed at Danzō, his voice stuck in his throat.
"You what? Coward! Can't take responsibility for your own deeds? Pathetic!" The fake Danzō spat on the ground, contempt heavy in his voice.
"Danzō!" Hiruzen roared, humiliation giving way to rage as he struggled to muster his authority.
He knew he couldn't hesitate any longer. If he didn't act now, who knew what earth-shattering, insane accusations Danzō might throw out next? He decided it was best to take him down first—he could clarify everything afterward.
"Guards! Arrest Danzō! And Orochimaru! And Root! Don't let a single one escape!"
At his command, masked ANBU operatives appeared from the shadows, surrounding both Danzō and Orochimaru.
But the fake Danzō only laughed. "Look, people of Konoha! Sarutobi's panicking! He's losing it!" he mocked loudly, completely ignoring the ANBU as though they weren't even there.
"Damn it!" Hiruzen trembled with fury at the cold, mocking, jeering expressions from the crowd around him. He felt like he was about to explode.
"If you want to lay a hand on Lord Danzō, you'll have to go through us first!"
"Come on, ANBU! Let's see if you've got the guts!"
"Killing your own isn't anything new, right?!"
"The Senju clan, the Uzumaki clan, Sakumo Hatake, Hiashi Hyūga—now it's the Shimura clan's turn. Add us Root operatives to the list, and you'll have a full set!"
"If you've got the nerve, come and try!"
One by one, Root ninja drew their swords and formed a protective ring around the fake Danzō, ready for battle.
Surrounded by layer after layer of ANBU, they didn't flinch.
Not one step back.
"That's right! If you want to get to Lord Danzō, you'll have to step over our corpses!" Even the civilians and ordinary shinobi of the village started forming a barrier around him.
"Protect Lord Danzō, the greatest man in all of Konoha!"
"We can't let Sarutobi's scheme succeed!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Danzō, how shameless can you get?! Using the villagers like this?!" Hiruzen's eyes blazed with fury. He was about to burst a vein.
Had these fools all lost their minds?
Could they no longer tell friend from foe, right from wrong?
Just parroting whatever they heard?
Were they pigs?!
"Itachi-sama, what should we do?" The Konoha Military Police, arriving late, froze as they took in the standoff between Root and the ANBU, with civilians defending Danzō.
Was Danzō the good guy now?
What the hell happened to the world?
And why was the Hokage the one being vilified?
Once they got the full story, even the Uchiha clan members couldn't take it anymore.
"Damn, I can't believe Sarutobi's like this?!"
"Seriously? And we're supposed to protect him?"
"Why the hell doesn't he just die already?"
Of course, these were thoughts they only dared to keep to themselves—but their eyes toward Hiruzen had clearly changed.
Kakashi, arriving at the scene, was stunned too. Danzō not only returned with Orochimaru but had actually stirred up the villagers into rebellion?
What the hell?
Then he noticed the Konoha Police, led by Uchiha Itachi—and his face darkened.
You're playing dirty at a time like this?
Kakashi scanned the ranks and realized that the Uchiha elites—the ones responsible for wiping out the Shimura clan earlier—were nowhere in sight.
In fact, there weren't many active Uchiha shinobi around at all.
If he had to guess, Itachi had only brought clan members who hadn't even awakened their Sharingan.
"This is way too blatant," Kakashi muttered quietly to Itachi.
"Captain Kakashi, you've got it all wrong," Itachi replied smoothly. "The Uchiha have fought and bled for Konoha. It's already generous of us to send anyone at all. Besides, concentrating our forces would just make us easy targets for a wipeout. I've scattered our people across the village, ready to strike as soon as the Nine-Tails appears."
He made a slicing gesture with his hand—calm, shameless, and totally unapologetic.
"Really?" Kakashi asked, half-convinced.
"Absolutely," Itachi said with an air of sincerity.
Seeing Itachi and the Konoha Police finally arrive, a flicker of hope lit up in Hiruzen's eyes.
The Uchiha were loyal.
Even after losing so many members in last night's internal purge, Itachi still sent reinforcements. That was true devotion!
He looked at the other clans—and his heart sank.
No doubt about it. The major clans, along with Koharu and the others, had already made secret deals with Danzō. They clearly didn't want to be dragged into a high-level political struggle.
He hadn't expected Danzō to dismantle his entire setup so effortlessly.
He'd asked the clans to work together to wipe out the Shimura clan—a show of loyalty to him. But he'd overlooked how ruthless Danzō could be.
Danzō had placed binding seals on every Root member.
A betrayal seal.
Because of that, Hiruzen had no leverage. He couldn't use any clan members embedded in Root against him.
Was he really going to have to kill them all?
But if he did that, he'd be branded a butcher. Not only would he lose all public support, but the clans might retaliate.
That would only push them closer to Danzō.
In fact, the clans choosing to remain neutral was already a huge favor.
If he pushed any harder, they'd turn against him completely.
"Kakashi, Itachi, stop the villagers. As for Danzō and Orochimaru—I'll handle them myself," Hiruzen commanded.
"Understood," Itachi and Kakashi exchanged glances and nodded.
"Admit your sins, Hiruzen," said the fake Danzō, solemnly. "You've committed countless crimes. Even if you were remembered as a stain in Konoha's history, it'd still be too kind. Resign. Take your own life. It's the only way to preserve a shred of dignity."
No matter how you heard it, it sounded like utter mockery.
"Hmph, want the Hokage title? Come and take it yourself." Hiruzen flung away his hat and stripped off his robe, revealing his battle armor underneath. He raised the adamantine staff, transformed from Enma the Monkey King, and pointed it at Danzō. "Old rules: one-on-one. Win, and the title's yours. Lose—and surrender. I'll spare your life for the sake of old friendship."
"Sparing me? Sounds more like a death sentence. And a duel? You think I'm stupid?" The fake Danzō waved his hand, and the real Danzō and Orochimaru stepped forward.
"Oh, too scared to fight solo, huh?" Hiruzen taunted.
"Sorry, but bringing allies is a form of strategy—'knowing how to use people.'" The fake Danzō fired back smugly.
"You—" Hiruzen was again left speechless.
"Go ahead. Call your own people. I'll wait," Danzō gestured invitingly.
"Kakashi. Itachi. Come." Hiruzen took a deep breath.
"Of course," they both replied with faint smiles, stepping forward.
"Wow, how the mighty have fallen," sneered the fake Danzō. "The Hokage needs kids to fight for him now? Where are Fugaku, Hiashi, and the other clan heads? Not one of them helping you?"
Just then, four ANBU operatives appeared at the four corners of the plaza, forming hand signs rapidly: "Four Violet Flames Formation!"
A transparent purple barrier enclosed the six of them instantly.
"Hiruzen, you son of a—!" The real Danzō tore off his mask, roaring in fury.
"Son of a—? I want your head!" Hiruzen bared his killing intent.
"Shinobi are weapons in flesh—victory decides who is right. One of us isn't leaving this barrier alive."
"Bring it on, Danzō!" Hiruzen raised his adamantine staff, pointing it directly at the trio. "Today I'll show you just how 'washed-up' I really am!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin