What a truly adorable group of villagers.
The cheers, the support, the emotional high—it was incredible.
Danzō was genuinely moved.
He hadn't planned on sparing Kakashi earlier. He just didn't expect Kakashi to actually dodge. That forced him to improvise and steal Kakashi's Sharingan to replace the one he had just used up.
"Kakashi, it's not too late to regret your choices," Danzō said sternly, playing the role of the disappointed elder. "Don't continue down this wrong path."
"Captain Kakashi, are you alright?" Uchiha Itachi flash-stepped beside him, placing himself protectively in front of him and glaring warily at Danzō.
"I'm fine. I just let my guard down." Kakashi's voice was weak. "I didn't expect Danzo to possess a jutsu that brings people back to life."
"Not only did it nullify my strike, he took advantage of my moment of weakness to steal my eye."
"Bastard...!"
"From what you just described," Itachi said gravely, "I suspect Danzō used one of our Uchiha clan's forbidden techniques: Izanagi."
"Izanagi?" Kakashi frowned.
"Yes. I can't reveal the full details here. But I'm certain he sacrificed one of his Sharingan to use it."
"So… he can only use it once?" Kakashi stared at Danzō's right eye.
If Itachi was right, that eye should be blind now.
But then… why take my left eye?
Could a left eye be transplanted into the right socket?
"Only once? It should be more than that," Itachi thought to himself.
He was certain Danzō wouldn't waste Shisui's Mangekyō on Izanagi. Which meant—just like in the original timeline—he had to have multiple Sharingan implanted along his right arm, stabilized using Hashirama's cells.
However, in the original story, Danzō got that arm after the Uchiha Massacre—courtesy of Orochimaru, using Shin Uchiha's limb.
Since the Uchiha Clan was still intact in this timeline, that meant Danzō's current Wood-Style arm must be an inferior prototype. He probably couldn't implant nearly as many eyes.
Originally, Danzō had eleven Sharingan to maintain balance with the Hashirama cells. But without the massacre, he might only have a few now.
To be safe, Itachi figured they'd need to kill him… at least eleven times.
"Captain Kakashi, fall back. I'll handle this," Itachi said, drawing his katana.
"Got it. I'll go help the Hokage," Kakashi replied.
"Give up, old man," Orochimaru said as he licked his lips. "Step down and I'll let you live. You know you can't beat me and Minato."
"Not happening!" Hiruzen growled, forcing himself to stand. After tanking a Rasengan, his chakra flow was a mess. He couldn't even form seals properly. His legs trembled with every step.
"'The Strongest Hokage,' huh? And yet you're down for the count in under a minute... beaten by a reanimated Fourth," someone scoffed in the crowd. "Even if Edo Tensei is powerful, it only restores a fraction of the original strength. So that means the strongest Hokage is like, what, one-tenth of the Fourth?"
"Don't forget—Minato used to take out entire squads in a single flash. He earned the name 'Yellow Flash' for a reason. Orochimaru is one of the Legendary Sannin—titles forged in the Great Ninja Wars. And this guy? Sarutobi the 'Strongest Hokage'? Pfft. Spare us the joke. Just retire quietly and enjoy your old age."
"Yeah, Hiruzen, step down already!"
"No one will laugh at you! …Sorry, I couldn't help it—pfft!"
"Here's a math problem: If the Fourth one-shots the Strongest Hokage, and the Fourth one-shots me, does that mean I = the Strongest Hokage?"
"Pfft! Guess I could do it too. If I'm gonna die anyway, might as well die famous!"
"Sorry—I couldn't hold it in either."
"Honestly, Hiruzen's not that strong. If I fought him one-on-one, he'd be on his knees begging me not to die in under three minutes!"
"What do you mean by 'three minutes'?"
"I mean even against a low-level genin, he'd need three minutes to win."
"Hey, hey—take it easy! Watch your tone! Observe the monkey with respect—no feeding!"
"Wait, huh?"
"How can you all say that?! Do you know how hard Lord Third works? Every morning, he's up early at the Hokage Tower, diligently using his Telescope Jutsu to... monitor the women's bathhouse. He watches every female villager in Konoha. That's dedication!"
"What did Lord Third ever do to deserve this? Do you even see the sacrifices he's made for the village? Why force him into a corner like this?"
"In every Ninja War, didn't Lord Third always strategize from behind the frontlines—from inside Konoha? Without him, would our victories have taken so long?"
"And look—every ninja who died in battle had their estate confiscated and their kids dumped into orphanages! Classic Lord Third planning!"
"How could you be so cruel to the best Hokage Konoha ever had?!"
"Which clan in the village doesn't support him?"
Pfft!
At those words, Hiruzen coughed up blood again.
"Too far... this is too much!"
Everyone knew the truth—Hiruzen was utterly isolated. Aside from Kakashi and the Uchiha, no one was supporting him. The rest of the clans were happily sitting on the sidelines, watching the chaos unfold like it was theater.
Now even the villagers were turning on him. The mockery, the verbal abuse—it was too much.
Danzō wasn't just destroying him physically—he was going for the soul.
In Hiruzen's mind, two versions of himself were arguing:
Dark Hiruzen: This is the Konoha I protected all my life? To hell with it. Let it all burn.
Light Hiruzen: They're still children—naive. You raised them. They're just being misled.
The ANBU loyal to the Sarutobi Clan blushed in shame.
Meanwhile, the Root agents from the Shimura Clan looked smug, proud.
The tables have turned.
Now it was Hiruzen's turn to fall.
Karma had come full circle.
"Itachi! You still oppose me?" Danzō shouted. "I carried back Shisui's body myself! And you would side with this traitorous, ungrateful man—Hiruzen?!"
This time, Danzō stood on the moral high ground.
Finally, he had the weight of public support on his side.
"I believe in Lord Hokage," Itachi replied coldly, brandishing his sword.
"Hah! You believe in him?" someone scoffed.
"The Uchiha believe in him?" the villagers burst into laughter.
"Did you guys get kicked in the head by a donkey?"
"Do you seriously not know what Sarutobi's done?"
"Human experimentation with Hashirama cells. Letting the Uzumaki Clan get wiped out. Ordering the ninja academy to suppress dissent. Silencing every major newspaper!"
"Come on, really think about it."
"No wonder they say the Uchiha are thick-headed."
"Bunch of idiots."
"Morons!"
"Can't tell right from wrong."
"Blind followers!"
The Uchiha Police Force stood stiff and red-faced, wishing they could crawl into a hole.
What was going on with their clan leader?
Why were they protecting that butcher Sarutobi?
Why were they stopping the villagers?
The verbal abuse, the public mockery—it was unbearable.
For the proud Uchiha, this was worse than death.
Most of them hadn't even awakened their Sharingan yet. They weren't allowed to join the police force or attend clan councils—until today.
Today, the elders gave permission: If they wanted to join the Konoha Police Force, they had to obey Itachi's command.
And if they disobeyed—they'd be exiled from the Uchiha Clan.
Obeying orders? Easy enough.
And so, they came.
Their very first mission.
And also, the most humiliating day of their lives.
Rotten eggs and vegetables flew through the air like missiles.
Every kind of family insult and slur was hurled at them.
And they couldn't fight back.
Couldn't talk back.
Just had to stand there and take it.
The Uchiha were boiling with rage.
When had they ever been treated like this?
When had they ever endured such shame?
Their eyes were bloodshot. Many of them gripped the hilts of their swords, fingers twitching with the urge to cut someone down—feed them to the dogs.
What was the point of serving in the Police Force if they had to endure this?
But… disobeying meant exile.
So they clenched their jaws and held back.
But their fury simmered dangerously beneath the surface.
Like a powder keg.
One spark—and they'd blow.
And finally—it happened.
A middle-aged woman walked up and slapped an Uchiha across the face. Her nails tore through his cheek, leaving a bloody gash.
In that instant, his bloodshot eyes gleamed—
A single tomoe swirled into existence.
His Sharingan awakened.