"Your eyes?" Lord Seiki let out a soft chuckle, flipping his hand to reveal an eyeball. "I wasn't aware Elder Danzo had any connection to the Uchiha clan at all."
Everyone stared in shock at the crimson eye in Lord Seiki's palm before quickly becoming furious.
"Danzo, how dare you attack Lord Seiki?"
"Is this what your so-called sacrifice means—betraying your benefactor to advance yourself?"
Transplanting the eyes of the deceased wasn't considered taboo, especially since practically the entire Uchiha clan had already been silenced. After all, even the body of the First Hokage had been used for experimentation in Konoha's past.
What truly crossed the line was Danzo's audacity to harm the village's benefactor.
What frightened them even more was Lord Seiki's true identity. Provoking him might bring about unimaginably terrible consequences.
Samui and her two team members were also deeply shaken. Everyone had heard of Shisui Uchiha's [Ultimate Genjutsu].
It was said to infiltrate an opponent's brain undetected and freely manipulate their will—a legendary [Ultimate Genjutsu]!
And yet, someone had managed to break free from it. Moreover, Danzo Shimura, known as the Darkness of the Shinobi World, hadn't even realized his own eye had been stolen. Just imagining it was terrifying enough.
At this point, Danzo regained his composure and attempted to defend himself. "I may possess Shisui's eye, but that doesn't prove anything. If I had used his dojutsu on him, would his attitude still be like this?"
Danzo sounded so convincing, he almost believed himself, dramatically continuing, "Would you really trust an outsider over someone who has lived and breathed for Konoha his whole life?"
Everyone exchanged skeptical looks. Right. Like we'd ever believe that.
Although they didn't believe Danzo, they still found themselves in a difficult situation.
Putting aside Danzo's past misdeeds, the fact that he dared provoke Lord Seiki this time alone warranted punishment.
The problem was, Lord Seiki's true identity couldn't be revealed. Without solid evidence, the punishment against Danzo wouldn't be severe enough.
They could execute Danzo outright, but doing so might leave lasting resentment among the villagers, who might interpret it as an abuse of power to settle old scores.
In short—it was complicated.
Amid this delicate atmosphere, Lord Seiki smiled gently. "Elder Danzo insists that last night was simply a misunderstanding?"
Danzo let out a cold snort. "You're just too sensitive. Now return my subordinate's eye immediately! This was a gift left for me by one of my beloved disciples!"
"Don't rush. Since Elder Danzo believes it was my mistake, why don't we verify the truth together?" Lord Seiki said with a smile.
"Verify? How exactly are you going to—"
Before Danzo could finish, his expression suddenly changed. His body stiffened. "Why can't I move?! What did you do to me?!"
"Didn't Elder Danzo always say that no one truly understands him? Therefore, I'm specially helping you open up a little, so everyone can witness your inner thoughts... I'm just worried Elder Danzo might be too shy, so I'll have to ask you to stay quiet for a bit," Lord Seiki explained with a smile.
But to Danzo, that gentle smile looked no different from a devil's wicked grin.
That bastard actually wanted to expose his secrets—every single one he'd buried in the shadows!
"Huh? This might actually be interesting!" The Konoha group turned their curious eyes toward Danzo.
They were eager to uncover the truth behind the so-called Darkness of the Shinobi World, a man known for his ruthless decisiveness. Was he truly acting for Konoha's sake, as he claimed?
As for Seiki's ability to silently control Danzo, they weren't particularly surprised. Compared to what Mizuki had described to them the previous night, this wasn't even worth mentioning.
The problem was, Samui and her two companions, along with Tatsuma Aburame, had no idea what was happening. Seeing Danzo being controlled, their minds were severely shaken.
Tatsuma and the others tried to step forward to intervene, but their bodies felt completely disconnected from their minds—except for their mouths, they couldn't move any part of their bodies.
"Damn it, why can't I move anymore?"
"Is this how Danzo was controlled?"
Seeing this, the shock in Samui's heart only deepened further.
They had already raised their guard this time, yet still couldn't detect how that man had acted.
Even with Seal-less Ninjutsu, there should've been some chakra disturbance!
Samui secretly thought, "Such a powerful ninja, yet absent from all intelligence reports—we must take this opportunity to fill in the information gaps!"
"No, you mustn't do this!" Danzo shouted desperately, ignoring everyone else.
"Don't worry, Elder Danzo. It'll be over soon… Soon, everyone will understand you."
"Enough! It was me!" Danzo growled.
He'd rather die than let those shameful memories see the light!
Like when Hiruzen volunteered to be bait years ago, he had actually felt a sense of relief; or when Hiruzen sacrificed himself three years ago during that incident, he had secretly felt regret; or like when Hiruzen…
"Wait, why am I thinking only about comparisons with Hiruzen now?" Danzo grew even more terrified at this thought.
"Lord Danzo, are you being controlled by that man?" Tatsuma urged anxiously.
However, Danzo completely ignored Tatsuma, fixing his glare on Seiki instead. "I was the one who pushed forward Orochimaru's Leaf Village Destruction Plan. I influenced the destruction of the Uchiha Clan. I even had a hand in Akatsuki's corruption… Isn't that enough?"
To preserve at least a shred of dignity, Danzo no longer cared about anything else!
"What? You were the one who pushed forward the Leaf Village Destruction Plan?" Tsunade exclaimed in shock.
"That's right. Originally, I just wanted to force Hiruzen to step down as Hokage, never expecting him to act so decisively!" Danzo calmly admitted.
"You bastard! You killed the Third Grandpa!" Naruto glared at him with pure hatred.
Danzo sneered, "You really thought Hiruzen cared about you? His wife was killed by a shadowy figure while helping Kushina Uzumaki give birth. Every time he saw your face, he must have been reminded of Biwako's gruesome death!"
"What?" Naruto mumbled in a daze, "Was it because of me that the Third Grandpa's wife…"
"That's enough! Seal him and take him away!" With outsiders still present, Tsunade didn't want Danzo to humiliate Konoha any further, so she quickly ordered.
However, she had acted too late.
Samui and the other two couldn't hide their contempt. Looks like your circle's a real mess!
Compared to the unity their Cloud Village showed against outsiders, Konoha was truly in a sorry state!
The only reason they could still maintain this level was probably the fortunate birth of continuous geniuses in Konoha.
"The troublemaker is gone. Let's refocus on the main topic!" Tsunade said solemnly. "Regarding Raikage's request, I'll give my response at the Five Kage Summit."
Although they weren't completely satisfied with Tsunade's answer, they also knew that the Hokage's decision wouldn't change because of their opinions.
"Then we trouble Hokage-sama with this matter! But there is one thing—we hope Konoha can provide assistance," Samui said, pulling out a small notebook from her pocket. "Please tell us everything about Uchiha Sasuke—his personality traits, his specialty Ninjutsu, and his interpersonal relationships. Please share as much as possible!"
Tsunade found it difficult to refuse this request. "As for matters concerning Sasuke, I'll have Naruto and Sakura inform you."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama!" Samui replied coolly, her mind already elsewhere. "This gives us a good reason to stay a few more days. During this time, I'll dig into exactly what happened on the day the leader of Akatsuki attacked Konoha—and also, just who that man was!"
P.S. Sorry everyone. I overestimated myself and still haven't adjusted properly. This will be the only chapter today. I'll surely recover tomorrow (I have to get vaccinated tomorrow morning. Is it advisable to travel soon after? I'm thinking whether I should go home, but I've also heard that one should rest for a few days after vaccination).
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