"What here absolutely needs to be taken?"
Uchiha Mei suddenly asked. Her palm, aside from a few traces of blood, was completely uninjured.
"The plants and the books!"
Rikuya Hayashi immediately understood what she meant.
She was telling him: take what you can, and if you can't, destroy it.
The most precious knowledge was stored in his head.
But the plants—he had spent a great deal of time cultivating them. They weren't absolutely irreplaceable, but losing them would mean months, even years of work to regrow, a drain on both his energy and time. They couldn't be left behind.
The books were borrowed, so naturally he couldn't damage them.
As for everything else?
All of it was just things he'd picked up during odd jobs or from casual savings. Nothing worth mentioning.
Uchiha Mei clapped her hands lightly.
Whoosh!
Two Uchiha clan members appeared in the doorway.
"Lady Mei!" they greeted in unison.
Of course—Uchiha Mei was the eldest daughter of the Main Branch. How could she not have bodyguards? Especially inside the village.
Danzō's hostility toward the Uchiha had never been hidden. They couldn't afford to let their guard down.
"Take all of these plants and books back. Dispose of the rest."
With that, Uchiha Mei led Rikuya Hayashi away at a brisk pace.
Their next moves had to be quick. The longer they delayed, the more passive their position would become.
Hokage's Office
While working through official documents, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly looked up.
A new file had appeared on his desk.
After reading its contents, his face darkened. He immediately summoned an Anbu operative.
"Go bring Danzō and the two elders here."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
The Anbu agent vanished instantly.
Moments later—
Tap… tap…
The sound of a cane striking wood echoed, and then the door swung open.
"Hiruzen, what do you want from me?"
Danzō asked bluntly, not bothering with politeness. He didn't even pretend to put Hiruzen's title above his own.
And in truth, he didn't. He saw himself as Konoha's Root—equal in standing to the Hokage.
"Call me Lord Hokage," Hiruzen said coldly.
Danzō's constant lack of respect was wearing thin. If he didn't push back, who knew what Danzō might try next?
Danzō, of course, wasn't about to bow his head.
Just then, two more figures entered the room.
"Hiruzen, you called us—" Koharu Utatane stopped mid-sentence when she saw the tense standoff. She sighed and changed the subject. "Did something happen?"
She didn't even bother asking for the backstory anymore. These two bickered far too often.
"Danzō, shouldn't you give me an explanation?" Hiruzen suddenly fixed him with a sharp stare.
"What do you mean?" Danzō asked innocently, his acting flawless.
An outsider might have been fooled.
But everyone here had grown up together. None of them were buying it.
"You know exactly what I mean. That healing formula is not something Root should be coveting."
Hiruzen laid his cards on the table, sliding the document to the elders.
"Hiruzen, you're spying on me?!"
Danzō's voice turned furious.
He had done so much "for" Hiruzen, and this was his thanks? Was Hiruzen trying to split Konoha apart?
Of course, he completely ignored the fact that he had planted his own operatives inside the Anbu long ago. In his mind, that wasn't spying—that was "protecting" the Hokage.
"This healing formula must remain under the Medical Department's control," Koharu said firmly after reading the file.
If the contents were accurate, the formula's implications were huge.
A potion that could offset the shortage of medical-nin would give Konoha a tremendous advantage on the battlefield.
As for the original creator?
Sorry—among the elder council, talent was to be… managed as they saw fit.
Konoha's so-called "F4" debated for a long while before agreeing on a division of responsibility.
Next came the implementation.
"Hiruzen, let Root handle it. I promise I'll bring it back."
There was greed in Danzō's eyes.
Someone capable of creating such a formula had immense value.
Yes, Orochimaru was already a genius researcher within the village, but he was uncontrollable. This was a rare opportunity—no way would Danzō let it slip.
From the start, he hadn't just been aiming for the formula—he wanted the man himself.
"No," Hiruzen rejected outright. "Koharu will negotiate. Root is not to interfere."
He knew Danzō too well.
This kind of talent was Konoha's treasure—it must not become Root's private asset.
Of course, his protection came with one condition: the person in question had to truly embrace the "Will of Fire." Otherwise, he wouldn't be so steadfast.
Danzō argued back, but one against three wasn't a winning battle.
Finally, Hiruzen ended the discussion with one line:
"Danzō, I am the Hokage."
And that was that. No matter how unwilling Danzō was, he had to follow orders.
"Hiruzen… you'll regret this."
Bang!
The door slammed behind him.
With the Hokage's backing, Root couldn't act openly.
But that was fine. There would be other chances. After all, what he wanted wasn't the formula—it was the man.
"Hiruzen, be careful of Danzō," Homura Mitokado warned, pushing his glasses up. Danzō was becoming more extreme by the day.
"Don't worry."
Hiruzen brushed it off. As long as he remained Hokage, there was nothing to fear.
That confidence was exactly why he never restricted Root's growth—believing its power would always serve him in dealing with dirty work.
Elsewhere
The Uchiha Main Branch was also holding a meeting.
This was a First Branch meeting, not a full Uchiha clan council, so there was no need to gather at Naka Shrine.
The meeting took place in a courtyard shaded by two intertwined hibiscus trees.
The Uchiha clan had over a thousand members, divided into four branches:
First Branch – Hardline hawks. Even Uchiha Madara had come from this branch. The current head was Uchiha Mei.
Second Branch – Pacifist doves. The unborn Shisui Uchiha would one day be from this branch.
Third Branch – Neutral. The current clan leader, Fugaku Uchiha, belonged here.
Fourth Branch – Fence-sitters. Their head's daughter, Mikoto Uchiha, had married Fugaku, helping him secure leadership.
The anime never covered any of this, but in reality, the political landscape was far more complicated.
As the head of the First Branch, Mei didn't yet hold her official seat of power, but calling a branch meeting was easy—especially since everyone lived close together.
And when everyone arrived…
That's when you truly saw the depth of a great clan's foundation.
More than a dozen jōnin had come.
To put that in perspective—Konoha had only about a hundred jōnin total. The Uchiha alone had over twenty.
With numbers like that, it was no wonder the other clans felt threatened.
If they didn't unite against them, they wouldn't even have the qualifications to "play the game."
Thankfully, while the Uchiha had an abundance of high-level ninja, they lacked true top-tier power—no one on the level of the Legendary Sannin. Otherwise, Hiruzen Sarutobi might never sleep soundly again.
Clack!
The sliding door opened, and six kneeling jōnin of the First Branch—all of whom had the right to attend—turned their eyes to the two figures entering.
(End of Chapter)