Boom!
Sarutobi Asuma casually threw Danzō's corpse onto the ground.
"Arrest him!"
The Jonin from the Shimura Clan shouted.
But no one moved.
Asuma was about to take out a sealing scroll when his gaze suddenly sharpened.
He saw Danzō's corpse on the ground flicker and disappear.
A perfectly fine Danzō appeared behind the Jonin from the Shimura Clan.
This turn of events startled everyone.
"Protect Lord Danzō!"
The Jonin from the Shimura Clan shouted, his eyes fixed on Asuma.
The Shimura Clan members, and ninjas close to them, moved to surround Danzō.
Purple lightning crackled around Asuma again, and he sneered, "Can you stop me?"
"Asuma, wait!"
Sarutobi Mashi, a Jonin from the Sarutobi Clan, flashed in front of Asuma, blocking him. "The Third Hokage will handle this matter, but you can't act rashly now, or the Stone Ninja will take the opportunity to attack!"
The lightning around him dissipated, and Asuma took out the sealing scroll. "The body is inside!"
Mashi quickly opened the scroll, took out the body inside, and examined it, his expression turning extremely grim. "It's a Root ninja, with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal!"
At this, the gazes of many Konoha ninjas towards Danzō changed.
This was ironclad proof.
Asuma said coldly, "Now, Jonin, please raise your hand if you agree to strip Danzō of his command!"
Danzō's expression was extremely grim, but he couldn't say a word to defend himself.
Mashi raised his hand first. Then, all the Jonin except those from the Shimura Clan raised their hands, directly stripping Danzō of his front-line command.
Asuma's gaze swept over, and he saw Uchiha Akiha, who had been on missions with him, and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at Danzō and said, "Danzō, that move just now, you used a secret technique of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, Izanagi, didn't you?"
"At the cost of sacrificing the light of a three-tomoe Sharingan, you connected illusion and reality, turning anything disadvantageous to you into an illusion."
"That's why you were able to come back from the dead!"
Danzō's pupils contracted, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. "How does this guy know this?"
Instantly, all eyes turned back to Danzō.
The power of the Sharingan!
This meant he had stolen an Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, and it was a three-tomoe!
"It seems, Danzō, that this isn't the first time you've acted against your comrades in the village!"
Asuma sneered.
To strike the heart before striking the body; to ruin Danzō's reputation and completely eliminate his possibility of becoming Hokage was the greatest punishment!
To strike the heart before striking the body!
Uchiha Akiha stared at Danzō. He hadn't paid much attention to the chaotic situation earlier, but now that Asuma mentioned it, he was immediately certain.
Izanagi, this was a forbidden jutsu that even within the Uchiha Clan, only a few people knew!
"Damn it, you dare lay hands on our Uchiha Clan!"
Uchiha Akiha instantly activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, his blood-red gaze fixed on Danzō, as if he could devour him.
"Danzō, how do you explain this?"
Uchiha Akiha roared.
Danzō calmed down and said indifferently, "It was merely making use of trash!"
"You…"
Uchiha Akiha was furious but was interrupted.
Namikaze Minato appeared with Mitokado Homura.
"By order of the Third Hokage, Jonin Minato will escort Danzō back to the village for questioning!"
"Furthermore, Jonin Asuma, the Third Hokage orders you to return to the village immediately!"
Mitokado Homura spoke quickly, cutting through the confusion.
Minato and Asuma exchanged a glance. Then, Minato approached Danzō and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take him away.
Seeing that Asuma didn't make a move, Mitokado Homura breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't know.
If he were to make a move, Sarutobi Asuma could still take down Danzō before he and Minato arrived.
However, at that time, there would be many people obstructing him.
A forceful move would likely result in many casualties.
There was no need to risk it for someone whose reputation was about to be ruined.
The only thing Sarutobi Asuma regretted was not realizing from the start that the old fox had already implanted Sharingan into himself.
He had overlooked this point due to conventional thinking, believing that since the old fox hadn't transplanted Hashirama Cells, he shouldn't have Sharingan either.
"Besides, who wouldn't dislike and fear someone who attacks their own comrades?"
Sarutobi Asuma snorted coldly to himself.
From today onwards, the prestige Danzō had accumulated over the past half-life would surely be scattered.
After collecting the sealing scroll and greeting the Jonin who supported him, like Sarutobi Mago, Sarutobi Asuma set off.
That evening at 8 PM, Sarutobi Asuma returned to Konohagakure and went directly to the Hokage Building.
Pushing the door open, he saw the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, smoking and lost in thought, as if he had been waiting for him.
"Third Hokage-sama!"
Sarutobi Asuma greeted him respectfully.
Sarutobi Hiruzen put down his pipe and looked at his second son with a mixture of pride and complex emotions.
"How do you think Danzō should be dealt with?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
Sarutobi Asuma said calmly, "You've already made up your mind, haven't you?"
He understood Sarutobi Hiruzen; he would absolutely not get rid of Danzō at this time.
It wasn't due to camaraderie, but rather for the sake of vested interests.
As the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen represented the light, while Danzō was the darkness.
Where there is light, there must be darkness!
To maintain his own image of light, someone had to exist in the shadows, and that person was Danzō.
Root and Danzō were the ones who handled the dirty work.
Perhaps Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know about some of the things Danzō did, but it wasn't that he couldn't know; it was that he didn't want to know.
This was turning a blind eye!
It could perhaps be considered a political compromise!
However, Sarutobi Asuma's understanding and clarity made Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze even more complex.
His second son was more outstanding than he had imagined!
What a shame...
"I have already removed all of Danzō's positions, and Root has been temporarily placed under the direct command of the Hokage."
"However, Danzō has made significant contributions, and moreover, it is currently wartime; the village cannot fall into internal strife."
"Furthermore, I, as the Hokage, also bear responsibility for this matter."
"When the war ends, I will step down as Hokage!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said.
This was not an explanation for Sarutobi Asuma.
It was for the Uchiha clan and the other ninja clans within Konohagakure.
Sarutobi Asuma understood and nodded, "It's good that you'll step down. You won't have to work so hard; after a lifetime of toil, it's time to rest."
"This world will not descend into chaos just because someone is gone."
These were words spoken as a son.
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's emotions became even more complicated.
Bang!
Suddenly, the door splintered into pieces.
Both Sarutobi Asuma and Sarutobi Hiruzen looked over in surprise.
They saw Tsunade.
The two Anbu ninjas by the door, even with their masks on, could sense their awkwardness.
But they truly dared not stop her, nor could they.
At this moment, Tsunade was like a furious lioness, glaring at Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Why didn't you get rid of that old geezer Danzō?"
"Now he even dares to try and assassinate Asuma. Is there anyone in the entire Konoha he wouldn't dare to assassinate?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt an immense headache.
"Tsunade, it's not as simple as you think."
Sarutobi Hiruzen tried to explain.
Tsunade, however, waved her hand and sneered, "The only reason he dares to be so arrogant as to assassinate the Hokage's son, to assassinate the village's most outstanding ninja, is because you've been too lenient all along!"
"If you continue to indulge him, I'm afraid he'll dare to assassinate the Hokage himself next!"
"Will Konoha fall into chaos if you deal with him now?"
"Will Konoha lose this war without him?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was speechless.
Sarutobi Asuma wanted to laugh, but he had to hold it in.
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