Facing Danzō's request, the Third Hokage spoke helplessly.
"Rest assured, I definitely won't let anything happen to you."
Danzō was right. If the Uchiha Clan dealt with Danzō and then turned their targets on him, who would be left to help him then? Even if there were still clans supporting him, in terms of strength, they couldn't compare to Danzō.
At this moment, Uchiha Fugaku and Ryōsuke led a group of clan members to stand before the Third Hokage and the various clan heads.
Fugaku spoke with a cold expression.
"We ask the Third Hokage to hand over Danzō so we can verify whether this fellow has stolen our Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai."
The expressions of the various clan heads standing behind the Third Hokage changed.
For Danzō to steal the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai would absolutely be considered a grave crime. Even a Consultant Elder did not have such rights. After all, a clan's Kekkei Genkai was the very foundation of their existence.
As for Danzō's character, they were well aware of it. Everything he did was for the darkness of the Leaf Village. Regarding the Uchiha Clan's accusation, they felt that if it was Danzō, it wouldn't be surprising in the slightest.
After all, the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai was indeed powerful, especially after they had witnessed Susanoo. They felt this even more strongly now.
Danzō, naturally, could not admit to it and spoke with an angry expression.
"How could I possibly steal your Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai? Don't make false accusations."
At this time, the Third Hokage chimed in to help.
"Clan Head Fugaku, is there some misunderstanding here? I believe Danzō would not steal your Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai."
"Danzō has been disrespectful to your Uchiha Clan previously, so I will punish this fellow immediately. I will revoke Danzō's position as a village Consultant Elder as a disciplinary measure."
"Is Clan Head Fugaku satisfied with this result?"
This was undoubtedly a show of weakness, and it also declared the complete failure of his and Danzō's plan to suppress the Uchiha Clan. However, failure was failure; the most important thing now was to save Danzō's life.
Although Danzō was somewhat dissatisfied with this outcome, he would not object right now. Because he absolutely could not allow the Uchiha Clan to verify. If they verified, the fact that he possessed the Sharingan would inevitably be exposed.
Once verified, given the Uchiha Clan's current aggressive attitude, they would certainly not let him off.
He was only temporarily giving up the position of Consultant Elder. As long as his Root was not disbanded, his actual power would remain unaffected.
Before Fugaku could speak, Uchiha Ryōsuke sneered.
"The Third Hokage might not be clear on the current situation. This is no longer just about Danzō slandering our Uchiha Clan for treason; it is a matter of this fellow stealing our Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai."
"Don't think you can gloss over this so easily. Today, his right hand must be verified on the spot to prove his innocence."
Beside him, Fugaku spoke with equal certainty.
"Ryōsuke is correct. We ask Danzō to reveal his right arm and his right eye."
He had not forgotten what Ryōsuke had said: Danzō's right eye also concealed one of their Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
The Uchiha Clan had absolutely no Sharingan transactions with Danzō. Their clan would never trade Sharingan with other clans, nor was there any need to.
So, where exactly did this insidious fellow, Danzō, obtain these Sharingan? Could it be that he had secretly made a move against their Uchiha clansmen?
Thinking of this, his resolve hardened.
If this fellow had secretly acted against the Uchiha Clan, then they absolutely could not let Shimura Danzō go today.
Facing such a request, Danzō refused directly.
"This old man has not stolen your Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan, so there is simply no need to show you."
Fugaku sneered.
"Since you haven't stolen them, then please reveal your right arm and right eye to prove your innocence."
He could not possibly believe that Danzō could develop a ninjutsu capable of reversing life and death and rewriting reality. Such a ninjutsu could only be developed by their Uchiha Clan, and the price would not be small—it would mean the loss of light.
Even within the Uchiha Clan, this technique was little known, precisely because they feared clansmen would plunder each other's eyes. The current Uchiha Clan was relatively stable, but in the Warring States Period, it was an era of intrigue where murder went unpunished.
Even among clansmen, there were open strife and veiled struggles. It could easily cause chaos within the clan. After all, everyone wanted to possess a pupil technique that could modify even life and death.
Hearing Fugaku's words, Danzō panicked inwardly.
This Fugaku was truly hard to fool.
He absolutely could not expose the matter of possessing the Sharingan.
He sneered.
"My hand conceals extremely important secrets of the Leaf Village. How could I let you casually inspect it? Don't be delusional; this is an unreasonable request."
Seeing Danzō behave like this, how could the Third Hokage not know?
He really had stolen the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai.
But what could be done? He could only chime in and say, "That's right. Just as your Uchiha Clan cannot tolerate others stealing your Kekkei Genkai, Danzō's right hand also holds important secrets of the Leaf Village. Uchiha Fugaku, do not force someone to do what is difficult."
The clan heads present saw this, and their hearts were as clear as a mirror.
Danzō, who denied it flatly, dared not even allow verification. There was a high probability that he had stolen the Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai; otherwise, he wouldn't be covering it up in every possible way.
They didn't believe that revealing an arm could expose any secrets. It wasn't a confidential document where the content could be memorized at a glance.
Seeing that the other party refused to verify no matter what, Uchiha Ryōsuke sneered.
"Will you do it yourself, or shall I do it? Of course, for you, both outcomes lead to a dead end regardless."
At this moment, Danzō was terrified.
They wouldn't let him go either way. In that case, he could only fight to the death.
"Sarutobi, you see it too. This fellow won't let me go no matter what. Don't forget the things we've done together."
"Gather the full power of the village and exterminate this clan."
"Now is not the time to worry about damage from the war."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face looked extremely ugly.
This fellow actually threatened him.
The things he had done with Danzō weren't just the recent betrayal of the Uchiha Clan; there were other matters as well. If any single one of them leaked out, it would be a capital crime.
He shot a vicious glare at Danzō, but Danzō remained completely unmoved.
He had reached a life-and-death juncture. If he didn't drag Sarutobi down with him, he was absolutely dead.
Even though he possessed a pupil technique like Izanagi, if the opponent was prepared for such a technique, they wouldn't give him a chance at all. Moreover, just that technique alone couldn't give him a chance to escape, because the opponent's main force had already arrived.