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Chapter 130: You Will Regret This
Hidden Leaf Village, Hokage Building.
The sky outside the window was somewhat gloomy, with heavy clouds pressing low, as if a torrential downpour could occur at any moment.
The air inside the office was even more stagnant, practically suffocating.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind the large desk, holding the pipe that had accompanied him for many years.
The mouthpiece was covered in teeth marks, and the tobacco inside had long since burned out, leaving only a pile of gray-white ash.
But he seemed completely unaware, just puffing on the empty pipe, his brow furrowed into a deep frown.
In front of him, an ANBU wearing a fox mask knelt on one knee, having just finished reporting everything that had happened in the Uchiha clan grounds.
"You're saying..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi finally put down the pipe, tapping it lightly on the corner of the desk, his voice slightly hoarse.
"That child named Tsubasa Uchiha, in order to catch Fugaku's opening, actively moved into the kunai?"
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The ANBU's voice held no inflection, like an emotionless machine.
"The kunai penetrated three inches into his chest. If it had been half an inch to the side, it would have pierced his heart. But he didn't hesitate at all, even actively leaning forward to trade the injury for a chance to get close."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's fingers drummed unconsciously on the desk.
This fighting style...
No, this wasn't a ninja's fighting style at all.
Ninjas valued endurance, one-hit kills, and completing the mission while preserving oneself.
This kind of life-for-a-life, crazy tactic with a self-destructive tendency, was more like...
A beast cornered in a desperate situation.
"And, in a near-death state, he directly awakened a Two-Tomoe Sharingan?"
"Confirmed."
The ANBU continued his report.
"According to on-site observations, Tsubasa Uchiha displayed extremely strong emotional fluctuations during the battle, a kind of... extreme thirst for power, and a near-arrogant madness."
"Elder Setsuna Uchiha has already taken him for treatment and declared him the pride of the Uchiha clan."
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh.
He turned his swivel chair to look at the village outside the window behind him.
The bustling streets, the frolicking children, and the massive Hokage Rock in the distance.
Beneath this peaceful scene, however, undercurrents were surging.
"The Uchiha..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured in a low voice.
As the disciple of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, he knew better than anyone the danger of the Uchiha clan.
It was a cursed clan.
The deeper the love, the deeper the hate.
The stronger the power, the easier it was to fall into madness.
These were troubled times.
The Hidden Stone was frequently probing the borders, the newly appointed Raikage of the Hidden Cloud was a warmonger, and the Hidden Sand and Hidden Rain were restless as well.
The dark clouds of the Third Great Ninja War were already looming overhead.
At this critical juncture, such a "monster" suddenly appeared in the Uchiha clan.
A genius who opened his eyes directly to Two Tomoe, possessed a crazy personality, and was deeply appreciated by the hawk-faction elder Setsuna Uchiha.
Was this a blessing or a curse for the Leaf?
If it were the past, he might have felt relieved that the Leaf had gained another combat asset.
But after hearing the ANBU's description, that crazy drive to mutilate oneself for victory made this "Professor of Ninjutsu," who had sat in this position for decades, feel a trace of palpitation.
Such a person was a double-edged sword.
Used well, he could kill the enemy.
Used poorly, he would hurt oneself.
"Dismissed."
Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand.
"Continue monitoring, but don't get too close, so as not to alert the Uchiha."
"Yes."
The ANBU vanished instantly.
The office returned to a deathly silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi refilled his pipe and struck a match.
The firelight illuminated his wrinkled face, flickering on and off.
Just then.
Tap, tap, tap.
A rhythmic tapping sound came from outside the door.
Not a knock on the door.
But the sound of a cane tapping against the ground.
Without waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi's response, the office door was pushed open directly.
An old man with half his body wrapped in bandages and an "X"-shaped scar on his chin walked in.
Danzo Shimura.
The Root of the Leaf, the darkness buried deep underground.
"Hiruzen."
Danzo's voice was cold and dry, like two venomous snakes rubbing against each other.
He walked straight to the desk, his single eye staring dead at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"You've heard about that Uchiha brat, haven't you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of smoke, exhaling a smoke ring, his expression calm.
"News travels fast."
"Hmph."
Danzo sneered, leaning on his cane with both hands.
"That old thing Setsuna Uchiha wishes he could grab a megaphone and shout it around the village, afraid that people won't know he birthed a 'good son'."
"Opening directly at Two Tomoe, that's rare even in Uchiha history."
"That's not the point, Hiruzen!"
Danzo suddenly raised his volume, his cane thumping heavily on the ground.
"The point is that brat's personality!"
"To win, he didn't hesitate to let a kunai pierce his own heart! Once a madman like that grows up, do you think you can control him?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment.
"He's still a child, Danzo."
"With proper guidance, if we let him inherit the Will of Fire..."
"Naïve!"
Danzo interrupted him rudely.
"The Uchiha are a naturally evil clan! Teacher said this long ago!"
"That brat named Tsubasa, his eyes are full of a thirst for destruction. That madness is even purer than Madara Uchiha's back in the day!"
At the mention of that name, Hiruzen Sarutobi's fingers trembled slightly.
Danzo keenly caught this, leaning forward aggressively.
"Although Fugaku is also a genius, he considers the big picture, acts with propriety, and is still within a controllable range."
"But this Tsubasa Uchiha is different."
"He is an uncontrollable variable."
"Such a variable must be strangled before he fully grows up!"
The temperature in the office dropped instantly.
Killing intent.
Danzo made no attempt to hide his killing intent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head, his gaze sharpening.
"Danzo, watch your words."
"He is a ninja of the Leaf, a comrade."
"Comrade?"
Danzo scoffed.
"You won't be saying that when he points a kunai at the village."
"Besides, I didn't say we have to kill him right now."
Danzo narrowed his eyes, a calculating light flickering in his single eye.
"Aren't we about to go to war?"
"The Hidden Stone is amassing a large force on the border of the Land of Grass. That 'Onoki' seems to be planning something big."
"We need people on the front lines, in the most dangerous places, to act as cannon fodder to wear down the enemy."
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned.
"You're saying..."
"Send him to the front lines in the Land of Grass."
Danzo's voice dropped low, carrying a hint of inducement.
"That place is a meat grinder; people die every day."
"Since he craves battle so much, craves blood so much, then let him kill to his heart's content."
"If he dies on the battlefield, he dies for the village. He's a hero, and the Uchiha clan can't say anything."
"If he survives..."
Danzo paused, a cruel sneer curling his lips.
"Then let him keep killing until he dies."
"This weakens the enemy's strength and consumes the Uchiha's potential. Two birds with one stone."
"Hiruzen, this is for the village."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at this old friend before him.
Having known him for decades, he knew Danzo too well.
This was a man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
But he had to admit, Danzo's words hit the most secret worry deep in his heart.
The Uchiha clan was indeed too strong.
If this crazy Tsubasa Uchiha were allowed to grow peacefully in the village, influenced by the radical elders, he might truly become a second Madara Uchiha in the future.
The battlefield was indeed the best destination.
But...
"No."
Hiruzen Sarutobi knocked the ash out of his pipe, his tone becoming firm.
"Sending him to the front lines to die violates the Will of Fire."
"The village protects the children, and the children grow into ninjas to protect the village. That is the root of the Leaf's endless cycle."
"If we send a genius to their death just to guard against our own people, how are we any different from the Village of the Bloody Mist?"
"You!"
Danzo was choked with anger.
"Hiruzen! You are always so indecisive!"
"This isn't indecisiveness; it's principle."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up. Though not tall, he exuded an unquestionable dignity at this moment.
"I will arrange for him to join a regular ninja squad and perform normal missions."
"If he sacrifices himself during a mission, that is a ninja's fate."
"But I will never deliberately arrange a suicide mission to frame him."
"I am the Hokage. I must be responsible for everyone in the village, including the Uchiha."
Danzo stared dead at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Their gazes met in the air, as if sparks were flying.
Light and dark.
Yin and Yang.
This was the struggle they had continued for decades.
After a long time.
Danzo withdrew his gaze and huffed coldly.
"You will regret this, Hiruzen."
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