Danzo was quite direct and wasted no time.
He and Hiruzen Sarutobi were comrades and fellow soldiers, but beyond that, they were also enemies!
Of course, he understood Hiruzen Sarutobi's concerns.
However, similarly.
This was also his true objective!
He wished nothing more than for Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation to be utterly ruined, giving himself a chance to seize the Hokage position.
Therefore.
At this moment, he was quite relaxed and showed no sign of urgency.
In response to this.
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent, and only after a long pause did he slowly speak: "Danzo, can't we negotiate?"
"Sorry, no negotiation!" Danzo refused outright.
Although he also wanted to quickly eliminate the Uchiha and knew that Uchiha Jin was a huge problem, he wasn't overly worried.
Because even if the sky fell, there would be someone tall enough to hold it up.
And in the current Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi was that tall person.
If he wasn't worried, why should I be?
Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent.
He gave Danzo a deep look, then immediately began smoking his pipe.
He could guess Danzo's intentions!
It was nothing more than Danzo taking the fall for him, but in return, he would have to give Danzo benefits while simultaneously damaging his own reputation.
What should he do?
He certainly wanted to kill Uchiha Jin quickly, but he didn't want to lose his reputation over it.
Thus, for a moment.
The atmosphere in the entire room instantly fell silent.
"Hiruzen, Danzo!"
"You two should both take a step back; there's no need to escalate things this far."
"Our enemy is the Uchiha; we cannot afford internal conflict right now!"
"..."
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado were getting anxious, desperately trying to persuade the two men.
There was no other way.
If the Uchiha issue wasn't resolved and they started fighting amongst themselves, the Uchiha would surely laugh their heads off if word got out.
In response to their persuasion, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Danzo, his eyes filled with hope.
He hoped Danzo would concede, but his wish was destined to be shattered.
What kind of person was Danzo?
Looking back at Konoha's many calamities in the original work, when had Danzo ever proactively intervened?
Selfishness was his motto. Now that he had such a perfect opportunity to weaken Hiruzen Sarutobi, if he gave up, he wouldn't be Danzo!
Therefore, there was no choice.
The situation reached a deadlock, with neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Danzo willing to yield to the other... At three o'clock in the afternoon.
Hiruzen Sarutobi chose not to end the meeting, still sparring with Danzo in the office; this time, he absolutely had to make Danzo concede.
Utatane Koharu couldn't help but speak up: "Why don't we grab a bite to eat first, and then continue discussing?"
"Exactly, let's eat first." Homura Mitokado was also helpless: "Stalling like this won't solve anything!"
But, unfortunately.
In response to their suggestion, Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the table, adopting the demeanor of a Shinobi Hero.
"Enough! All of you, shut up!"
"I'm so full of anger, how could I possibly think about eating?"
"Danzo..."
"I'll give you one more chance: Are you taking this mission or not?"
Facing Hiruzen Sarutobi's towering rage, Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado instantly froze in an awkward position.
You might be full of anger, but we're hungry!
They wanted to grumble a few words, but facing Hiruzen Sarutobi in his current state, they truly dared not speak.
As for this.
Danzo's expression remained indifferent; he didn't put Hiruzen Sarutobi in his eyes at all.
He remained calmly seated in his chair, his face radiating tranquility.
Evidently.
Unless Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to his demands, he absolutely would not agree to take the blame proactively!
Just like that... time was gradually dragged into the evening, yet Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo continued their struggle, neither willing to yield to the other.
Creak.
Just at that moment, the door was suddenly knocked upon.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly.
He knew this was a Konoha Leadership meeting; normally, unless something major happened, no one would dare interrupt.
Therefore.
After pondering briefly, he sat back down.
He adjusted his Hokage Hat and then spoke toward the outside.
"Come in."
Accompanied by a light creak, the door to the Hokage Office was opened.
An Anbu member entered, knelt respectfully on one knee, and said: "Hokage-sama, esteemed Elders, very negative public opinion suddenly arose in the Village today, which involves all of you..."
After a brief explanation, the Anbu pulled out a scroll.
Upon hearing this.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank, and he instantly had a very bad feeling.
After taking the scroll, he waved his hand, dismissing the Anbu member.
Then.
He opened the scroll with a puzzled look, glanced at it, and before even finishing, he slammed his palm down in fury, shattering the table.
Senju Nawaki, Kato Dan, Hatake Sakumo... familiar names jumped out at him, but more importantly, the 'slander' directed at himself!
Clearly.
This was exactly Uchiha Jin's original speculation, which had previously only circulated within the Uchiha clan, but now had completely swept across the entire Konoha.
In response to this.
Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth, trembling with rage, his voice turning hoarse.
"Uchiha Jin, you bastard!"
"You truly deserve to die! I will definitely kill you!"
"Danzo, I authorize it!"
"You must eliminate that bastard Uchiha Jin immediately!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was frantic, his anger reaching its peak.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi so furious, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu were bewildered. They picked up the scroll, and after reading it, they too were driven into a frenzy.
"Slander! Pure slander!"
"This Uchiha Jin truly deserves death! He's dumping a bucket of sewage on us!"
"We cannot let him live any longer; we must eliminate him immediately!"
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado were completely enraged after reading it.
Danzo also became interested.
After he finished reading the contents of the scroll, he couldn't help but sneer and say: "Hiruzen, I told you before, you would regret this!"
"After Uchiha Jin's discussion with you failed today, he keenly sensed that you were preparing to act, so he made his move preemptively."
Hiruzen Sarutobi trembled all over.
He felt a massive crisis looming. If he couldn't resolve this matter, his Hokage career would be over, and in a deeply humiliating manner.
"U! Chi! Ha! Jin!"
His tone was terrifyingly cold, like a gale blowing from the Nine Nether.
He was truly enraged!
This move by Uchiha Jin had struck him directly at his weak point.
However.
After pondering for a long time, he finally calmed down.
"Danzo!"
"Now is not the time for internal strife. We should be united."
"Your Root organization often manipulates public opinion; surely you have a way to deal with this?"
"What should we do next?"