Killing someone is certainly satisfying, but letting an enemy live in misery is even more so.
Watching him struggle in despair, every second swallowed by endless fear…
What's harder than death is being alive after losing all dignity and hope.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally wanted to place Shimura Danzo under house arrest.
But under Wen Lan's unwavering gaze, he simply couldn't bring himself to say it.
He knew the Eight Gates.
Once the Gate of Death was opened, one would obtain power surpassing the Kage level.
Yet just now, Wen Lan had only opened the Sixth Gate, and Hiruzen hadn't even been able to react in time.
He was old.
His battle instincts and body had long since fallen behind.
And judging from the strength Wen Lan had just revealed— even if Hiruzen, Danzo, Koharu, and Homura joined forces, they might not be able to take him down.
Not to mention that Wen Lan possessed the terrifying feat of cutting apart a Tailed Beast Bomb.
More importantly, Danzo had already incurred public outrage.
Root absorbing members from other clans had long stirred resentment.
Now it was exposed that Danzo had implanted Sharingan into his own body.
If this matter wasn't handled properly, Konoha would truly fall apart.
"…Fine."
Hiruzen finally gave in, his voice low but clear. In that instant, he seemed to age several years.
"Hiruzen! I won't go quietly!"
Danzo suddenly retreated violently, his hands forming seals at lightning speed.
"Wind Release · Vacuum Wave!"
A sharp blade of wind tore through the air straight toward Wen Lan. Using the momentum, Danzo leapt backward, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes.
"You bastard—trying to run?!"
Wen Lan stomped the ground, lightning exploding around his body.
"Thunder Breathing · First Form · Thunderclap and Flash!"
His figure transformed into a streak of golden lightning.
The incoming wind blade was instantly severed, and Wen Lan's speed did not slow in the slightest as he charged straight at Danzo.
Danzo hurriedly formed seals again, pulling two shuriken from his ninja pouch. He blew on them the shuriken began spinning wildly, their surfaces coated in sharp Wind Release chakra.
Wind Release · Rasenshuriken!
He flung the two shuriken toward Wen Lan, then rapidly formed more seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
The two wind-coated shuriken split—one into two, two into three in the blink of an eye, hundreds of shuriken screamed through the air toward Wen Lan.
"Petty tricks, daring to show off before me!"
Wen Lan roared, lightning surging across his body.
"Thunder Breathing · Fourth Form · Distant Thunder!"
As he charged forward, his blade slashed repeatedly like lightning.
In the next instant, countless wind shuriken were shattered midair by arcs of lightning, dissolving into smoke.
The original two shuriken broke apart into scraps of metal that clattered to the ground.
Wen Lan's speed did not falter.
In a heartbeat, he was already before Danzo, his blade aimed straight at the man's throat.
Danzo's pupils shrank sharply. His hands had just begun to form seals
ZZZRT—!
Danzo's right arm flew off.
Blood sprayed everywhere. The severed limb was charred black at the stump, lightning still crackling faintly around it.
Wen Lan pressed the blade against Danzo's neck and said coldly:
"If you don't kill yourself, the Shimura clan will cease to exist."
Danzo's face twisted grotesquely. His left hand subconsciously reached for his chest, attempting to activate his final trump card.
Wen Lan immediately understood.
Inner Four Symbols Sealing Technique.
His Sharingan flared.
Though Wen Lan wasn't particularly skilled in genjutsu, even the most basic Uchiha illusion was far beyond what ordinary ninja could break.
Danzo's eyes went blank.
His movements froze abruptly as invisible chains of illusion wrapped around his consciousness.
Wen Lan kicked him away.
Danzo crashed heavily to the ground, sliding to a stop at Uchiha Fugaku's feet.
"Clan Head," Wen Lan said coldly, "He has the Inner Four Symbols Seal inside him. Seal his chakra."
Fugaku's expression turned solemn. His hands formed seals rapidly as he pressed his palm to Danzo's chest.
Black, tadpole-like sealing markings spread layer by layer, crawling over Danzo's entire body.
The moment the others heard "Inner Four Symbols Seal," their expressions changed dramatically.
The range of that technique was enormous.
If Danzo had really activated it just now, no one nearby would have survived.
Wen Lan sheathed his blade, swept his gaze across everyone present, snorted coldly, and turned to leave.
The night was silent.
No one tried to stop him.
No one voiced an opinion.
They simply dispersed.
When Wen Lan returned home, Yagura stood at the doorway, looking at him.
"It seems the Uchiha clan's situation isn't very good either."
"It will change," Wen Lan replied as he walked inside, placing his ninja blade on the table.
"If Sarutobi really hadn't returned your ninja blades… would you really have become a rogue ninja?"
"No."
Wen Lan shook his head.
"I wouldn't have become a rogue ninja.
I would've taken the entire Uchiha clan and left together."
"The pressure I applied today wasn't just to get the ninja blades back.
It was to let all of Konoha clearly see the humiliation the Uchiha have endured."
"And to make the high-ups stop underestimating us."
"It was also a message
The Uchiha are not incapable of rebellion. We simply choose not to rebel."
"The Uchiha are no longer something you can squeeze at will."
"A Kage-level powerhouse defecting from the village
as long as Sarutobi isn't an idiot, he'd never allow that."
Yagura slowly nodded. But thinking of how Rasa had once treated her as a sacrifice, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Yagura, help me brew a pot of tea," Wen Lan said.
"A lot of people should be coming soon."
"Alright."
She went into the kitchen and quietly prepared the tea.
Wen Lan sat at the table with his eyes closed, fingers lightly tapping the tabletop.
Sure enough, not long after, footsteps sounded outside, accompanied by suppressed breathing.
"Come in. The door's not locked."
His voice wasn't loud
but it carried clearly through the courtyard and into the ears of those outside.
The door opened.
Several people entered.
Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, Inuzuka Tsume, Inuzuka Tsume's husband Inuzuka Tsume(?)
and Hyūga Hiashi, Hyūga Hizashi.
All eyes fell on the teacups on the table.
Yagura poured the hot tea slowly, steam rising as she placed the cups down. She then stood up, about to leave.
"You can sit too," Wen Lan said calmly as he lifted his teacup.
"You're not an outsider."
Yagura hesitated, glanced at Fugaku and the others, then finally sat down beside Wen Lan.
"Kid, you were too impulsive today," Inuzuka Tsume frowned.
"You were lucky the Hokage compromised. Otherwise, your rogue ninja status would've been sealed."
Wen Lan looked at him in mild surprise.
He'd expected Minato or Fugaku to speak first, not Inuzuka Tsume.
He was also surprised that the Hyūga clan had come personally.
"Heh." Wen Lan chuckled softly and set down his teacup.
"The war just ended. Every major village is heavily damaged.
But Kumogakure only lost the Third Raikage."
"If Sarutobi lets a Kage-level ninja defect at a time like this, do you think Kumogakure would miss the chance to attack Konoha?"
He looked around at everyone.
"And how badly the Uchiha have been suppressed
don't tell me none of you know."
"Everything I did today was for the sake of the clans."
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