Chapter 183 : Hiruzen, now I am the Hokage!
The tavern was silent, save for the heavy breathing of the crowd.
It wasn't until Uchiha Yuzuru and the "Short, Stout Merchant" had completely disappeared into the alley that someone finally muttered.
"They... just walked away so brazenly?"
"This is Konoha! How dare Uchiha Yuzuru, that Rogue Ninja, be so arrogant?"
"Just thinking about that smug, self-satisfied look on that fat winter melon's face makes me want to choke."
"He killed an ANBU Squad Leader and didn't even run, walking openly on the streets! Does Uchiha Yuzuru think this is his own backyard?!"
The people inside the tavern started shouting one after another.
They had originally been reminiscing about the Uchiha Clan, but Uchiha Yuzuru had treated them like they were invisible from start to finish.
That aside, why did he go to save a merchant?
For the sake of a burden with a family, a completely ordinary villager from the Land of Lightning, he was actually willing to risk his life to take action in Konoha.
You are the leader of the Uchiha Clan, a powerful figure in Hidden Cloud Village who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Third Raikage!
Is this something you should be doing?
Someone like you should be sitting comfortably in the rear, enjoying life and indulging yourself!
Thinking about the treatment they had received in Konoha, the jealousy in their hearts burned even brighter.
They could endure the darkness, but they could not tolerate others enjoying the light right in front of them.
As the saying goes, those bastards from the Land of Lightning stole their lives!
The remaining ANBU Ninja also snapped back to reality; they exchanged glances and vanished from the spot.
One person was tasked with going to the Hokage Building for reinforcements, while the others quietly followed the direction Uchiha Yuzuru had taken.
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"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!"
Inside the Hokage Office, Shimura Danzo, sitting at his desk, tore the letter in his hand to shreds, his chest heaving violently.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and asked, puzzled, "Danzo, what has made you so angry?"
Shimura Danzo said coldly, "Yakushi Nonou and Kabuto Yakushi betrayed me. They defected to Hidden Cloud Village together."
"They also said that if I dare to touch the Orphanage, they will expose all the intelligence they know."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but smile slightly: "Your Root organization can actually betray your will?"
"I thought they were all tools without emotion."
"But they should have the Tongue Restriction Curse Seal, shouldn't they?"
"With the Uchiha Clan present in Hidden Cloud Village, if they want to reveal information, there will always be a way," Shimura Danzo said, rubbing his head.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen "cut him down" in front of everyone back then, his current identity could not be exposed.
If the news leaked, he wouldn't be able to continue ruling Konoha under the guise of "Kage."
But being threatened by two subordinates he had always controlled, he couldn't swallow this humiliation.
"Enough. You haven't improved at all over the years."
"Just let the Orphanage matter take its course."
Shimura Danzo looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and said gravely, "Stop with the sarcasm. Two Ninja died in the Shimura Clan compound this morning. What are your thoughts?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a few puffs of his pipe, then frowned and shook his head.
"You are acting too arbitrarily. It's possible those Ninja Clans are deliberately retaliating."
"You should know best how many Ninja your Root organization has forcibly taken from those Ninja Clans over the years."
"Danzo, the Village is not managed like that."
"Blindly relying on strong suppression is ill-advised. The best way is to combine kindness and severity."
"Enough," Shimura Danzo interrupted the garrulous Sarutobi Hiruzen. "Hiruzen, I am the Hokage now."
Sarutobi Hiruzen snorted coldly: "Danzo, you will regret this."
Bang!
The office door was pushed open from outside, and a masked Ninja said gravely, "Lord Danzo, Lord Hiruzen, U-U-Uchiha Yuzuru..."
Shimura Danzo was startled and snapped, "Why are you panicking? What kind of trouble is that Uchiha Yuzuru stirring up now?"
The ANBU Ninja shook his head, his voice laced with fear: "He, he, he came to Konoha!"
What?!
Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up in shock simultaneously: "Explain yourself clearly."
The ANBU Ninja then recounted everything that had just happened inside the tavern.
Shimura Danzo stared intently at the Anbu and said gravely, "Are you sure that person was really Uchiha Yuzuru?"
"Absolutely certain. Everyone present at the time can testify for me!"
Just then, a bright red signal flare exploded in the sky.
Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen exchanged a look and immediately headed outside.
Uchiha Yuzuru had always been a major concern for them, but they had no way to deal with the powerful Hidden Cloud Village.
Now that the opponent had voluntarily appeared in Konoha Village, they certainly couldn't miss this opportunity.
They were going to make sure Uchiha Yuzuru came but never returned!
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"Lord, we've been discovered. We're going to drag you down with us."
Inside an ordinary residential building, the "Short, Stout Merchant" hugged his wife and children, looking at Uchiha Yuzuru with some guilt.
If it weren't for him, Uchiha Yuzuru likely wouldn't have been discovered.
Now Konoha Ninja must have surrounded the place; no matter how strong Uchiha Yuzuru was, he definitely wouldn't be able to escape while carrying him.
Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzuru didn't say much, only asking, "Is there anything else important you need to take?"
Seeing this, the "Short, Stout Merchant" gritted his teeth: "Nothing else. I only need to take my parents' photo frame."
"Then you should sleep for a while. Leave the rest to me."
After Uchiha Yuzuru finished speaking, he used Genjutsu to make the "Short, Stout Merchant," his wife, and children fall asleep, then tossed them into the Kamui Dimension.
"They've arrived."
Sensing the activity outside, Uchiha Yuzuru's expression remained calm.
He pushed open the room door. Looking out, the hallways and open ground were densely packed with Konoha Ninja.
In the rear, Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen, protected by a crowd, stared intently at Uchiha Yuzuru.
(Referencing the scene in *Kung Fu Hustle* when Sing opens the door to face The Beast and the Axe Gang.)
"Kill him!"
Following Shimura Danzo's command, the Konoha Ninja shouted and charged toward Uchiha Yuzuru.
Uchiha Yuzuru snorted lightly and instantly rushed into the crowd.
His speed was immense, and his strength was great.
In the crowd, he was like a fully loaded Hundred-Ton King truck, crashing violently through everything.
Accompanied by bone fractures, screams, and blood, the charging Konoha Ninja were sent flying one by one at an even faster speed.
In just a moment, there was no one left standing near Uchiha Yuzuru.
"If you're just cannon fodder, don't come up here to die."
Seeing the Ninja surrounding him but refusing to attack, Uchiha Yuzuru casually threw the corpse he was holding onto the ground.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, long time no see."