Someone swallowed hard, the sound echoing clearly in the silent conference room.
Hiruzen felt his heart pounding. The sense of suffocation was overwhelming. Danzo's eyes were wide open, his expression contorted and gruesome—he had clearly died with a heavy grudge.
"Danzo? How could this..."
Hiruzen's heart shook violently. He knew Danzo would eventually meet a violent end, but he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
He had just signed the wanted poster, and the next moment, Danzo had been eliminated by Makiya. What incredible efficiency.
Hiruzen turned his gaze toward Makiya. Makiya had been the one pushing for the warrant and even asked if a villager could claim the bounty. It was clear he had been targeting Danzo for a long time, just waiting to earn that money.
No, the money was just a bonus; revenge was the real motive. Makiya had likely been stalking Danzo, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
On second thought, Hiruzen felt a flicker of relief. At least Makiya waited for the official wanted poster before taking action. It showed he was still willing to follow Konoha's rules and hadn't become lawless after gaining power.
A pin could be heard dropping in the conference room. No one dared break the silence, quietly waiting for either the Hokage or Makiya to speak. Danzo's death was like a storm, instantly blowing away the clouds of self-interest that had blinded everyone.
Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen suppressed his chaotic thoughts. He straightened Danzo's head, closed his eyes, and said slowly, "Makiya Uchiha, you... have done well. You have removed a great cancer from Konoha. Don't worry about the bounty; the village will issue it through the financial department."
"Good, I'll be waiting," Makiya nodded flatly. He then pulled out a sealing scroll.
Hiruzen's eyelid twitched, sensing trouble. Sure enough, in the next second, Makiya released a large number of jars and bottles. Various organs were preserved in transparent liquid inside. Though the others weren't medical ninjas and didn't recognize most of them, one thing was unmistakably familiar.
"Sharingan?"
"How... how are there so many Sharingan?"
"There are even three-tomoe ones..."
"Are these from Danzo's body?"
The crowd erupted. However, these were only a portion of the hoard Danzo had accumulated over the years. Some clan heads stole glances at Fugaku Uchiha, their eyes flickering with hidden mockery.
'How do you even call yourself a clan leader? Letting so many of your own people's eyes end up in someone else's hands is a disgrace. If I were you, I'd smash my head against the wall right here in the Hokage's office.'
Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga clan, raised an eyebrow. He sat up straight, feeling refreshed, and leaned back on the sofa, ready to watch the show.
'The Hyuga really are the strongest clan in Konoha. In all these years, not a single... well, besides that one, no Byakugan has ever been lost to the outside. This alone puts us five leagues ahead of the Uchiha.'
Fugaku looked extremely embarrassed. He took a deep breath, thickened his skin, and stood up. Resuming a serious expression, he walked to Makiya's side. "Lord Hokage, the village must give the Uchiha clan an explanation for this!"
Koharu Utatane stood up and said sternly, "Danzo is dead. The culprit has been brought to justice. What more of an explanation do you Uchiha want?"
"A lot," Makiya said, walking toward Koharu with a smile. Despite the grin, Koharu felt a heavy sense of crisis radiating from him, as if she might lose her head in the next second.
"The Uchiha have suffered plenty of grievances over the years. Every clan risks their lives on the battlefield, but there is a gap between ninjas. The Uchiha's contributions and rewards are completely mismatched, and certain people have suppressed us at every turn... You there, old man, stop looking around. I'm talking to you."
Makiya glared at Homura Mitokado. "The foundation left by the First Hokage was immense. Yet, Konoha has developed to the point where it can be forced to the negotiating table by a mere Sand Village. You few are to blame."
"As high-ranking officials, you should either lead Konoha to victory with unmatched power or strategize with peerless wisdom. Which one do you possess? I suspect you're spies sent by other villages, slowly running Konoha into the ground."
The clan heads below remained silent. The "useless" label Makiya used applied to them to some extent as well. However, many civilian ninjas nodded in agreement. Makiya had spoken the words in their hearts: how had the great Konoha fallen this far?
Back then, the First Lord could conquer the world, suppressing every village until they didn't dare move. Now, under the reign of the so-called "Strongest Hokage," the Third Lord, and his leadership team, Konoha's strength has plummeted. We can't even win a war anymore.
It was obvious who was at fault. Makiya was the perfect spokesperson for their frustrations.
"Makiya, you..." Koharu Utatane turned red with rage. She sputtered for a long time but couldn't get another word out.
Makiya turned to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Lord Hokage, the evidence is before you. I expect a satisfactory result within three days."
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent. Makiya glanced indifferently at the crowd, gathered the jars back into the scroll, and walked out of the conference room with a cold snort. Fugaku hesitated for a moment before following him.
In this moment, their statuses seemed to have swapped. Makiya was the real leader, while Fugaku was merely a sub-captain of the Police Force.
The Uchiha Jonin in the crowd were invigorated, as if they had finally vented years of suppressed anger. They followed Makiya out with excitement.
Before leaving, Makiya looked back at the leadership on the podium and dropped one last statement: "I'm letting you solve this problem to give you a chance—to give Konoha a chance. I'm not begging you. I'm doing this out of respect for Konoha, the village where I grew up. If you don't handle it well, I will solve the problem with my own strength."
As his strength reached a certain level, Makiya finally had the confidence to challenge Konoha directly. He was tired of the back-and-forth political games and the trade-offs of interests that adults were so fond of. There were many ways to achieve an objective, but he preferred letting his power do the talking.
If he wasn't satisfied with the result in three days, he would first send away the clansmen he was close to, and then he would start killing. No need for complications.
After the Uchiha left, the conference room fell silent. The clan heads looked at each other, none of them speaking.
As staunch supporters of the Hokage's faction, the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho families signaled their members to split into two groups. One side supported the Hokage and the elders, while the other took the Uchiha's side, and they began to argue.
Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes in pain. Things had reached the point he dreaded most, but a decision had to be made.
After careful consideration and weighing the combat reports from the front lines, Hiruzen made his choice. He publicly announced that he was unfit for the position, took responsibility for the losses and failures of the war, resigned as Hokage, and adjourned the meeting.
The next day, Hiruzen slipped into Koharu Utatane's home and stayed for a long time. No one knew what happened between them. By evening, Koharu's face was flushed red—though whether from anger or something else was unclear.
According to members of the Sarutobi clan, Biwako Sarutobi was furious that night and chased Hiruzen out of the house with a feather duster. On the third day, Hiruzen arrived at Homura Mitokado's house. Homura was prepared with food and wine; after a meal, he voluntarily resigned from his position as Hokage Counselor.
On the third evening, Hiruzen personally arrived at the Uchiha compound with the results. Under the watchful eyes of the clan, he entered Makiya's home. While presenting five hundred million ryo, he promised to cooperate with the new Hokage to improve the treatment of the Uchiha, ensuring they would have a seat among the three Hokage Counselors.
Makiya nodded in approval, though he felt a bit of a pity. 'Why did they give in so easily? I was hoping to show off... I mean, demonstrate my military might.' But it didn't matter. The primary culprit, Danzo Shimura, was dead. While the two fools Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado weren't guilty enough to die, they wouldn't escape punishment entirely. There were many days ahead.
Elsewhere, Fugaku, who was busy trying for another child at home, heard the report that Hiruzen had met with Makiya privately. He felt a bit stifled, sensing his dignity as clan head was being challenged. Makiya was a genius, but so what? He also had a Mangekyo Sharingan; he was just hiding his true strength.
'I need to find a chance to knock this kid down a peg. He's getting way too arrogant,' Fugaku thought silently. A slender hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him back into the clouds of passion.
The Hokage resigned, with Hiruzen acting as a temporary replacement. The retirement of the two counselors caused a massive stir, prompting the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to send an inquiry. However, Danzo's death was kept quiet, passing without a ripple.
Konoha's power structure awaited a reshuffle. Hiruzen promised to allocate high-level positions based on military merit. The various clans sent their members back to the battlefield, with strict instructions to perform well and earn glory for their families.
Fugaku was also full of ambition. This time, Makiya had stolen the spotlight, and his voice in the clan was beginning to overshadow his own. Fugaku decided to head to the front line personally to set an example for his clansmen.
Negotiations between Konoha and the Sand Village restarted. Because of the major internal events, Jiraiya couldn't secure much benefit despite his best efforts. In the end, the Sand Village only had to pay a small amount of reparations, and the two sides restored relations, signing an alliance treaty.
Jiraiya and Chiyo shook hands and made peace, appearing quite happy. But everyone knew a treaty was no better than toilet paper. Once the Sand Village recovered its strength and resources, this so-called ally would be the first to bare its fangs at Konoha.
Minato was racking up achievements on the Land of Hot Water front. Once his retirement was confirmed, Hiruzen began to groom Jiraiya and Minato intensively, sending one secret letter after another to pass on his years of accumulated experience.
The name Shisui of the Body Flicker grew louder on the Mist front, and Itachi Uchiha's performance was also exceptionally outstanding. He was already forming a three-man squad with two other clansmen to complete high-difficulty missions.
Fugaku was quite carefree, seeing his son in and out of the battlefield every day. He even chuckled, saying that Itachi's talent was no less than Makiya's.
One day, Itachi Uchiha was on a mission as usual. Heavy rain fell, and the three of them ran into a cave to take shelter.
Outside the cave, on a large tree, an aloe-like creature slowly emerged from the trunk. Its body merged with the tree fibers as if they were born together.
"Itachi Uchiha... huh? What a fine specimen." The half-black, half-white Zetsu wore a black cloak with red clouds. Letting the rain hit him, his black side stared at Itachi in the cave with gleaming eyes. "He's qualified to be Obito's replacement. I must report this to Lord Madara immediately."
The white side showed a confused expression. "But he doesn't seem to have anyone he cares about particularly. This might be difficult."
"No rush. Time is on our side. Just wait; that person will appear eventually," Black Zetsu laughed sinisterly before his body slowly merged back into the tree and vanished.
Meanwhile, Makiya was organizing Orochimaru's legacy in his base. A pile of photographs caught his attention.
"These are... photos of Kabuto Yakushi. Was Orochimaru keeping an eye on him?" Makiya looked at the photos, lost in thought. Both Kabuto Yakushi and Nono Yakushi were talents. He was just worrying about a lack of staff at the base; this was like a pillow being delivered just as he was getting sleepy. Orochimaru really was a good guy.
The photos were tucked in a folder detailing the movements of Kabuto and Nono. Both were currently near the Land of Earth. Kabuto was an undercover agent in Iwagakure, while Nono was searching for intel in the Land of Grass. It was a perfect time to take a trip and bring both "mother and son" back.
"Yugito, watch the house. I'm going out for a bit," Makiya called out, then flew from the mountaintop on his sword.
Land of Grass, in the mountains behind a certain village. Tsunade, who was investigating information, stared at the woman in front of her. Her body was tense, and Shizune, standing beside her, had already drawn a kunai, fully on guard.
"You... are you a ninja? Why are you following me?" Tsunade asked.
"Lady Tsunade, I am a Konoha ninja and an orphanage director..." the woman said slowly, her eyes flickering with strange emotions. "I am also a spy arranged by Lord Danzo to gather intel. Recently, I discovered that the cursed seal on my body has vanished. I wanted to confirm with you... is Lord Danzo... dead?"
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