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"Ah…"
He let out a long, weary sigh. His eyes were heavy with age, with resignation—like a man who had seen too much and accepted too little.
"What can I do? The other side is stronger. The ninja world has always been one where the strong devour the weak. Whoever holds power decides what's right.
An old, powerless man like me… no matter how much I speak, my words are nothing but empty noise."
He paused, then continued, voice thick with solemn gravity.
"If I am cut down in anger today… I only hope you will remember what I have done. Remember everything I gave for Konoha."
Then suddenly, he roared—
"I, Shimura Danzō, have lived my entire life without shame toward Konoha!"
On the surface, his expression was that of a martyr marching toward death—unyielding, resolute, fearless.
At this moment, he looked every bit the hero standing tall against overwhelming oppression.
But deep in his eyes, a flicker of cunning flashed.
He was thrilled.
Even if he died now, he would die as a hero of Konoha. A patriot slain while resisting an enemy. His name would be honored, his deeds sung for generations.
After that declaration, the crowd erupted—not in doubt, but in admiration.
"I knew it! Elder Danzō would never conduct human experiments. He's been slandered!"
"I'm ashamed… I actually questioned his character before…"
"To think he sacrificed so much in secret for Konoha… He's a selfless elder who gave his entire life to the village!"
"Elder Danzō, if you fall today… I swear I'll tell everyone what you've done for Konoha!"
"That's right! We'll make sure your achievements live on forever! No villain will tarnish your name!"
In that instant, Danzō's image soared to dizzying heights.
Never mind that both his arms were broken.Never mind the blood-soaked bandages.Never mind that his face was swollen beyond recognition.
To them, he was radiant.
Their reverence for him was nearly on par with Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.
After all, this was a man who had dedicated his entire life to Konoha.
A hero. A pillar. A legend.
Was he not worthy of admiration?
"Your so-called experimental base has been found," Hiruzen said coldly, eyes fixed on Akira. "And yet nothing matches your accusations. The truth is clear—Danzō has been wronged."
His tone hardened.
"You should honor your word. Release him. Apologize."
"Then our conflict with Konoha ends here."
Akira didn't respond.
He stared at the bodies floating in green solution inside the laboratory tanks. His brows knitted tighter and tighter.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He knew Danzō too well.
That man was a snake in human skin—scheming, ruthless, steeped in filth. During the Nine-Tails incident he hid and watched. He ambushed Shisui Uchiha. He colluded with Hanzo of the Hidden Rain to crush the Akatsuki, pushing Nagato into darkness. He collected Sharingan. Crafted a grotesque arm of stolen eyes. Sat back during Pain's invasion.
Every single incident screamed the same truth:
Danzō was rotten to the core.
There was no way—no way—that creature hadn't conducted human experiments.
And yet… the evidence here was clean.
He could crush Danzō's throat right now.
But that would be exactly what Danzō wanted.
The greatest villain in the ninja world reborn as a saint? Absolutely not.
"You're certain this is the right place?" Akira suddenly turned on Root ninja B, his voice icy.
"Yes. This is the location as ordered," the man replied mechanically, like a puppet on strings.
Akira frowned deeper.
Under the control of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, the man couldn't lie.
This was one of Danzō's bases.
So where were the human test subjects?
Had they been swapped out beforehand?
Impossible.
Akira had acted suddenly. There was no time to relocate anything. Danzō's attempt to secretly send word had been stopped—Akira had torn off one of his arms and killed the Root operative sent to sabotage the site.
There shouldn't have been time for a cover-up.
So what the hell was going on?
"Have you gone quiet?" Hiruzen pressed. "A man of your strength wouldn't break his word, would he?"
Danzō let out a cold snort.
"Hmph. No need to reason with someone like him, Hiruzen. A man without honor is nothing more than a thug."
He met Akira's gaze directly—chin lifted in defiance.
"What? Now that your lies are exposed, are you going to kill me out of embarrassment? Go ahead. I'm not afraid."
"I've already given everything to Konoha. I have no regrets."
"Shut up," Akira said flatly.
Danzō burst into laughter.
"Ha! You're flustered! Failed to frame me, so now you resort to brute force?"
"You're just a brute who relies on strength. Without it, you're nothing!"
Smack!
Akira's hand snapped across Danzō's face.
"Don't push your luck."
Yet Danzō only laughed harder.
"See? This so-called powerhouse is just a barbarian. No evidence—so he hits people in anger!"
Smack! Smack! Smack!
More slaps rained down.
"Come on! Kill me if you dare!" Danzō roared, eyes bloodshot. "Is rage all you're capable of?"
Hiruzen's face darkened.
"This is excessive! Have you no shame as a strong man?!"
Around them, Konoha's shinobi burned with silent fury—but none dared move.
Their gazes toward Akira were full of contempt.
In contrast, their admiration for Danzō only deepened.
Even beaten, even swollen and bloodied—he didn't beg.
That unyielding spirit…
No wonder he led Root. No wonder he was an elder of Konoha.
Akira finally stopped.
Ignoring Hiruzen entirely, he turned to B.
"Are there other experimental bases besides this one?"
"Yes. There are others."
Akira's eyes sharpened.
"Good. Take me there."
If one base had been cleaned up, he refused to believe they all were.
If Danzō had done it—and he had—then somewhere, he'd left footprints.
Even now, face grotesquely swollen, Danzō couldn't resist sneering.
"It's useless. I never did such a thing. You'll waste your time."
"Enough," Hiruzen said. "Chasing baseless accusations only makes you look incompetent. Keep your promise. Release him. Apologize. That would better suit a man of your power."
"It's too early to decide," Akira said coldly. "Until every last one of this dog's bases is uncovered, nothing is certain."
He turned and followed A immediately.
"So arrogant," Hiruzen muttered through clenched teeth—then hurried after them.
Behind him, Konoha's shinobi and members of the Uchiha clan followed.
On the way, one Uchiha ninja quietly asked their clan head,
"Lord Fugaku… do you think that man is just slandering Danzō?"
Fugaku let out a low, humorless laugh, his gaze cold as ice when it landed on Danzō.
"Slander? Hardly."
"That dog dared to transplant our Uchiha Sharingan. And you think he wasn't conducting human experiments?"
"Ugh… Danzo really is despicable! But… just now, in the base, we didn't find any evidence of human experiments, right? All the bodies used were animals!"
A Uchiha ninja frowned in confusion.
"That's only because someone wiped all the traces clean. I'm certain Danzo's rotten self has been conducting human experiments in secret!"
Fugaku said firmly. He looked toward the front, at Akira, and continued:
"This guy doesn't waste effort on pointless work. Just watch—he won't disappoint us."
"Does the clan head actually know him? Could he be some outside help the clan head personally brought in? But… he can use Susano'o, so he must be one of us, right? I just don't remember seeing anyone this strong in our clan before."
The Uchiha ninja let all his questions spill out in one breath.
"Ahem!"
Fugaku cleared his throat and spoke with a serious tone:
"He's actually my secret ace. When the clan faces a crisis, I bring him out… I predicted both Danzo and the Third Hokage weren't acting in good faith, so I put this card into play."
Fugaku's face was stern, his gaze unwavering—utterly convincing.
"Wow! As expected of the clan head… such a brilliant move, bringing such a powerful ally ahead of time!"
Many of the Uchiha's expressions were filled with admiration.
If I told them this guy was my son, they'd probably die of shock… Fugaku thought, smirking inwardly, though the guy was technically a fake.
"But be warned—he's extremely stubborn. Even I, the clan head, can barely control him. Don't go poking him unless you want trouble."
Fugaku added the warning, just in case this imposter Akira didn't respect him—it would give him a legitimate excuse.
"Don't worry, clan head. A guy that terrifying, none of us would dare provoke him."
The Uchiha nodded in agreement. Strength ruled their clan, and anyone as powerful as Akira having a wild streak was perfectly reasonable.
Once they confirmed Akira was the clan's hidden ace, every Uchiha was electrified with excitement.
With such a formidable member, the Uchiha's revival was inevitable. From now on, Konoha would bend to them!
Every Uchiha was buzzing with anticipation.
Soon, the group followed A to another base, still on the outskirts of Konoha, at the far back of the village.
"The entrance is here," A said, pointing to the roots of a massive tree, thick enough for five people to wrap their arms around.
It seemed this root-based base used the towering tree as camouflage. The real base lay beneath it.
Swish!
Without a word, Akira instantly formed a gigantic skeletal arm.
Boom!
The skeletal hand gripped the trunk and ripped the entire tree out by its roots.
Beneath, the hidden root base was fully revealed.
Boom!
Akira tossed the tree aside, dissolving the skeletal arm, his eyes scanning the interior.
His expression darkened.
There were no human test subjects here either—only animals.
"See? I told you! There's nothing! No matter how many bases you search, it's the same. I've never done human experiments. I've never done them!"
Danzo's arrogance flared as he looked at Akira's grim face.
"Hahaha! Getting angry now? Throwing a tantrum because you're powerless? Gonna hit me in the face to shut me up?"
"Come on, hit me! Go ahead! The more you act like a savage, the more it shows how useless you are! Hahaha!"
Danzo laughed triumphantly.
The Konoha shinobi around them shifted from admiration to respect. To provoke an enemy just to expose their incompetence—this kind of fearlessness in life and death was exactly why they respected Danzo.
"Sir, you've destroyed yet another base, causing Konoha enormous losses… yet there's still no evidence of your so-called human experiments. What do you have to say for yourself?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his teeth and demanded.
Akira was silent for a moment, then casually tossed Danzo to the ground.
The Third Hokage exhaled in relief and forced a small smile.
"That's more like it! Keeping your word, following through—this is how a true strongman behaves!"
"Now, if you apologize to Danzo properly, our grievances will be settled."
Hiruzen looked Akira in the eye, serious and unwavering.
"Heh-heh."
Danzo lay on the ground, smirking coldly, expecting Akira to apologize. A simple apology wouldn't hurt him—but seeing such a powerful figure bow, even just a little, was immensely satisfying.
No matter how strong someone is, if they care about pride, they should apologize. Especially when the promise was made before nearly twenty thousand people! Strength without integrity earns contempt, not respect.
"Ha! It's not over yet! You think I'm gonna apologize? Not even close."
Akira sneered and leapt into the root base.
'Still wasting effort? I don't understand what goes on in this savage's mind…'
'Is he stupid? Or just deliberately looking for trouble?'
Hiruzen frowned, watching Akira search through the base.
"Quick! Medical ninjas! Treat Elder Danzo immediately!"
Noticing Danzo's injuries, Hiruzen issued orders without hesitation.
Even if they didn't know Akira's plans, letting go of Danzo allowed them to tend to his wounds.
Inside the root base, Akira examined the containers holding animal corpses.
One was a fully grown wild boar, massive, held effortlessly in one hand.
He studied it for a moment, but… nothing stood out.
No matter how he looked at it, Akira, an outsider to this field, couldn't make sense of it.
So…
Bang!
Akira crushed the boar's skull with one hand.
Instantly, blood and brain matter splattered across the floor.
"..."
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