Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a soft sigh, attempting to mediate in a calmer tone.
"Danzō, this move is too risky. The Uchiha are, after all, part of the Hidden Leaf Village."
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado both nodded in agreement.
Danzō, however, remained unmoved. He sneered coldly.
"Would you rather watch the Uchiha grow in the shadows until they become a threat beyond our control?"
"The current clan head, Shuoye Uchiha, is not the submissive Fugaku of old."
Just as the argument reached a deadlock—
The door slowly opened.
A formidable wave of chakra rolled into the room.
The air froze.
All eyes lifted.
Shuoye Uchiha stepped inside.
His gaze was deep and piercing, as though nothing could escape his scrutiny.
"Shuoye?! What are you doing here?!"
Danzō's pupils shrank as he blurted out the question.
"Why shouldn't I be here?"
Shuoye chuckled lightly.
Yet the pressure in his tone was unmistakable.
"Danzō-sama, what were you discussing just now? Such an important meeting—yet the Uchiha were not invited?"
The room fell silent.
Hiruzen reacted first.
"Shuoye, it was not our intention to exclude the Uchiha. It's just that—"
Before he could finish—
A scream tore through the corridor outside.
It was shrill.
Desperate.
The sound chilled the blood.
Danzō's face instantly darkened.
He recognized the voice.
A Root operative.
"What happened?!"
Hiruzen and the others rushed outside.
The scene was chaos.
The Root captain was frenzied—
Slaughtering his own subordinates.
Blood stained the ground.
Civilians scattered in terror.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Danzō stormed forward, fury blazing in his eye.
But the captain seemed to have lost all reason.
Ignoring Danzō's shout—
He swung his blade.
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Danzō barely reacted in time.
The strike nearly severed his head.
His heart pounded violently.
What was happening?
Meanwhile—
Shuoye stood at the side, watching calmly.
A faint, mocking smile touched his lips.
"Danzō-sama… it seems Root's loyalty is not quite as absolute as you imagined."
His voice drifted toward Danzō's ear.
At the same time—
He quietly released Kyōka Suigetsu.
After all—
A performance was far more entertaining when timed perfectly.
"What… are you doing?!"
Danzō restrained the captain with brute force, nearly killing him on the spot.
The captain suddenly blinked—
As though waking from a dream.
Joy flooded his face.
"Danzō-sama! I won! I killed that Uchiha brat! I—"
"Won my foot!"
Danzō's face flushed with rage.
He kicked the captain violently.
"Look at what you've done!"
The captain turned his head.
Corpses.
Blood.
His own hands drenched in red.
His expression froze.
"Genjutsu…? Was this genjutsu? Shuoye—did you do this?!"
Hiruzen inhaled deeply.
His gaze toward Shuoye was complicated.
"Of course not!"
Shuoye's voice rose slightly, as though the accusation was absurd.
He turned slowly, scanning the gathered elders.
Finally, his eyes rested on Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Third Hokage-sama, please do not accuse people so casually."
He smiled faintly.
"Does this look like something mere genjutsu could accomplish?"
"Perhaps… there are secrets between the Root captain and Danzō-sama that we are unaware of?"
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
His brows furrowed deeply.
He searched Shuoye's eyes for answers—
But found only calm indifference.
The Root captain, meanwhile, was utterly shattered.
He looked around at the devastation.
He had no memory of doing this.
The horrified stares of his comrades felt like knives.
"No! This is impossible! It was Shuoye! He controlled me!"
He suddenly shrieked hysterically, pointing at Shuoye with trembling fury.
Shuoye's eyes turned cold.
In a flash—
He appeared before the captain.
A single slap sent the man flying.
The captain spun through the air before crashing to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.
"I've said this before."
Shuoye's voice was icy.
"You may eat carelessly. But you cannot speak carelessly."
He stood there—
Like an untouchable deity.
"I, Shuoye Uchiha, conduct my affairs openly and honorably."
"I have no need for such underhanded tricks."
"If you dare slander me again—"
"Do not blame me for what follows."
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