Even though the Third Hokage spoke with deep sincerity, Uchiha Yusuke had no intention of giving him a face.
Was Danzō the only one who played dirty during the war?
Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't clean either.
Yusuke shook his head.
"Hokage-sama, the truth has already been confirmed."
"The assassins came from Danzō's Root."
"Those two Root shinobi are still in my custody, and there are plenty of eyewitnesses."
Before his words even fully landed, Hyūga Hiashi stepped forward at once.
"Hokage-sama, I can testify."
"What Yusuke just said is all true."
Back when the village leadership tried to sacrifice Hyūga Hizashi, Hiashi had already developed deep resentment toward Danzō.
Now that a rare opportunity had fallen into his hands, he was obviously going to add fuel to the fire.
After Hiashi spoke, Nara Shikaku also stepped forward on behalf of the Ino–Shika–Chō.
"Hokage-sama, we can testify as well."
Uchiha Shisui's expression was conflicted.
He didn't want to corner the Third Hokage—
But he also wanted justice for Yusuke.
After struggling for a long while, Shisui finally spoke in a restrained, careful tone.
"Hokage-sama… those two assassins should indeed be Root shinobi."
With Danzō now the target of everyone's arrows, Hiruzen still remained calm—his face unreadable.
He took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice:
"I understand what happened."
"After I send people to investigate and gather evidence, I will handle it impartially."
Everyone had already spoken with absolute certainty—yet the Third Hokage still refused to punish Danzō on the spot.
"Investigate and gather evidence" was nothing more than a delaying tactic.
Once he soothed everyone's emotions, he could "handle it lightly" behind the scenes.
Root was controlled by Danzō, and Danzō was also Hiruzen's personally appointed Hokage Advisor.
Yusuke's Police Force had no authority to arrest Danzō.
Only the Hokage's direct ANBU could "handle" it.
And if it was the Third Hokage enforcing the law—
Who seriously expected Danzō to be punished?
Realizing that, Yusuke's lips curled into a cold smile.
Trying to protect Danzō?
Then don't blame me for turning the blade toward you, Hokage-sama.
He cleared his throat and said calmly:
"Let's set the assassination aside for now."
"What about Konoha refusing to send me reinforcements?"
"Third Hokage-sama—were you planning to watch the frontline soldiers die with your own eyes?"
Yusuke's gaze sharpened like a hawk's, locking directly onto Hiruzen.
Under those cold, star-like eyes, Hiruzen felt his body stiffen with discomfort.
He sighed and tried to defend himself.
"Yusuke, don't be angry."
"Konoha didn't send reinforcements in time because neighboring countries were showing signs of movement."
Yusuke let out a soft laugh from his throat.
"Neighboring movement? Heh…"
"As far as I know, the other three great villages were only waiting to see who would win."
"They had no intention of invading Konoha at all."
"Hokage-sama… you're not seriously trying to brush me off with such a cheap excuse, are you?"
Hiruzen forced a dry smile.
"Of course not."
"At the time, we truly received intelligence."
"Root's reports can prove it."
Yusuke almost rolled his eyes.
Intelligence?
That kind of thing can be written however you want.
He asked blandly:
"The Uchiha also have our own intelligence sources."
"So why did we receive nothing about 'neighboring movement'?"
Hiruzen's face turned awkward.
Whether the neighbors moved or not could be checked immediately.
It wasn't a secret at all.
That so-called "intelligence" came from Danzō.
Even Hiruzen himself didn't believe it—not even the punctuation marks.
As for why reinforcements weren't sent…
It was obviously to use the war to erase Yusuke.
But that truth could never be spoken out loud.
So Hiruzen continued smoothing things over.
"Oh?"
"Is that so?"
"Then we'll have ANBU investigate the intelligence source as well."
Yusuke lifted his head—his Mangekyō Sharingan revealed—voice turning cold.
"No need to investigate."
"The assassins came from Root."
"And the false reports submitted to the Hokage also came from Root."
"Root has acted with malicious intent again and again, and the one responsible is Danzō."
"I request Hokage-sama issue an order to punish Danzō and give everyone justice."
"Otherwise…"
"I will have no choice but to handle it personally."
His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, killing intent spilling from his eyes.
"Yusuke—calm down."
"I will handle this impartially."
Hiruzen tried to salvage the situation, but Yusuke refused to buy it.
"Hokage-sama, I am calm."
"If not for your sake…"
"Would Danzō have walked away unharmed earlier when he demanded the Eight-Tails jinchūriki from me?"
At this point, Hiruzen understood—this was no longer something he could defuse.
He couldn't help but curse Danzō inwardly.
Why did you have to come provoke Yusuke?
Wasn't the trouble you caused me already big enough?
Assassination and withholding reinforcements—
Neither could be explained away easily.
Hiruzen sighed silently.
Since things had come this far, he could only make Danzō sacrifice something to soothe Yusuke's rage.
He turned, glaring at Danzō, and snapped:
"Do you know about what Root has done?"
"Root has caused repeated incidents."
"As its controller, your negligence is unacceptable!"
After being scolded, Danzō stood there expressionless.
Hiruzen sounded like he was condemning him—
But in reality, he still didn't attach any truly serious crime.
By this logic, Danzō's biggest sin was merely "poor supervision."
Hearing how gently Hiruzen framed it, Danzō felt a smug satisfaction rise in his chest.
So what if Yusuke flips the table?
In the end, he still can't touch me.
Hiruzen is Hokage—and I, Danzō, am Konoha's second emperor.
But before Danzō could celebrate, Hiruzen's next words shattered his fantasy.
"After careful consideration…"
"I have decided to remove Danzō from all positions."
"Root will be dissolved effective immediately."
The moment those words fell, Danzō froze.
You just said it was "poor supervision"!
How could the punishment be this heavy?!
Yusuke understood Hiruzen's real intent instantly:
A light charge with a heavy punishment.
It appeased Yusuke—
While still leaving room to "reactivate" Danzō later.
In politics, Hiruzen's mind games were truly veteran-level.
But ideals were one thing.
Reality was another.
Once Danzō stepped down, Yusuke would never give him the chance to rise again.
"No!"
"This decision is unacceptable!"
Danzō snapped back to his senses and shouted in protest.
But Hiruzen—already decided—refused to allow any argument.
"This matter is decided."
"Only by dissolving Root can we give everyone an explanation."
Hiruzen cut him off, and Danzō could only swallow the anger.
Most of Root's members were Danzō's die-hard loyalists.
Even the Hokage couldn't truly command them.
Hiruzen could order Root dissolved—
But as long as he closed one eye and looked away, Danzō could still remain the shadow ruler in the dark.
Yusuke understood that perfectly.
After the Uchiha massacre in the original history, Hiruzen also "suppressed" Danzō:
Removed him as advisor, ordered Root disbanded—
Yet Root's people still moved in the shadows, continuing to serve him.
After "punishing" Danzō, the Third Hokage looked warmly at Yusuke.
"Are you satisfied with this outcome, Yusuke?"
Yusuke withdrew his hand from his sword and nodded calmly.
He never expected the Third Hokage to smash Danzō to death in one strike.
Just stripping Danzō of his positions was already enough.
Before, Danzō held the official identity of Hokage Advisor—outside the Police Force's jurisdiction.
Now?
On paper, Danzō was just an ordinary jōnin.
If Yusuke wanted to squeeze him, it would be effortless.
With Danzō's habit of collecting blame, Yusuke could dig up countless crimes with a casual investigation.
If Yusuke truly wished it—
He could make Danzō die with nowhere to be buried.
But taking over Konoha required patience.
He couldn't rush it.
After all, the Third Hokage still held too many pieces on the board.
Konoha's major departments totaled seven.
Administration, ANBU, Medical, and Education were still in the hands of the Hokage and the two advisors.
Yusuke only held the Police Force.
Intelligence was jointly controlled by clans led by the Yamanaka.
And Root, until now, answered only to Danzō.
Before Yusuke rose, the village leadership controlled five of the seven departments alone.
No wonder, in the original timeline, the Uchiha were doomed.
Trying to stage a coup with only the Police Force?
The Uchiha foundation was simply too thin.
If Yusuke wanted to climb, he had to change that.
Now that Danzō's office was gone, Root would sooner or later become meat under his blade.
After destroying Root, Yusuke planned to rebuild his own power base.
If he became Hokage Advisor himself, he could officially take over everything that once belonged to Danzō.
Danzō could create Root—
Then why couldn't he, as Advisor, establish a new department?
On top of that, he could also try to pull the Intelligence Division toward him.
With a great clan like the Hyūga supporting him…
Yusuke had every chance to build a foundation rivaling Hiruzen's.
Power. Reputation. Structure.
Three-in-one.
Uchiha Yusuke would become the undisputed candidate for the next Hokage.
Even if Tsunade returned, she might not be able to compete.
And besides—Tsunade was deeply disappointed in Konoha's leadership.
She had no desire to become Hokage at all.
"Hokage is garbage."
"Only an idiot would want to be one."
According to Tsunade's logic…
Yusuke was exactly that idiot.
Wouldn't lying flat be better?
Why bother being Hokage at all?
Yusuke would've liked to lie flat too.
But the original plot didn't allow it.
He had no interest in dying on the Night of the Massacre—killed by "a certain masked man" or "Uchiha Itachi the Filial Son."
The destruction of the Uchiha clan was something he could not accept.
After exchanging a few shallow pleasantries with the Third Hokage, Yusuke returned home to rest.
The next day.
Yusuke went out early to attend the collective funeral for the war dead.
Before Konoha's Memorial Stone, he personally engraved the names of his fallen clansmen according to the list.
Their deaths were connected to him, one way or another.
But he didn't regret it.
If he wanted to change the Uchiha's fate, some sacrifices were unavoidable.
If you refuse to bleed now—
You may bleed far more later.
This war hadn't devastated the Uchiha, but they still lost nearly a quarter of those deployed.
Other clans suffered even worse—around a third.
Not every clan had shinobi quality comparable to the Uchiha.
Three thousand went out; a little over two thousand returned.
That was already an unprecedented victory.
Kumogakure, on the other hand—
In the first decisive battle alone, they lost nearly two thousand.
In the second, they lost over a thousand more.
Total casualties exceeded three thousand.
They lost more than Konoha even deployed.
The Fourth Raikage had taken a brutal hit from Yusuke.
News of Kumo's defeat had spread across the shinobi world, and many forces were beginning to stir.
After this, Kumo likely wouldn't recover for a long time.
If they could even maintain self-preservation, it would be considered good.
After the funeral, Yusuke returned to a quiet routine.
Training.
Or eating next door.
Kumo still hadn't sent anyone to negotiate for Killer B's ransom.
And the Third Hokage also hadn't mentioned "rewarding merits" for Yusuke yet.
Yusuke didn't care.
He already had fame in his hands.
How could power be far behind?
But just as Yusuke tried to enjoy a little peace—
Some people refused to let him rest.
Only days after the funeral, Hyūga Hiashi personally brought his eldest daughter, Hyūga Hinata, to Yusuke—asking him to teach her.
When Fugaku heard that, he shamelessly followed suit and brought his younger son, Sasuke, to Yusuke as well.
Sasuke—named after the Third Hokage's father—showed just how much Fugaku expected from the boy.
Hinata and Sasuke were only four years old, but as heirs of great clans, they were Konoha's rising seedlings.
Now both had become Yusuke's students.
His status and influence naturally soared again.
When Hiruzen received the news, of course he wasn't happy.
Yusuke already had monstrous war merit—
And now he had built a tight connection to the Hyūga clan as well.
If this continued…
Konoha really would "change its sky."
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