Chapter 423 - 108

Chapter 108: All in VainUchiha Itachi looked toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, the implication clear: he wanted him to intervene and spare Sasuke's life.However, Hiruzen Sarutobi disappointed him once again. He turned his head away, and to avoid Uchiha Itachi's imploring gaze, he even deliberately closed his eyes.As Danzo spoke, he tightened his grip, and the face of "Sasuke" turned a ghastly shade of blue from lack of air. Uchiha Itachi struggled desperately to rise and stop him, but alas, his injuries were too severe; despite his utmost effort, he could not do so."Hahaha." Seeing Uchiha Itachi in this state, Danzolaughed even more wildly. Suddenly, his expression went blank, and he used his hand to snap the neck of "Sasuke" directly.Yet Danzo remained extremely cautious. Only after confirming that there were no signs of life did he release his grip and drop the body to the ground."Sasuke!" Uchiha Itachi let out a hoarse, desperate cry, as if in a final burst of energy. Overcome with grief, blood began to trickle from his seven orifices.Uchiha Itachi struggled to drag his body, inching closer to the "Sasuke" lying on the ground. Finally, Uchiha Itachi grabbed the hand of "Sasuke" and, with a surge of strength, pulled him into his arms.At this moment, Danzo raised his head, looking toward the sky with his only exposed eye. It was as if he had laid down some heavy burden in his heart, and he muttered to himself: "Nidaime(2nd)-sama, I, Danzo, have spent half a lifetime of effort, and have finally rooted out the Uchiha Clan.""From now on, this restless clan is completely erased from Konoha. There will be no more factors of instability within the Village. If you could see this scene, you would surely be gratified!""From here on, I will use my own methods to make the Village stronger and stronger. I promise you, Konoha will definitely continue to be the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages!"Danzo indulged in his own delusions for a moment longer, then lowered his head. He sneered at Uchiha Itachi, who was still holding Sasuke in agony, and said to his subordinates behind him: "Give them a quick end! I have seen enough of his tears. Hmph, watching them for too long is truly nauseating!"As soon as Danzo finished speaking, a Root member stepped out from behind him. He drew the long sword at his waist and charged toward the two brothers before him.Everyone closed their eyes or turned their heads away, all believing that the two were doomed to die today.But just then, a change occurred on the scene. "Wh-what? How is this possible?" The voice of the Root member reached everyone's ears, drawing their attention.When those present looked, the "Sasuke" who should have been dead turned into a puff of smoke with a 'poof'—it was actually a Shadow Clone.Meanwhile, the bodies of Orochimaru and Sasori lying on the ground began to distort, disappearing into thin air before everyone's eyes, and UchihaItachi, who had been heavily injured, stood up.He was completely unscathed, even the Sharinganthat had been gouged out was restored; there was no trace of injury left. He flashed a wicked smile at Danzo, and then his entire body turned into several crows and vanished on the spot."Was it a genjutsu?" "It must be the work of the Sharingan! Otherwise, how could it have deceived everyone here?" "As expected of Itachi, who was known as a genius even within the Uchiha Clan." "But what about Sasuke's clone?"...The Ninjas present began to murmur in discussion. Danzo's expression was uncertain, and a wave of killing intent radiated from him, giving off a "keep away" vibe.It must be said that he could not accept the fact that today's events ended in such a way. So many people present had seen his dark side.Although they did not know the specific details, his image had undoubtedly undergone a huge change in their minds.After all, using a person's younger brother to force the older brother to commit suicide was not a glorious thing. Furthermore, he had not kept his promise in the end and had tried to kill them all in front of everyone, which would certainly pose an obstacle to his goal of becoming Hokage in the future.But what made Danzo most furious was that despite paying so much, he still hadn't killed the two brothers. If he had succeeded this time, everything would have been worth it.But now? He had certainly offended Uchiha Itachithoroughly. From now on, he might even betray intelligence about Konoha to enemy nations. The only way to prevent this from happening now was to take better care of his younger brother.Danzo now believed that Uchiha Itachi had likely returned this time to test whether he would keep his promise. Clearly, he had been tricked.At the same time, his desire and fear regarding Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan deepened. Such a large-scale genjutsu had actually deceived everyone, even his own Sharingan had not seen through it.But there was still one problem he couldn't figure out: Sasuke had been inspected by him. He had been afraid of this very situation, so he had been extremely careful and cautious at the time.Danzo had checked with his own Sharingan and had also probed his Chakra; everything indicated that it was indeed Sasuke himself, but why did it turn out to be a Shadow Clone in the end?Who was playing tricks? Uchiha Itachi? Besides him, Danzo really couldn't think of anyone else. Could it be that his Sharingan had gained new abilities?But now, these things were no longer important. The urgent matter was how to handle the current situation. Among the Ninjas present, there were many clever individuals. If they combined the events that had unfolded and analyzed them carefully, it would be easy for them to deduce the truth about the Uchiha Clan massacre back then.But he couldn't kill everyone present. Now, all he could do was take action regarding Sasuke.Danzo dissipated the fierce look on his face and the killing intent on his body. He slowly looked around, then put on a helpless expression and said: "I know everyone has many questions in their hearts. I will find a chance to explain today's events to you later.""But now I need to ask you for one favor. I hope you can give me some face, and that is: do not mention anything that happened here today to Sasuke.""I, Danzo, thank you all here." Saying this, Danzobent his waist and bowed deeply to everyone.