Chapter 93: Maintaining the Reputation of the Reincarnation Game

That is the God of Shinobi!

The Shodai Hokage, the founder of Konohagakure, who together with Madara Uchiha ended the chaotic era; to the ninja of Konoha, he is an existence worthy of absolute reverence.

To think he was used for human experimentation... if this were to get out, Konoha would immediately become a laughingstock.

If even the Shodai Hokage is sliced up, who would still believe in the Will of Fire?

"Slander, this is naked slander! You evil Uchiha brat, I will just..."

Danzou's eyes widened; even with his deep cunning, he was particularly flustered at this moment.

Reaching out, he gripped a Kunai that shimmered with a sharp, cold glint.

He had intended to destroy that Metal Box with lightning speed, but was intercepted by several figures.

Body Flicker Technique.

The Hyuga Clan Head, veins bulging at the corners of his eyes, assumed the starting stance of the Gentle Fist, yet he did not block the Kunai.

Because in front of him stood the Aburame Clan Head, wearing black sunglasses and carrying a giant jar; his arm extended, and dense swarms of destruction bugs crawled along his splayed fingers, firmly enveloping the Kunai.

"Lord Danzou, since it is slander, we must certainly investigate the matter clearly; this item cannot be destroyed."

Aburame Shibi, who was covered by a hooded trench coat and had always been unwilling to get involved in the complex relationships between ninja clans and the Hokage, spoke up.

All the ninja watched this scene in astonishment.

Usually, even if the Hokage and the ninja clans broke their heads fighting over power and jurisdiction, the Aburame Clan was never seen taking action or picking a side.

Compared to complex interpersonal relationships, the Aburame Clan preferred to cultivate those strange bugs, leading everyone to subconsciously overlook this ninja clan.

But in fact,

The foundation and strength of the Aburame Clan could rank among the top in all of Konoha; although they lacked particularly powerful individuals, their secret bug-manipulation techniques gave most Aburame clansmen formidable combat power.

Danzou's expression was as gloomy as water as he asked, "Aburame Clan Head, do you understand what you are doing?"

Aburame Shibi replied in a flat tone, "Of course I understand; doing this is all to protect Konoha."

Words that sounded familiar.

Danzou had no reaction at all, feeling only the anger of being stabbed.

But Aburame Shibi remembered it very clearly; these were the words Danzou said when he forcibly took Torune away back then.

Originally, it should have been his son Shino who was taken; Torune agreed to Danzou's demands to protect Shino, and afterwards, Aburame Shibi repeatedly petitioned the Hokage, but it was of no use.

In the past, Aburame Shibi, having seen the relationship between the Hokage and Danzou, knew clearly that Danzou could not have taken Torune so unscrupulously on his own; behind him stood the Hokage, a giant Buddha that was fundamentally impossible to shake.

But now, with the butcher's knife already in hand, if he were to continue to remain silent, he might as well be eaten alive by the bugs inside his own body.

Even if it meant risking the Hokage settling scores later, he had to make Shimura Danzou receive the punishment he deserved.

"Hiashi, even you..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a heavy heart, his gaze filled with disappointment.

He understood that the crimes Danzou committed were unforgivable, but couldn't they wait until the Chunin exams were over and the ninja from other villages had left?

As Hokage, he would certainly give them an explanation when the time came.

Yet they had to do it at a time like this... without considering the village at all!

Especially the Hyuga Clan Head,

Who back then was willing to endure humiliation for Konoha and sacrifice his own brother Hyuga Hizashi, yet now stood vaguely in opposition to him, the Hokage.

He was not shielding Danzou, but protecting Konoha.

Under the pressure of the ninja clans,

Hiruzen Sarutobi's thick chakra aura wavered; his complexion, though aged, had been vigorous, but now it suddenly seemed as if his spirit and energy had drained away in an instant.

Continue to protect Danzou, or compromise?

If it were the young Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Ninja Hero who possessed Five Elements Release Ninjutsu with nature transformation pushed to the limit, the Enma summoning beast, vast chakra, had trained three renowned Shadow-level disciples, and led Konoha to victory in two Shinobi World Wars...

Even facing all the ninja clans before him, he could have made a firm decision and used his personal will to put an end to this farce.

But now,

Hiruzen Sarutobi had to admit his own senility; although his gradually stooped body could still barely maintain combat power, the spirit he had in his youth had long been worn away by time.

Tsunade had left without cause,

Jiraiya had quietly left the village, claiming he was going to search for the Child of Prophecy,

Orochimaru had defected after performing human experiments,

His eldest son had died in battle, and his younger son Asuma had become estranged and was going in the opposite direction,

If Shimura Danzou, who managed the Root and bore the dark side for the Hokage, were to fall as well, the prestige of his Hokage position would hit rock bottom.

After thinking it over, Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth and said, "Although the Root organization has always been managed by Danzou, all of his affairs have been monitored by the Anbu, and I have not discovered any reports related to human experimentation, so Danzou's suspicion can be ruled out."

After careful consideration, he still decided to protect Danzou.

Sasuke suddenly spoke up: "Lord Hokage, are you aware of everything the Root does?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Sasuke and affirmed, "As Hokage, I am aware of everything, which is why I dare to believe that Danzou would not commit..."

His voice came to an abrupt halt.

A glass bottle appeared in everyone's sight, inside which floated an eyeball that was nearly rotting.

A bewitching red pupil, with deep, pitch-black Tomoe.

Sharingan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart skipped a beat; his gaze fell back onto Sasuke's face, as if he saw a hint of a triumphant smile.

He felt something was wrong, but before he could move, Sasuke's figure suddenly vanished from where he stood.

The next instant,

Draining all the Blue Potential in his body, he erupted with a final burst of Black Flame, slashing toward Danzou at extreme speed.

Danzou pulled out a Kunai, blocked the descending blade unhurriedly, and sneered, "You want to attack me in front of everyone?"

Sasuke's mouth curled up.

Danzou frowned, and the kunai collided with the blade, emitting a crisp sound.

The Black Flame that had been attached to the blade suddenly extinguished, and then surged toward his right arm.

The sleeve was burned to ashes, and the bandages burst open.

"Lightning Style: Eight Thunder Gods!"

Fresh blood gushed from his eye sockets and slid down his cheeks.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly, condensing into a brand-new pattern; the eight-petaled design extending from the pupils stretched outward like sharp blades, devoid of the mysterious, bewitching quality of a typical Mangekyo, and instead filled with a murderous aura.

A buzzing, humming sound of thunder suddenly erupted, and the black-red lightning struck the sealing apparatus, causing the heavy device to shatter instantly.

With the explosion of the sealing apparatus, the right arm containing the aura of Wood Release chakra, along with a hideous eyeball that made one's scalp tingle, were exposed to everyone's sight.

Sasuke forced himself to stand up and said loudly, "Lord Hokage, since you are aware of everything, I would like to ask: was the order for Danzou to collude with the rogue ninja Itachi Uchiha to massacre the Uchiha Clan issued by you?"

The atmosphere suddenly plummeted to freezing point.

Everyone stared in shock at Danzou's right arm, and no one spoke.

Even seeing that Sasuke Uchiha had Awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan was not as eye-catching to them as Danzou's right arm.

Regarding the Uchiha Clan extermination incident, even if the ninja clans had guessed some things, they could all pretend not to know.

But evidence must absolutely not be exposed in the open; once exposed, it would be equivalent to tearing through that veil of decency. If the ninja clans continued to play dumb in the public eye, it would mean admitting defeat and yielding.

By then, Danzou's dark hands would dare to snatch their Kekkei Genkai just as he had eliminated the Uchiha.

This was the bottom line!

This time, the matter had truly blown up... and it left the Third Hokage, who had just spoken, roasted on a fire.

You said you were aware of all Root affairs, so how do you explain the Uchiha extermination, and how do you explain the Sharingan on Danzou's arm?

That halo surrounding the Hokage,

was torn to shreds by this orphan, Sasuke Uchiha, using the tactics of a rabbit fighting an eagle!

What to do?

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank to the bottom; he had not expected such a turn of events. Looking around, he still refused to give up and said, "Clan Heads, there is currently no conclusive evidence. Perhaps the Sharingan is a product Danzou redeemed from the Samsara Game? We cannot jump to conclusions."

"My clan has players with Three-Tomoe Sharingan; the price is exorbitant. Ten of them embedded in an arm? Kakashi Hatake couldn't even handle the chakra of one Sharingan; to maintain chakra balance, one needs the Uchiha Bloodline... Is the salary of a Hokage Advisor that high?"

Hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi's excuse, Danzou hurriedly climbed up the pole, saying, "I am also the Clan Head of the Shimura clan; is that not enough?"

"Not enough!"

"Advisor Danzou, we need an explanation!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was tied to the same boat as Danzou. Now, it was not just about helping Danzou, but also saving his own prestige. He spoke up, "Perhaps the Sharingan redeemed from the Reincarnation Space is an Inferior Version, capable of being controlled without the Uchiha Bloodline..."

"Apologies, Mr. Hokage, I need to interrupt you."

A voice suddenly rang out.

Without any warning, Fang Yi suddenly appeared in the Death Forest. He was still wearing his usual noble robes, and his somewhat overly young face wore a gentle smile as he said, "Items produced by the Samsara Game are absolutely authentic, without any falsehoods, and their effects are not discounted. Although I have no intention of disturbing Konoha's family affairs, the reputation of the Samsara Game cannot be smeared."

He held an iron chain in his hand, and a cute-looking jackal followed behind him.

He looked at the pattern in Sasuke's eyes with some surprise and laughed, "A Mangekyo different from fate. It seems Mr. 【Revenge Eagle】 has found a brand-new path through the Samsara Game."

The game nickname was suddenly mentioned,

and even Sasuke, who was filled with the obsession of revenge, felt a sense of inexplicable shame, which kept him from responding.

"Game Merchant, Fang Yi?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes. Out of ninja instinct, he quickly sized up this person who had suddenly appeared and was outside his control.

This was his first time seeing this mysterious man who had set off a gaming craze in the ninja world.

The brief glimpse he had earlier through the Telescope Technique was not very clear.

But after seeing him with his own eyes now, he still gained nothing.

Even those who mastered special Sage Art energy or the legendary summoning beasts of the three Holy Lands would have faint energy fluctuations radiating from them.

Even for ninjas who had become players, Hiruzen Sarutobi had observed them carefully, and they likewise had various peculiar energy fluctuations.

Yet the game merchant before him seemed like a completely ordinary person, without the slightest bit of power.

But this thought lasted only for an instant.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was not stupid; he would absolutely not treat the other party as an ordinary noble because of this.

The other party had the confidence to appear directly, so he must possess the strength to protect himself, no weaker than Danzou or himself.

"That's right, it's me."

Fang Yi nodded in acknowledgment, released the rope in his hand, and said, "Beyond maintaining the reputation of the Samsara Game, I came here because I was just attacked by a Konoha ninja."

"The attacker consumed a secret drug that overdraws life force, and at the final moment, he was willing to hand over everything to reach a deal with me."

The cute-looking jackal scurried toward Danzou Shimura.

Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed a look of astonishment and asked in confusion, "A Konoha ninja tried to assassinate you?"

He suspected the game merchant was looking for trouble; he had clearly already instructed all active-duty ninjas to be strict...

Suddenly,

he quickly turned his head to look at Danzou Shimura, whose complexion was ugly to the extreme.

(End of chapter)