Chapter 84: The Lone Wolf Among Huskies! Eliminating Three-Tenths of Konoha

“I…” Danzō froze instantly.

He suddenly realized: times had changed.

In the past, even if he impersonated the Hokage’s name, sent Root ninja posing as Anbu to take villagers away, and got caught, all he’d face was a private scolding from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But publicly, Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi would vaguely cover for him.

Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi was no longer Hokage.

The one sitting in the Hokage’s seat was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth.

Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi still hadn’t transferred authority over the Hokage’s Zhishu Anbu to Minato Namikaze, Minato wasn’t entirely powerless within the Anbu.

For one, Minato’s student, Kakashi Hatake, had recently joined the Anbu—and even become a team captain.

Perhaps Minato still couldn’t directly control the Anbu, but he was no longer blind to its operations.

Especially this time, the sealing techniques he’d targeted originally belonged to Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.

Realizing all this, Danzō gritted his teeth and said: “Sarutobi, listen to me—I admit, impersonating the Hokage’s name was my mistake, but I had no choice. Itachi all saw it—this Uchiha Luofu is evil. He rejects the village, denigrates the Will of Fire. He doesn’t deserve to be a Konoha ninja. He doesn’t even deserve to be called an evil Uchiha. I recognized his evil nature and, to prevent him from destroying the village, I risked using the Hokage’s name to lure him to Root. For the village, I even sacrificed my elite ninja—and lost my own arm to him. This man must not live. As long as he lives, he’s a grave threat to the village. No matter the cost, he must die!”

Danzō’s long speech left Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Fugaku, and others staring at each other in silence.

Especially Uchiha Fugaku—though he often pulled strange stunts, Danzō’s words about “not even deserving to be called an evil Uchiha” struck him hard.

“Enough.” Hiruzen Sarutobi sharply glanced at Minato Namikaze beside him, then snapped at Danzō: “No matter your reason, as an Elder, impersonating the Hokage’s name without permission is a crime.”

He paused slightly, then turned to Uchiha Luofu: “As for Luofu, though your actions had cause, killing village ninja is an unforgivable offense. I—”

“Wait.” Luofu cut him off directly: “Third Hokage, if I heard correctly, Itachi’re saying that as a victim tricked here, my self-defense—killing those who deceived me and tried to kill me—is my crime? Then tell me, Third Hokage: does that mean when we ninja are deceived or harmed by so-called Elders on completely baseless charges, even our right to defend ourselves is a crime?”

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face darkened instantly.

His usual tactic of blaming both sides was just an attempt to smooth things over and quickly quell the fallout from Danzō’s reckless act.

He hadn’t expected Luofu to give him, a retired Third Hokage, not even an ounce of face.

“Smooth things over?” Luofu shrugged, still smiling: “Third Hokage, when Itachi say ‘smooth things over,’ do Itachi mean even if I’ve correctly identified your thoughts, I’m not allowed to say them?”

His face turned pitch black. Hiruzen roared: “No matter the reason, your killing of village ninja is an undeniable fact.”

“Elder Sarutobi.” Uchiha Fugaku made a rare correct choice: “If the person Danzō lured to Root under the Hokage’s name wasn’t Luofu, but a weak ninja—would he deserve to be deceived? To die?”

“What do Itachi mean, Fugaku?” Hiruzen glared at Uchiha Fugaku.

Nearby, many ninja who’d come with Minato Namikaze—some from noble families—were silently cursing inwardly.

While civilian ninja might not fully grasp the Uchiha-village conflict, those from noble families—or even civilians who’d risen to Jōnin—could sense it clearly.

Now, the direct confrontation between Uchiha Fugaku and Hiruzen Sarutobi threatened to drag the conflict into the open.

“Third Hokage, Elder Fugaku, please calm down. Our goal now is to resolve this situation—not create bigger problems!” Minato Namikaze frowned.

This situation had spiraled beyond control partly because of Minato’s own role.

In fact, he was the one who’d brought Hiruzen Sarutobi, the noble family heads, and Uchiha Fugaku here.

But this wasn’t a conspiracy.

Luofu had possessed the Uzumaki sealing scrolls for days, yet never once visited Minato’s home.

Minato himself was a genius, yet even he had relied on Kushina Uzumaki’s patient teaching to master sealing techniques.

Naturally, Minato assumed Luofu was too embarrassed to face them.

Just as Root impersonated the Hokage’s Zhishu Anbu to take Luofu away, Minato happened to arrive to visit him.

Not knowing what was happening, Minato had no idea these ninja were Root—not the Hokage’s Zhishu Anbu.

So when Minato found Hiruzen Sarutobi, he happened upon him with the noble family heads, including Uchiha Fugaku.

Someone had dared to impersonate Anbu ninja—unthinkable.

The instant Minato spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew: only his old friend could have done this.

Privately, Hiruzen could easily deceive Minato.

But now, the heads of noble families—including the aggrieved Uchiha Fugaku—were all present.

Impersonating the Hokage’s Zhishu Anbu had crossed every single person’s line.

Some things can be done—but never spoken of, never brought into the open.

Now that everything was exposed.

Even Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to follow the collective interest.

“What’s there to resolve?” Danzō, weakened by blood loss from his severed arm, grew even more grotesque, shouting hysterically: “He killed Root ninja, disdains the Will of Fire, shows zero loyalty to the village. This evil creature—should we let him live to cause greater destruction?”

“Enough, Danzō!” Hiruzen knew exactly how deep Danzō’s prejudice against the Uchiha ran.

He knew Danzō couldn’t be allowed to speak further—if things spiraled beyond repair, disaster would follow.

Though the ninja world seemed peaceful now, the Third Shinobi World War still lingered in its aftermath.

Minor clashes still erupted along border regions.

If Danzō were allowed to act recklessly now, and Konoha descended into chaos, the ninja villages still unaligned with Konoha would seize this opportunity without hesitation.

For the village’s sake, this conflict must be suppressed.

Hiruzen glared darkly at Danzō, then turned to Luofu, took a deep breath, and said: “Uchiha Luofu, I will not hold Itachi accountable for being deceived. But Itachi killed so many Root ninja and severely wounded an Elder—”

“Wait.” Luofu interrupted again: “What do Itachi mean by ‘not holding me accountable for being deceived’? Please explain.”

At this moment, Hiruzen felt like he’d swallowed a turd—sticky, lodged in his throat, too nauseating to spit out.

Yet in this moment, he felt not a shred of goodwill toward Luofu—he grew even more convinced of the Second Hokage’s old judgment.

The Uchiha were truly an evil clan.

“I misspoke.” Hiruzen’s face darkened as he changed his words: “I believe this incident was merely a misunderstanding. The village is in a time of turmoil. For the village’s sake, I hope we end this today.”

Hiruzen knew: at this point, no matter the cause, further pursuit was impossible. He’d realized—as Danzō said—that Luofu was no true ninja. He had none of the ninja’s spirit.

The Will of Fire meant nothing to him.

Such a man, if provoked, could turn rogue at any moment.

On Luofu, Hiruzen sensed an evil stronger than even Uchiha Madara’s in his prime.

In truth, what Hiruzen called “evil” was simply someone who refused to obey ninja conventions.

What were ninja conventions? Obedience to the elite. Further still: the idea that ninja are tools—but not tools like Konoha’s F4.

“No, Sarutobi! Itachi can’t let this monster live! If Itachi don’t kill him now, Itachi’ll regret it!” Danzō nearly jumped out of his skin.

He’d suffered a massive loss—not just many Root ninja, but elite Jōnin he’d personally trained.

Every Jōnin was a pillar of the village—not like genin, who just learned the Three Techniques and were thrown onto the battlefield with a kunai.

Even Danzō was heartbroken over losing even a few Jōnin.

“I said enough.” Hiruzen was truly furious.

On one side: Luofu, a selfish, evil Uchiha who ignored ninja rules and cared nothing for the village. On the other: his old friend Danzō, who didn’t understand him.

Caught in between, Hiruzen was torn and agonized.

“Sarutobi, Itachi can’t keep letting this man go. If he grows stronger, it’ll be even harder to stop him.”

Luofu sneered: “If Elder Danzō finds it hard, then don’t bother. The village is already like this. Let’s all die together. I’m confident I can easily kill over thirty percent of those here—including Elder Danzō. Such losses won’t be hidden from other villages. War will return. Konoha will fall. We’ll all go to the Pure Land and ask the First Hokage for judgment. What do Itachi think?”

Instantly, the entire Root base fell silent—so quiet a pin could be heard.

Luofu’s proposal was utterly insane—he was threatening to destroy Konoha itself!

“Are Itachi mad?” Hiruzen was genuinely startled.

He believed Luofu—Luofu had entered the trap he’d set, faced a squad of Kirigakure ninja alone, killed four of the Seven Swordsmen, and seized four swords.

If he truly went berserk, killing thirty percent of those present would be an understatement.

Such losses would reignite the war. Even the Sand, Mist, Cloud, and Stone Villages—those already at peace with Konoha—would spare no cost to crush Konoha.

After all, exploiting weakness is the only way to maximize gain.

Any sane village would spare no effort to destroy Konoha in the shortest time possible.

Minato Namikaze was also stunned by Luofu’s threat: “Luofu, trust us. Trust the village. Calm down!”

The other noble family ninja were utterly shaken—they’d never imagined the Uchiha could be this extreme.

Yet those who remembered the Warring States era—like the Ino-Shika-Chō, Inuzuka, and Hyūga clans—recalled their ancestors’ warnings: how insane the Uchiha had been back then.

The Uchiha of the Warring States era were nothing like the tamed Uchiha of today.

Consider the Uchiha’s ultimate illusion technique: Izanagi—each use consumed at least a three-tomoe Sharingan. That alone reveals how insane they once were.

Izanagi and Izanami weren’t created to fight enemies—they were invented to target fellow Uchiha.

Even against their own kin, these madmen chose mutual destruction.

How much more so against Konoha?

The Uchiha’s madness was in their bones. That’s precisely why the Second Hokage, Hashirama Senju, deemed them inherently evil.

“Luofu, the village and the Fourth Hokage will give Itachi justice. Don’t act rashly!” Uchiha Fugaku’s heart nearly stopped.

He didn’t doubt Luofu’s ability to carry out such a threat.

As another Mangekyō Sharingan user, Fugaku knew the pain and trauma required to awaken such eyes.

Under such torment, twisted personality was inevitable.

Especially since Fugaku believed he knew Luofu’s true trump card—not the sword technique called Starfang, but the Mangekyō Sharingan once possessed by Uchiha Madara.

If Luofu truly sacrificed his eyesight to go all-out, even Fugaku himself couldn’t stop a fellow Uchiha’s rampage.

As everyone was paralyzed by Luofu’s madness.

Even Danzō began to regret.

Who could have imagined that the Uchiha, nearly tamed, would produce a monster like Luofu?

Though some Uchiha still carried traces of Warring States madness, none had Luofu’s power.

This madman cared for nothing—neither village, nor Will of Fire, nor clan.

Even upon careful reflection, Shikamaru Danzō was horrified to realize that within the village, Luo Fu had not a single close friend.

During his time at the Ninja Academy, he had indeed been close to Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, and had nearly sabotaged their plans by pursuing a relationship with Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

But after Luo Fu was forcibly graduated through underhanded means and sent to the battlefield of the Second Shinobi War, he changed completely.

Now, he had no ties whatsoever within the village—such a person was terrifying.

His face twisted with shifting expressions; Danzō knew he could only admit fault now and do everything possible to prevent Luo Fu from becoming even more extreme.

After all, he was not like Luo Fu. Luo Fu cared for nothing, but Danzō still aspired to become Hokage. If the village were destroyed because of this madman, would he truly have to journey to the Pure Land to appeal to the First Hokage?

Suppressing his intense resentment and displeasure, Danzō forced himself to speak: “Old man… what I did today was indeed inappropriate. I apologize to Itachi. I beg Itachi to prioritize the village, for Konoha can no longer withstand the entire shinobi world’s assault.”

Luo Fu gave a cold smile, and a sensation of unprecedented exhilaration surged through his soul.

Luo Fu understood clearly: this feeling of unshackled self was born from the fury of his past-life memories being manipulated, and the humiliation of awakening those memories yet lacking the strength to act.

He was unlike Naruto Uzumaki or Sasuke Uchiha in the future.

Though Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha both appeared solitary, Naruto’s entire life was rooted in the village—how easily could he abandon everything and start anew in a foreign land?

His inner bonds and attachment to his homeland created in Naruto an almost incomprehensible devotion to Konoha.

Though Sasuke Uchiha held little goodwill toward Konoha, the bond between him and Naruto—stretching back a thousand years to the love and hatred between Indra and Asura—became the very reason Sasuke could never bring himself to strike Konoha with full cruelty.

Precisely because of this complex attitude toward Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha wandered outside the village after the Fourth Shinobi War, rarely returning to the place where he had grown up.

But Luo Fu was unlike anyone else. He was an outsider—no bonds formed in the Ninja Academy, and he had never been touched by the Will of Fire.

After stepping onto the battlefield, his former team members either died or never formed any bonds with him.

Such a lone wolf, whose mindset was entirely that of a mad Uchiha from the Warring States era, could only be stopped—before he destroyed the village—by absolute force and assassination. There was no other way to make him compromise.

And yet, this man, Luo Fu, possessed no bloodline limit tied to the Sharingan; he had already earned renown across the shinobi world through his swordsmanship alone, rivaling that of the White Fang of Konoha.

To the village, Uchiha Luo Fu was like a solitary porcupine—no, not even that. He was more like a lone wolf that had wandered into a pack of Huskies.

When there was no conflict, all remained peaceful; but the moment something stirred him, he would instantly bare his fangs without hesitation.

The title “Starlight Fang” had, from the very beginning, precisely captured both Luo Fu’s power and his nature.

“White Fang of Konoha”—Konoha comes first, White Fang second; this was the power meant to protect Konoha.

“Starlight Fang”—power comes first, ferocity second; this was the complete madman who cared for nothing and followed only his own will.

Danzō’s compromise was entirely within Luo Fu’s expectations.

At this moment, Luo Fu’s seemingly insane behavior was not because he had lost his mind or no longer cared for his own life.

Quite the opposite: Luo Fu dared to threaten the entire village and everyone in it because he knew well that the barefoot fear nothing from the shod. More importantly, Kushina Uzumaki was about to give birth.

The Nine-Tails’ rampage would further weaken Konoha’s already fragile state, leaving it unable to respond for a long time—no matter how brazen Luo Fu became, Konoha could only endure.

This would be a very long period—indeed, until Konoha recovered its strength, and even until Hiruzen Sarutobi and others manipulated Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, those two traitorous Sharingan users, Luo Fu need only remain cautious and need not fear that Hiruzen Sarutobi had the courage to fight him to the death.

The facts proved Luo Fu right.

When he revealed his overwhelming power and his reckless, uncaring nature, these people had no choice but to compromise.

And this compromise ensured that, from now on, they would never again have an opportunity to deal with Luo Fu.

For Luo Fu’s power would rise without end. What now seemed like a strength that troubled the entire village was merely his starting point.

“Elder Danzō, I still prefer the way Itachi were just now—arrogant and domineering. Why not return to that?” Luo Fu teased with a smile.

But no one dared to respond to Luo Fu’s joke. Even Uchiha Fugaku, who had previously believed he had Luo Fu under control, now suddenly awoke to the truth: the real nature of Uchiha Luo Fu—long buried in the family’s archives, as if from a distant past—had finally surfaced.

As Luo Fu’s gaze swept over them, whether they were members of the Sarutobi, Namikaze, Ino-Shika-Chō, Inuzuka, or other clans, or even those who had climbed to the rank of Jonin through their own efforts, all instinctively felt the urge to avert their eyes.

(End of Chapter)