Chapter 7

Hiruzen Sarutobi heard this and drew in a sharp breath.

Damn!

He finally understood why Uchiha Jin had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, why he had so decisively joined the radical faction, and why he carried himself as if locked in a life-or-death feud with the Hidden Leaf’s high command.

“So that’s how it is!”

Mizukado En Yan nodded slightly, then frowned in confusion: “But that doesn’t make sense—if his parents were captured, shouldn’t he have gone straight to the Hokage?”

“Even if he didn’t go to the Hokage, shouldn’t he have asked Fugaku, the clan head, for help?”

Tōnami Koharu looked equally puzzled.

Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head: “I wouldn’t be surprised by any decision the Uchiha make. Talking about this now is pointless. I have no objection to Danzō’s plan—but I won’t give Itachi any support.”

“Uchiha Jin is no easy target. Danzō, plan carefully before Itachi act!”

If it were any other Uchiha, he might have hesitated—but Uchiha Jin was entirely different.

He could never be swayed!

Danzō showed no surprise and immediately laid out his terms: “I need several teams of Anbu assigned to me, and each clan must provide a contingent of personnel.”

“Absolutely not. Don’t even think about it,” Hiruzen Sarutobi replied at once, shaking his head. “Go place a contract with the Exchange Gold.”

“Koharu, allocate a sum of funds to Danzō. Choose the ambush site outside the village if possible—no matter what, don’t give him an excuse to start a war.”

He knew full well Danzō wanted cannon fodder.

But if he let the major ninja clans serve as cannon fodder, his tenure as Hokage would be over.

His own people? Even less acceptable!

His prestige had already declined after the Third Shinobi War; after Minato Namikaze sacrificed himself during the Nine-Tails Attack, it dropped another notch.

Add to that his tolerance of Danzō, his role in forcing Kakashi Hatake’s father to suicide, and especially his mistreatment of Naruto Uzumaki—the Fourth’s son—and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s reputation had become abysmal. He clung to his position only because he still held some favor among the common folk.

If his own forces suffered heavy losses, he wasn’t sure he could still control the Hidden Leaf, let alone face provocations from the other four ninja villages.

And yet—

Facing Hiruzen Sarutobi’s refusal, Danzō simply shook his head: “Relying solely on mercenary ninja from the Exchange Gold and a few traitors won’t even force Uchiha Jin to activate his Mangekyo. How can Itachi expect to drain his Mangekyo power?”

“If Itachi won’t even grant this minimal support, then I’m calling off this operation!”

Danzō wasn’t foolish.

On the contrary, his survival instincts were the strongest in the Hidden Leaf.

Had he not faced Obito Uchiha, he likely would’ve survived well into the Boruto era. Though he’d targeted the Uchiha countless times, he always picked on the weak—and even then, he always positioned himself in the safest spot.

Had the Uchiha in the original timeline shown even a shred of backbone, and had Itachi not been that traitorous bastard aiding them, Danzō would never have succeeded in wiping them out!

Even now, the Uchiha may seem cowed—but they remain the foremost noble clan.

A dead camel is still bigger than a horse.

This time is no different.

He could feel Uchiha Jin’s resolve and madness. He could plot against him—but to send his own Root members to die without any reinforcements?

Not a chance!

Though eliminating the Uchiha was vital to him, building up his own strength to seize the Hokage position mattered even more.

He was willing to take the blame for Hiruzen Sarutobi—only so he could accumulate power—but he would never sacrifice his own strength for it. Otherwise, how would he ever compete for the Hokage seat?

After all, the one most threatened by Uchiha Jin’s rise was Hiruzen Sarutobi.

So…

If Itachi won’t agree? Fine, forget it!

Hiruzen Sarutobi: “...”

He stared, dumbfounded.

His mind went blank; his gaze at Danzō was full of bewilderment.

This guy—Danzō—wasn’t going to take the blame for him anymore?

“Don’t look at me like that, and don’t treat me like an idiot!”

“We’re all allies here, so no point in pretending. I know exactly what kind of reputation I have in the Hidden Leaf.”

“If Root is wiped out, even if we kill Uchiha Jin, when Itachi step down, the ninja clans will never let me live!”

“Hiruzen, take your time to think it over.”

With that,

Danzō turned and left the Hokage’s office without hesitation.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Danzō’s retreating back and felt a sharp, pounding headache. This was a problem—Danzō refused to take the blame.

So what now?

He instinctively glanced at Koharu and En Yan —but said nothing, only sighed helplessly.

Those two fools? Even less help!

“Hiruzen, what do we do?” Koharu spoke up.

En Yan frowned slightly: “Uchiha Jin is a problem. We must eliminate him quickly!”

In response to their words, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a long sigh.

Of course.

These two fools could only raise problems—they had zero ability to solve them.

So in the end—

After a long silence, he reluctantly spoke: “No need to rush. Uchiha Jin has just taken control of the radical faction; his threat to us isn’t yet great.”

“On the contrary, Fugaku should be the one panicking now. Uchiha Jin’s rise directly challenges his authority. I’ll have Shisui truly join Fugaku’s faction, and we’ll secretly aid Fugaku further...”

“Let the Uchiha tear themselves apart!”

“This is a perfect opportunity. After this, spread the word: given Fugaku’s loyalty to the Hidden Leaf, he’s unlikely to have been involved in the Nine-Tails Attack. Subtly suggest the radical faction might have been behind it.”

“For now—that’s all.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tactics were ruthless.

Since Danzō refused to take the blame, as the righteous Hokage, he couldn’t personally move against Uchiha Jin.

So supporting Fugaku, the clan head, and inciting Uchiha infighting was the best solution.

Though Koharu and En Yan were displeased, they had no choice but to accept.

…

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

After returning to the Uchiha compound, Uchiha Jin was surrounded by numerous radical faction members.

“Don’t worry. It’s settled.”

“Hiruzen Sarutobi has stepped back. The Root and Anbu surrounding our compound have been withdrawn.”

“This proves our radical faction’s plan is sound. Now we proceed step by step as planned.”

Uchiha Jin smiled faintly at their concerns.

Then,

he briefly explained the situation. Those present were filled with excitement—it was the first time since their conflict with the Hidden Leaf that the high command had retreated.

But unfortunately—

Before they could celebrate, the Hidden Leaf high command’s official explanation made everyone’s teeth grind with rage.

Had they sensed Fugaku’s sincerity?

Was the Hidden Leaf willing to restore trust in the Uchiha under Fugaku’s leadership?

Damn it!

The Hidden Leaf’s brazen hypocrisy shattered the radical faction’s composure.

Uchiha Jin’s achievement had been stolen—and Fugaku, that coward, had ridden the wave to victory!