I, Uchiha Yu, am solely focused on cultivating immortality

Chapter 10 Your Regret, My Shadow

"They actually murdered Root ninjas in Konoha and then blew their bodies to ashes, letting the entire village's ninjas and civilians see it!"

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!" Danzo Shimura roared in fury, "It must have been done by those evil Uchiha!"

"It could only have been them. How dare they kill Root ninjas! This is treason!"

"Hiruzen, as Hokage, you must make a decision immediately, mobilize the entire village's strength, and annihilate the damned Uchiha!"

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, is 47 years old this year. The ninjutsu expert, who has just passed his prime, is still strong and unmoved by his best friend's roar, quietly exhaling clouds and mist like a mountain.

Mitokado Homura lightly adjusted his glasses and said coldly, "Danzo, do you have any evidence to prove that it was the Uchiha clan who did it?"

The roar abruptly stopped.

Danzo Shimura gave his classmate a sinister look and questioned, "Besides the Uchiha, who else would do something so outrageous?"

"This is not evidence, and it's impossible to convince the Konoha ninja."

"You've already been punched in the head, what more evidence do you need?!"

"You need evidence, otherwise no one will believe you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his pipe around and tapped it lightly twice in the ashtray to stop the two from arguing.

At this time, the Third Hokage was not only powerful, but also at the peak of his prestige. He only needed to make a simple gesture to stop his classmates from arguing.

He looked at the indignant Danzo and said softly, "Danzo, the Uchiha clan is extremely powerful. Are you confident you can eliminate them?"

Danzo Shimura took a deep breath: "Konoha has 30,000 ninja and 300 Jonin. If we mobilize them, we can wipe out the mere Uchiha..."

"I'm asking you, can you do it yourself, with your roots intact?"

Danzo stared wide-eyed at the Third Hokage, speechless.

What kind of bullshit question is this?

The Uchiha clan were the founders of Konoha Village and now have over a thousand ninjas, including thirty-seven Jonin. Half of these Jonin are elite Jonin who have awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.

The roots are nothing compared to this behemoth.

If Shimura Danzo had the ability to lead the Root to wipe out the Uchiha clan, he would have done it long ago. Why would he be here arguing with the Third Hokage?

Moreover, if he could single-handedly wipe out the Uchiha clan, Danzo secretly glanced at the Third Hokage and thought: If I had that much power, I would dare to dethrone Hiruzen Sarutobi, sit on the Hokage's throne myself, and realize my lifelong dream.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do it. Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's piercing gaze, Danzo Shimura said resentfully, "I can't do it!"

"Then you need to provide evidence that the Konoha ninjas are not your Root ninjas. To mobilize them to attack the Uchiha, you must have sufficiently convincing evidence."

"If it's not fabricated evidence you made up, then it's useless."

"Hmph! I know!"

Koharu Utatane looked up, her slightly harsh but still pretty face serious. She said to Danzo without any politeness, "Watch your attitude, Danzo. You need to show Hiruzen enough respect; he's the Hokage!"

"Shut up, you useless woman!"

"You bastard! Do you want to die?"

"Danzo, your attitude is getting worse and worse. Apologize to Koharu!"

"Enough, all of you, shut up!"

As soon as the Third Hokage spoke, the office fell silent.

Before they turned fifty, the F4 of Konoha were all powerful Kage-level ninjas, each with their own pride. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu hadn't become useless either, and Danzo was only slightly outstanding, but no one could suppress him.

Only Hiruzen Sarutobi was clearly superior to the other three, and his authority was incomparable to what it was twenty years later.

He lit his pipe again, took a deep drag, and calmly asked, "Danzo, is it true that you can't produce any evidence?"

Faced with the stares of his three old classmates, Shimura Danzo finally shook his head.

Indeed, there was no evidence. The guy who killed the Root ninja did it too thoroughly, blowing all the corpses to smithereens and scattering them almost evenly throughout the entire Hidden Leaf Village, leaving no trace.

"There's no evidence, but if I had to give a clue, it would be this: the enemy isn't using chakra or gunpowder; it's probably using natural energy."

Danzo's words shocked the three of them, and Koharu Utatane exclaimed in surprise, "The First Hokage's Sage Mode?!"

Danzo corrected, "It's not Sage Mode. The First Hokage's Sage Mode uses a special kind of chakra. I had the Hyuga clan check it, and they couldn't see any trace of chakra."

"Without traces of gunpowder or chakra, it can still unleash such powerful energy; it can only be natural energy."

The Third Hokage glanced at Danzo out of the corner of his eye, but what he was thinking was: This method of analysis must have come up with by Nara Shikaku... Shikaku's judgment is very accurate; it must be natural energy.

He said, "That makes a lot of sense. I'll have Jiraiya confirm that."

Mitokado Homura asked, "Hiruzen, you are the professor of ninjutsu, and you have the deepest understanding of the ninja world and ninjutsu. Do you know who in the ninja world can wield such power?"

The Third Hokage shook his head and said, "Of all the major forces in the ninja world that I know of, none of them use purely natural energy."

"The First Hokage's notes and Jiraiya's records of practicing Sage Mode both prove that natural energy is an extremely dangerous force; even contact with it can turn people into stone or wood."

"But!" The Third Hokage said with a sharp look in his eyes and burning anger, "This matter must be investigated thoroughly. Whoever dared to openly demonstrate against us in Konoha Village must pay the price."

Danzo Shimura was overjoyed: "Good! This is the kind of decisiveness a Hokage should have! Hiruzen, leave this matter to me. I will definitely find someone to do it."

All three saw gloating on Danzo's face and immediately knew that this guy was trying to frame the Uchiha clan again.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu couldn't help but shake their heads, and the Third Hokage also sighed inwardly, realizing that such helpers could sometimes really be a hindrance.

The Third Hokage thought about it and decided that he couldn't let Danzo run wild.

It's important to understand that war has already begun. Sunagakure is clashing with Iwagakure, Kumogakure is provoking Konoha, and Kirigakure is provoking both Konoha and Kumogakure simultaneously.

Although the scale of the war is not large, the five great ninja villages have now amassed heavy troops on the border, and it could escalate into a real ninja war at any time.

At this time, it is absolutely crucial to avoid creating sharp conflicts within the village, especially to prevent damaging relations with powerful clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga. The future war will require their contributions and even their deaths.

"Danzo, the evidence you find absolutely cannot point to the Uchiha clan, nor can it be from any other clan. It must be from enemies outside the village, understand?"

Danzo Shimura's good mood vanished instantly, followed by a furious outburst: "Why? This is a provocation that the entire village cannot tolerate. If solid evidence can be obtained, no one will forgive the Uchiha."

"Only guilty Uchiha clan members need to atone for their crimes through meritorious service; enslaved criminals are the best military force!"

"Danzo!" Hiruzen Sarutobi, enraged by Danzo's arrogant words, roared, his beard bristling, "Don't think everyone else is a fool!"

Mitokado Homura nodded: "Hiruzen is right. No one will believe it unless the evidence is found immediately."

Koharu Utatane agreed, saying, "We can't act recklessly like this; the impact of the Hatake Sakumo incident hasn't subsided yet."

Danzo, however, disagreed: "He's been dead for over two years, what impact could he possibly have?"

The Third Hokage lost patience with persuading Danzo, because he was beyond persuasion, and the other two classmates had also expressed their support. So he made the final decision: "It's decided then, let's carry it out!"

Danzo was momentarily speechless, his face gradually turning red and swollen. After a long while, he finally managed to utter his "famous quote":

"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"

"I am the Hokage, Danzo."

(End of this chapter)