Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

"You yourself?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression of confusion deepened.

He claimed to understand Kakashi well; Kakashi was about the same age as his youngest son, but far surpassed him in talent and ability. However, Kakashi suffered a deep psychological trauma from his father's suicide at a young age, and later, his companions and teachers also perished. He shut himself off emotionally, numbing his soul with countless missions…

Kakashi in this way lacks his own opinions; his actions are all based on tasks and orders!

"I've come for revenge! For my...father!!!"

Kakashi said, enunciating each word clearly.

"revenge?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyebrows gradually furrowed.

"Kakashi, I don't know who you heard this from, but I can tell you that Sakumo's suicide is the last thing I wanted to see. His death is an irreparable loss to the village."

"But you didn't punish Shimura Danzo for this, did you, Third Hokage?"

Kakashi's gaze passed over Sarutobi Asuma and landed on Sarutobi Hiruzen standing in the cage. His scarlet and black eyes flashed with a sharp light like swords. "I don't know if you ever truly regretted my father's suicide, but I know for sure that in the past ten years you have never thought of giving my father justice."

"Also, I saw the signature on the action report hidden in Shimura Danzo's private archives. I think you, Third Hokage, should have asked him to destroy that thing, but unfortunately, it seems that Shimura Danzo used it as a weapon to attack you, so it was preserved."

Kakashi raised his small katana and assumed a fighting stance.

"Danzo..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was somewhat unpleasant, but he remained relatively calm.

"Kakashi, what you see may not be the truth. Since you know Danzo's wolfish ambitions, how do you know that so-called operation report wasn't forged?"

"Don't treat me like a fool who can be easily fooled, okay?"

In a deep roar,

A flash of lightning appeared,

Kakashi appeared in mid-air outside the cell, raising his katana high above him and slashing down with lightning-infused blade.

Clang!!!

The blade was stopped by a section of iron railing.

Wind Release chakra, spinning at high speed like a chainsaw, adhered to that section of railing. Relying on the wind release's advantage over lightning release, it successfully blocked Kakashi's slash. However, judging from the cold sweat on Sarutobi Asuma's forehead, it was clear that he was taking a risk.

after all,

He didn't have his usual chakra blade with him, so in his haste, he had to cut off a section of the cell's iron bars to use as a temporary weapon. He wasn't entirely sure if it could withstand Kakashi's attack.

Fortunately, he managed to block it in the end and wasn't cut in two by Kakashi.

"Sarutobi Asuma".

Kakashi leaped backward, staring at the peer who was blocking his way.

They were classmates, but Kakashi graduated from the Ninja Academy at the age of five and became a Jonin at the age of six. His relationship with his classmates was... well, it would be too deep to describe it as bland. It would be more appropriate to describe them as strangers who knew each other's names and had met each other.

"Do you want to protect your father?"

"Kakashi! Do you know what you're doing? Assassinating the former Hokage, are you planning to betray the village?" Sarutobi Asuma gripped the iron railing, his forehead covered in cold sweat, scolding Kakashi for his actions, but a sense of unease crept into his heart.

No need for a three-hundred-round battle,

But that hasty collision just now,

That was enough for Sarutobi Asuma to realize that Kakashi truly deserved to be the most renowned genius among all of them in their generation!

That stab just now,

Fast, steady, accurate, and ruthless.

Even though Wind Release counters Lightning Release, to be honest, Sarutobi Asuma wasn't sure how many attacks he could actually block.

"Just like you're protecting your father, I'm just trying to get justice for my father. Also, don't try to intimidate me with those empty words about betraying the village, it's disgusting!" As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi, his killing intent boiling, swung his sword and attacked again, immediately engaging Sarutobi Asuma in a fierce battle.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood motionless in the cell.

His gaze didn't linger on Kakashi for long, because he sensed another killing intent. The intense killing intent was even more exaggerated than Kakashi's. It might not be as strong as Kakashi's, but this second guy hiding in the shadows who was coming at him was definitely a ruthless killer!

Although Asuma is no match for Kakashi, judging from Asuma's current abilities, it shouldn't be difficult for him to hold off Kakashi for a while.

Taking advantage of this time,

He needs to get rid of that hidden problem.

but,

This enemy hiding in the shadows is clearly a master, at least in terms of stealth and concealment! Even though they could sense the sharp, piercing killing intent, they couldn't pinpoint its exact location.

Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer hesitated.

He was not looking forward to the outcome of waiting to die.

Whether it's Kakashi or any other nobody, they won't be able to take his life so easily.

[Ninja Technique·Monster Power]

He only gathered the small amount of chakra he could muster, yet he unleashed a shockwave powerful enough to shatter walls, easily destroying the wrist restraints used to suppress chakra. To be honest, such things are only effective against ordinary ninjas. A strongman like Hiruzen Sarutobi is not someone who can be suppressed by such mass-produced restraints with rudimentary sealing techniques.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could escape from prison at any time if he wanted to.

The question is, what good will it do once you get out?

Given the current situation in Konoha, even if he left this secret prison, he wouldn't be able to turn things around. It would be better for him to stay here for the time being and think about whether there was any way to break the deadlock. However, he didn't expect that someone would come to kill him so soon, giving him no time to figure out a way to break the deadlock.

"Let me see! Who exactly wants to kill me? Uchiha? Hyuga? Aburame? Or... Torifu?"

With the restraints on his wrists removed, his suppressed chakra became active again. Hiruzen Sarutobi formed hand seals at a speed too fast for anyone to see, and shouted, "Barrier: Heavenly Canopy Formation!" A transparent spherical detection barrier, barely visible to the naked eye, expanded outwards from Hiruzen Sarutobi in all directions. All the chakra fluctuations within the barrier could not escape his perception.

That is, less than two seconds.

"Got you!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly looked up at the rock wall diagonally above him.

Hands formed a mudra again.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"

He opened his mouth and spat out flames like rain, but unlike rain, these dozens of flames flew high into the air.

"As expected of Ren Xiong!!!"

A chorus of admiration and praise rang out.

Before the flames crashed into the rock wall, the intruder, who had been hiding nearby, revealed himself. He swung his broadsword with incredible ferocity, shattering the probing flames that were flying towards him. He then stood upside down on the rock wall, looking down at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had pushed down the iron gate of the prison cell and emerged from there.

"The Mist Ninja? The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist... Juzo Biwa?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared in astonishment at Juzo Biwa standing atop the rock wall, his mind reeling. He couldn't comprehend what was going on. A Kirigakure ninja was coming to assassinate a Hokage who had been impeached and removed from office—what was he planning to do?

and also,

This is the heart of Konoha!

How did those damned Mist Ninjas manage to sneak in?

The claim that the Mist Ninja spies infiltrated Konoha was just an excuse. How... how did the Mist Ninja actually manage to infiltrate?

"Loquat Juzo, who sent you to assassinate me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned him sharply.

"This problem... I'll explain it to you properly after I cut off your head." A sinister smile, radiating murderous intent, appeared on Biwa Juzo's face. As he spoke, his hands silently formed hand seals. "Now let's have some fun! Hidden Mist Technique!"

then,

Fog spread through this secret prison located deep underground.

[Chapter 80. A Tacit Understanding (A Belated Happy Dragon Boat Festival!)]

The emaciated corpse lay untouched on the wooden plank bed.

The severed heads were not taken away, but were left in a corner of the room like trash.

Even the two ANBU members buried in the ground outside the cell were still trapped in the illusion. Because the Fifth Acting Hokage and the clan leaders were coming to investigate in person, everything here remained as it was. The guards who arrived early changed their job from investigation to sealing off the scene.

"Earth Release: Heart-Slaying Decapitation Technique?"

Upon seeing the two hidden agents buried outside the cell, Akimichi Torifu immediately recognized what kind of trick they had been tricked by.

"The person is still alive. It seems that this unknown intruder has a clear objective."

Hiashi Hyuga glanced at the two unfortunate ANBU members, his brow furrowing slightly. "But... were they under a genjutsu? It feels a bit like..."

"It's the Sharingan!"

Zongxian then continued what Hyuga Hiashi hadn't finished saying.

His eyelids twitched.

This was an unexpected situation.

Before coming over, they were still guessing the identity of the intruders, wondering who could make Hyuga Hiashi and Aburame Shimi deliberately let them do as they pleased... Could it be that they've gotten themselves into this mess?

Could it be that someone or some members of the clan dared to disobey his orders and planned to personally end the lives of Shimura Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen, but Hyuga Hiashi and Aburame Shiki believed it was his doing? So they covered for him?

He stepped forward, squatted down, and reached out to pry open the eyelids of the two ANBU members.

I checked it carefully.

"This feeling... it's definitely the Sharingan, but it feels a bit strange!" Zongxian was puzzled. The intruders did use the Sharingan to release genjutsu to subdue the two ANBU members, but the job was done too crudely.

The person who made the move seemed to be one of the junior or middle-ranking ninjas in the clan who had only recently started practicing genjutsu.

They haven't yet grasped the essence of the Uchiha clan's genjutsu.

He simply used his powerful pupils to brutally drag the target into the illusion.

"untie!"

Zongxian forms a hand seal with one hand.

The illusion cast on the two ANBU was broken.

Instead of racking your brains to figure out the intruder's identity, it's faster to break the illusion and directly question the two ANBU members.