Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Still somewhat groggy, the two ANBU members, under the watchful eyes of numerous important figures, had no choice but to force themselves to concentrate and rack their brains to recall the intelligence gathered during their brief encounter with the intruders. "The intruders' earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a powerful technique used in ANBU), they were dragged directly underground, with no time to resist..."

"It seems there's only one person; we haven't seen a second one."

"...Sharingan, yes, I saw the Sharingan... But it's strange, it seems like there's only one Sharingan?"

"He only has one Sharingan."

The answers from the two secret agents provided new clues.

A Sharingan?

This new clue immediately broadened Zongxian's thinking.

Suddenly it dawned on him that, perhaps because he had a guilty conscience, he felt the problem lay within his own clan, forgetting that Konoha was not only home to the Uchiha clan, but also to an outsider who possessed a Sharingan for some reason.

"Kakashi Hatake?"

Akimichi Torifu remembered the name, "Hatake... is Sakumo's son, this is really a problem for me!"

He felt a bit of a headache.

He wasn't involved in the suicide of Konoha's White Fang back then, but he wasn't blind or deaf, and he had the help of intelligent people from the Nara clan to analyze the situation.

Regarding Sakumo Hatake's suicide, it's no exaggeration to say that an outsider has a clearer view. From his perspective, Danzo's disgusting methods accounted for 60% of the blame for Sakumo's death, while Sarutobi, the Hokage, was responsible for his inaction.

One-tenth remaining—

Nobody expected that White Fang, who struck fear into the hearts of all enemies on the battlefield, would be so fragile. He was attacked by rumors and, without even seeking anyone's advice, chose to end his life in such an extreme way as suicide.

In his opinion, Sakumo Hatake's suicide was a turning point for Konoha, marking its decline from its peak.

Losing such a pillar of strength suddenly put Konoha in a precarious position, like a chain reaction of collapse. Tsunade's hemophobia, which she had developed during the Second Shinobi World War, finally reached its limit, completely crushing the princess of Konoha. The famous Sannin were now missing a piece.

after that,

The Fourth Hokage died young, Orochimaru defected from the village, Jiraiya wandered and never returned, and the new generation of high-ranking officials were almost wiped out. The vast village of Konoha was now being held up by a group of old men in their sixties and seventies. This desolate scene of being battered by wind and rain made Akimichi Torifu sigh from the bottom of his heart more than once.

if,

If only Sakumo Hatake hadn't died back then.

Even though Tsunade's hemophobia was unavoidable, having an expert of Konoha's caliber like Sakumo Hatake during the Third Shinobi World War meant that Konoha wouldn't have had to fight so hard. Despite being the victorious side, they had to take the initiative to concede to Iwa ninja before signing the peace treaty, making it feel like they had lost the war in the end!

This filled him with disappointment towards Sarutobi and Danzo!

"Kakashi Hatake... He does indeed possess a Sharingan, but to be honest, even we Uchiha aren't sure if any Sharingan have been lost. There are quite a few clansmen who died in battle and whose bodies we couldn't retrieve. To make sure we haven't made a mistake, I think it's better to investigate further."

Zongxian was quite certain that the intruder was Kakashi. Although there was another person with a Sharingan, Obito Uchiha, that guy had even successfully manipulated the Nine-Tails, so his genjutsu skills could not possibly be so crude.

Furthermore,

If it were Obito Uchiha, there would be no need to leave any survivors.

Conversely, if it were Kakashi Hatake, then all of this would make perfect sense. Whether it's his crude application of the Sharingan or his leniency towards the Anbu... at least it's not that hard to understand!

only,

What you think in your heart is one thing, what you say out loud is another!

Whether Hiruzen Sarutobi dies at the hands of Juzo Biwa or Kakashi Hatake, as long as he dies, that's all that matters!

Before a decisive battle is decided, all he needs to do is stall for time as much as possible to prevent the people here from interfering with the battle over there.

"That's true. In the end, they only saw one Sharingan. It's a bit too hasty to conclude that it was Kakashi Hatake's doing based on that alone. In order to avoid smearing an innocent person, it would be best to investigate more carefully... Hokage, what do you think?"

Hiashi Hyuga is truly lying through his teeth.

He agreed with Zongxian's suggestion and sought Akimichi Torifu's opinion.

Hearing Sogen and Hiashi Hyuga's back-and-forth, and seeing Shii Aburame nodding in agreement, Akimichi Torifu shook his head helplessly. Well! Although he wasn't exactly enthusiastic about stopping Kakashi Hatake's revenge—

"A belated revenge?"

Akimichi Torifu was silent for a few seconds, then nodded slightly, "In that case, let's investigate thoroughly."

So far,

Finally, everyone's attention turned to the corpse inside the cell.

As for whether Kakashi is a match for Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Opinions on this matter vary. There is no doubt about Shinobu's strength. Even Sogen would not underestimate Hiruzen Sarutobi in the slightest. Could he really make Danzo obediently act as his white glove? Did he really think Danzo was doing it willingly?

It's because we can't beat them!

However, Kakashi is no weakling. He became a Jonin at the age of twelve, and seven years have passed since then. The nineteen-year-old youth has long since shed his former immaturity and naivety. To be honest, he is not easy to deal with when he gets serious. At least he would definitely have a chance against Hiruzen Sarutobi. He wouldn't be taken down by a ninja in just a few punches and kicks!

Moreover, to put it bluntly, if Kakashi had died at the hands of Hiruzen Sarutobi, it could have been used to undermine Hiruzen's prestige. He had forced Sakumo Hatake to commit suicide and then killed Sakumo Hatake's only son. Simply publicizing this would have been enough to completely destroy Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation.

There are quite a few elderly people like Akimichi Torifu who lament the death of Hatake Sakumo. Kakashi may not seem to have many friends, but as the leader of his generation, his name is enough to stir the emotions of many of his peers.

[Chapter 81. The Heroic Patience (Vote Requested!)]

Why did he want to kill the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi?

Juzo Biwa had considered this question when he infiltrated the secret prison. The reason was actually very simple: it was all for the village! Although he had been forced to betray Kirigakure after failing to assassinate the Mizukage, his original intention was for the village. He did those things to give Kirigakure a better future!

Therefore,

After learning that Konoha was going to war with Kirigakure,

In order to ensure Kirigakure's victory in the war, he planned to assassinate the Third Hokage, who had been impeached and forced to resign—as a collaborator with the Uchiha clan. Regardless of the outcome, he could use this to incite the Konoha ninjas, who were prone to infighting, to start a new round of internal strife. After all, the Uchiha clan's exclusion from the country was nothing new.

This logic is so smooth that it's flawless.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, as long as I kill you, I can return to the village as a hero with Samehada." Juzo Biwa's elusive voice came from the thick fog where one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face. Not only Hiruzen Sarutobi heard it, but even Kakashi Hatake and Asuma Sarutobi, who were locked in combat, heard these words.

Samehada?

This term triggered certain memories in his mind. Sarutobi Asuma had done some research before returning to Konoha. He knew what had happened in the village recently. The envoy from Kirigakure initially used Samehada as an excuse to threaten Konoha, but after several twists and turns, the old man was brought down!

"Is it the Uchiha clan?"

In the thick fog,

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in a deep voice.

"Isn't that obvious? Who else could it be but the Uchiha?" Juzo Biwa, carrying the Executioner's Blade, silently crept up behind Hiruzen Sarutobi. While Hiruzen was talking to his water clones who had been left in the distance, Juzo suddenly swung his blade at Hiruzen's neck.

only--

Hiruzen Sarutobi is not so easy to kill!

【Earth Release·Earth Spear】

With a single strike, instead of severing Hiruzen Sarutobi's seemingly not-so-thick neck, the blade of the Executioner's Blade chipped as if it had struck a diamond. This sight made Juzo Biwa's eyelids twitch. Was this the strength of the 'Oni-Oni'?

It's a ghost!

Just how far has this Earth Release technique progressed? Is this a Hokage or a Tsuchikage?

I don't know when,

Hiruzen Sarutobi now held a piece of iron bars in his hand. He had broken off a piece as he pushed open the iron door of the cell. He opened his mouth and spat out a piece of translucent wind-style chakra that attached itself to the iron bars, forming a sharp sword.

This is--

【Wind Release: Vacuum Blade】

Just as Biwa Juzo was about to retreat, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had already prepared his longsword, turned around and swung it down. The sharp blade came quickly and accurately, immediately leaving a deep wound on Biwa Juzo's arm, and scarlet blood splattered down.

If he hadn't reacted quickly enough to swing his Executioner's Blade and used the blade's length advantage to force back Hiruzen Sarutobi, who couldn't use Hardening Technique while swinging his sword, his left arm would probably have been cut off.

Wow! That's strong!

Pipa Shizang retreated in haste.

They disappeared back into the fog, cold sweat pouring down their backs.

This brief encounter allowed him to experience a different kind of power than that of the Fourth Mizukage, who had perfectly mastered the power of the Tailed Beasts. His limited education prevented him from using complex and profound words to describe how terrifying Hiruzen Sarutobi was; he could only use words like sharp, precise, and unfathomable to roughly describe his feelings.

"Hidden Mist Technique... What a troublesome thing!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, carrying a sharp, intangible longsword, looked around. The thick fog rendered his eyes useless, and his ears couldn't detect Juzo Biwa's whereabouts. On the contrary, Kakashi and his youngest son were having a lively and noisy fight!

"The technique of concealing oneself in the mist combined with the technique of silent killing? Come to think of it, I think I learned this move back in the day!"

As he spoke,

Hiruzen Sarutobi forms a hand seal with one hand.

He whispered:

"Hidden Mist Technique!"

With a look of utter disbelief on Pipa Juzo's face, the already extremely hazy fog became even thicker, the white mist surging like a tide, and now it was truly impossible to see anything, as if one were in a sea of ​​clouds, and one could not see clearly unless one pressed their finger against their eyeballs.

The impact is not limited to this.

An unusual chakra was mixed into the mist, severely interfering with Juzo Biwa's senses and preventing him from accurately locating Hiruzen Sarutobi's position.

"Splash!"

The sound of water hitting the ground.

Juzo Biwa noticed the disappearance of his water clone. Unfortunately, water clones cannot bring back information like shadow clones, so Juzo Biwa didn't know how his water clones disappeared. However, one thing he was very clear about now was that Hiruzen Sarutobi was as strong as a monster!

This man in his sixties, Ren Xiong, may indeed be getting old and not as formidable as he used to be.

But he's not so old that anyone can underestimate him!

Barrier techniques, fire release, earth release, wind release, water release... These dazzling techniques left Biwa Juzo in awe, making him deeply aware of the terrifying power of the 'Ninja Hero,' and he also realized that this assassination attempt was destined to fail once again.

but--

I'm not willing to just give up like this!

An inexplicable obsession prevented him from fleeing, even though he knew he was no match for the enemy.

However, Juzo Biwa did not sense anything amiss. Instead, he held his breath, thinking that even if he died here, he would bite off a piece of Hiruzen Sarutobi's flesh. So, he decisively released the Hidden Mist Technique and leaped onto the rocky dome above his head.

With a clang, the decapitation sword was embedded in the rock wall.

Pipa Juzo began to form hand seals.

"You're courting death!"