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Koharu frowned, a shiver running down her spine for no clear reason.
But it was fleeting, and she dismissed it as her imagination.
When she looked up, she saw Akira stepping out from behind Fugaku.
A handsome guy. She didn't recognize him.
No matter. Right now, her heart was secretly thrilled.
Fugaku, as always, was hopelessly foolish. Not only was he late to the meeting himself, he even brought some stranger along for this crucial gathering.
Well, if he wanted to give her an opening, she'd gladly take it. Fugaku's "stupidity" wasn't going to go to waste.
Her expression hardened. Pretending to scowl, she snapped at Fugaku without holding back:
"Fugaku! What do you think you're doing? You're late to the meeting yourself, and now you drag in some rookie!
This is a high-level meeting—someone like him doesn't even have the right to observe!
And you bring him into the conference room anyway, Fugaku! You're lawless!
Now, take your people and get out! Don't make me call for you to be thrown out! Because if I do…!"
Her words were cut off by Fugaku's sharp voice.
"Silence! You old hag! Open your eyes and see clearly! This is Konoha's hero who exposed Danzo's true face!
As the key contributor to this event, are you seriously saying he doesn't even have the right to attend the post-event meeting?!"
Fugaku's face burned with righteous anger, defending Akira.
Inside, he was over the moon. Koharu's foolishness—daring to scold a senior and claim he had no right to attend—was practically handing him a chance to impress Akira!
But no one else cared about Fugaku's inner thoughts.
Everyone's attention was drawn to his words.
The hero who revealed Danzo's true face… Konoha's hero?
Akira, the Uchiha who had wiped out the Shimura clan that night?
Eyes widened as they studied the figure at the door. Slowly, features began to line up…
In shock, they realized—this guy really was Akira Uchiha, the same one who slaughtered the Shimura clan that night.
"Shu-shu-shu!!"
Mitokado, Koharu, and Hiashi simultaneously turned their heads toward the main seat, glaring at Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Hiruzen's face was a mix of helplessness and innocence, silently saying: "I don't know how it came to this either…"
"Old hag! Do you still have anything to say?"
Fugaku's sudden roar snapped the four out of their secret glances.
Koharu looked at Akira's expressionless face, then at Fugaku, who was practically grinning.
She paused, briefly considering backing down. But the thought of swallowing her pride was unbearable.
She was a Konoha elder. How could she endure watching this petty man strut around?
Gritting her teeth, she barked:
"Even if he is Akira Uchiha, the hero who exposed Danzo, so what?!
Rules are rules! This meeting is extremely important. Only the Hokage, the elders, and the heads of the clans may attend.
No matter what deeds others have done, they have no right to participate!"
Her gaze shifted from Fugaku to Akira. Pointing toward the door, she said coldly:
"So, Akira Uchiha, please leave immediately! This is not your place!"
"Oh? So you're saying I don't have the right to attend this meeting?"
Akira looked at her, calm and steady.
"Exactly. That's what I'm saying," she affirmed, unmoved.
"Is that so?"
Akira took a slow step forward, coming toward her.
"From where I stand, you're the one who doesn't deserve to be here, old hag."
"What… what do you mean?! I'm a Konoha elder! How could I not have the right to attend a meeting! Stop spouting nonsense!"
As Akira closed the distance, Koharu's panic grew. Her voice sharpened.
"This is a meeting room! A place for reason, not a battlefield for screaming and fighting!
Every place has its rules. Don't think your strength lets you force me to obey! That will never happen!
And don't… don't come any closer!"
She backed up, dragging her chair. Its legs scraped against the floor, screeching.
Akira towered over her, a predatory smile on his face.
"You're right. This is a place for reason.
I said you don't deserve to attend because you've been colluding with that dog Danzo!
Those cruel human experiments… you were involved!"
Koharu's face changed instantly. She snapped back angrily:
"Liar! Don't slander me! I had nothing to do with Danzo! I had no knowledge of those inhumane experiments!"
"Then why, when I was about to execute that dog Danzo, were you the only one who objected? Who stood up to defend him?"
Akira pressed, unrelenting.
"I… I only spared him out of old friendship! I didn't want Danzo to suffer such a pitiful end! I felt pity, that's all! Don't slander me!"
Koharu's face twisted in indignation.
"Pity for someone guilty of such horrific crimes? You don't even know how to make excuses!
Now I am certain—you were colluding with Danzo!
Am I right, everyone?!"
Akira raised his voice, eyes scanning the clan leaders in the room.
"Yes. I agree with Akira. Showing pity to a villain is just an excuse!"
"Even if she didn't collude, her defense of Danzo shows there must have been a connection!"
"Yes. If she's involved with Danzo, she's like the Shimura clan—a poison to Konoha. Such people must be eliminated!"
Apart from Hiashi, the clan leaders all nodded in agreement.
Ever since Koharu had opposed Danzo's execution, suspicions had lingered. Akira simply confirmed what they already suspected.
"You… you… all of you… you're rebelling! How dare you slander a Konoha elder like this?!"
Koharu's face twisted in fury, trembling fingers pointing at the clan leaders in disbelief.
She couldn't believe so many thought she'd colluded with Danzo.
Worse, they implied she was personally involved with him. Preposterous!
She erupted into a torrent of curses, like a shrew.
"Ah! To slander an elder of the village… you wretched fools, you are—"
Before she could finish, Akira grabbed her head.
"Enough. The evidence is clear. You old hag, you colluded with Danzo!
You participated in those inhumane experiments with him! Crimes beyond measure! You deserve death!"
The force pressing down on her head, combined with Akira's murderous intent, made death feel imminent.
Koharu was terrified. She had only criticized Fugaku's pettiness, and now this?
Desperately, she cried out to the Third Hokage:
"Sarutobi! Sarutobi! Save me! I've been slandered! I didn't collude with Danzo! I…"
"Wait!"
Hiruzen's single word was drowned out by a loud crash.
The sliding window shattered. Koharu, still in her chair, was hurled out into the open air.
Akira flicked his fingers toward her midair figure.
Whoosh!
A compressed air projectile shot straight and true.
Boom!
Koharu exploded in midair in a shower of blood.
Hiruzen stared, horrified, as blood rained down.
Damn it! Damn it all!
Lawless! She had just been an elder of Konoha, and he killed her in front of him—completely disregarding the Hokage!
Ah! The rage boiling inside him… he wanted to confront Akira then and there!
But Akira's calm, measured voice cut through his fury like ice water:
"I thought I heard you say 'wait'… Are you defending the old hag? Believing she didn't collude with Danzo?"
Akira turned, squinting at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen drew a deep breath, restraining the fire inside him.
"Yes, I said 'wait,' but I meant—don't kill here, don't dirty the meeting room!"
Now that Koharu was dead, there was nothing left to argue.
And saying more might have put himself at risk, just as she had fallen simply for defending Danzo.
Akira shrugged, smiling lightly.
"Oh? Is that so? Don't worry then. I left her outside to die—didn't dirty the meeting room at all."
Huff… huff…
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to take a couple of deep breaths to calm his rising anger.
"Fine! Fine! Truly, our Konoha hero, always thinking of everything!"
Every word came out through gritted teeth.
"Eh! Old man Sarutobi, you're panting like that… is it because I just eliminated another major threat to Konoha and you're feeling pleased with me?!"
Akira asked, curiosity plain on his face.
Everyone else watching inwardly shook their heads. This kid—he was a demon. How could he toy with a sixty-year-old like that? Clearly, he wanted Hiruzen to snap!
But they had all underestimated Hiruzen Sarutobi's patience.
After a dozen heavy breaths, his expression finally returned to calm, his face blank as he said:
"All right, if there's nothing else, let's stop wasting time and start the meeting. You two, stop standing—sit down already!"
He gestured to the two seats at the far end of the long table.
When Fugaku saw the seats, his face immediately darkened. He furrowed his brows and said,
"Third Hokage, what is this?! I am of the Uchiha clan, the largest and most prestigious in Konoha! How could you assign me the seats at the very end? Are you deliberately trying to humiliate me?!"
"Ahh…"
Hiruzen sighed, a helpless look on his face, his tone flat:
"Fugaku, they're just two seats. It's such a trivial thing—why make it a big deal? I never intended to embarrass the Uchiha.
If anyone's to blame, it's you. You arrived late, and naturally, the latecomers take the seats at the end."
He paused, then patted the armrest of his own chair, his tone firm:
"If you had come first, you'd be sitting in my seat right now. I wouldn't have said a word."
"Don't try to fool me, Sarutobi! Do you think I'd believe that nonsense?!"
Fugaku's face twisted in anger. He looked around the long table—every clan head was seated roughly according to their clan's strength. No one simply got first pick for showing up early.
Hiruzen's excuse was pure after-the-fact nonsense.
The seats at the far end were for the lesser clans—the ones with no real standing in the village. Assigning him there, the head of Konoha's largest clan, among them… it was clearly meant to shame him!
"Ahh…"
Hiruzen sighed again, even more resigned this time.
"It's just seating order. As a clan head, fussing endlessly over such a trivial matter makes you look ridiculous. So, Fugaku, listen to me—there's no need to make this into a big deal. Sit down, and let's start the meeting. Don't waste everyone's time."
Fugaku clenched his teeth. The old man looked like a kindly grandfather, acting as if he were the one being unreasonable. But Fugaku knew better—this was a trap, meant to humiliate him.
Just as he opened his mouth to argue further, someone grabbed his arm. It was Akira. His initial joy at having a senior step in to defend him quickly turned into surprise and a deep frown when he heard what Akira said.
"This old man is right," Akira said calmly. "It's just a seat. No need to act like a child and argue over such a tiny thing."
"Wh…what? Senpai?!"
Fugaku looked at him, utterly bewildered.
"Yeah. A strong person's mindset is different. They never sweat the small stuff the way you do, Fugaku," Akira said.
Hiruzen nodded slightly, pleasantly surprised. At least this one was reasonable—he wouldn't argue over a petty seat.
Then, without warning, Akira appeared beside him.
"What?!"
Hiruzen's eyes went wide. Instinctively, he tried to pull away. But before he could move, a firm hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Since you said it doesn't matter where you sit, then why don't you take a seat at the back?"
With that, Akira gave a sharp flick of his arm, tossing Hiruzen aside like a piece of trash.
Hiruzen spun in midair, the world tilting violently. He couldn't believe it—he'd actually been thrown from his own seat. Rage boiled in his chest, but he forced it down, adjusting his posture to land gracefully and avoid humiliation.
"What do you mean by this, Uchiha Akira?! Why would you attack the Hokage for no reason?!"
Once firmly on the ground, Hiruzen glared at him, voice iron-hard.
"I already told you. Since you said it doesn't matter where I sit, I figured you should sit at the end. And I didn't touch you—you're fine, aren't you? Isn't that proof enough?"
With that, Akira plopped into Hiruzen's original seat. Leaning back, eyes closed, he exhaled slowly, clearly savoring the comfort.
The seat at the head of the table wasn't the same—it was a cushioned chair, far more comfortable.
The other clan heads looked on impassively. They'd all seen the Third Hokage get played by Akira before and had grown used to it.
Hiruzen's old face contorted in frustration. He wanted to strike, but thinking better of it, he restrained himself. Acting now would only lead to a humiliating defeat.
No matter what, his seat as Hokage's chair… was not coming back.
"..."
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