Hiruzen Sarutobi sat on a broad wooden chair, still fiddling with his signature pipe. Smoke slowly curled up, blurring his expression.
He looked at Danzo, who was so furious he was almost losing control. His eyes were as calm as deep water, even carrying an indescribable scrutiny—that look was like watching a fool who couldn't grasp the situation and only knew how to bark.
Silence lasted for a full three seconds; only Danzo's heavy breathing remained in the office.
Hiruzen finally spoke slowly, his tone flat without a single ripple, yet it was like a bucket of cold water poured directly onto Danzo's head: "Fine, go then. Kill Shine."
"Uh... Me... Me?!"
Danzo was stunned, his furious expression instantly freezing on his Face as if a pause button had been pressed.
He opened his mouth, unable to react for a long time, his eyes filled with bewilderment and disbelief, as if he had heard some fairy tale.
What did this mean?
Asking him to kill Uchiha Xia Yin?
That Uchiha who could manifest Susanoo and win a head-on clash against a Perfect Jinchuriki?
This was even more ridiculous than asking him to duel Senju Hashirama's Edo Tensei!
More unrealistic than asking him to take down Tang Sanzang and his disciples in one go!
Danzo's cheek twitched, and he subconsciously took half a step back, his originally straight back hunching slightly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at this massive contrast in his behavior, the "looking at an idiot" sentiment in his eyes growing stronger. He even shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a trace of imperceptible mockery: "Don't you want to kill him? Then go. Anyway, I'm not going."
He wasn't a fool.
As a Ninja who had personally witnessed the Sengoku period, he had seen the terror of the brothers Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna on the battlefield back then.
Those two, with their Susanoo active, moved through thousands of troops as if in an uninhabited land. Amidst the flashes of blades, elite Ninjas of the Senju Clan fell in swathes, blood staining the entire battlefield.
If it weren't for Senju Hashirama's Wood Release being able to clash with Tailed Beasts, and Senju Tobirama's Flying Thunder God technique being unpredictable and keeping those two brothers in check, the entire Senju Clan might have been steamrolled by this Uchiha "Susanoo Duo."
Hiruzen Sarutobi still had a somewhat clear understanding of his own strength.
He admitted he was a Kage-level powerhouse, proficient in the five nature transformations of Chakra, and the title of "Professor of Ninjutsu" was not for nothing.
But he knew very well in his heart that at most, he only dared to secretly compare himself to Senju Tobirama—if they really fought, he probably wouldn't even be able to touch Tobirama's Flying Thunder God and would only be beaten soundly.
And Uchiha Xia Yin's Susanoo was something that had truly defeated the Three-Tails Jinchuriki head-on!
Its power probably wasn't much less than Madara's Susanoo back then.
If Shine were truly pushed to desperation and activated Susanoo to fight him to the death, with his bit of skill, he wouldn't even be able to run away!
He might even be cut in two on the spot, ending up decapitated.
Danzo wasn't truly stupid; he was just blinded by prejudice against the Uchiha and a desire for power.
Being shut down by Hiruzen like this, he instantly cleared his head mostly. The fury on his Face gradually faded, replaced by an embarrassing flush.
He opened his mouth, wanting to argue something, but found he couldn't speak at all—he truly didn't dare to go, and he simply couldn't win.
The atmosphere in the office fell into silence again, but this time, the embarrassed party was Danzo.
The sunlight was still bright, but it made him feel somewhat ashamed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi lightly tapped his pipe, emptying the ashes into the ashtray, his tone becoming serious again: "Danzo, we are the higher-ups of Konoha. We cannot act solely on impulse.
Shine is currently a hero of Konoha and the key to deterring the Hidden Mist.
The stronger he is, the more beneficial it is for Konoha.
As for him hiding the Mangekyo... do you think if it were you, possessing such power, you would easily tell others?"
He paused, his gaze sharpening slightly: "Now is not the time to suspect him, but to find a way to win him over and make him truly useful to Konoha. Kill him? That would be truly destroying our own Great Wall."
Danzo's Face turned pale and then flushed. Finally, he gave a heavy snort, turned, and left indignantly. Before leaving, he didn't forget to slam the door hard, as if that could regain a bit of Face.
Inside the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the closed wooden door and sighed softly.
He picked up that front-line scroll, his eyes falling on the words "Susanoo," his gaze complex.
The Genius of the Uchiha indeed never disappoints.
But will this power become the guardian of Konoha or a new hidden danger?
He couldn't say for sure.
But at least for now, he would never do the stupid thing of cutting off his own arm.
As for Danzo's obsession... it could only be suppressed for the time being.
The changing winds of the Ninja World are never something that can be controlled by fury and suspicion alone.
Inside the camp of the Kirigakure Battlefield.
Shine threw Yagura Karatachi, whose Chakra had been sealed, to the others and then went directly back to his tent.
As for the reason why he didn't kill Yagura Karatachi, it was also very simple!
He needed Yagura Karatachi to return to the Hidden Mist Village and later be controlled by Uchiha Obito to continuously weaken the Hidden Mist Village.
A few days later, the Hidden Mist Village chose to dispatch the Village Elder Genji to negotiate with Konoha Village.
And Hiruzen Sarutobi also chose to give the decision-making power of the negotiation to Uchiha Fugaku and Nara Shikaku.
The reason was that the pressure Uchiha Xia Yin gave him was too great; he needed another leader of the Uchiha Clan to split Uchiha Xia Yin's merit.
Secondly, it was because Nara Shikaku could to some extent restrain the weak-willed Uchiha Fugaku, but Uchiha Xia Yin would definitely ignore Nara Shikaku.
After all, his previous attitude toward Nara Shikagen had already explained everything!
As for the third reason, it was to minimize Uchiha Xia Yin's merit as much as possible.
Inside the allied command center of the Hidden Mist battlefield, the air was as stagnant as a block of iron.
On both sides of the wooden table in the center of the tent, the negotiation representatives of Konoha and the Hidden Mist sat opposite each other.
Uchiha Fugaku was dressed in clan robes, his brow furrowed, his eyes carrying a trace of undeniable discomfort—though he was the Uchiha Clan Chief, he appeared exceptionally passive in this negotiation.
Nara Shikaku sat to the side, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of the scroll, his gaze occasionally glancing at the figure in the corner, his eyes full of wariness.
And the Elder of the Hidden Mist, Genji, his Face with graying hair at the temples, was etched with fatigue and heartache.
He had just argued with Fugaku and Shikaku for two hours and was finally forced to accept the harsh conditions proposed by Konoha: one billion Ryo in war reparations, plus a twenty percent share of the Hidden Mist Village's mission earnings for the next five years.
This was almost taking away half of the Hidden Mist's life. Genji only felt waves of pain in his chest but was powerless—the Fourth Mizukage was captured, the Tailed Beast combat power was depleted, and the Hidden Mist had long since lost the capital to bargain...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808