Shimura Danzo's chest heaved violently.
The old man felt as if he were merely a plaything in Uchiha Sasuke's hands, his dignity utterly crushed before Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi.
During this time...
Danzo had once been proud of Uchiha Sasuke's unwavering loyalty to him as a wielder of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Sasuke had often taken the opportunity to show his allegiance, leading Danzo to believe that he held the future of Konoha in his grasp.
But now...
That so-called loyalty seemed like mockery!
"To be honest..."
"Kotoamatsukami is quite an interesting genjutsu."
Uchiha Sasuke's lips curled into a mocking smile, seemingly delighted by Danzo's current expression: "Now I don't even have to work hard to make you doubt me..."
"You wicked kid..."
Danzo gritted out a few words through his teeth.
How dare he...
Treat him this way!
Pretending to be under Kotoamatsukami's influence, all the while lurking by his side!
Danzo's face burned with shame. He could even imagine how, when Sasuke was feigning loyalty, he was inwardly mocking his naivety and stupidity!
"..."
Uchiha Itachi was indifferent to Danzo's feelings, only voicing his own doubts: "Based on my research of Shisui's eye, the power left by Shisui is quite strong. Kotoamatsukami should work even on a Mangekyō Sharingan user..."
"For you, Kotoamatsukami should have worked, right?"
Uchiha Sasuke raised his eyebrow, reaching up to touch his eye socket as he spoke coldly: "However, the battle between Mangekyō Sharingan users ultimately comes down to the essence of ocular power, and my ocular power must be above Shisui's..."
"..."
Uchiha Itachi had no choice but to accept this fact.
Whether it was Sasuke's performance or the exceptional talent his brother displayed, it was clear Sasuke had surpassed both him and Shisui. Sasuke had gone further than they had!
"Danzo-sama."
"Don't look at me like that..."
Sasuke looked at Danzo, whose face was full of malice, and surprisingly began to persuade him with a light laugh: "For a time, you were quite pleased with yourself, having a Mangekyō Sharingan user obeying your every command, weren't you?"
"Moreover..."
Sasuke spread his hands, the coldness in his smile becoming increasingly chilling: "If not for me, you wouldn't have been able to take the position of Hokage..."
"You kid..."
Danzo's anger boiled within him, his gaze especially fierce: "I became Hokage because I am devoted to Konoha..."
"Such lies might fool the dead bodies on the ground."
Sasuke sneered, pointing at the corpse of a ninja beneath his feet: "My teacher is Hatake Kakashi. How could I not know what kind of person you are? You're just using Konoha as a cover for your personal gain..."
"You were never qualified to become Hokage."
Sasuke's voice was cold and contemptuous as he continued: "It was only because of my interference that you had any hope of donning the Hokage's robe..."
"You!"
"Enough."
"Try to settle down a bit!"
Sasuke glanced at Danzo, casually continuing: "Did you really think that by colluding with Orochimaru to kill the Third Hokage, you could seize the position of Hokage? How naive!"
"..."
Danzo's heart skipped a beat.
This kid...
Even knows about that!
"..."
Itachi glanced at Sasuke in surprise, then looked at Danzo. He hadn't known that the Third Hokage's death was part of Danzo's scheme!
Moreover...
It seemed his brother had known the truth for some time!
"What do you know!"
Danzo was somewhat panicked by the revelation of his secret!
If his collusion with Orochimaru were exposed, neither Koharu Utatane nor Homura Mitokado could protect him, and the villagers certainly wouldn't spare him!
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, had ruled Konoha for so long that most of the village's younger ninjas had grown up under his watchful eye, and the villagers greatly respected him...
If anyone were to attribute Hiruzen's death to his conspiracy, it wouldn't just be the Hokage position at stake; even his life would be in danger!
"I know everything."
Sasuke looked at the nervous Danzo and coldly snorted: "I encountered Orochimaru during the Chūnin Exams. In the presence of a Mangekyō Sharingan user, Orochimaru couldn't put up any resistance at all..."
"To spare his life, he revealed to me some major events planned for the Chūnin Exams. You intended to kill the Third Hokage during the exams to seize control of Konoha..."
"A simple and foolish plan..."
"..."
Danzo really had no argument.
Because even if Orochimaru had killed the Third Hokage, he would have been immediately dismissed from his aspiration to become Hokage by his two old friends...
To be honest...
He had almost given up on becoming Hokage...
"But..."
"Your plan was quite interesting..."
Sasuke looked at Danzo, his smile once again turning playful: "So I slightly extended your plan. While you were focused on killing the Third Hokage, I was already looking beyond his death to the future..."
"That is the difference between us."
As Sasuke said this, he couldn't help but sneer: "Even as a Mangekyō Sharingan user, relying on a stolen eye, how could you ever match the vision of a true Uchiha?"
"..."
Danzo gripped his cane tightly.
This kid!
Mocking him again!
"..."
Itachi's expression also changed slightly.
This brother of his...
Had even factored the Hokage's death into his plan?
Even during the Chūnin Exams, when he was just an ordinary Genin, he had already started treating Konoha's highest authority as a piece in his game!
This...
Was a bit too terrifying!
Even Itachi had never dared to think of such things!
Itachi furrowed his brow, recalling the gentle old man: "How could you be sure that Orochimaru would be able to kill the Third Hokage?"
It wasn't anything else...
Mainly, Orochimaru wasn't that strong...
At least Itachi was confident that Orochimaru couldn't possibly kill the Third Hokage. The man couldn't even resist his genjutsu.
"Itachi..."
"Never underestimate people..."
"Your lack of ambition narrows your vision..."
Sasuke glanced at his brother, his face full of arrogance: "My ambition allows me to see the future. The Third Hokage was, after all, just an ordinary ninja at his core..."
Among the Hokages throughout Konoha's history.
The Third Hokage was the most ordinary.
He wasn't as extraordinarily powerful as the First Hokage, nor as clever as the Second Hokage, and he didn't have the remarkable talent of the Fourth Hokage...
If one had to say, excluding those skilled in forbidden techniques, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was indeed the pinnacle of what an ordinary ninja could achieve.
"Since he's an ordinary ninja, naturally, he can't escape the cycle of life and death..."
When talking about the highest-ranking and most respected figure in the village, Sasuke's tone was one of casual disdain: "Orochimaru is an interesting fellow. With his bizarre abilities, killing an aged Hokage is no problem..."
"In the Forest of Death..."
"I had already foreseen the Third Hokage's fate..."
Sasuke's gaze fell on Danzo: "Similarly, I also foresaw that after the Third Hokage's death, you, who had been lurking in the village, would seize power in Konoha. Unfortunately, someone like you could never truly become Hokage..."
"But!"
Danzo gritted his teeth, refusing to admit defeat: "I have already been recognized. I have already become Hokage!"
"Danzo-sama..."
"You're no longer Hokage..."
"Before I pushed you into the position of Hokage, I had already prepared to pull you down from it..."
Sasuke couldn't help but laugh, and his smile gradually grew more sinister: "It was I who spread the rumor that the Akatsuki would attack Konoha, leading the two Hokage advisors to recognize you in a time of crisis..."
"Likewise..."
"It was also I..."
"Who spread the rumor that Danzo-sama was colluding with the Akatsuki..."
Sasuke glanced at his brother and continued with a chuckle: "Before you and your companion arrived in Konoha, I had already reported a top-secret intelligence to Kakashi-sensei, that Danzo-sama had colluded with the Akatsuki, secretly hiring them to infiltrate Konoha and assassinate those who opposed your rise to the Hokage position..."
"Coincidentally..."
"Shortly after I reported this intelligence..."
"Members of the Akatsuki, Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, infiltrated Konoha, and the vigilant Kakashi-sensei encountered them just in time..."
"You!"
Danzo's body trembled uncontrollably.
"How did you know I would return to Konoha?"
Itachi frowned slightly, puzzled: "If I hadn't come to Konoha, this intelligence would have only..."
"You couldn't not come."
Sasuke interrupted Itachi, his gaze full of certainty as if he had seen through his brother: "Whether it was the Third Hokage being assassinated during the Chūnin Exams or the conflict between Sand Village and Konoha during the exams, both were events that shocked the entire ninja world, and would surely attract a crowd of scavengers to infiltrate Konoha..."
"Among them..."
"Would naturally be those worried about me..."
"..."
Itachi fell silent.
Because his brother's guess was entirely accurate.
After the Chūnin Exams incident, Itachi, worried that Sasuke might be in danger, had quickly infiltrated Konoha under the guise of gathering intelligence for the Akatsuki.
"You killed all of our clan members to spare my life..."
Sasuke's smile became slightly pained, yet he continued to speak with forced calm: "I bear the so-called fate of the Uchiha. When I could be in danger, how could you not come to check on me?"
"..."
Itachi's heart ached.
His brother seemed to be expressing closeness between them, yet it only intensified Itachi's sense of guilt...
Moreover...
It gave him a growing sense…
In Uchiha Sasuke's eyes, both he and his brother, the only two survivors of their clan's massacre, seemed to be fated to die from the start.
"Yes…"
"I will definitely come."
Uchiha Itachi slightly lowered his head, softly responded, and then continued in a low voice, trying to calm his mind, "So, when we arrived in Konoha, the information Kakashi obtained from you was verified."
"Yes…"
Uchiha Sasuke nodded and calmly continued, "Unfortunately, just that alone is far from enough for my plan. Danzo-sama merely colluding with the Akatsuki isn't enough to make Kakashi-sensei willing to oppose him…"
What seems like a major issue to others…
Is merely a minor problem for Shimura Danzo.
"Just as…"
"I also know about Danzo-sama's covetous desire for the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Uchiha Sasuke looked at Shimura Danzo, coldly mocking, "Danzo-sama knows the truth between us brothers. He knows that only I can kill you, and since I am so loyal to him, he naturally wouldn't pass up this opportunity…"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi couldn't help but glance at Shimura Danzo.
"You kid…"
Shimura Danzo snarled, his face filled with malice, and his hand slightly drew the blade from his cane as he gritted his teeth and revealed Sasuke's plan: "You secretly used the orders I gave you to contact Itachi, and then provided false information under his name…"
"Yes…"
"That false information was quite useful…"
"The two advisors had no choice but to agree to make you Hokage…"
Uchiha Sasuke nodded in satisfaction, feeling the pleasure rise within him, "And that false information will soon spread among the higher-ups…"
"When Kakashi-sensei discovered that Itachi secretly infiltrated Konoha, he already concluded that you were colluding with the Akatsuki…"
"When the news of the Akatsuki's invasion of Konoha spreads, the village will be in a state of emergency, and will have no choice but to announce you as Hokage, making Kakashi-sensei believe that you are a schemer who would stop at nothing to achieve that position…"
"When you stand at the top…"
"That will mark the beginning of your fall…"
"And…"
"The higher you stand, the harder you will fall."
Uchiha Sasuke smiled with ease, as if he were just a bystander watching the chaos, not the mastermind behind this conspiracy.
"You vile kid…"
Shimura Danzo was trembling with rage, and suddenly drew a slender blade from his cane, slashing it towards Uchiha Sasuke!
"I will kill you myself!"
"Your opponent is not me…"
Uchiha Sasuke's smile gradually turned cold. He showed no fear of the sharp blade in Danzo's hand and even slowly turned his head to look in Uchiha Itachi's direction.
"You will help me kill him, won't you…"
Uchiha Sasuke looked at Uchiha Itachi with an innocent expression, reminiscent of their childhood, and softly called out.
"Nii-san?"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi's gaze became extremely complex.
Even if his brother's expression was as innocent and cute as when they were children, Itachi no longer dared to see him as an ignorant child…
Because beneath that look of innocence…
There lay a darkness that even Uchiha Itachi found terrifying!
Uchiha Itachi closed his eyes, but in an instant, he opened them again, and a stream of blood tears flowed from one of his eyes!
As the blood tears flowed from Itachi's eye, black flames silently erupted, forming a black wall of fire that stopped Danzo in his tracks!
Amaterasu.
The flames are said to be capable of burning everything.
One of Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan abilities.
This brother…
Has he reduced me to a mere pawn as well?
Yet, Uchiha Itachi found himself unable to resist, knowing he couldn't just stand by and watch Danzo harm his brother.
However…
He also didn't want to see his brother become like this!
To see Uchiha Sasuke, who now viewed everything in the world as mere playthings, who regarded human life and precious emotions as tools to achieve his goals, and who dismissed the moral codes of the ninja world—what terrifying deeds would such a Sasuke commit in the future?
"Sasuke…"
Uchiha Itachi took a deep breath, intending to persuade his brother.
"I'm not interested in listening to those reasons."
The innocence on Sasuke's face vanished without a trace, and his expression turned back to one of arrogant indifference: "Back then, you listened to him and would do anything for me, even going as far as to kill all of our clan…"
"And now…"
Uchiha Sasuke looked at Itachi, speaking coldly, "You should be able to kill him for me, right?"
"..."
Uchiha Itachi remained silent, not knowing how to respond.
And yet…
He hadn't even decided what to say.
However, Sasuke's threat came with lethal force, his voice turning ominously cold: "Once Danzo returns to Konoha, my plot will be exposed, and I'll have nowhere to hide in the entire ninja world…"
"Itachi!"
Danzo's voice abruptly snapped Itachi out of his thoughts, the old man's tone carrying a hidden urgency: "You must realize that your brother has strayed onto a dangerous path. Today he is plotting against me, but in the future, he will certainly threaten all of Konoha!"
"Itachi…"
Danzo looked at Itachi, trying to persuade him, "Do you want to see the village you worked so hard to protect become a cradle for such a dangerous schemer?"
"Nii-san…"
Sasuke's gaze turned somewhat pleading, as if worried that Itachi might listen to Danzo's persuasion: "Would you kill me for Konoha?"
"..."
Itachi's eyes reflected pain, and his voice became heavy, "Sasuke, all of this is my fault. No matter what, I don't want to see you become like this…"
Even though Sasuke's expression resembled the tender boy of the past, Itachi no longer dared to trust him. He knew he was gradually becoming just another pawn in his brother's game…
"Is it so wrong to be like this…?"
Sasuke's voice was somewhat distant.
The young man's voice suddenly grew chillingly cold!
Sasuke stood with his arms crossed, staring at Itachi with the same solitary and arrogant expression as Uchiha Madara: "You listened to his suggestion, killed our father and mother, slaughtered all our clansmen, and left only me alive. You arrogantly thought you could dictate my fate. The person I am today is nothing more than the product of your actions…"
"Of course…"
"You have another choice."
"You could kill me here, eliminating this remnant who should have died on the night of the massacre…"
"After all…"
"If Danzo returns to Konoha…"
"I will be just as homeless as you…"
Uchiha Sasuke's eyes reflected Uchiha Itachi, the crimson glow in his gaze suggesting he had seen through his brother completely: "Itachi, at that time I will join the Akatsuki just like you did, and together with the remnants of the Uchiha, I will destroy this world…"
"At that time…"
"I will await your blade…"
"I will prepare myself for death, just as you did on the night of the massacre, ready for the fate of being killed by me."
"!!!"
Itachi felt as though his deepest secret had been exposed.
The young man's head quickly dropped, and his hand suddenly rose toward Danzo, sending two shuriken flying toward him!
"Damn it!"
Danzo swung his blade, deflecting the two shuriken!
However…
Two more shuriken flew out!
The two shuriken were faster and struck the previously deflected shuriken, changing their trajectory and hitting Danzo directly!
"Sorry, Danzo-sama."
Itachi gazed coldly at the blood seeping from Danzo's wounds, his eyes filled with icy resolve, "For Sasuke's sake, I must kill you here today…"
"Uchiha…"
"You really are a clan born evil!"
Danzo gasped, the words slipping out as if they were his final breath.
The old man's body stiffened, collapsing to the ground, then slowly began to fade away, disappearing completely.
Izanagi…
It had already been activated by Danzo in advance!
"Fortunately…"
"I never trusted you to begin with…"
Danzo's voice echoed eerily behind Uchiha Itachi as he thrust his blade into Itachi's body!
But…
Itachi's body turned into a flock of crows that scattered into the air!
Itachi was well aware of Izanagi, the forbidden jutsu of the Uchiha clan, and was fully prepared for Danzo's tactics!
"This guy… is just as troublesome as ever!"
Danzo's eyes grew cold as he glanced at Itachi, then at Sasuke in the distance, sensing the difficulty of the situation: "Itachi knows about Izanagi, and that kid Sasuke's power is beyond my expectations. Killing both of them here seems increasingly unlikely…"
"Nii-san."
"You better hurry…"
Sasuke stood leisurely, watching the battle between Itachi and Danzo with a smile, "Although I intercepted some of the information that could reach Danzo, his allies are still on their way here…"
Sasuke observed Danzo's changing expression, then casually added, "Orochimaru also wants to meet with Danzo-sama once he becomes Hokage. That man won't be easy to deal with."
"I understand."
As the crows gathered, Uchiha Itachi's figure reappeared.
"Orochimaru…"
A hint of relief unexpectedly emerged in Shimura Danzo's heart.
Indeed…
He was about to become Hokage…
Orochimaru would surely contact him…
If Orochimaru received the information that Danzo was in the Daimyo's city for his appointment, he would undoubtedly rush over to meet him. If Orochimaru could arrive in time, or if Danzo could escape and meet up with Orochimaru, he wouldn't have to face such a troublesome situation alone!
"Hmph…"
"Foolish…"
"So you took the bait?"
Uchiha Sasuke let out a cold sneer, having already noticed the changes in Danzo's expression.
Since the goal was to eliminate him…
How could he not let him feel the full weight of despair before death?