"Hey, Pervy Sage! Sasuke! You're finally here!" Naruto shouted excitedly when he saw Jiraiya and Sasuke.
But then, as Danzō emerged from behind them, Naruto froze in place.
Even from their first meeting, Naruto could feel the strong malice radiating from Danzō.
At that moment, a name popped into Naruto's mind, and he couldn't help but ask, "Is that Danzō?"
"Hmph." Danzō glanced at Naruto with disdain, feeling even more annoyed. Even the fox brat was summoned here?
As Danzō looked around, his eyes landed on three familiar figures. He let out a small sigh of relief and walked over to them, speaking as he did.
"What kind of advisors are you? Letting him mess around like this and even going along with it?"
The Third Hokage took a drag from his pipe, glancing at Danzō with a complicated expression but saying nothing.
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado also remained silent, which gave Danzō an ominous feeling. What's going on?
Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air reached Danzō's ears.
Startled, he turned just in time to dodge a kunai flying toward him. He looked at the attacker, it was Sasuke.
Attacking in this setting? Danzō couldn't comprehend it, though anger quickly replaced his confusion.
Attempting to assassinate a high-ranking official of Konoha at a public event was a capital crime. If he killed Sasuke here and now, no one would fault him for it.
Just as Danzō was about to retaliate, a searing pain erupted from his right eye.
"Argh!"
Danzō let out a gut-wrenching scream, clutching his bleeding right eye as he rolled to the side. With his remaining left eye, he looked toward the source of the attack.
Standing there was Natsuro, holding a blood-stained kunai. With a flick of his wrist, he shook off the blood in one smooth motion.
Seeing this, Danzō instantly realized what had happened.
It was the infamous Flying Thunder God technique. The kunai Sasuke had thrown bore the seal of the technique, which was why he hadn't aimed to kill.
Danzō couldn't fathom how Natsuro dared to attack him on such a public occasion. Wasn't he worried about losing the people's support?
And why didn't Natsuro kill him outright? Why target his right eye? How had he even known about his Mangekyō Sharingan?
Danzō refused to believe Natsuro's strike was random, it was far too precise.
His heart sank as he realized the implications. His Mangekyō Sharingan, which he hadn't even used extensively, was now ruined!
This was a devastating loss. He needed to turn this situation to his advantage, perhaps by claiming the Hokage position for himself!
Pointing a trembling finger at Natsuro, Danzō roared, "Natsuro Shindōkawa! You've openly conspired with the Uchiha remnant to assassinate a senior official of Konoha! What is your crime?!"
"You might want to take a look at your own situation before making accusations," Natsuro replied nonchalantly, casting a glance at Danzō.
It was then that Danzō noticed something. The white bandages covering his right arm had somehow unraveled, revealing the pale, grotesque limb beneath, and the Sharingan embedded in it.
Danzō's expression changed dramatically. He was now fully exposed, standing in plain view of the public below.
The crowd gathered at the Hokage Tower had been watching the commotion in confusion. No one had expected such chaos during Natsuro's inauguration.
And now, seeing the strange man with a pale arm covered in eyeballs, they were horrified.
"What… what is that?!"
"Those are Sharingan… Why are they on his arm?" someone shouted, setting off a wave of alarmed chatter among the villagers.
Although they didn't know who Danzō was, it was clear he was someone important. If Natsuro had attacked him, there must have been a reason.
Even the Third Hokage and the two advisors were visibly shocked.
"Those pale arms… are made from the cells of the First Hokage!" Koharu and Homura exchanged horrified glances, their faces pale.
They had no idea Danzō had committed such atrocities beyond what they already knew.
The realization hit them hard, Danzō's actions were far more egregious than they had thought. Both advisors felt that executing him was the right decision.
"This… is madness," muttered Jiraiya, narrowing his eyes as he observed the unfolding scene.
"Sasuke…" Naruto looked at him with concern, noticing Sasuke's body trembling uncontrollably.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," Sasuke said, his voice tense as he struggled to suppress the overwhelming killing intent surging through him.
Even though Natsuro had explained the situation to him beforehand, actually seeing the Sharingan embedded in Danzō's arm made it almost impossible for Sasuke to hold himself back.
At this moment, Natsuro finally spoke. "Citizens of Konoha, thank you for attending my inauguration as the Sixth Hokage. However, before the ceremony officially begins, I must address a grave matter. The sentencing of a man whom I, along with the Fifth Hokage, the Third Hokage, and the two advisors, have unanimously deemed the greatest criminal in Konoha's history."
With his opening words, Natsuro directly branded Danzō as a criminal.
"You slanderous fool!" Danzō couldn't hold back his fury, yelling in protest.
"Enough noise," Natsuro said, casting a glance at Danzō. A subtle shift in the air occurred, as if the very wind had been altered.
In the next moment, no matter how much Danzō shouted, his voice failed to reach anyone else's ears.
The onlookers watched in astonishment. They could see Danzō yelling furiously, but they couldn't hear a single word he said.
Did Natsuro really do this?
No one was more shocked than Danzō himself. He was a master of Wind Release techniques, yet he couldn't overcome whatever Natsuro had just done. How was this possible?!
Gritting his teeth, Danzō glared at Natsuro, then at the Third Hokage and the two advisors. He now realized why they had shown such strange expressions earlier, they had known all along!
Damn it. Damn them all!
After silencing Danzō, Natsuro continued, "Normally, I would lay out his crimes before sentencing him. However, you've all seen the Sharingan embedded in his arm."
"The right eye I destroyed earlier was no ordinary Sharingan," Natsuro explained. "It possessed a unique and sinister ability to manipulate others' consciousness, forcing them to act against their will. To ensure the integrity of this trial, I had no choice but to eliminate that threat first."
Natsuro spoke calmly, though he was deeply cautious of the eye's power. While he wasn't personally afraid of Kotoamatsukami, he couldn't risk Danzō using it on others, like the Third Hokage or the two advisors. That would complicate matters significantly.
"Using such a malicious power to control others?!"
Natsuro's revelation caused an uproar among the crowd. If anyone else had made such an accusation, they might have doubted it.
But this was their future Hokage, or rather, their current Hokage speaking, and the grotesque arm adorned with Sharingan lent credibility to his words.
The Third Hokage took a deep drag of his pipe, his eyes filled with shock. He recognized the origins of that eye.
"Shisui…"
The Third closed his eyes in pain, his heart heavy with sorrow. If Shisui Uchiha had lived, would things have turned out differently for the Uchiha clan?
He didn't know, but he couldn't help but think it was possible, anything would have been better than what had happened.
Though he didn't understand how Natsuro had uncovered Danzō's secret, the overwhelming evidence left no room for doubt.
The Third Hokage murmured a question to himself, though no one would provide him with an answer.
"Why? Why did it have to be this way?"
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Currently on Chapter 288 - What does Kekkei Genkei's Mean to Me!