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Hiruzen frowned and remained silent.
Soon, the security team tied up over 30 "intruders" and brought them before Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo.
"Lord Hokage, the crisis has been resolved. These are the invaders. Please forgive me."
"Um..." Hiruzen nodded, maintaining a composed demeanor. With so many eyes on him, he had to display his usual seriousness toward real intruders. With a stern expression, he asked:
"Tell me, who sent you to invade Konoha? What was your purpose in coming here?"
The leader, Captain Terai, sneered viciously, "Stop wasting your breath! Do whatever you want! I'll never betray the lea... uh! Aba, Aba..."
Before Terai could utter the name "Danzo," his mouth and body suddenly stiffened as if frozen.
Danzo and Hiruzen exchanged startled glances, cold sweat forming on their foreheads. Hiruzen shot Danzo another pointed look, while Danzo cursed internally:
"This fool! He almost exposed everything! How did I even pick this idiot as one of my subordinates?"
The surrounding Konoha Jonin noticed something was off. Hatake Kakashi approached Terai, inspecting his condition, and muttered quietly:
"This guy must have had an advanced seal placed on him. Once he tries to reveal any secrets, the seal automatically activates. Whoever's behind this isn't ordinary."
Although Kakashi said this, he had already started to suspect Danzo. He had encountered Root members in his youth and recognized Danzo's methods of controlling his subordinates.
However, since Danzo held a high-ranking position in Konoha, Kakashi couldn't accuse him without concrete evidence.
Morino Ibiki added, "If what you're saying is true, then our interrogation squad won't be able to do much with them."
Yamanaka Inoichi stepped forward confidently, "No problem, leave them to my analysis team. Even if they're just corpses, I can find out everything about them!"
Danzo's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he quickly glanced at the Third Hokage.
"Dammit, Hiruzen! Say something! If Yamanaka Inoichi takes control, we're finished!"
Underneath his bandage, Danzo's right eye glowed menacingly. If things took a turn for the worse, he'd be forced to use his trump card—Kotoamatsukami, the most powerful genjutsu.
The Sharingan in Danzo's right eye was taken from Uchiha Shisui two years ago. Now, with Hashirama's cells augmenting his power, Danzo kept this eye as his last resort.
More than once, he'd contemplated using Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen to force him to step down as Hokage and hand over the title to him. But his pride always held him back.
After all, Hiruzen was an old friend. Danzo wanted to claim the Hokage position through his own means, to earn Hiruzen's respect from the bottom of his heart.
But the main reason was fear—fear that the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, particularly Hiashi Hyuga, would recognize the chakra of Shisui's Sharingan and suspect Danzo in Shisui's death.
If that happened, even if Danzo became Hokage, he would never gain the trust of the people. He couldn't just destroy the Hyuga clan like he did the Uchiha. The balance of power in Konoha would crumble.
"Come on, Hiruzen, don't make me use it! Speak up!" Danzo thought anxiously.
Just as Inoichi was about to take the "intruders" away, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally broke the silence. "Wait a moment!"
Everyone paused, turning to the Hokage in anticipation.
Hiruzen cleared his throat, and after a brief moment, said, "Leave them to my ANBU."
"Ah??"
Everyone was taken aback, not understanding the Hokage's intentions.
Yamanaka Inoichi, visibly frustrated, spoke up, "Hokage-sama, with all due respect, you know what my team is capable of. If you give them to me, I will uncover everything in less than a day! The ANBU can't match the efficiency of the analysis team."
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe and responded slowly, "Inoichi, I trust in your abilities. But with my years of experience, I can tell from their attire that these are ninjas from another nation, here to cause trouble in Konoha. Even if we uncover the mastermind, it will only fuel more hatred."
"Peace among the Five Great Nations is rare now. There's no need to ignite a conflict. Tomorrow, I will announce to the world that we captured all the invaders alive. Their leaders will be shocked by Konoha's strength."
"When the time comes, I'll do them a favor and return these intruders. By doing this, Konoha will show the dignity of a great nation, proving that we are beyond petty conflicts. The mastermind will surely realize their mistake."
"Inoichi, children, you must understand—finding out who's behind this isn't important. Peace is the priority. What good does knowing do? Would we retaliate and risk war? That would only bring suffering to Konoha's people."
"Mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence—that is the true solution. And that is how it shall be."
The Third Hokage's "noble" reasoning left everyone stunned.
Danzo seized the moment, "Hiruzen, as expected of a leader, you truly think of the people. I could never be so wise."
With that, Danzo ordered the ANBU, "Well, what are you waiting for? Take them away!"
The ANBU hesitated briefly but complied after seeing the Hokage's nod of approval.
Meanwhile, Hiashi Hyuga clenched his fists in anger. He couldn't take it any longer.
"Hokage-sama! You can't keep showing such mercy! If you continue like this, the other nations will only push further!"
Yamanaka Inoichi also disagreed, stepping forward, his voice filled with frustration, "Hokage-sama, while peace is important, this approach truly demoralizes our own people!"
Hiruzen sighed, "Inoichi, you aren't in my position. You can't understand the full implications of my decision. Please, step aside. My mind is made up."
"But...!"
Inoichi attempted to protest further, but Nara Shikaku, standing behind him, laid a hand on his shoulder, signaling for him to stop.
With no choice, Inoichi relented.
Just as the scene was about to disperse, Haruto, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke.
"Hey! Are you all ignoring me? I've told you countless times—these guys didn't come here to destroy Konoha. They came to attack me!"
"Oh?" Danzo sneered, pretending to be surprised. "Haruto, don't be absurd. What reason would over 30 elite ninjas have to target someone like you? There's a limit to how much you can lie."
"You think I'm lying? Go ask the nurses at Konoha Hospital! One of your fools almost blurted out your name—Danzo—before he was silenced! My wives can testify to this!"
Hearing Haruto mention Danzo's name, everyone turned their eyes toward him.
Danzo, now furious, growled, "Boy, don't slander me. Just because you're the last Uchiha doesn't give you the right to spread rumors. Keep it up, and I won't be so lenient."
A dangerous aura surrounded Danzo, and it was clear he wasn't bluffing.
Despite the tension, Haruto stood tall, walking up to Danzo and challenging him, "Whether it's a rumor or not, you'll find out when you investigate! I demand justice as the victim here. If this goes unresolved, how can I ever feel safe from your assassination attempts? Hokage-sama, you must investigate this!"
The Third Hokage hesitated, his face twitching.
Danzo, enraged, discarded his crutch and formed hand seals, "You're insufferable! As Konoha's senior advisor, I won't tolerate you slandering me over and over! Today, I'll end you!"
"You're a cancer in Konoha, and it's my duty to remove you!"
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Danzo unleashed a razor-sharp gust of wind aimed at silencing Haruto once and for all.
But Haruto wasn't the same as before. Dodging the wind blade, he declared, "Danzo, the times have changed! Let me show you that the Uchiha clan is not so easily defeated!"
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