Knowing that he was going to be imprisoned in the police department, Danzo's nose twisted in anger. He agreed to Sarutobi Hiruzen's terms and was willing to suffer some grievances to calm the daimyo's misunderstanding. Even if he had to apologize to the daimyo, he could admit to that.
But he never expected that the Third Hokage would hand him over to the Uchiha! This wasn't simply to make him suffer grievances—it was a death sentence!
"Damn Sarutobi Hiruzen! I knew you'd already given up on me. Are you planning to sacrifice me for the favor of Uchiha and the daimyo? I'll make you regret this!"
Danzo secretly swore in his heart that the Third Hokage had been very tolerant of him; otherwise, he would have faced countless deaths in other villages for his actions in Konoha.
However, the Third Hokage liked him! Even in the face of the daimyo, he was willing to protect him. Between Orochimaru and Danzo, he chose Danzo.
It was precisely because of this that Danzo was so enraged by the Third Hokage's near-betrayal.
You, Sarutobi Hiruzen, call me Xiaotuantuan when you need an old friend, but I'm just Shimura Danzo when you don't.
But right now, Danzo knew he had no room to resist. Beyond whether the daimyo or other villages would use this situation against him, the elite of Root had already been defeated by him, and he couldn't contact the rest.
The key issue was that he couldn't act freely now, nor had he acquired a new Sharingan to suppress Hashirama's cells. His current physical condition was far from optimal.
"I just have to get through this period before going to Orochimaru; he must have some way to suppress the Hashirama cells..."
Danzo silently plotted his next moves. Though it seemed the tides had turned against him, he wasn't about to give up. The position of advisor elder, the position of Hokage assistant, and even the title of the Fourth Hokage—"I will get them all!"
And Root? Sooner or later, the old man will turn Root into an army to rival the Anbu!
"What are you thinking, Danzo-sama? Are you planning to harm us, Uchiha, again?"
Seeing Danzo's wandering expression, Yagami jolted him back with a snap.
Looking at the group of Uchiha surrounding him, even Danzo couldn't help but feel a shiver. Targeting the Uchiha was one thing, but facing them was entirely different—especially when there were two Mangekyō Sharingan users among them...
"Uchiha Yagami! What do you want?"
Upon seeing the last person he wanted to see, Danzo's mood darkened further.
"Of course, I'm here to escort Lord Danzo to the police department! Considering that Lord Danzo was once a high-ranking figure in the village and his strength is difficult to restrain, we Uchiha have specially prepared a secure vehicle for your safety in honour of the village. Please!"
Yagami gestured, and the Uchiha behind him pushed a large wooden barrel toward Danzo. Not only were forbidden seals engraved on it, but detonating tags were also pasted around it, making Danzo's heart race.
"Lord Danzo, don't worry. The Hokage ordered us to ensure your safety. As long as you don't act outrageously, you'll be free when the Hokage returns. Please!"
Yagami spoke with a slight smirk while Shisui glanced into the distance, not even sparing Danzo a look.
Thinking back on how he had once entrusted his clan's fate to Danzo, Shisui wondered if he'd been manipulated by his own Kotoamatsukami…
As for the other Uchiha clansmen, they openly showed their schadenfreude, planning to haul Danzo away and perhaps even spit on him for good measure.
"Shisui, Danzo is yours to monitor. There's only one instruction: don't let him leave the police department or contact anyone outside his clan. Don't interfere with anything else he does."
Yagami instructed, hoping Danzo would attempt something big in the police department, ideally something like a jailbreak. After all, accidental injuries are sometimes unavoidable when subduing prisoners, right?
In Amegakure, Obito listened to Black Zetsu's report and couldn't suppress his growing ambitions.
At the moment, Konoha was at odds with the daimyo of the Land of Fire, Uchiha was more alienated than ever within the village, and other ninja villages watched eagerly. It wasn't an exaggeration to say Konoha was burdened with internal and external crises.
"Damn Yagami… If Kirigakure were still under my control, this would be the perfect opportunity…"
If Kirigakure and Konoha went to war now, it would likely trigger a new ninja war. With the strength of the Five Great Nations severely depleted, he could initiate the Eye of the Moon Plan sooner.
It was unfortunate that the Mist had slipped out of his grasp due to Yagami's interference; now, he only controlled Amegakure, which wasn't enough to start a war.
In the final analysis, the current Akatsuki organization simply wasn't strong enough. Although Nagato and Konan were doing their best to recruit, finding powerful and unaffiliated shinobi wasn't easy.
There was also the financial burden. They had some skill in making money, but dealing with unreliable allies was frustrating!
Obito couldn't help but think of Hoshigaki Kisame, the ally he'd found in Kirigakure. He had intended to manipulate the Fourth Mizukage and recruit Kisame, but he was ousted from Kirigakure before he could act. His plan was lost.
Then there was the Uchiha, who seemed to sense his presence and even prepared a Distinguished Heavenly God to trap him. If not for Black Zetsu's intelligence-gathering, he might not be himself now.
The threat of the Mangekyō Sharingan was serious; he realized he needed to strengthen himself further, or he might be unable to even summon Susanoo the next time he faced it.
Although Kamui was powerful, it wasn't invincible. Several current Uchiha could counter it. For instance, Shisui's Distinguished Heavenly Gods, Itachi's Tsukuyomi, and Amaterasu are all activated directly through eye power and faster than Kamui. If they struck first, Kamui couldn't dodge.
Genjutsu techniques were manageable since he also had Mangekyō and could resist them somewhat. Unless it was the overwhelming power of Distinguished Heavenly Gods, he wasn't too worried about Tsukuyomi. But Amaterasu was a different story—it was difficult to evade…
So, before facing the Uchiha again, he had to obtain dual Kamui.
"Black Zetsu, keep a close watch on Kakashi. It's not time to initiate the plan yet."
Meanwhile, under Uchiha's assurance, the daimyo finally agreed to meet Sarutobi Hiruzen. Though nervous, he had many questions he wanted the Third Hokage to address.
Knowing that the Uchiha had dispatched another Mangekyō user, one whom Itachi deemed less skilled, the daimyo felt secure enough to meet the Third Hokage with protection in place.
Seeing the layered guards outside the daimyo's mansion, including the army, the Third Hokage finally understood why the daimyo held such a grudge.
"Lord Hokage, Lord Daimyo has allowed you and Mingfeng to enter, but Anbu and the other guards must remain outside."
Uchiha Takahashi emerged to meet the Third Hokage. Acknowledging the daimyo's caution, the Third Hokage waved the others to wait outside and entered with Yagami.
Inside the main hall, the daimyo was already waiting.
Compared to the exterior, the security around the daimyo was staggering.
With Uchiha Takahashi sent to greet them, all other Uchiha stayed within five meters of the daimyo.
Thirty Uchiha formed a complete human wall.
The Third Hokage fell silent. *The old man isn't here to assassinate you; is all this really necessary?*
"My lord, I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, humbly greet you."
Given the situation, the Third Hokage kept his demeanour respectful.
"Hmph! Sarutobi Hiruzen, you actually dare to show your face here! Don't you feel any shame? Look at the state of Konoha under your leadership. The old man spent money to support you, but there's been no gratitude in return.
"First, you almost had me killed! And now, after everything that happened, you haven't even explained yourself. Tell me, do you want me gone to claim the Land of Fire as your own?"
The daimyo, in recent days, had been sleepless from fear, so he didn't bother to hold back his anger, speaking to the Third Hokage as if reprimanding a subordinate.
"Please, calm yourself, my lord. I came here to discuss this issue in detail. Danzo has now been imprisoned under the watch of the Uchiha. I couldn't respond to your letter sooner because we were actively investigating."
The Third Hokage quickly explained. Despite his initial frustrations, he was now grateful that Mingfeng had suggested handing Danzo over to the Uchiha; otherwise, he wouldn't know how to appease the daimyo.
"Oh?"
The daimyo eyed Yagami beside the Third Hokage with suspicion. He no longer trusted Konoha, only Uchiha.
Yagami nodded, having no intention of interfering with the matter. He had fulfilled his duties and would honour his word.
"That's better. I feel assured with Uchiha in charge, but Sarutobi Hiruzen, I'm not satisfied with just this punishment! Danzo wanted to kill me!"
The daimyo's expression softened slightly.
"My lord, there's likely a misunderstanding here. Danzo may not have shown the utmost respect toward you, but he wouldn't go so far as to attempt such a thing. It could be a scheme by other villages."
The Third Hokage tried to reassure him. *Danzo, don't worry! The old man is here to save you!*
"Misunderstanding? Even now, Sarutobi Hiruzen, you're defending Shimura Danzo. Misunderstanding? Do you think I'm a fool or that Uchiha are fools? Do you think we can't tell the difference between our own and others?"
Hearing this, the daimyo's simmering anger reignited.
"Itachi! Bring the corpse so our esteemed Hokage can see if it's from Konoha! Talk about misunderstandings! Explain this to me…"
The daimyo called for Itachi to present the corpse. Seeing Itachi take out the sealing scroll, the Third Hokage felt a sinking dread.
*This is bad! There's no way out of this one!*
Sure enough, as he looked at the unmistakable Konoha insignia on several of the corpses, he froze.
*Damn it, Danzo! You've truly trapped the old man this time!*
Didn't he say no one was sent to the daimyo's mansion? What were these bodies doing here?
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion