Shimura Danzo's chest heaved violently.
His single eye burned with unwillingness, resentment, and fury.
He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose face carried unmistakable anger and absolute resolve.
Then he glanced at the clan heads standing nearby, all sitting like unmoving statues, their eyes lowered as if they had nothing to do with the matter.
Danzo understood immediately.
No matter what he said today, his goal would never be achieved.
His hand tightened around his cane until his knuckles turned pale.
Through clenched teeth, he forced out a single word.
"…Fine."
The moment the word left his mouth, he spun around and strode toward the door without another glance.
BANG!
The office door slammed shut once more, the echo reverberating through the room.
Hiruzen glanced at the ANBU Captain standing before his desk.
The captain quietly followed Danzo out.
Only then did Hiruzen seem to lose all strength.
He slowly sank back into his chair, his fingers trembling faintly.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to calm down.
His gaze returned to the clan heads.
A thousand thoughts ran through his mind—
Yet for a moment, he found himself unable to speak a single word.
The Nara clan head sighed inwardly.
Removing Danzo—the explosive fuse—from Konoha's powder keg was clearly the wisest choice for the moment.
But everyone present understood one thing.
The conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village leadership had already become public and sharp.
Sending Danzo to the border did not solve the root of the problem.
The best option now is to let the coming war temporarily divert internal tensions.
The question is how the Third Hokage chooses to proceed.
That was the shared thought of the Hyuga, Nara, and the others.
As for joining the Hokage to destroy the Uchiha?
The idea barely appeared before they immediately crushed it.
Everyone knew how powerful the Uchiha were.
If all the clans joined forces, they could probably defeat them.
But a severely crippled Konoha would then be left to face the other ninja villages.
And if things truly reached the point of life or death—
The clans would rather watch the Uchiha and the village leadership fight each other first.
If the Uchiha were crushed—
Then negotiations could begin afterward.
If the Uchiha endured the pressure and emerged relatively intact—
Then there would be no hesitation.
They would gladly fire celebratory cannons for the rising Fourth Hokage.
At the very least—
The Uchiha were straightforward.
They were trustworthy.
In every battle, big or small—
Whenever Uchiha were present—
They were the ones who charged first.
The only concern among the clans was whether the ultimate victor would be capable of leading them against external enemies.
Otherwise, everything was meaningless.
The Hyuga and Ino–Shika–Cho alliance were already considering whether they could position themselves as a third faction within Konoha—
A mediator between the Hokage and the Uchiha.
That would benefit them the most.
Hiruzen understood this as well.
At such a critical moment, a war with the Uchiha would shake the very foundation of his rule, no matter the outcome.
Even worse—
The Sannin, Minato Namikaze, and the majority of Konoha's forces were not in the village.
With only himself and Koharu Utatane, they could not stop the Uchiha.
If Sakumo Hatake were still alive, the Uchiha would never dare act so boldly…
Or if Kushina Uzumaki could fully control the Nine-Tails…
A bitter mixture of regret and helplessness rose in his chest.
But he forced it down.
Hiruzen bit lightly on the tip of his tongue and refocused on the present situation.
Should I recall the ninja forces to the village?
Or summon Jiraiya and Orochimaru back using Minato's Flying Thunder God?
The thought appeared—
Then he immediately rejected it.
The frontline war had reached a crucial stage.
If they withdrew troops now and their enemies seized the opportunity—
The entire front would collapse.
Neither he nor Konoha could afford such a disaster.
The Uchiha could act impulsively—
Because everyone believed they were impulsive.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man who carried the enormous weight of Konoha—
Could not gamble.
Would not gamble.
The only solution was negotiation.
And negotiations required balance.
If I offer them independence as a military force…
And send them away from Konoha…
As the thought formed in his mind, the Third Hokage lifted his gaze and looked at the clan heads before him.
Their expressions varied.
His voice was steady.
"Everyone."
"Come with me to the Police Force headquarters."
Hiruzen stood up.
"I will personally ask Fugaku what exactly the Uchiha are planning."
With that, he stepped out first.
The Hyuga clan head, the Ino–Shika–Cho alliance, and the others understood what this meant.
None of them refused.
They stood up solemnly and followed.
If the pressure of the village leadership could suppress the Uchiha's aggressive stance and bring the matter to the negotiation table—
It would undoubtedly be a good outcome for Konoha as a whole.
There was no reason to oppose it.
Dusk gradually deepened.
The last warm glow on the horizon faded into dark blue.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi led the group out of the Hokage Tower—
At the top of the towering building of the Uchiha Police Force, the massive Uchiha fan crest cast a long shadow across the ground.
The shadow swallowed the Hokage's group entirely.
Meanwhile—
Dusk spread like blood across the Uchiha clan compound.
Ever since Fugaku had led his men to capture the Root ninja, the entire district had been locked in tense silence.
The training grounds were empty.
The laughter of children had vanished.
Only the Uchiha clan emblem beneath the rooftops looked down silently over the quiet territory.
On the street at the entrance of the clan compound—
Figures stood like spears.
Killing intent surged like waves.
The old clan head, Uchiha Setsuna, and Uchiha Hokage—
Three pillars of the clan—
Now wore battle armor that had been sealed away for years.
The dark cuirasses had endured countless battles.
Fine scratches from weapons marked the metal.
The edges had been polished smooth by time.
Yet they still radiated a cold aura of bloodshed.
The fan crest engraved on their shoulder guards and arm guards glowed faintly in the dusk.
Behind them stood dozens of Uchiha jōnin.
They were as still as statues.
Each suit of armor shone brilliantly.
The flaming fan emblem on their backs seemed almost alive.
Their swords remained sheathed—
But their hands had already warmed the hilts.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Only the Sharingan opened unconsciously.
Scarlet pupils flickered in the deepening dusk like countless beacons waiting to ignite.
The wind brushed through the trees.
A few fallen leaves drifted across the armor.
The entire plaza was silent.
Only the sounds of breathing and heartbeats echoed faintly beneath the armor.
From a distance, ANBU and clan observers watched the scene grimly.
A Hyuga branch family ninja activated his Byakugan.
Through the bulging veins around his eyes—
He saw the chakra inside the Uchiha bodies.
It was like volcanoes ready to erupt.
Cold.
Violent.
Ready to explode at any moment.
He glanced toward the Police Force headquarters, less than a kilometer away.
For jōnin running at full speed—
It would take less than ten seconds to reach it.
He swallowed nervously.
Everyone understood one thing.
The upcoming negotiations between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's leadership would determine the future of the village.
If the conflict proved irreconcilable—
A civil war would erupt instantly.
Across the heart of Konoha, a suffocating tension filled the air like a storm waiting to break.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
At the entrance of the Police Force headquarters, the Uchiha guards saw the Hokage approaching.
Their eyes sharpened instantly.
But instead of stepping aside—
They straightened their backs.
The Sharingan glowed faintly red in the fading dusk.
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