"Is this Lord Danzo's arm?"
Inside the Konoha encampment.
When Ebizo reappeared before everyone, he was holding a freshly severed arm, still dripping with blood.
Senju Yukika walked over with a skeptical look on his face, examining the gruesome sight.
To be honest...
He wanted to laugh.
In the original timeline, Danzo's arm had been badly damaged during the Second Great Ninja War. Eventually, he sought out Orochimaru and had it rebuilt using Uchiha Shin's cells as a base, integrating cells from Hashirama Senju. The Sharingan eyes embedded in the arm? Most of them came from the night the Uchiha clan was massacred.
But Yukika never expected that this time… Danzo lost his arm because of him.
"That's right, this is Danzo's—"
SLAP!
Before Ebizo could finish, Yukika gave him a hard slap across the face for no apparent reason.
Then that crazy little brat took the arm, threw it to the ground, and stomped on it with all his might.
Splat!
Chakra-enhanced strength exploded in an instant, and the entire command tent trembled from the impact!
When the dust finally settled—
Ebizo stood frozen in shock, staring at the completely pulverized arm on the ground.
What the hell had just happened?
That was Danzo's arm—your beloved Lord Danzo's arm! Did you want me to run a forensics test on it or something?
"Nope! We don't believe you!"
Yukika declared coldly.
Don't believe it…
Ebizo's face twitched.
What more do you want from me? Should I chop off Danzo's whole head and deliver it gift-wrapped?
"That's enough, Yukika,"
From the front of the tent, Sakumo Hatake (White Fang) stepped forward and shook his head, stopping Yukika from going any further.
He understood Yukika's animosity toward the higher-ups—especially Danzo.
But now wasn't the time for reckless behavior.
The evidence had been presented. Expecting Ebizo to go back and kill Danzo? Not happening.
Besides...
The Sand Village didn't want Danzo.
They wanted him—Sakumo Hatake.
"Take him away for now," Orochimaru interjected, signaling his subordinates to escort Ebizo out and give him a moment to calm down.
Honestly, with the slaps he took earlier, the guy was probably still reeling in confusion.
"So what do we do now?" Jiraiya asked, frowning deeply as he looked at Sakumo.
Let's be real: every ninja on the frontlines knew that Sakumo Hatake was far more crucial than Danzo.
Danzo's leadership? He had shown everyone exactly how not to command during this war.
Sakumo, on the other hand, was the very reason Konoha's forces had managed to hold on for so long. His presence kept morale from collapsing.
But now... what about the Sand's offer?
No one knew how to respond.
Sakumo remained silent, gently brushing a hand across the hilt of his short blade.
He was a bargaining chip now.
And technically, that meant he had no real say in the matter.
"We should report this to the Hokage and let him make the call," someone finally suggested.
At this point, that seemed like the only reasonable path forward.
"If we do that," Yukika said flatly, looking over at Sakumo, "the chances that the Hokage will sacrifice White Fang in place of Danzo are pretty damn high."
Even though White Fang's reputation was just starting to shine, Yukika knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Hokage—was the kind of man who couldn't tolerate even a speck of sand in his eye.
He wouldn't miss this chance.
But at the same time, Sarutobi wasn't a fool.
He knew this was a time of war. Konoha needed every capable ninja it could get.
Even if Sakumo rubbed him the wrong way, trading his life for Danzo's wasn't something that could be done lightly.
Don't underestimate Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He wasn't...