"What! Hokage-sama, are you still angry?!"
"I've already apologized, haven't I?"
"Why won't you forgive me? Or... is this your way of disrespecting the Uchiha clan?"
"Or perhaps, Lord Hokage… are you thinking of declaring war on us?"
Byakuya's tone was sharp and mocking as he stared down the visibly angry Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"You… you insolent brat…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth but turned his face away. He didn't dare challenge Byakuya.
He knew very well—he was no match for the Uchiha prodigy.
A confrontation here wouldn't just humiliate him—it could destabilize the entire village.
With a wave of his hand, Hiruzen turned to leave with his entourage.
"Wait, Hokage-sama."
"You can't leave just like that."
"You're here to welcome your victorious heroes back to the village, aren't you? So why rush off now?"
Byakuya's voice rang out again, loud and clear for all to hear.
He had already collected 3,000 units of negative energy from Hiruzen in just a few moments.
How could he possibly let this gold mine of humiliation walk away so easily?
"You... damn you…"
Sarutobi's steps halted again. His pride was crushed, his face flushed with fury.
He was the Hokage—the face of the village. And now that very face had been slapped, trampled on, and forced into smiling submission.
But the gazes of the crowd were sharp. The villagers, the clan heads, the jonin—all were watching.
"Hokage-sama, that expression..."
"Is that how you treat returning heroes?"
"We upheld the Will of Fire on the frontlines while you stayed here in comfort."
"Look carefully, everyone! This is how the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, treats the defenders of Konoha!"
Byakuya's words dripped with sarcasm.
The murmurs among the surrounding crowd only made things worse.
Many began casting doubtful glances at the Hokage.
"Damn you, Uchiha Byakuya!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's fury reached its peak. He wanted to strike, to lash out, to silence him.
But reason held him back.
He couldn't lose it—not here, not now.
He was the Hokage, and the entire village was watching.
Taking a deep breath, Hiruzen forced the fury down his throat and replaced it with a benevolent smile.
"Haha, Byakuya, what a thing to say!"
"How could I not welcome heroes like you? I was just going to fetch something for the ceremony!"
He gestured toward an ANBU, who quickly stepped forward with a large red victory flower.
"Here—it's for you. A symbol of your valor and dedication."
"Is that so? Well, alright then…"
Byakuya took the flower, glanced at it… and tossed it aside without a second thought.
The slap wasn't physical—but it hit harder than any blow.
Sarutobi's fists clenched at his sides. Rage surged again.
The Uchiha boy was playing him like a puppet.
But Byakuya wasn't done.
He turned to his next target: Shimura Danzō.
"So… you're Shimura Danzō."
Danzō didn't flinch. "I am. And I don't need you calling my name like we're friends."
He didn't hide his killing intent. This bastard was the one who crushed the Root organization's forces—his forces.
The one who humiliated the hidden power behind the Hokage seat.
"Good. Then I found the right man."
Before Danzō could speak further, Byakuya's hand moved.
"Pah—!"
The slap cracked through the air like a whip.
Danzō's body was sent flying several meters back, tumbling across the ground like a discarded ragdoll.
The onlookers gasped.
And Byakuya, without even looking back, said coldly:
"Someone. Take him away."
Following Byakuya's order, Uchiha En led several elite Uchiha shinobi and charged directly at Shimura Danzo.
"What are you doing!?" Danzo bellowed, caught off guard. "You dare attack me? I am an elder of Konoha—the head of Root!"
He struggled, but Uchiha En showed no hesitation. "Shut up."
Without pause, he drove his knee into Danzo's legs—once, twice.
"Gah! Argh…" Danzo screamed as he was forced to his knees before Uchiha Byakuya.
"Stop it!" came a sharp shout from Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had finally regained his composure amidst the commotion. "Uchiha Byakuya! What do you think you're doing!?"
His earlier anger forgotten, Sarutobi's voice now carried alarm. Attacking a Konoha elder in public—this was open defiance. Treason.
Byakuya turned his gaze toward the Third Hokage, voice icy.
"What am I doing?" he said. "I'm protecting Konoha… and the Will of Fire."
His Sharingan glinted coldly. "Shimura Danzo has betrayed the village. His actions have endangered us all. He will answer for them."
"Betrayal!?" Gasps rippled through the gathered shinobi. Treason was no small accusation. In every great village, missing-nin and traitors were hunted without mercy. The consequences were absolute.
Sarutobi stepped forward. "Byakuya, enough! Danzo is a village elder. You can't throw around accusations like this! Even if he's made mistakes, you need proof before attacking—"
"Proof?" Byakuya's chakra flared slightly. "We, the Uchiha, don't need your permission to protect the village. But if you're so obsessed with evidence…"
He gestured casually.
Nara Shikaku stepped forward and handed him a scroll, his face solemn. Byakuya hurled the scroll straight toward Sarutobi.
Reacting quickly, Sarutobi reached to catch it—but just before his fingers closed, a chakra thread flicked from Byakuya's sleeve, jerking the scroll midair.
Whap!
The scroll smacked Sarutobi clean in the face before dropping to the ground.
"There's your proof," Byakuya said coldly. "Testimony. Documents. Root's secret experiments. Unauthorized use of Hashirama's cells. Attempts to assassinate key Uchiha operatives while we were on the front lines."
Sarutobi froze, his expression darkening as he stared down at the scroll.
Whispers surged among the gathered shinobi.
Danzo, still kneeling, grit his teeth. "You think this proves anything…?"
Byakuya didn't even look at him. "We'll let the evidence speak. But for now… you're not going anywhere."
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL to gain access to 40+ chapters