Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Kagami stared at Renya in disbelief.
"What are you even talking about?"
He wanted them to slaughter the entire Uchiha Hawk Faction.
What kind of joke was that?!
"Renya, doing this will only ignite direct conflict between the Uchiha and the village!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned as he spoke.
Acting like this could only lead to a full-scale war between the Uchiha and the village.
In front of Renya, even Danzo—who had always been extreme—suddenly seemed gentle.
"Renya, we can't do that!" Uchiha Kagami hurriedly added.
Although this wasn't the first time Renya had brought up this idea, every time Kagami heard it, he got goosebumps.
Such inhumane actions were something he absolutely could not accept.
Compared to this, he'd rather adopt Danzo's approach of capturing the Uchiha Hawk Faction.
Truly, there's no harm without comparison.
The usually extreme Danzo somehow seemed not extreme at all next to Renya.
" Tch, boring." Renya pouted.
He had brought up this idea long ago, but no one had ever been willing to adopt it.
Even that old guy Senju Tobirama didn't agree.
Shimura Danzo stared at Renya, falling deep into thought.
He felt… that Renya didn't seem wrong.
Since the Uchiha dared to covet his Hokage seat, they should pay the appropriate price.
Just locking them in Konoha Prison did seem a little too lenient.
Why not follow Renya's suggestion and kill the entire Hawk Faction directly?
That way, the Uchiha would never be able to start a coup.
The Uchiha clan—born evil!
If they didn't suppress them with thunderous force, who knew what would happen in the future?
The more Danzo thought, the more reasonable Renya's suggestion seemed.
Deal with the problem at the root.
"Danzo!"
Hiruzen's anxious voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"You're not actually thinking of taking Renya's suggestion, are you?!"
Danzo had just regained focus when he saw the two staring nervously at him.
After a moment of silence, he said quietly, "I think Renya is right. The Uchiha plotting a coup can only be suppressed with hard measures."
"But the Uchiha haven't rebelled yet—doing this will only make them feel forced to act, and that will lead to war!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said anxiously, his voice rising subconsciously.
"Danzo, you mustn't act recklessly!" Uchiha Kagami said worriedly.
He was truly afraid Danzo would be swayed by Renya and do something irreversible.
He couldn't just stand there and watch Danzo slaughter his clan—he could only find a way to minimize the clan's responsibility.
As long as no one was killed, everything else could still be worked out.
"If we really wait for the Uchiha to start a coup… things will be much more serious…"
Renya's lazy voice drifted in.
"Sigh, you people are still too soft-hearted."
If he were Hokage, he would've already gone to the Uchiha and killed a few as a warning.
Only overwhelming power could make them behave completely.
—Anything else was useless.
"Renya, I'm begging you, stop talking!" Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Kagami glared at him unhappily.
They were afraid if he kept fanning the flames, Danzo really would order the execution of the Hawk Faction.
"Alright, alright, I won't talk." Renya reluctantly shut up.
He understood Uchiha Kagami protecting the Uchiha—after all, Kagami was a clansman himself.
It was normal to instinctively want to protect one's own.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen… Renya didn't understand.
Was he truly just worried that attacking the Uchiha Hawk Faction would lead to a war between the clan and the village?
That was possible too.
"Danzo, calm down," Sarutobi Hiruzen said. "The village is in a period of rapid development. A civil war would only halt that progress."
Danzo's expression wavered slightly.
Hiruzen wasn't wrong—during a development phase, a war was the last thing they needed.
If shinobi started fighting inside the village, the resulting damage would be immeasurable.
Seeing this, Uchiha Kagami realized persuasion was working and quickly joined in.
"Danzo, right now our priority is to stabilize the Hawk Faction, not create trouble for them…"
"You both make sense." Danzo nodded in agreement.
How could a small Uchiha clan compare to the development of the village?
When it came to the village's growth, he couldn't act on impulse.
But the Uchiha daring to covet the Hokage seat—that touched his reverse scale.
Before he retired, no one was allowed to even think about the Hokage position!
Anyone who attempted such a thing was challenging his Hokage authority.
"But we can't allow the Uchiha Hawk Faction to keep growing stronger!"
Danzo snorted coldly.
He understood that the only reason the Uchiha hadn't launched a coup yet was because supporters of the Hawk Faction were still the minority.
Although they were increasing over the years, they only made up a quarter of the clan.
Not enough to launch a coup.
Only when the Hawk Faction's numbers grew enough would the Uchiha attempt rebellion.
The Hawk Faction had always been stirring emotions within the clan.
Trying to make clansmen dissatisfied with the village so they would join them.
But it barely worked.
Since Danzo took office, he had never targeted the Uchiha clan
Most Uchiha felt the village treated them well and wouldn't be swayed by the Hawk Faction's words.
And with Uchiha Kagami becoming a Hokage advisor, the Uchiha felt the clan's status rising in the village, making them even less likely to join the Hawk Faction.
The Hawk Faction kept yelling about rebellion, yet never gained support.
No matter what they said, the clansmen simply didn't care.
The Uchiha weren't idiots.
Who would abandon a good life just to rebel?
With no support, the Hawk Faction became increasingly disliked within the clan.
"I can choose not to kill the Hawk Faction… but they must pay a price!"
Danzo was never going to just let it go because of their persuasion.
Uchiha Kagami's face tightened, his fist clenching unconsciously.
Danzo was serious now.
The Hawk Faction might avoid death, but punishment was unavoidable.
"Danzo… I agree to your previous decision."
Uchiha Kagami let out a bitter smile.
At this point, there was no other choice.
He couldn't keep opposing Danzo—doing so would only make things worse.
Prison was still better than death.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been trying to de-escalate everything, froze.
He hadn't expected Kagami to compromise.
Although Danzo's plan was mild compared to Renya's…
It was only relatively mild.
In reality, the consequences were still terrible.
If the Hawk Faction were thrown in jail, the rest of the Uchiha would definitely feel resentment.
Which would only breed more members of the Hawk Faction.
Hiruzen felt Danzo's decision was unwise.
"Tch, finally decided, huh? Not easy!"
Renya, who had been quiet for a while, spoke again in amusement.
Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew Danzo's decision could no longer be changed.
After all, his own teammate had surrendered first.
But he still asked tentatively:
"For something this big… shouldn't we get approval from Tobirama-sensei?"
"Hmph, Hiruzen. I am the Hokage!"