Ryosuke's laughter echoed boldly through the council hall.
"If Lord Danzo truly believes what I've said is nonsense, then he must support the idea that running away when under attack is the righteous path."
He paused for effect, then tilted his head with a smug grin.
"In that case, I'll make it clear right now—every time I see Danzo from now on, I'll consider it a training exercise and attack him. If he runs away, then by his own logic, he's morally superior and justified. But if he dares to retaliate… well, then he's a hypocrite, isn't he?"
The entire hall froze.
Danzo slammed his hand on the table in fury, face twisted in rage. "You dare threaten me?! That is treason against the village!"
Ryosuke's tone cooled as his Mangekyō Sharingan glinted ominously. "It was a hypothetical scenario. But it seems Danzo-sama lacks even the courage to entertain a rhetorical point. And yet—once again—he accuses the Uchiha Clan of treason during a council of clan heads? Danzo, do you even understand what the penalty for accusing someone of treason is?"
Danzo let out a sharp breath, then scoffed, "Some words aren't meant to be taken as jokes. Betraying the village is not something I'll allow to slide."
He leaned forward, venom in his tone. "If the Uchiha truly mean to rebel, then they should be eradicated."
A silence fell across the room. Many elders lowered their gazes, shocked by Danzo's blatant declaration.
Ryosuke, however, burst out laughing. "You're absolutely right, Lord Danzo. Some things can't be joked about."
He straightened his cloak, his expression turning lethal. "Since you've accused my clan of betrayal… produce the evidence. Right now. In front of everyone."
His Mangekyō Sharingan flickered with malevolent energy, the spirals of power whispering that he was moments away from taking action.
Danzo faltered. His mouth opened slightly, but no proof came.
Then he gave a smug smirk.
"Is it not enough that your clan is plotting to seize the Hokage's seat? That alone speaks of your intent."
Gasps rose from the room. Some clan leaders shifted uncomfortably. Everyone knew the Uchiha harbored ambitions. But Ryosuke's next words stunned them.
"You truly are an idiot, Danzo."
Ryosuke didn't yell. His voice was even and sharp, cutting through the room like a kunai. "Whoever told you that aiming to become Hokage is a crime? Every ninja in this village should dream of protecting Konoha with everything they have. How else does one rise? Or do you only want spineless lapdogs sitting in the Hokage's chair?"
Some of the more forward-thinking clans in the chamber exchanged surprised glances. What Ryosuke said… wasn't wrong.
But Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, frowned deeply. These words, though patriotic in tone, were unmistakably aimed at pushing him aside.
Danzo took this as his cue. "There! You heard him! He dares speak of replacing the Hokage! What else is that but treason?"
Ryosuke sighed, now completely done with the discussion.
"Enough nonsense," he said coolly. "You all heard Danzo. Ignorant, paranoid, dangerous."
His Sharingan pulsed again. "He accuses my clan of treason without proof. He aims to plunge this village into civil war. He slanders us while hiding his own crimes. For that, I, Ryosuke of the Uchiha, as head of the Konoha Police Force… sentence Danzo Shimura to death."
The chakra in his body surged.
The skeletal ribcage of Susanoo exploded into being, expanding outward, and forming a full upper torso — a looming titan of chakra energy, casting flickering shadows across the chamber.
"Stop this madness!" the Third Hokage yelled. "Ryosuke! Stand down at once!"
But Ryosuke only laughed. "This man tried to destroy our clan from within. He's had enough chances."
The Susanoo's enormous arm drew back, then hurled a fist directly toward Danzo.
To Danzo's credit, his instincts were sharp. The very moment Susanoo formed, he had already leapt backward, smashing through a nearby window and disappearing from the hall just before the massive chakra fist obliterated the wall.
A portion of the council chamber collapsed in rubble and dust.
Ryosuke didn't wait. With barely a pause, he followed Danzo through the gaping hole he'd created, leaping out into the daylight with a grim focus.
The two vanished from sight.
Inside the destroyed hall, clan leaders sat stunned and speechless. The youngest Uchiha had just declared the execution of a village elder — and attempted it, openly, in a council meeting.
How… how had it come to this?
Hiruzen stood slowly, his fists clenched. His usually calm eyes were now stormy with emotion. "He declared that in front of me. The Hokage. As if I was nothing."
He turned to Uchiha Fugaku, who had remained composed through the chaos.
"Fugaku, are you going to stop him? This is a declaration of war!"
Fugaku sighed softly, then responded, "I'm afraid I no longer have the power to stop him, Lord Hokage."
He met Hiruzen's eyes. "Ryosuke is now the de facto voice of the Uchiha. More than that, he's the commander of the Konoha Military Police Force. If he acts, he acts with the authority your government gave him."
"Danzo has accused us of treason repeatedly without evidence. Such actions demand justice."
"You expect me to just stand here," Hiruzen snapped, "while your clan assassinates one of the village's elders?"
Fugaku raised an eyebrow. "When Danzo falsely accused our entire clan of betrayal, where was your voice, Lord Hokage? When he weaponized suspicion and tried to divide Konoha from within, did you speak up then?"
The Hokage's mouth tightened.
Fugaku's voice remained calm, but it was edged with steel. "False accusations of treason are the gravest of crimes. Danzo tried to paint us as enemies of the village. If Ryosuke had not acted, perhaps others in this room would've started believing it too. That's how massacres begin."
The room fell silent once more.
And then Fugaku added, almost casually, "If Danzo dies, it will be because he tried to destroy Konoha from the inside."
Hiruzen said nothing. But his thoughts were far from still
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