The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stared at Danzo, his old comrade and rival, with barely concealed fury. Danzo's desperate gambit was clear—he was ready to drag Hiruzen down with him. If Danzo spilled their shared secrets, the crimes they'd committed in the shadows to maintain control over the Leaf Village, it wouldn't just be Danzo's end. Hiruzen's legacy as Hokage would be shattered, his reputation ruined, and the village would turn against him. Facing the Uchiha clan's wrath, losing the Hokage title would be the least of his worries—he could lose his life.
Hiruzen's mind raced. This wasn't the time to settle scores with Danzo. For now, he had no choice but to protect him, no matter the cost. Swallowing his anger, he turned to Uchiha Ryosuke, who stood defiantly before him, his presence radiating menace.
"Leave Danzo to me," Hiruzen said, his voice steady but strained. "I'll handle him. If he's at fault, I'll ensure he's punished—maybe even exiled from the Leaf. The Uchiha will get justice, I promise."
Ryosuke's lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. Hand Danzo over to the Hokage? What a joke. Hiruzen and Danzo were cut from the same cloth, two snakes in a den. Years ago, when Danzo had attempted to assassinate Hiruzen, the Hokage had let it slide. Why would he act differently now, especially when it involved the Uchiha, a clan Hiruzen openly distrusted? The bad blood between the Third Hokage and the Uchiha was no secret—Ryosuke knew better than to trust empty promises.
"Third Hokage," Ryosuke said, his tone dripping with disdain, "spare me your platitudes. This concerns the Uchiha clan's bloodline limit—our Sharingan. It's our business, not yours. If you stand in my way, don't expect mercy."
Hiruzen's face darkened. This insolent Uchiha had already dared to attack Danzo, and now he was openly challenging the Hokage himself? It was outrageous, a direct affront to his authority. Before he could unleash a rebuke, Ryosuke moved.
His hands clapped together, forming a seal. Chakra surged within him, and he unleashed the first five gates of the Eight Gates technique. A powerful aura erupted, his body enveloped in a shimmering blue-green steam. The air around him rippled, kicking up dust and debris as an invisible force pulsed outward.
"Eight Gates Technique!" Ryosuke declared, his voice resonating with power.
The steam swirling around him grew denser, its hue shifting closer to blue—a sign of his mastery over the technique. With each gate opened, his attributes multiplied, amplifying his already formidable strength by fivefold. He could feel the difference; his training had pushed the Eight Gates to new heights, making him a force few could rival.
Ryosuke had no intention of letting Danzo use Izanagi, the forbidden technique that twisted reality at the cost of a Sharingan. It was a waste of the Uchiha's sacred bloodline, and Ryosuke wouldn't allow it. Nor would he rely on Susanoo, the massive spectral warrior conjured by his Mangekyo Sharingan. His eyes ached from overuse, a warning that further strain could blur his vision permanently. Instead, he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, its crimson glow piercing the air, but held back from using its most taxing abilities.
To those aligned with Hiruzen, Ryosuke was a terrifying sight—a blue-green beast radiating raw power. They'd heard tales of the Eight Gates' might. Years ago, in the Mist Village, Might Dai, a mere genin, had opened all eight gates, unleashing red steam and single-handedly decimating the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, elite jounin whose strength surpassed most in the room. The Eight Gates multiplied power far beyond tenfold, and Ryosuke, already an elite jounin capable of wielding the Mangekyo, was on another level entirely.
If his Susanoo had been a towering monster, this was a condensed, ferocious predator—equally deadly but far more precise. The clansmen around Hiruzen exchanged uneasy glances, their confidence wavering.
Hiruzen's heart sank. Ryosuke's intent was clear—he was ready to fight. Turning to his allies, the Hokage barked, "The Uchiha are rebelling! Anbu, alert the village ninjas! Clan leaders, stand with me to protect Danzo from their treachery!"
The clan leaders froze, their minds racing. This was spiraling into a full-scale conflict, one that could tear the village apart. Among them, the Hyuga clan leader, Hiashi Hyuga, felt a surge of reluctance. He'd witnessed Ryosuke's Eight Gates in action during the battle against the Cloud Village—a display of raw power that had left even the Fourth Raikage, a titan of the ninja world, captured. Aligning against Ryosuke was suicide.
Moreover, the Hyuga had their own grievances. Danzo was suspected of planting a traitor within their clan, a scandal that had tarnished their reputation. The Uchiha had just returned victorious from the Cloud Village, their strength undeniable. Suppressing them now risked igniting a civil war, and Hiashi wanted no part of it.
"Third Hokage," Hiashi said firmly, "I cannot comply with this order. Let Danzo show his arm to the Uchiha for inspection. If he's innocent, this conflict can end peacefully."
Hiruzen's expression twisted in shock. "Danzo's arm is a village secret, not to be revealed! Are you defying me, Hiashi? Are the Hyuga colluding with the Uchiha to betray the Leaf?"
Hiashi's face hardened, anger flaring at the accusation. "You go too far, Third Hokage," he retorted. "If Danzo refuses to clear his name, the Hyuga will not join this fight." With that, he gestured to his brother Hizashi, and the two left the scene.
The remaining clan leaders hesitated, their thoughts mirroring Hiashi's. Ryosuke's power was terrifying—strong enough to capture the Raikage, a feat none of them could match. Even with numbers on their side, the Uchiha clan's ninjas were no pushovers. One by one, they spoke up.
"Lord Hokage, let Danzo prove his innocence to avoid war," one said.
"Exactly," another added. "If Danzo's clean, the Uchiha have no grounds to act. If they attack anyway, we'll fight to the end."
More clan leaders voiced their agreement, their resolve crumbling. They valued their lives and their clans' survival. Even those loyal to Hiruzen wavered. Danzo's Root had poached their prodigies, siphoning talent for his own schemes. Why risk everything to save him?
Hiruzen's anger surged as his allies turned on him. "You dare defy me, the Third Hokage? The Uchiha are plotting treason!"
Ryosuke's patience snapped. "Anyone who stands in the Uchiha's way will face the consequences," he warned, his voice low and lethal.
The air grew heavy with tension. The clan leaders exchanged uneasy glances, weighing their options. Ryosuke's blue-green aura pulsed, a reminder of his overwhelming power. The Uchiha's rebellion was no longer a distant threat—it was here, now, and the village stood on the brink of chaos.
Danzo, standing silently behind Hiruzen, felt a chill. His schemes to suppress the Uchiha had backfired, and now he was the target of their wrath. His arm, embedded with stolen Sharingan eyes, was a secret he couldn't reveal without condemning himself. He'd gambled on Hiruzen's protection, but even that was faltering as the clans abandoned them.
Hiruzen clenched his fists. Protecting Danzo was his only option to preserve his own position, but the cost was mounting. Ryosuke's defiance, backed by the Uchiha's strength, threatened to unravel everything. The Hokage's mind flashed to the past—to the Nine-Tails attack and the masked figure who had manipulated events from the shadows. Was Ryosuke connected to that figure, or was he a new threat entirely? The answers eluded him, but one thing was clear: this confrontation would shape the Leaf Village's future.
As Ryosuke stepped forward, his Eight Gates aura intensifying, the clan leaders braced themselves. The line between loyalty and survival blurred, and the village teetered on the edge of civil war.
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