Hiruzen Sarutobi, leading a squad of Anbu, stopped a little more than ten meters away from Uchiha Chizumi and Danzō.
Right then, he was completely stunned.
He had arrived with so many Anbu that he was certain Chizumi—whose Sharingan granted extraordinary dynamic vision—could not have failed to see him.
A moment earlier, to keep the clash from escalating, he had even raised his voice and shouted at Chizumi: "Wait!"
Hiruzen was sure—he firmly believed—that Chizumi had heard him before thrusting a magma‑coated arm straight through Danzō's body.
Yet…
It seemed the Hokage's very presence and commands meant nothing to Uchiha Chizumi.
"Stop Chizumi!"
Although Hiruzen was furious with Danzō's conduct, that did not mean he wanted Danzō dead. Seeing that Chizumi truly meant to deliver a killing blow, he issued the order to the Anbu without hesitation.
Just as the Anbu moved to charge—
They saw something uncanny: Danzō—his torso pierced by a magma arm and apparently moments from death—suddenly escaped Chizumi's fatal strike in some bizarre manner.
Before the eyes of the gathered Konoha shinobi, the charred hole in Danzō's chest vanished in an instant; even his torn clothing was restored as if new.
It was as though the life‑and‑death moment seconds earlier had been nothing but an illusion.
Even Hiruzen paused in shock.
"Izanagi!"
On the other side, Fugaku—who had seen it as well—drew a sharp breath.
He already knew from Chizumi that Danzō possessed many Sharingan and could use the forbidden art Izanagi. But knowing it and seeing it with one's own eyes were worlds apart.
"Fugaku-sama…"
One of the Police Force shinobi Fugaku had brought gasped, "That guy's arm is studded with Sharingan, isn't it?"
At his words, every other Uchiha focused on Danzō's grotesque arm.
Faces all around filled with astonishment and disbelief.
Fugaku's heart skipped a beat.
He regretted bringing his clansmen here.
True, he had intelligence from Chizumi about Danzō's stolen eyes, but he had not shared it with the clan. He knew that if the Uchiha hawks found out, they would become even more extreme, and the rift between clan and leadership would become impossible to mend—something Fugaku wished to avoid at all costs. So, stifling his frustration, he had stayed silent.
He had not imagined…
That Danzō would brazenly expose an entire arm full of Sharingan before everyone!
"Meow! We finally made it…"
Jujiro breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Uchiha Chizumi unharmed. "Good thing Chizumi-sama is all right."
Then he complained to the panting girl behind him, "Rookie, you're way too slow—you totally held me back."
Izumi blushed with embarrassment. Taijutsu was supposed to be her forte, and she had run flat‑out—yet the whole way she could only watch Jujiro's tail disappear in the distance, barely faster than his kittens.
She hurriedly looked toward Chizumi.
"Chizumi‑senpai and his opponent…" She clicked her tongue at the devastated scene—no building left intact. "What kind of battle did they fight?"
Her gaze fell on Danzō.
The dense cluster of glaring, crimson Sharingan immediately drew her eye, and she sucked in a sharp breath.
At the same time—
Standing behind Hiruzen, Yamanaka Inoichi silently surveyed the Yamanaka compound—no building left standing. His fists clenched.
"Ino…"
Ignoring the charged atmosphere, Inoichi started toward the ruins alone. His daughter, his wife, and several clansmen had been hiding in an underground chamber when the fight broke out. Seeing the devastation, he now feared even that refuge might have been destroyed.
"Root…"
He stared at the wind‑carved trenches in the ground—he needed no thought to know whose work it was: Danzō's.
"The Uchiha's Sharingan…"
Hyūga shinobi had arrived as well. Their head, Hyūga Hiashi, found himself staring at Danzō's strange arm.
His Byakugan made the scene still clearer.
Hiashi's expression flickered with surprise. He shifted a puzzled, wary glance toward Fugaku, noting the shock on every Uchiha face.
The Uchiha evidently knew nothing of Danzō's Sharingan either.
Which meant…
Hiashi's eyes narrowed; wariness tinged the look he now gave Danzō. And it was not just Hiashi: every Kekkei Genkai clan shinobi present felt a chill of unease at that monstrous arm.
Under countless hostile gazes, Danzō's murderous intent boiled.
His secret had been laid bare.
There was no hiding an arm packed with stolen Sharingan. Even bandaging it now would only scream his guilt.
Danzō glared daggers at Chizumi, veins bulging on his clenched fist as dark thoughts surged.
It's all that cursed Uchiha brat's fault!
Why won't he just die already?!
He had barely shifted his footing when Hiruzen, thunder‑faced, barked:
"Danzō! Do you have any idea what you've done tonight? Konoha was almost destroyed! Look at this 'fine work' of yours!"
"I warned you last time—are you ignoring the orders of me, the Third Hokage?"
Before Danzō could grit out a reply—
An impassioned Uchiha radical shoved past Fugaku and jabbed an accusing finger at Danzō's arm:
"Where did you get those Sharingan? Have you been hunting our clansmen to steal them?"
"Otherwise, why would Chizumi fight you? He can see through evil—he must have seen yours, and that's why he attacked!"
The accusations struck like sparks in dry tinder. Realization dawned across many Uchiha faces, and their anger erupted.
One thought roared in every mind: Shimura Danzō may be hunting Uchiha for their eyes!
They glared at Danzō with murderous intent; many hands dropped to sword hilts.
The already‑tense air grew razor‑sharp, a heartbeat from violence.