Hiruzen Sarutobi finally felt he understood what Chizumi was really after.
Pinned in place, his complexion turned alternately ashen and dark.
Uchiha Chizumi, Shimura Danzo, Uchiha Clan shinobi, Hyuga Clan shinobi, Anbu… With all those very different eyes fixed on him, Hiruzen's mood was abysmal.
His initial plan had been simple: remove Danzo from office in public, embarrass him a little, and force him to keep a low profile from then on and stop making trouble.
If it had been handled in private, Hiruzen believed that solution would have worked.
But now—
Here, before a thousand witnesses, with himself physically restrained, merely stripping Danzo of his post would no longer suffice!
Clinging to that idea would shred the Hokage's prestige
—and further alienate the Kekkei Genkai clans in Konoha, because some of Danzo's deeds had already crossed their bottom line.
In the blink of an eye, a thousand thoughts flashed through Hiruzen's mind.
"Hoo…"
He gave Uchiha Chizumi a long, deep look, drew a breath, and in a low voice broke the eerie silence:
"Shimura Danzo is suspected of repeatedly framing village shinobi, stealing the Uchiha clan's bloodline limit, and conducting secret Wood Style cell experiments that killed numerous infants… As of today, I am not only removing him from the leadership of Root!"
Danzo's eyes bulged. Hiruzen clenched his fist, then released it and continued coldly:
"He is hereby punished on all counts and sentenced to life imprisonment! All illicit gains of the Shimura clan accumulated over the years are to be confiscated!"
"From this moment on, Shimura Danzo shall hold no office in Konoha and enjoy no freedom whatsoever. Chizumi—this is my answer to your Absolute Justice."
Ignoring Danzo's shocked, furious glare, Hiruzen stepped up to face the young Uchiha.
"Chizumi, I hope you understand my dilemma," Hiruzen said earnestly. "Danzo is the village's root. If he dies, many in Konoha will lose heart."
He lowered his stance; he felt he was already yielding ground.
Tonight… the young man had won.
"Third Hokage." Chizumi's eyes bored into Hiruzen's murderous intent laid bare. "The innocent souls Danzo killed—directly or indirectly—would lose heart as well. Justice was already delayed; will you still block its overdue judgement?"
Hiruzen bit down. "Chizumi, don't be unreasonable! I have the Hokage's responsibilities. You think only of your justice, while I must think of all of Konoha!"
Suddenly a wave of scorching air rolled toward him.
His eyelid twitched.
Lava was dripping from one of Chizumi's arms!
In a flash—
A swarm of Anbu ringed Hiruzen and Chizumi; another group cut off the Uchiha Police Force.
The scene became taut as a drawn bowstring; every face tightened.
This time it was not Chizumi against Danzo—
It was Chizumi against the Third Hokage.
"Chizumi!" Fugaku yanked back a Uchiha officer who had lunged forward, forced his way alone through the Anbu cordon, and stopped beside Hiruzen. Face taut, he called to Chizumi: "Think carefully about what you're doing! I know you want justice, but if you fight the Hokage, you betray Konoha!"
Chizumi's sudden killing intent had startled Fugaku badly. More than anyone, he dreaded an armed clash between any Uchiha and the Hokage.
Forgive me, Chizumi. Tonight… I can only stand with the Hokage.
Drawing a deep breath and steeling himself, Fugaku barked to the restless Police Force outside:
"No one moves without my order!"
He knew siding "outward" like this would anger his clansmen. But someone had to shoulder the burden of preserving the clan's future.
Itachi had borne the village's hatred for the sake of Konoha.
Compared with that, enduring some clan disapproval was nothing.
"What's Fugaku-sama doing? Chizumi‑senpai is clearly on the right! Judging Danzo for his countless crimes—how can that be wrong?"
Izumi was bewildered. She had thought Fugaku might at least remain neutral, not stand against Chizumi.
"They're all insane!"
Jujiro, squatting on Izumi's shoulder, curled his feline lip. "Chizumi-sama was never wrong about 'Coward‑Eyed' Fugaku. Chizumi-sama once said that coward had a Mangekyō Sharingan—what a waste, meow."
"Meow, rookie, these people are enemies of Justice," the cat lectured. "Now you see how hard it is for Chizumi-sama to enforce Absolute Justice in Konoha."
"With so many parasites blocking justice, the shinobi world can never heal. That's why Chizumi-sama said, 'One day I will purge the shinobi world.'"
…
"Heh… this just got interesting—what an ugly sight."
From Uchiha Obito's vantage, the very center of the crowd held four figures: Chizumi, Hiruzen, Danzo, and Fugaku.
Around them was a tight ring of Anbu; apparently the village's entire Anbu had deployed.
Outside that, the Uchiha Police Force, held back by more Anbu.
Beyond them, ninjas of various clans and civilians—nearly a thousand shinobi packed the area.
Obito saw a giant powder keg, but for the moment no spark.
…
Hiruzen glanced in surprise at Fugaku, now standing at his side, and nodded gratefully. Then he barked:
"Men! Take the criminal Shimura Danzo away! Every punishment I announced tonight will be carried out. That is the Third Hokage's promise!"
Turning back to Chizumi:
"Chizumi, you should be satisfied. Danzo will never rise again."
"People grow by learning to compromise," Fugaku added, stepping forward. His Sharingan showed three tomoe. He had not revealed Mangekyō, but would do so without hesitation if Chizumi made a move. Sighing, he said, "One day you'll understand my burden."
Chizumi met his gaze. "Is that so… What if justice refuses to compromise?"
His own eyes spun scarlet, three tomoe bright.
Fugaku's brows knit. "Chizumi, don't force me. You know I don't want to fight you."
The next instant—
Fugaku's three‑tomoe Sharingan shrank to pinpoints.
Horror filled his face: the tomoe in Chizumi's eyes were visibly changing shape.
This was—
Mangekyō!!!
~~~
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