When Kakashi left the Konoha cemetery and returned home, he was still in a daze. The information Uchiha Chizumi had revealed about Obito kept echoing in his mind:
"On the night of the Nine‑Tails' attack, the one who released the beast, plunged Konoha into chaos, and caused the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife along with countless innocent villagers—was Uchiha Obito."
Those few words had stunned Kakashi on the spot.
Obito is alive…
Though he had no idea why a living Obito never came back to the village or met with him, as Obito's teammate he ought to have felt happy.
Yet after hearing everything from Chizumi, Kakashi suddenly thought death might have been kinder—because this was not the Obito he knew. The Obito in his memory was a hot‑blooded fool who wanted to become Hokage, not the murderer described by Chizumi, who had harmed so many innocent people in Konoha and even killed Minato‑sensei and his wife.
Obito… had already fallen into an abyss of no return.
"Why would you do this…" Kakashi let out a long breath. His gaze fell on an old group photo on the table—himself, Rin, the Fourth Hokage, and Obito.
Removing his forehead protector and exposing the three‑tomoe Sharingan, he rubbed the eye and muttered with a complicated expression, "All these years… what have you been through, Obito? Was it Rin's death that changed you?"
A glint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.
Since Obito had sunk so deep, why had he come back to the village now? Was it really just to pay respects to Rin?
…
The next morning
At dawn, Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived at the Anbu base again. The dark circles under his eyes and the deep fatigue on his aged face showed the Third Hokage had not slept all night.
Cutting off an Anbu operative who tried to greet him, he asked bluntly, "How is Danzō now?"
"Medical‑nin have tried everything," the Anbu replied, "but Shimura Danzō's pain won't subside. Captain Itachi tried his methods too—still useless."
He added, "The medics think the pain may not be physical or mental. It's very likely on the level of the soul."
"The soul… a dōjutsu that can wound the soul…"
A deep dread flashed through Hiruzen's eyes. Any technique touching the soul was invariably forbidden—and Chizumi's, which left both Anbu and medics helpless, was surely a forbidden jutsu among forbidden jutsu.
Hiruzen entered the sealed chamber. Seeing Danzō trembling violently with his eyes shut, he frowned. "What's going on?!"
Two exhausted medics were working beside him. One hurriedly explained, "Hokage‑sama, to spare Danzō‑sama further suffering, we gave him heavy anesthesia."
"But it turned out to do little. Though he's no longer screaming, the endless agony he feels hasn't stopped."
"In other words," the medic said with sympathy and lingering fear, "even in deep coma, Danzō‑sama is experiencing pain beyond imagination every single moment."
Hiruzen fell silent.
Chizumi's Mangekyō Sharingan is frighteningly dangerous…
…
"That brat's Sharingan is far too dangerous! Completely uncontrollable! Why didn't Hiruzen seize Uchiha Chizumi that very night? It was the perfect chance, yet he let Chizumi injure Danzō?!" Utatane Koharu's wrinkled face was full of disbelief.
"If Chizumi were only nabbing murderers in Konoha and scaring the wicked, I could grit my teeth and tolerate his extremity," she said, pacing before Mitokado Homura. "But he openly struck Danzō in front of so many people, showing no respect even to the Hokage! Uchiha Chizumi is already beyond control!"
Koharu kept venting about Chizumi, occasionally voicing disappointment at Hiruzen's "weakness."
Homura, however, had a different view. "Hiruzen isn't weak. Had he fought Chizumi—who clearly possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan—the Anbu would have paid a heavy price, even if they captured him.
"Besides, there were twenty or thirty Uchiha on site. Any clash would have become Uchiha vs. Konoha, not just Chizumi vs. Hiruzen. To preserve the village's balance, Hiruzen had to stay rational."
Koharu frowned. "There were more than Anbu there. With so many ninja united, plus Fugaku on our side, couldn't we have suppressed those young Uchiha?"
Homura sighed. "Danzō has offended too many people. Who would risk themselves against Chizumi—for him?"
Koharu fell silent. It was true.
Just Danzō's Sharingan arm and transplanted Wood Release cells were enough to turn every Kekkei Genkai clan's goodwill into hatred.
"Hiruzen will decide. He's the Third Hokage—we can only advise him," Homura said, then lowered his voice. "But Chizumi's Sharingan is dangerous. If he ever stands against Konoha, he'll be the village's most lethal enemy. We must learn his eye's abilities and prepare countermeasures."
Even these elders, though less prejudiced than Danzō, still subconsciously saw the Uchiha as Konoha's greatest unpredictable factor—especially since awakening the Sharingan required intense emotional trauma.
Wouldn't the Mangekyō demand even greater trauma? Could a Mangekyō wielder's mind truly remain sound?
"Konoha cannot endure another Uchiha Madara," Homura said gravely. "Even if we don't snuff out the danger in its cradle, we must be ready to kill it. We can discuss this with Hiruzen."
Koharu relaxed a little—chiefly because Danzō's misery made her feel a rabbit's fear at the fox's death. Some irrational dread whispered that she might meet the same fate.
After all… Danzō's hands were certainly dirty.
But was she, Utatane Koharu, clean?
~~~
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