[Read up to Chapter - 90 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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In the end, Sarutobi Hiruzen left with Sarutobi Asuma, and Kanzou got the information he was after.
Though he walked away with his son, Hiruzen was seething—Asuma had been beaten so badly he was barely recognisable.
Rather than the son of a shinobi… he looked more like the son of a monkey…
That humiliation, that insult… Hiruzen wouldn't forget it.
He etched Kanzou's name deep into his mental ledger.
No matter how dangerous Kanzou was, no matter the threat he posed, Hiruzen would eventually find a way to deal with him.
He couldn't ignore what Kanzou had done today—not just to Asuma, but to him, the Hokagay… ugh, the Hokage! The Hokage!
Kanzou, of course, knew Hiruzen was furious—but he wasn't worried.
He wasn't the least bit afraid of retaliation.
Besides, neither he nor the Uchiha clan had much to lose right now.
The current Uchiha still hadn't faced the devastation of the Third Great Shinobi War. Their forces were intact. Their confidence was unshaken.
"Time to deal with the traitor," Kanzou muttered.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
He had already confirmed it—Hiruzen had unwittingly exposed the traitor's identity in his desperation to retrieve Asuma.
Kanzou hadn't expected the traitor to be him.
Upon returning to the Uchiha compound, Kanzou immediately summoned all the Jōnin-level and higher-ranked ninja within the clan.
The Uchiha had dozens of Jōnin, but not all were present—many were away on missions or working late at the Konoha Military Police headquarters.
In the end, only a dozen or so managed to attend.
Among them were five Elite Jōnin of the Uchiha clan: Uchiha Souta, Uchiha Shin, Uchiha Makoto, Uchiha Araki, and Uchiha Yui.
Souta and Shin were Kanzou's trusted confidants.
Makoto, Araki, and Yui, on the other hand, had remained neutral during the past internal struggle between Kanzou and Uchiha Fugaku.
Now that Kanzou had officially taken the position of patriarch, they had aligned themselves under his command.
"The patriarch summoned us… Something serious must have happened," Yui murmured.
Seated at the head of the table, Kanzou slowly opened his eyes.
He tapped his fingers lightly against the table, letting the sound echo through the room as his gaze swept across everyone present.
The invisible pressure in the room was suffocating—many of them found it hard to even breathe.
"Our Uchiha clan has a traitor," Kanzou said coldly. "Someone who has sold us out from within—and that traitor is among you."
His words dropped like a thunderclap.
"Patriarch… who is it?" one of the Jōnin asked, unable to hold back. But notably, no one questioned whether Kanzou was telling the truth.
"I won't name the traitor," Kanzou replied. "Instead, I'm giving you a chance to step forward. This is your one chance to save your life. I suggest you take it."
The moment he finished speaking, silence fell over the hall.
No one moved. No one spoke.
The oppressive quiet stretched on… but still, no one came forward.
"It seems you don't intend to take the chance I was about to offer… Araki-san," Kanzou said at last, turning his gaze on one man.
Uchiha Araki—known for being quiet and unassuming—stiffened.
Among all the Elite Jōnin in the clan, Araki was the most low-key.
He was known for his sincerity, and he had always stayed out of internal disputes.
Kanzou was mildly surprised when he first discovered that the traitor was actually Araki, someone no one had suspected.
The moment Kanzou named him, Hazuki, who already knew who the traitor was, moved without hesitation—pressing a kunai and restraining his arms against Araki's neck.
"Patriarch," Araki said, his expression darkening, "you accuse me of being a traitor—do you have any proof?"
"Proof?" Kanzou replied coldly. "Does Sarutobi Hiruzen's testimony count?"
He took a step forward, his voice calm but firm.
"If you truly want to prove your innocence, I'm offering you a chance. Willingly submit to the Sharingan's hypnosis—if you pass, I'll believe you."
Kanzou's eyes bore into him.
Araki's face twisted, and in a flash, he activated the Body Flicker Technique in an attempt to escape.
"You're trying to run… under my nose?"
Kanzou's palm shot out and grabbed Araki by the face mid-movement—
Then slammed him into the ground with such force that the floor cracked beneath the impact, thud!
"Traitor scum."
Everyone in the hall glared at Araki with fury and disgust.
No one had sympathy for traitors—especially not within the Uchiha clan.
Many among them held strong nationalist views; they didn't care much for Konoha, but they cared deeply for their own Clan and bloodline.
The others in the room despised traitors like Araki with a passion—many of them looked as if they'd skin him alive if given the chance.
"Patriarch, allow me to kill him," Shin said, his voice filled with fury.
"Not yet," Kanzou replied, raising a hand to stop him. "The dead are the least valuable."
He turned his gaze back to the fallen Araki, looking down at him coldly. "Do you want to know how you were exposed?"
"I do," Araki muttered bitterly. "I want to know."
He was still unwilling to accept how things had unravelled so quickly.
"Simple," Kanzou said. "Sarutobi Hiruzen told me."
"I captured his son, Sarutobi Asuma. Hiruzen wanted him released. You were the bargaining chip."
Araki's eyes widened, his Three Tomoe Sharingan spinning as the truth hit him like a hammer.
He had betrayed his clan, sold out everything for Sarutobi Hiruzen—only to be discarded in the end.
"Sandaime Hokage…" he growled, his face twisted with rage and disbelief.
He had trusted Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And in return, he'd been thrown away like trash.
"Go ahead, be angry. Hate him all you want but that's it. You chose to be someone else's dog—and now you've been discarded like one. You're pathetic."
Kanzou's words were sharp and merciless.
When it came to venomous words, Kanzou might not be the most ruthless in the world—but he was certainly among the best.
"You deserve it."
Seeing the anguish on Araki's face, not a single member of the clan showed any sympathy.
Who would pity a traitor?
"A traitor like you ought to be executed on the spot," Kanzou said coldly. "But… I'm willing to give you a chance—a chance to redeem yourself."
He gestured for Shin and Souta to release him.
"As long as you complete the task I assign you, you'll live. Fail… and start digging your own grave."
Kanzou's tone darkened.
"You can refuse, of course. But if you do, death will be the least of your worries. Your family will suffer with you."
"…What mission?" Araki asked quietly.
Even he had weaknesses. He wasn't alone—he had a family.
"Go and kill Sarutobi Shinnosuke," Kanzou said coldly. "As long as he dies, you live. If he doesn't—then you and your entire family die together."
"Patriarch… you're sentencing me to death," Araki replied bitterly.
Even if he succeeded, he knew he wouldn't survive for long. Shinnosuke was the son of the Sandaime Hokage. Killing him would be a death sentence either way.
"At least this way, you still have a chance to live," Kanzou said indifferently. "And more importantly—your family will be spared."
Kanzou's words struck hard.
Araki fell silent.
A moment later, he gave a slow, reluctant nod.
He had no choice.
Refusing meant dying here and now—and dragging his family down with him.
In that moment, Araki deeply regretted ever selling himself out for Sarutobi Hiruzen's shallow favours.
But regret no longer mattered.
It was already too late.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Read up to Chapter - 90 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]