Chapter 94: Either we go to war, or we fight it out!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was grim. He forcefully suppressed the towering rage in his heart.
"Even if Danzo was in the wrong first!"
"You should have reported the evidence to the Village and let me, let the Konoha higher-ups, conduct the trial! Instead of doing this now, using private punishment to cruelly murder an elder who had made great contributions to the Village!"
"Why did you kill him! Why?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's final words were almost a roar.
Akira smiled. That smile was filled with undisguised mockery.
"Trial?"
"Hokage-sama."
"Your so-called trial, is it like your disciple Orochimaru, whom you knew was conducting inhumane human experiments, but you let him go again and again, ultimately allowing him to defect from the Village?"
"You…"
Hiruzen's face instantly turned extremely ugly. Orochimaru was indeed someone he had deliberately let go.
Akira slowly walked to Danzo's corpse. He kicked the corpse over, revealing Danzo's right arm.
Hiss—
A collective gasp of cold air echoed around. Expressions of disbelieving horror and uncontrollable revulsion appeared on everyone's faces.
"Hokage-sama."
"You asked me why I killed him. Now, I will answer you."
Akira stretched out his foot and kicked that repulsive arm.
"Because he deserved to die. These transplanted Sharingan... I believe I don't need to say more, do I?!"
Hiruzen opened his mouth, unable to utter a single word. He was speechless. That arm was the most ironclad evidence.
Akira swept his gaze over the Konoha ninja present.
"Everyone."
"You all still remember Orochimaru, right? Let me tell you a secret that Hokage-sama has hidden for many years. Orochimaru's biggest collaborator back then... the mastermind who provided countless funds, venues, and experimental materials for his experiments... it was Danzo Shimura."
Akira's gaze slowly swept over the heads of the various prominent clans present.
"What kind of person was Danzo? I believe, in the hearts of the clan heads present, you are clearer than I am."
With one sentence, he dragged Shikaku Nara, Hiashi Hyūga, and the others all into the mess, pushing them into an awkward position where they had to take a stance.
Defend Danzo?
That arm, transplanted with dozens of Sharingan, was right there. Whoever defended him would be an enemy of the Uchiha. Moreover, over the years, many members of their clans had been forcibly conscripted into Root by Danzo, becoming tools under Danzo's command, ultimately dying in unknown corners.
But if they agreed with Akira... that would be tantamount to openly standing against the Hokage.
Everyone remained silent. But this silence, in itself, was a form of tacit approval.
Hiruzen's body swayed. He could not let Akira continue speaking.
"Enough!" Hiruzen let out an angry roar, forcefully breaking the extremely oppressive atmosphere.
"Even if Danzo's crimes are unforgivable! Even if he committed heinous crimes! It's not your turn, not the Uchiha's turn, to execute judgment!"
"Konoha has Konoha's rules! The Hokage has the Hokage's will! You, Uchiha Akira, do not have this authority!"
This was his last line of defense. It was the last fig leaf maintaining the Hokage and the order of the entire Village.
However, Akira merely shook his head gently. His eyes held a hint of pity.
"Power is not given by you. It is taken back by oneself."
Akira's gaze turned cold as he looked at Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama."
"If you absolutely demand an explanation, then let's go to war! We Uchiha are not afraid of a fight. Or, Hokage-sama, fight me. If Hokage-sama wins, I will accept my punishment."
As his voice fell...
Boom—!
A tangible killing intent surged from Akira's body, reaching for the sky. Behind him, nearly a hundred Uchiha Jōnin, with a hundred pairs of crimson Sharingan, also spun wildly at this moment.
A strong killing intent instantly swept through the entire scene. The atmosphere completely solidified. The Konoha Anbu and Jōnin on the opposite side almost instinctively gripped the kunai in their hands. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from their foreheads. Under the pressure of that terrifying killing intent, they even felt it difficult to breathe.
Civil war... imminent.
Hiruzen stared intently at Akira. His hands trembled violently.
Fight? With what to fight?
Hiruzen's mind was racing. Should he risk the future of the entire Konoha to engage in a bloody battle with these nearly a hundred elite Jōnin who had activated their Sharingan? Even if they won, Konoha would undoubtedly be severely weakened, falling to the bottom of the 5 Great Villages.
Moreover, there was no guarantee of victory.
Not fight?
Today, his face as the Third Hokage would be trampled on by Akira, in front of all the village's higher-ups, crushed to dust. From then on, the Hokage's orders would be like scrap paper in front of the Uchiha clan. His authority would be completely gone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Ninja Hero who had governed Konoha for decades, for the first time, felt what it truly meant to be caught between a rock and a hard place.
Hiruzen took a deep breath, suppressing the surging shock and anger in his heart. He knew that Akira was not speaking nonsense. This was an open conspiracy. An open conspiracy that pushed him to the edge of a cliff.
Just as Hiruzen was caught in his dilemma, a figure slowly walked out from behind Hiruzen. It was Shikaku Nara.
"Hokage-sama." Shikaku's voice was very low.
"Once a full-scale war breaks out, regardless of victory or defeat, Konoha will be finished. Now, the only option is a duel with Uchiha Akira. Otherwise, there's no way to resolve this! This is the only way to control a civil war that could destroy the village to the smallest possible extent."
Hiruzen's fist clenched and then relaxed.
"Good." One word, heavily uttered from Hiruzen's mouth.
Hiruzen took a step forward.
"Uchiha Akira." At this moment, Hiruzen's voice had regained its usual composure.
"This old man accepts your challenge. However, this battle will only determine victory or defeat, not life or death."
Akira's lips curled slightly upwards.
"Alright."
What Akira wanted now was not the Third Hokage's life. At least, not yet. For someone like Hiruzen, who valued the position of Hokage and his own reputation more than his life, the greatest punishment was not to kill him with one strike.
First, defeat him, the so-called strongest Hokage! Then, expose his ugly deeds and make him lose all reputation. This was the greatest punishment for Hiruzen. As for Hiruzen's life, once he became Hokage, there would be plenty of opportunities to send him down to meet Danzo.