As more and more people gathered, the situation on Hiruzen's side began to stir restlessly.
Finally, someone couldn't help but ask, "Hokage-sama, what exactly is going on here?"
The question immediately triggered a flood of similar inquiries.
"Yeah, Hokage-sama, has Konoha been invaded?"
"What was that sword energy just now? That kind of power… don't tell me one of the other village's Kage has come?!"
"And what's going on with the Uchiha over there?"
"This feels wrong. Something's clearly off with the way the Uchiha are acting!"
…
The barrage of questions gave Hiruzen a massive headache.
He was still trying to figure out how to take out Kaede without damaging his own reputation.
"Hi…ruzen!"
At that moment, two familiar figures arrived at his side.
Konoha's two elders—Koharu and Homura.
Homura leaned in close to Hiruzen's ear and whispered, "What's happening? Did something go wrong with the plan? Where's Danzo?"
Koharu stared intently at him as well.
What they were doing tonight was far from honorable, and now it had caused this massive commotion.
Hiruzen responded darkly, "As you can see… the plan failed."
"Kaede awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and somehow knew about our plan ahead of time."
"When Danzo and Itachi arrived, they were ambushed."
"Itachi and I together couldn't handle Kaede… and Danzo… he's seriously injured and unconscious!"
"What?!" The two elders' eyes widened in shock.
Another Mangekyō Sharingan had appeared?!
They exchanged a glance, their nerves frayed.
"What do we do now?" Koharu asked.
Hiruzen frowned. "Only by killing Kaede can we put an end to this farce."
"Even if… it means abandoning the plan to wipe out the Uchiha."
Koharu and Homura exchanged another look and said nothing more.
The situation was now out of their hands—only Hiruzen could take action.
Meanwhile, Naoto discreetly signaled Kaede, asking whether they should retreat.
After all, facing thousands of shinobi, even if they were confident, they couldn't be naive enough to think they could win an all-out war.
But Kaede shook his head and replied with a calm smile:
"No rush. Let's play with them a bit longer. I still have a little gift I haven't delivered yet."
Seeing this, Naoto and the others said no more.
Still, the tight grip on their weapons betrayed their unease.
Even so, not one of them considered surrendering.
An Uchiha never bows to anyone!
Kaede looked at Hiruzen with a smile.
"Have you finished gathering your courage? When are you going to make your move?"
"I'm really looking forward to it!"
Hiruzen took a deep breath. He knew he had to act now.
So, in a voice loud enough for all to hear, he declared:
"Just moments ago, Uchiha Kaede incited his clan to rebellion!"
"Thankfully, Uchiha Itachi warned us ahead of time!"
The crowd of Konoha shinobi erupted in shock.
"What?! The Uchiha are rebelling?!"
"Damn! That's explosive news!"
"Hmph! I knew the Uchiha couldn't be trusted!"
In the wake of their shock, every Konoha ninja turned hostile toward Kaede and the others.
It showed just how much distrust there already was toward the Uchiha.
After all, for a single statement from Hiruzen to shift public sentiment so fast...
Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief.
His words still held weight.
And it wasn't a lie—Kaede was leading a rebellion. The only difference was that Hiruzen's plan to wipe out the Uchiha had failed.
But then, the reaction from the crowd was even stronger than he expected!
"Hokage-sama, give the order! If the Uchiha dare rebel, we'll wipe them out!"
"That's right! We won't tolerate anyone who disturbs the peace!"
Those words of bloodthirsty loyalty made Hiruzen feel proud.
But he couldn't give the order to exterminate the Uchiha in front of so many people.
It would destroy the image he'd spent decades crafting.
(Good thing Kaede can't read minds, or he'd definitely roast Hiruzen for this…)
So instead, Hiruzen bypassed Kaede and turned his gaze to the other Uchiha clansmen.
Then he shouted, "I know you were merely misled by Kaede!"
"As long as you lay down your weapons now, I promise only Kaede will be punished! None of you will be harmed!"
"After this, you'll still be shinobi of Konoha!"
He was trying to get the other Uchiha to surrender!
From Hiruzen's perspective, the Uchiha had clearly lost. Surely someone smart among them would take the deal.
But he underestimated the pride of the Uchiha!
You want to exterminate our entire clan—and now you think numbers will make us submit?
Screw you!
The Uchiha have never feared death!
"Hmph! Spare us your disgusting lies—we saw through you long ago!"
"That's right! You planned to wipe out our clan! We're already past the point of no return!"
"There are no cowards among the Uchiha! We'll die before we bow!"
"If I have to die, I'm taking a few of your clan's bastards with me!"
The Uchiha's collective rage shook the battlefield.
Hiruzen's face twitched in frustration—this reaction was far beyond what he'd expected.
They'd swallowed being excluded from battle. They'd tolerated outsiders stealing their Sharingan. They even endured being blamed for the Nine-Tails incident and forced out of the village center.
The Uchiha had endured decades of humiliation—and now they dared to stand tall?
Hiruzen's gaze turned back to Kaede.
"It's that guy… he's the one who reignited their pride."
Meanwhile, the Uchiha's furious declarations caused unrest among the shinobi behind Hiruzen.
From the sound of it… was there more to this story?
Could it be true that the Hokage planned to wipe out the Uchiha?
That would mean… even the old and the young would be slaughtered. That was too cruel!
Still, despite their doubts, they continued to stand behind Hiruzen.
After all, the Uchiha were clearly destabilizing the village.
Whatever the reasons, for the sake of their families and friends, they had to step in.
The standoff reached a tense freeze.
And then, Kaede finally spoke.
He looked at Hiruzen and said, "Hiruzen Sarutobi… are you ready to be disgraced?"
Hiruzen frowned in confusion.
Was Kaede really trying to pull something off when he was already surrounded?
But then, a terrifying thought hit him.
Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock.
Could it be…
Did Kaede know what he and Danzo had done all those years ago…?
…
(End of Chapter)
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