Chapter 143: Political Cover Fire
After securing the seven pairs of Sharingan, Kagenori entrusted the scroll to his summoned serpent, instructing it to deliver the grim cargo directly to Danzo.
Several days later, in the dim light of his Root office, Danzo surveyed the seven glass vials arranged neatly on his desk. Each contained a pair of Sharingan eyes, suspended in preservative fluid. A thin, satisfied smile never left his lips.
"Ruthlessly efficient," he murmured to the silent room. "So decisive. Far more tractable than that slippery Orochimaru."
The news of Kagenori's summary execution of seven Uchiha in the Land of Waves had, as expected, reached the Hokage's desk. Sarutobi Hiruzen's initial reaction was one of pure bewilderment. His second was a spike of alarm. Has the boy lost his mind? The directive was to apply pressure, to keep the Uchiha in check, not to pour gasoline on the flames of their resentment.
Right on cue, Uchiha Masaki stormed into the Hokage's office, his face a thundercloud of outrage.
"Hokage-sama!" Masaki began, his voice tight with controlled fury. "My clansmen have bled for Konoha since this war began! They risk their lives on the front lines! And this… this stray butchers them in cold blood? This is an outrage! I demand you recall him immediately and subject him to the full extent of military justice!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen adopted his most placating tone, weaving a tapestry of conciliatory words while carefully avoiding any concrete promise of punishing Kagenori. The boy had gone too far, yes, but he was an effective, if brutal, instrument. Replacing him would be difficult.
Uchiha Masaki was not so easily placated. He could see the Hokage's prevarication for what it was. He was determined to see Kagenori stripped of command and punished; the thought of his own son, Fugaku, being at the mercy of that "Blood-Eyed Shura" filled him with a cold dread.
Just as Hiruzen felt the political ground growing soft beneath him, Danzo made his entrance, a timely and formidable ally. He strode into the office without ceremony and slammed a thick folder of documents onto the desk in front of Uchiha Masaki.
Uchiha Masaki stared at the folder, his frown deepening. "What is the meaning of this?"
Danzo's single eye was cold and unblinking. "The meaning should be self-evident. Read it."
Hesitantly, Masaki opened the folder. As his eyes scanned the pages, his expression grew progressively darker, his face paling. The documents were a comprehensive, damning record of misconduct by Uchiha shinobi across various battlefields—instances of assaulting comrades, blatant insubordination, and reckless actions that compromised missions.
Just as Masaki opened his mouth to protest, Danzo cut him off. "Do not waste my time questioning their authenticity. These reports were compiled by my Root operatives. If you wish to verify them, I can have the ninjas in question brought before you for a direct… interrogation."
Masaki's jaw snapped shut. The threat, though veiled, was clear. He swallowed his initial retort. "Of course I do not question your sources, Lord Danzo. I will… see to it that they are disciplined appropriately. But the immediate issue is Kagenori in the Land of Waves—"
"Discipline them on your own time, within your compound!" Danzo interrupted again, his voice rising to a sharp crescendo. "The battlefield is not your private training ground! Do you have any concept of the chaos your clansmen have sown? There were multiple occasions where Konoha forces had the enemy on the ropes, only for an Uchiha's arrogance to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory! Can you comprehend the strategic losses your clan's behavior has cost this village?"
He slammed his palm on the Hokage's desk, the crack of sound making Masaki flinch.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, for his part, struggled to maintain a neutral expression, secretly relieved by Danzo's aggressive intervention.
Danzo sat down heavily in the chair beside Hiruzen, crossing his arms and fixing Uchiha Masaki with an imperious glare. "Now. Explain to me again what exactly Kagenori has done in the Land of Waves."
It was now abundantly clear that Danzo was here to provide Kagenori with political cover. Without these damning documents, Masaki's position would have been stronger. Now, he felt his footing slipping away.
He had no choice but to press on. "Kagenori executed seven of my clansmen! One of them a Jonin! This is excessive by any measure! I demand the Hokage punish him severely!"
Danzo pointed a bony finger at the folder. "You haven't finished the file, Clan Head Masaki. Read the final report."
A sense of foreboding settled in Masaki's gut. He opened the last document. As he feared, it pertained directly to the incident in the Land of Waves. After reading the Root's version of events—a version that heavily emphasized the Uchiha's insubordination and questioning of a direct wartime order—Masaki took a steadying breath.
"Even if they were in the wrong," he argued, his voice strained, "death was not the appropriate punishment! And Kagenori's order was tantamount to a suicide mission! Kazuo was merely raising a reasonable objection! For that, he was cut down like a dog! He was a Jonin! If he erred, it was the Hokage's place to discipline him, not Kagenori's! This act shows a blatant disregard for the Hokage's authority!"
In response, Danzo produced another folder from within his robes and tossed it contemptuously onto the desk. "Read this one."
Masaki was growing numb to the paper assault. He opened it. This document was a record of Kagenori's military accomplishments: his strategic planning with Orochimaru in the Land of Hot Springs that advanced the front line, his legendary infiltration of Kumo, his countless successful missions. It was an impeccable service record.
"Have you seen enough, Clan Head Masaki?" Danzo's voice was a sneer. "In every engagement he has commanded, victory has followed. His decisions, however unorthodox, have consistently maximized Konoha's gains. The order he gave was undoubtedly the result of careful strategic calculation. Yet Uchiha Kazuo, with no such insight, publicly challenged it and incited others to mutiny."
Danzo leaned forward, his presence filling the room. "This is a battlefield, Masaki! Not a clan council! If the commander's orders are openly questioned and disobeyed, how can any battle be won? Tell me, Clan Head. Given the circumstances of rank insubordination during a time of war… was Uchiha Kazuo deserving of death? Were those who joined his rebellion deserving of death?"
A cold sweat beaded on Uchiha Masaki's brow. His objective had completely backfired. He had come to demand a head, and was now being asked to justify its removal.
Seeing his hesitation, Danzo pressed his advantage mercilessly. "Well? Masaki! Your answer! Was Kagenori right, or was he wrong?!"
Uchiha Masaki was trapped. To agree was to sanction the killing of his own clansmen. To disagree was to defend treasonous behavior in wartime.
It was Sarutobi Hiruzen who finally broke the tense silence, his voice dripping with false cheer. "Now, now, Danzo. Clan Head Masaki simply came to voice his concerns. I, too, feel Kagenori may have been overly harsh. A lesser punishment would have sufficed. There was no need for such extremity."
He turned a benevolent smile toward the defeated Uchiha leader. "Do not worry, Masaki. I will send a strongly worded reprimand. I will instruct him to show more… restraint in the future."
The message was clear: Kagenori would receive a slap on the wrist, and the matter was closed. The Uchiha had been outmaneuvered.
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