The Hokage Office.
The atmosphere was quite heavy at this moment. Even without Hiruzen Sarutobi speaking, Danzo and the other two, who had just arrived, could feel the immense pressure.
"Hiruzen, what's wrong?"
Utatane Koharu was the first to speak.
Homura Mitokado's face was full of worry. After all, their abilities were average, and they had attained their current elder status almost entirely thanks to Hiruzen Sarutobi's support.
Therefore,
Upon realizing something was amiss, they were naturally very anxious.
Only Danzo remained, his face full of disdain.
With Root, his own private military force, he naturally had more backbone than his two old friends. At this moment, he merely leaned on his cane indifferently, sitting in his chair without a word.
"Alright, let's talk business."
Seeing that his old friends had arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't hide anything and briefly explained what had just happened.
The more he spoke, the angrier he became!
Because under the leadership of Uchiha Jin, the Uchiha had completely broken free from control.
It was precisely this realization that made Hiruzen Sarutobi truly anxious.
Utatane Koharu was the first to speak: "Bastards! Are they trying to rebel?"
"They must be punished!" Homura Mitokado voiced his opinion.
Hiruzen Sarutobi heard this and immediately asked, "Then, will you two handle this?"
Almost instantly.
The two, who had been so righteous moments before, immediately fell silent.
No choice!
Uchiha Jin's strength was too formidable, and more importantly, his methods were incredibly ruthless. Even when facing the Konoha Leadership, he wouldn't give an inch of face.
Danzo, who had almost died several times last time, had the most to say about this.
If they really provoked him, people would definitely die!
It was fine for them to shout a bit in the Hokage Office, but now they were actually being asked to lead a team to deal with Uchiha Jin?
What a joke! They didn't want to die!
So.
Without a doubt, they chickened out!
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
Looking at his two old friends who had chosen to play dead, a line of dark veins involuntarily appeared on his forehead.
Truly—a disaster!
Useless at everything, masters of playing dead.
Of course.
He didn't actually have much hope for these two old friends in his heart.
After a sigh, he looked at Danzo.
And, regarding this.
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak, Danzo said with great disdain, "I told you long ago, the Uchiha are a bunch of lunatics. The longer you delay, the more likely something unexpected will happen!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was filled with bitterness upon hearing this.
Indeed!
He truly had some regrets.
The Uchiha clan was too uncontrollable, and the power of the Sharingan was full of uncertainty.
Perhaps today they were just a nobody, but tomorrow, after a sudden stimulus, they could unleash terrifying power.
However, alas!
After a helpless sigh, Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe: "Now is not the time for blame, Danzo. I need you to act quickly. You must find every possible way to eliminate Uchiha Jin!"
His tone was extremely harsh.
A man skilled in political maneuvering posed a threat far greater than ever before.
He had faced many challenges in the past, but those enemies all had weaknesses, making it relatively simple for Hiruzen Sarutobi to deal with them.
For example... he dared to kill Senju Nawaki and Kato Dan because he knew Tsunade cared more about her two grandfathers' Village!
He dared to allow the Uzumaki Clan to be completely annihilated, not fearing Uzumaki Mito's rage, because Uzumaki Mito cared about the Senju Clan.
Immediately after Uzumaki Mito's death, he initiated the Hashirama cells experiment and eliminated the Senju Clan along the way...
Sakumo Hatake was too righteous and cared about his son Kakashi; Minato Namikaze's weakness was Uzumaki Kushina; Jiraiya, though righteous, lacked the courage to shatter everything; even the seemingly cold and ruthless Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he valued emotions the most.
Otherwise.
With Orochimaru's intelligence, would he not know that experimenting on villagers would eventually draw the attention of the Anbu?
No, he knew!
He was simply desperate with his teacher and wanted to sever their ties to defect.
Recalling all the opponents he, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had faced in his life, he could grasp each one's weakness, but Uchiha Jin was an exception!
This bastard had no weaknesses.
He didn't care about the Uchiha's survival. If Hiruzen made even the slightest move, Jin would risk the entire Uchiha clan's death to drag the Sarutobi Clan down with them.
Friendship?
He had no friends!
Love?
He had no girl he liked!
Parents?
He had thought about using this to control Uchiha Jin, but now he had no confidence in it.
The reason was simple!
This guy was already a Mangekyo powerhouse, and now he controlled the entire Uchiha, yet he had no intention of rescuing his parents, nor did he even consider negotiating with Hiruzen to resolve the matter.
This person's cold-hearted nature made Hiruzen Sarutobi feel a thorn in his side.
Especially since Uchiha Jin was also skilled in political maneuvering, and in his several confrontations with him, Hiruzen had subtly been suppressed.
So.
He had no desire to play power games with Uchiha Jin; he just wanted to kill this bastard as soon as possible.
Simply put, he was ready to flip the table!
But, unfortunately.
Danzo's tone remained cold: "It's still what I said before: I want an Anbu battalion, and authorization to recruit three elites from each Ninja Clans to join Root."
"Also, give me 100 million ryo; I need to go to the Exchange Office to find cannon fodder!"
Yes.
Root was his life's work, his confidence in aspiring to the Hokage position!
He was well aware of Uchiha Jin's terrifying nature and would never allow Root to be depleted in such a matter.
And, regarding this.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the table and roared in anger.
"Danzo, are you crazy?"
"Uchiha Jin is our great enemy. We must eliminate him as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will truly be unimaginable."
"This is not the time to bargain. If Uchiha Jin truly takes power, do you think he will spare you then?"
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado also quickly spoke up to persuade him.
However, unfortunately.
It was useless!
Danzo's expression remained cold, even showing a hint of disdain.
"Hiruzen, save it."
"Just as you said, Uchiha Jin's threat concerns all of us!"
"Why should only Root be consumed while you contribute no strength at all? Do I, Danzo, look that foolish?"
"My demands are clear!"
"Whether to agree or not, you decide."
Almost instantly.
As Danzo spoke, everyone fell silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also speechless. He did have the idea of depleting Root, but now it seemed impossible.
After a brief deliberation, he spoke again: "An Anbu battalion, I'll give it!"
"Not enough!" Danzo shook his head: "I want authorization!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned ashen with anger, and he roared at him directly: "Don't even think about it, that is absolutely impossible!"
Yes.
Because of the Third Great Ninja War, his reputation was already very poor.
If Konoha hadn't been unable to find a more reliable person, the Ninja Clanss would not have agreed to let him be Hokage.
In this situation, to give Danzo authorization?
That was purely asking for a quicker death!
"Then forget it."
Danzo crossed his arms, his face full of disdain: "I'm not taking this job!"