"!"
Looking at Furina's smiling face so close at hand, Utatane Koharu's eyes suddenly widened. She hadn't noticed at all how Furina had approached her; only when the other's hand landed on her shoulder did she barely react.
And this also meant that if Furina had wanted to, she could have died in a daze just moments ago.
Although Furina hadn't said anything, Utatane Koharu clearly understood the threat hidden beneath the gentle action. The words she had prepared were thus stuck in her throat.
"Hey, hey, everyone calm down. We're all comrades from the same village—let's talk things out properly."
Noticing that the atmosphere in the room had turned off, Jiraiya quickly spoke up to smooth things over. At the same time, he moved his feet to step between Furina and Utatane Koharu, attempting to separate the two and prevent any further escalation.
"Heh."
Furina had no intention of making things difficult for Jiraiya. Seeing this, she withdrew her hand and voluntarily took two steps back, leaving only Utatane Koharu—who, because of what had just happened, was unconsciously breathing faster.
"Let's just make everything clear right here. Putting aside my relationship with Fū for the moment—in this stage where the Akatsuki's threat is already imminent, Danzo made a move against the Seven-Tails.
What do you think other ninja villages will think of Konoha after something like this? With this kind of incident, can an alliance that was already not fully united really fight side by side anymore?
Acting for one's own selfish interests without regard for others—to the point that I'd even believe Danzo was an Akatsuki spy. Killing him can also be seen as preventing similar things from happening again."
At this point, Furina glanced at Utatane Koharu, who was gradually regaining her composure and seemed about to say something, then shifted her tone sharply to point directly at her.
"I've said so much already—do you think I'm here debating scripture with you? That you're going to keep arguing from every angle to fight for your own interests?
But unfortunately, that's not the case. I'm simply informing you. If you continue to twist black and white, you already know what happened to Danzo. I don't care about status or position."
With those words, Furina gently closed her eyes. The next moment, a vast surge of chakra suddenly erupted, instantly causing everyone present to subconsciously raise their guard.
And Utatane Koharu, as the direct target of Furina's pressure, was now breaking out in a cold sweat, her hair standing on end, and even her body trembling slightly.
In her younger days, Utatane Koharu's strength had been decent enough, but with age and long periods without combat, she was now far from her former self. Merely managing to stay standing under Furina's pressure was already taking all her effort.
"We can talk things out properly. Furina, Koharu was previously a disciple of Lord Tobirama along with Danzo, so it's understandable that she became emotional after learning of his death—that's why she acted that way just now.
We can all calm down and sit to discuss this properly. And you know the village absolutely does not allow attacks on comrades. Danzo did wrong and that can be understood, but Koharu actually has no ill intentions."
Just as Utatane Koharu was struggling to hold on, Mitokado Homura—who had been keeping silent on the side—finally couldn't hold back and spoke up. The two of them had always advanced and retreated together; he knew her condition all too well. If he didn't intervene now, she probably wouldn't last much longer.
"Elder Homura, why have you suddenly become so clear-headed now? And since you understand all this, why didn't you speak up earlier? Or is it that only in a situation like this can you finally open your esteemed mouth?"