"Bastard! What do you mean I orchestrated this myself? You fool, I already told you someone is deliberately framing me..."
"Enough!!!"
Danzo Shimura had just begun to angrily retort when Sarutobi Hiruzen erupted in even greater fury.
Hiruzen stood up and roared, cutting Danzo off mid-sentence before slamming his palm down and shattering the desk in front of him.
"From this moment on, you are relieved of your position as leader of Root!"
Hiruzen's face was dark as he invoked the Hokage's authority.
"Someone, notify all ANBU members. Conduct a thorough investigation and interrogation of every Root ninja. We must extract information about Asuka's whereabouts!"
Hiruzen issued an order that would require an enormous amount of work. At this moment, he was clearly pushed to his limit.
"Hiruzen..."
The two Hokage advisors looked at the scene, unsure of what to say. In truth, they also believed Danzo was behind Asuka's kidnapping...
Using Asuka to control Uchiha Ryun was exactly the kind of dirty tactic Root would employ. Though the method was underhanded, they could understand Danzo's reasoning—after all, it was all for Konoha's sake...
If Uchiha Ryun wasn't sacrificed, Konoha would face war with Kumogakure. No one wanted that outcome. Better for one person to die than for thousands to perish. This was the shared belief of the two advisors!
They understood Danzo, but they also understood why Hiruzen was so furious.
Hiruzen's bottom line was ensuring that Ryun's mother was found. He had repeatedly assured Ryun, yet in the end, Asuka remained missing...
He firmly believed Ryun was an inheritor of the 'Will of Fire.' Even if it came to the point where Ryun had to be sacrificed, the boy would make the right choice. In Hiruzen's eyes, Danzo kidnapping Asuka would only push Ryun to lose control.
Moreover, the victim was the mother of a Konoha hero. Targeting women and children was unforgivable in Hiruzen's view!
"Hah... Sarutobi Hiruzen, after decades of growing up together, you don't trust me. Fine. But to help outsiders slander me..."
Danzo laughed coldly, his gaze filled with deep disappointment and icy killing intent as he stared at Hiruzen.
"And you two, I suppose you also think I did this?"
Danzo turned his eyes to the two advisors.
"Of course. You are the leaves basking in the sunlight, while I am the roots buried in the filth. I handle all the dirty work, so it's only natural for you self-righteous hypocrites to see me as despicable and ruthless...
Leaves can be renewed after the rain, but roots remain stuck in the mud, forever despised."
Danzo suppressed his rage, speaking calmly yet cryptically.
"I don't care what you think, nor do I care what decisions you make as the Third Hokage. I didn't do this, and that's final...
You will regret today's decision. Especially you... Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
Danzo pointed his cane at Hiruzen, a blatantly disrespectful gesture toward the Hokage.
After uttering these words, he strode out of the Hokage's office. This time, he didn't even slam the door, leaving in eerie silence that took everyone by surprise.
Night.
The dim and quiet detention center was suddenly reinforced with ten additional jonin. These elite ninja shared one mission: to monitor Uchiha Ryun in the confinement room!
Late that night, the two Hokage advisors entered the confinement room and spoke with Ryun at length.
Their goal was clear: to explain the tense situation and emphasize the immense pressure Hiruzen faced. Their underlying message was simple—Konoha could not protect him.
They wanted Ryun to willingly accept death, promising they would find Asuka. All they asked was for Ryun to prioritize the greater good and prevent Konoha from being dragged into a three-front war.
For most Konoha ninja, brainwashed since childhood, this reasoning would have worked on over ninety percent of them.
The spirit of sacrifice was never lacking in Konoha shinobi.
Add Hiruzen's earlier emotionally stirring words, and the success rate of convincing a Konoha ninja to die willingly would exceed ninety-eight percent.
Unfortunately, Ryun was not a true Konoha ninja at heart. The village's indoctrination had influenced him, but only to an extent. He firmly believed that he was the true 'greater good'!
"I know you all want me to be the sacrificial pawn, to die for your sake... Fine, you can have my life. But before that, I must see my mother. If I don't see her, I won't hand over my life."
After silently listening to the advisors' lengthy speeches, Ryun finally spoke.
His demand seemed reasonable to the two elders, except they truly had no idea where Asuka was... Their earlier promises were empty.
Not just them—even Hiruzen's earlier words were meaningless. If he truly wanted to protect Ryun, these two old men wouldn't be here tonight. This hypocritical behavior disgusted Ryun.
Of course, Ryun's words were also empty. If he could see Asuka again, he would immediately take her and fight his way out of Konoha, escaping far away.
If the Land of Lightning wanted war, even better. He would no longer care about Konoha's fate. This cold, heartless place was no longer worth his loyalty!
A man's actions, not his intentions, defined him. He had contributed greatly to Konoha, given more than enough. Yet in the end, he gained nothing and was betrayed instead.
"Don't worry, child. We will find your mother!"
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane made another empty promise. Since the 'negotiation' was 'settled' and Ryun 'agreed' to sacrifice himself, they planned to confront Danzo privately and force him to release Asuka.
"I hope you keep your word this time and don't feed me lies again!"
Ryun's crimson three-tomoe Sharingan glared coldly at them.
"We won't..."
The two hastily reassured him, feeling an overwhelming pressure.
The entire village was mobilized to search. Hiruzen had ordered an investigation into Root members, and now the search was expanding beyond the village!
They refused to believe Asuka could vanish without a trace. If someone had taken her, clues would remain. With the entire village's efforts, given enough time, they would find her.
Ryun stayed put for two reasons: first, because of the threat, and second, because he knew Konoha's collective search was far more effective than him searching alone.
As time passed, he believed even Danzo would be forced to release Asuka under pressure.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━