"Uchiha Kin! Do you know where this is!? What do you think you're doing!?"
Danzo was the first to speak, his voice sharp with accusation.
Seeing those familiar cribs, he already knew where they came from. If he didn't speak now, he might never get another chance.
But—
How dare Uchiha Kin do this!?
"Do you have a death wish, Shimura Danzo?"
Kin's cold gaze locked onto Danzo, his killing intent flooding the room without restraint.
"You insolent brat!!" Utatane Koharu snarled, forcing herself to stand firm against the oppressive aura as she pointed at Kin.
Kin exhaled softly, his anger too deep for words.
He raised his blade.
In an instant, he appeared before Koharu, his eyes devoid of warmth—as if she were already dead.
Clang!
Kin's demonic blade met the shaft of a staff. Sarutobi Hiruzen had stepped between them, his voice carefully measured as he tried to mediate.
"Kin, let's all calm down first."
If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have bothered with this approach.
Others were loyal to the village, but Kin gave Hiruzen the impression that he couldn't care less about defection.
His exceptional talent in ninjutsu development was the only reason Hiruzen had to coax him gently.
If Kin left, Hiruzen's legacy would be ruined.
His peripheral vision caught the sleeping infants.
And if this were the reason, he could already imagine his reputation crumbling into dust.
Koharu's face paled as the reality of the situation sank in. She hadn't expected Kin to actually try to kill her.
For once, she held her tongue, fear of death stifling any further provocation.
Given Kin's genius in ninjutsu research, no one would want him to leave Konoha—and his strength…
Hiruzen's eyes flickered to Kin, who stood toe-to-toe with him.
He was no longer someone to be trifled with.
Kin spared Hiruzen a glance before finally sheathing his blade.
Hiruzen exhaled in relief. This meant Kin had no intention of defecting—as long as he could be placated.
His gaze then fell upon the sleeping children, his expression darkening with suppressed fury.
"These children…?"
"Ask your dear partner, Shimura Danzo."
Kin's icy stare remained fixed on Danzo, his grip tightening on his sword.
"I found them in his laboratory."
Danzo's face twisted with rage, but he offered no rebuttal. Under Hiruzen's heavy gaze, any excuse would be futile.
He just hadn't expected Uchiha Kin to dare pull such a stunt.
This was beyond insulting.
"Danzo." Hiruzen took a deep breath, his voice low and grave.
He had known Danzo was continuing the Hashirama Cell experiments, but he never imagined he would resort to experimenting on infants.
"Need me to kill him for you?"
Kin's voice was calm, almost casual.
"Hokage-sama."
"Uchiha Kin!!"
Hiruzen remained silent, but Danzo roared in outrage.
"You really think you're that strong!?"
Danzo had made entire villages tremble at his name. Did Kin truly believe he feared him?
"Want to test that theory?"
Kin tilted his head, his gaze predatory as he sneered.
"Worthless trash."
Danzo's fury burned hotter.
"You're asking for death!!"
He raised his arm, ready to teach this upstart a lesson—to prove that Shimura Danzo's reputation was well-earned.
The tension between them crackled, violence imminent.
"Enough!!"
Hiruzen's roar cut through the room.
"Do you even remember where you are!? Do I, the Hokage, mean nothing to you!?"
Did they all think he was just here to clean up their messes!?
Did they all expect him to placate them like children!?
Danzo scoffed and looked away, while Kin's cold stare shifted to Hiruzen.
"Fix this. If I ever see another child in Danzo's lab, I will kill him."
The sheer weight of his killing intent left no doubt about his resolve.
But even Hiruzen couldn't tolerate this. His eyes swept over the sleeping infants—all of them barely months old. His expression grew grimmer.
Danzo's methods were too cruel. Even he couldn't stomach it.
Darkness enveloped Kin as he glared at Danzo one last time, his murderous intent unwavering until his form vanished into the shadows.
Hiruzen sighed deeply. The only silver lining was that Uchiha Kin seemed to hold strong moral principles. Perhaps that could be used to bind him to the village in the future.
But—
His gaze returned to Danzo.
"Danzo, you've gone too far."
Research Department.
An ANBU agent knelt before Kin, delivering his report.
"By the Hokage's orders: Root's privileges are revoked, its funding reduced, recruitment prohibited, and Lord Danzo is confined for one year."
"The infants' parents could not be located. All children have been sent to the orphanage."
Kin listened silently, his eyes closed.
This was Hiruzen's way of informing him of the outcome.
As the ANBU prepared to continue, Kin raised a hand to stop him.
"Enough. Inform the Third Hokage that I understand. You're dismissed."
The ANBU studied Kin's impassive face but found no clues. The Third's request for observation had failed.
"Yes!"
With that, the ANBU vanished in a swirl of smoke.
Kin's gaze shifted to a dark corner.
"If you're here, stop hiding."
Namikaze Minato stepped forward, his expression grave.
"So it's true? Someone in the village experimented on children?"
He had pieced it together from the ANBU's words. Minato had never even heard of Danzo before.
Kin shook his head.
"Minato, you're too naive. Where there's light, there's shadow. The village's brilliance blinds you to the filth beneath."
Minato disagreed. "That's just one man's actions. It's not the village's fault if a single person—this 'Danzo'—did this."
Kin sighed. Minato's perspective belonged to an era after Hiruzen and Danzo were gone.
"That's exactly why I say you're naive."
If Minato lived in a time after Hiruzen and Danzo, his optimism might hold weight. But not now.
Minato remained unconvinced. Their worldviews had always differed, and both knew it.
Neither would ever fully agree with the other.
Words alone couldn't bridge the gap between their ideals.
So—
"Kin, let's settle this with a fight."
For the first time in years, Minato extended a challenge.
"A battle with everything on the line."
"You'll lose miserably."
Kin opened his eyes, staring deeply at Minato.
Minato smirked.
"We'll see about that."
(End of Chapter)