Chapter 101: Showdown, Danzō Visits the Uchiha
"Ahem… The rumors spreading among the villagers of Konoha today—you must have heard them already. I called you here to ask directly: is it true what they're saying—that you murdered two fellow Konoha ninja who were sent to bring you in for questioning?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed the moment Ling Yu entered—he immediately displayed Wood Release, which felt like a subtle show of force. A flicker of unease passed through Hiruzen's heart. After an awkward cough, he finally got to the point.
"I don't know."
Ling Yu tilted his head, propped his chin on one hand, and replied indifferently.
"You don't know? The whole village is talking about it nonstop, and you say you don't know?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned deeply.
"Hah… Whether I killed them or not—it's all decided by you and Danzō with a single thought, isn't it? Don't you already know the truth in your heart? Why bother asking me so hypocritically whether I killed anyone?"
"If you want to arrest me, just say it outright. Why beat around the bush? Sure enough, you and Danzō—two thick-skinned old schemers—only have dirty tricks in your stomachs."
Ling Yu sneered, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi with open contempt.
He didn't believe for a second that Hiruzen and Danzō hadn't coordinated. The fact that Hiruzen ignored Danzō's slander against him and still came here pretending to question him already proved everything.
"Senju Ling Yu, watch your tone! I am questioning you right now in my capacity as the Third Hokage, representing the village. You are not just an individual—you also represent the entire Senju clan behind you!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face showed anger. He stood up and shouted sternly at Ling Yu.
"What tone?"
Ling Yu straightened his back. In an instant, he opened his Rinnegan. The full power of his pupils burst forth. A massive repulsive force formed a small repulsion field in front of him and swept toward Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"This is my tone! What? If you're not satisfied, come fight me—let's see who dies, you or me?"
Rising from his chair, Ling Yu advanced slowly while speaking arrogantly. With every step, the pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi increased.
"You call yourself Hokage? You're even willing to secretly collude with Danzō and use the villagers' public opinion to deal with me. I brought such huge advantages to Konoha on the battlefield—and this is how you repay me?"
"…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said nothing. Under the full suppression of Ling Yu's Rinnegan, he couldn't even open his mouth.
Gathering all his chakra, Hiruzen desperately resisted inside Ling Yu's repulsive field. As the pressure grew step by step, he was on the verge of collapsing to his knees.
"Ling Yu, wait! Don't be so impulsive. I believe Sensei wouldn't do something like this."
At that moment, Tsunade's voice reached Ling Yu's ear. She stood up, tugged on his sleeve, and whispered beside him.
She had come along originally intending to argue with Hiruzen Sarutobi, but things had developed far beyond her expectations. For some reason, Ling Yu suddenly became furious and directly used force against the Third Hokage.
In Tsunade's memory, Hiruzen Sarutobi was still that righteous, caring figure who loved Konoha. She believed he wouldn't stoop to such actions.
"Hmph! Wouldn't do such filthy things? Big Sis, don't be fooled by his outward appearance. Right now, I'll let you hear exactly what he and Danzō have been doing behind the scenes—all the things that would make both gods and men furious."
Releasing the repulsive field created by his Rinnegan, Ling Yu closed his Rinnegan and prepared to switch to his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
Fury! Fury!
Hiruzen Sarutobi's body relaxed all at once. But in his heart there was no relief—only endless rage.
He—Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Third Hokage, the "Hero of the Ninja World"—was someone every person in Konoha bowed to. Yet now he was being suppressed by a child barely over ten years old, unable to even lift his head. The humiliation burned.
Just as he was about to act, Ling Yu had already switched to his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and locked eyes with him.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi—tell everything you and Danzō have ever done, every single detail, without missing a word."
Next came the moment when Hiruzen Sarutobi revealed Konoha's darkest secrets. From the very beginning: targeting and suppressing the Senju clan, stripping away the two families' authority to expand the power of the Shimura and Sarutobi clans.
Then came the countless dark schemes he and Danzō carried out together in Konoha—all for the sake of securing their own authority. Every word poured into Tsunade's ears.
"Third Hokage… You have truly disappointed me. The Konoha of today is no longer the one I loved. Under you two… it has completely changed."
After hearing everything, Tsunade stood up. She shook her head at Hiruzen Sarutobi in deep disappointment, then turned without looking back, took Ling Yu's hand, and left the Hokage office.
"Sigh… Danzō, I hope you're not lying to me."
Slumped in his chair, Hiruzen Sarutobi—now freed from control—recalled every word he had spoken under the genjutsu. He stared blankly out the window.
At this moment, he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant.
…
Meanwhile, at the Uchiha compound
After his discussion with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzō did not return to Root to recover. Instead, he went straight to the Uchiha compound and met with the Uchiha clan's high-ranking members.
Ling Yu only learned of this after the fact. After ending his confrontation with Hiruzen Sarutobi and bringing Tsunade back to the Senju compound—leaving her with the other girls—he returned alone to his room.
He intended to watch closely and see exactly what Danzō planned to do at the Uchiha compound. If Danzō wanted to court death, then Ling Yu would give him a perfect funeral.
"Uchiha clan head, you must have already heard about Senju Ling Yu stealing your Uchiha clan's Sharingan, right? What are your thoughts on this matter?"
At this moment, Danzō—accompanied by two Root ninja—sat inside the Uchiha clan's meeting room. He looked at Uchiha Fugaku (seated in the head position) with a mocking expression.
"Danzō! This is an internal matter between the Uchiha and Senju clans. What does an outsider like you care so much about? Don't think we've forgotten how you targeted our Uchiha clan before. What scheme are you plotting by coming to our compound now?"
Before the clan head could speak, one of the Uchiha elders stood up and angrily rebuked Danzō.
"Scheme? No, no, no—I have no intention of targeting the Uchiha clan. I came here to cooperate with you."
Danzō calmly waved his hand.
"Cooperate? Let's hear it."
Under Ling Yu's control, Uchiha Fugaku spoke in a low, deep voice.
"Right now the whole village is discussing how Senju Ling Yu stole your Uchiha clan's Sharingan—you must know about it already."
"He is currently caught in a storm of public opinion. All you need to do is step forward and confirm the fact that Senju Ling Yu stole the Sharingan. I will help fan the flames from behind. After that, won't the major clans of Konoha lose the Senju family? You Uchiha will become the biggest winners."
Seeing that Uchiha Fugaku didn't immediately refuse, Danzō felt this was already in the bag. With a sinister smile, he laid out his entire plan.
"This…"
The Uchiha elders exchanged glances. Each saw the flicker of temptation in the others' eyes.
"Very well. The Uchiha clan agrees to cooperate with you."
Still under Ling Yu's control, Uchiha Fugaku listened to Danzō's entire scheme word for word, then directly agreed to the cooperation.
"Hahaha! Then I can rest easy. A pleasure doing business."
Having completed today's plan, Danzō left the Uchiha compound with great satisfaction. But he didn't notice the shadow quietly following behind him.
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