Chapter 58: Let Sarutobi Come Back and See for Himself
Uchiha Dali felt deeply disappointed when the old scoundrel Danzo actually chose to compromise at this moment.
"As expected, that old fox has a deep mind and knows how to endure."
He had hoped that Danzo would maintain his tough stance, refusing to back down.
Better yet, if Danzo had escalated things even further and acted even more outrageously, then he would have had a justified reason to kill him on the spot.
If Shimura Danzo had remained as aggressive as before, continuing to confront Uchiha Dali head-on—
Or even gone back to rally his men, leading his Root subordinates in an attack—
That would have been exactly what Dali wanted.
It would have allowed him to eliminate this threat once and for all.
From the beginning, Uchiha Dali had been provoking Danzo precisely for this purpose.
Unfortunately, at this crucial moment, Danzo displayed remarkable patience, retreating strategically and choosing to temporarily yield to Dali.
This was unexpected, and quite disappointing.
Still, a partial victory had been achieved.
And on top of that, he had gained three new powers: a full mastery of Wind Release techniques, Conqueror's Haki, and the Mangekyō Sharingan.
With these gains, Uchiha Dali felt more than satisfied.
Even if Danzo's so-called compromise was merely a delaying tactic—if he was planning to return to the Root headquarters and bring reinforcements—
Uchiha Dali had no fear of the impending conflict.
"In that case, thank you, Lord Danzo. I'll be waiting for your good news."
"Just don't make me wait too long—my patience is limited."
With a playful smirk, Dali raised two fingers, pointing first to his own eyes, then at Danzo and the surrounding Anbu members.
Before leaving, he shot a meaningful glance at Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, who were standing at the door, dumbfounded.
Even as he departed, he made sure to provoke these old geezers one last time.
Having said his piece, he flickered away, disappearing before everyone's eyes.
—
As soon as Uchiha Dali left the office, Danzo's expression turned utterly grim. His fists clenched slowly, and a murderous glint flickered in his eyes.
"Danzo…"
Homura Mitokado narrowed his eyes and called his name with a frown.
"What just happened?"
Koharu Utatane instinctively surveyed the wreckage inside the office, paying particular attention to the gaping hole in the floor.
Earlier, when Uchiha Dali unleashed his attack, the raging Wind Release chakra had not only blasted a hole into the floor,
but the razor-sharp currents had also left deep gashes in the surrounding walls, tables, and chairs.
The wall directly opposite the office entrance bore a massive hole as well.
Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here.
"Heh…"
Danzo let out a cold chuckle, saying nothing. He simply turned and walked toward the exit.
As he left, he ordered, "No one is to repair the damage here. Let Sarutobi come back and see for himself what the Uchiha have done!"
With that, he flicked his sleeve and strode off.
Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane had rushed over after receiving a report from the Anbu.
They had expected Danzo to handle the situation, but who could have predicted such a mess?
Still unclear about the full details, they immediately questioned the Anbu present.
Moments later, after learning everything that had transpired, the two elders exchanged glances, their expressions dark.
"Who would've thought… this Uchiha Dali has such a reckless and impulsive temperament? He actually dared to defy the higher-ups."
Homura Mitokado frowned as he spoke.
"This situation is extremely serious, Homura. If not handled properly, it could lead to unnecessary unrest… or even greater trouble."
Koharu Utatane's tone was grave.
Homura Mitokado understood exactly what she meant.
No one knew Danzo better than they did.
As the leader of the village's hawkish faction, Danzo would never have backed down in front of his subordinates unless he had no other choice.
This meant that Uchiha Dali had grown so powerful that even Danzo, the Anbu, and Uchiha Shisui combined couldn't handle him.
Under these circumstances, further provoking Uchiha Dali—or the entire Uchiha clan—could have unimaginable consequences.
The two elders exchanged another look.
Homura Mitokado turned to the Anbu captain behind him.
"Lock down this information. We must prevent unnecessary panic!"
"No one is allowed to spread word of what happened here. Everything will be dealt with after the Third Hokage returns!"
—
After leaving the Hokage building, Uchiha Dali headed straight back to the Uchiha clan's district.
Suddenly, a figure leaped down from a tree along the roadside, blocking his path.
Without even looking, Uchiha Dali knew who it was.
It was the same person he had sent flying with a single punch earlier—Uchiha Shisui.
"My apologies, Dali-senpai."
Shisui's first words were an apology.
After being punched away earlier, he had been momentarily dazed.
But that also gave him a chance to leave the chaos behind and wait for Uchiha Dali here.
And as it turned out, his judgment had been correct—Uchiha Dali seemed to have resolved everything.
At least for now.
What surprised Shisui was that Uchiha Dali didn't blame him. Instead, he spoke casually, "Given the circumstances, you must have felt quite conflicted."
"Actually, I know that our Uchiha clan and the village have long been at odds…"
Shisui responded.
Hearing this, Uchiha Dali remained silent.
If you knew that, then why were you always siding with the higher-ups?
As if reading his thoughts, Shisui continued explaining:
"I don't know how to resolve the conflict between our clan and the village. The only thing I can do is try to prevent things from spiraling out of control."
"If the tensions between the Uchiha and the village escalate into an all-out conflict, it will be disastrous for both sides."
"Worse still, it could give foreign enemies an opportunity to strike while we weaken ourselves through internal strife…"
Uchiha Dali was well aware of these possibilities and consequences.
He nodded silently. "You're not wrong, Shisui."
"That's also why I didn't go all out against that old scoundrel Danzo just now."
"It's not time yet."
Hearing Uchiha Dali casually refer to Shimura Danzo as "that old scoundrel," Shisui's eyes flickered with surprise. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but hesitated.