"That's everything, Hokage-sama."
After relaying everything Yuhara had told him, Shisui quietly stepped back and stood beside Yuhara, saying nothing more.
At that moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a throbbing headache settle in. Just as he feared, things had played out exactly how he'd expected. The worst part? Danzo had completely bungled it.
Maybe his intentions had been good—after all, anyone in their position would be wary of an Uchiha interacting with the Nine-Tails. The incident from eight years ago still loomed large in everyone's memory, and the image of the Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes remained vivid and damning.
No one wanted the Uchiha to have anything to do with the tailed beasts again. No one wanted another Nine-Tails attack.
But how one approached such matters made all the difference.
Hiruzen would have preferred careful observation. He would have gradually released information about how the Sharingan could control the Nine-Tails, slowly sowing fear and mistrust among the villagers. That way, people would turn on the Uchiha organically.
But Danzo didn't work like that. He saw this as an opportunity—a chance to push the Uchiha over the edge—and acted without hesitation.
Unfortunately for him, it had backfired.
"Seems we all underestimated this Uchiha Yuhara… this genius once considered on par with Shisui."
Hiruzen gave Yuhara a long look, quietly sighing in his heart. He hadn't expected Yuhara to be this powerful.
More than a dozen elite Root operatives—slaughtered and dismembered. These weren't average ninja. They were Danzo's finest.
He had once hoped to use Shisui's relationship with Yuhara to insert another line of influence into the Uchiha clan. But after tonight's fiasco, that was likely impossible now.
"I understand."
Though clearly displeased, Hiruzen kept a stern, composed front. He turned his sharp gaze on Yuhara and asked in a firm tone, "Is everything Shisui said true, Jonin Yuhara?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Yuhara stepped forward and nodded without hesitation. His tone was steady and respectful.
"Everything Shisui said is true. And the corpses are right here. If you want, you can remove their masks and verify whether they're really from Anbu or…"
At that point, Yuhara's voice sharpened, his face twisting into visible 'anger'—though it was entirely for show.
"Or perhaps we could ask the Yamanaka clan to inspect their memories directly. With everyone here as witnesses, we'll know exactly who was behind this little ambush."
Yuhara grinned inwardly. He was deliberately stabbing Danzo right in the guts with this.
Sure enough, Danzo's face twitched.
Even if the dead had limited intel in their minds, even if Danzo had taken precautions… the fact that they were Root members was damning enough.
If they were exposed in front of everyone, it would be a catastrophe.
Hiruzen flinched slightly at the mention of a memory probe, but being the seasoned politician he was, he quickly regained his composure.
"We will, of course, investigate this matter thoroughly," he replied smoothly. "If what you say is true, these men were not part of the village's forces."
"They were able to infiltrate so easily—this raises many concerns. It must be investigated carefully, not handled rashly."
With just a few well-placed sentences, Hiruzen had reframed the entire narrative. He acknowledged Yuhara's concerns but tactfully dismissed his proposal.
Then he turned sternly toward Yuhara again. His demeanor shifted with frightening ease from diplomatic to authoritative.
"Still, Yuhara… you've been a Jonin for over a year now."
"I understand your anger. But as a Jonin of this village, when you encounter intruders—especially those who infiltrated Konoha undetected—how could you kill every last one of them and leave the bodies in such a state?"
"We need intel. Dead men tell no tales—and mangled corpses tell even less."
His words rang out loud and clear. Around them, many Konoha ninja nodded in agreement.
Even though Yuhara was a genius from the Uchiha clan, even though he was clearly powerful, shouldn't he have left at least one of them alive?
Yuhara could already see the label forming in their minds: another "violent, uncontrollable" Uchiha.
"I apologize, Hokage-sama," Yuhara said with a faint smile. "I just learned a new sword technique… I suppose my control wasn't quite there yet. Sorry for the trouble."
He said the words politely, but he had mentally carved this moment deep into his ledger. When the day came to deal with Danzo for real, he hoped Hiruzen would keep this same calm tone.
"In that case," Hiruzen said with a sigh, "everyone disperse. Anbu will take it from here."
He could clearly tell Yuhara's apology was as empty as Danzo's promises. But Hiruzen was too tired to push it further.
He lingered a moment, locking eyes with Danzo—but ultimately said nothing more and walked away.
One by one, the other Konoha ninja also began to leave.
Even Uchiha Fugaku, after casting a deep glance at Yuhara and Shisui, turned and departed.
Soon only the Anbu remained to clean up the bodies, along with Yuhara and Shisui.
Yuhara saw no reason to stick around. He grabbed Shisui by the arm and started heading out.
After all that had happened tonight, neither of them was in any mood for training. Shisui, in particular, looked deeply unsettled.
Once they were far enough away, Shisui asked in a low voice, "Was it Danzo's men?"
"Yes," Yuhara replied without hesitation. "Almost certainly. But other than you, no one knows I'm even aware of Root. So I can play dumb however I like."
"I see. But… they're still Konoha ninja," Shisui muttered with a sigh.
Yuhara nodded, but then turned the question around.
"True. But tell me—if they had succeeded tonight, what do you think would've happened to the Uchiha?"
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