: Don't force yourself!

Chapter 40: Don't push yourself!

madman!

This guy is absolutely insane!

If Hiruzen Sarutobi still harbored a sliver of lingering doubt about Uchiha Jin's "Gyokusai" (suicide pact) before, he was now completely convinced that Jin was an incorrigible madman.

What benefit would doing this bring to the Uchiha clan?

Danzo's past is certainly not clean, but how much better are the Uchiha's messy affairs?

Do you really think there's any country bumpkin in Konoha who doesn't know about the Uchiha's wolfish ambitions? They're just all hampered by a lack of decisive evidence and sufficient preparation to punish a founding clan of Konoha.

Therefore, even though everyone in Konoha knew about the shady dealings, no one dared to actually lift that last veil of secrecy.

What if at the end they say, "You forced the Uchiha to rebel!"

Or perhaps they were targeted and attacked by the enraged Uchiha!

Who the hell is this supposed to be?!

But even if you, Uchiha Jin, are crazy, why did you have to drag them into this mess?

A normal person shouldn't be thinking about how to find an opportunity to properly clean themselves up, but instead, they actually want to pull down Danzo's tattered underwear first.

What the hell is this?!

The more crucial point is that Hiruzen Sarutobi was absolutely certain that if he were to actually strip Danzo naked... oops... probe his memories, the final result would be far more exciting and thrilling than any Uchiha rebellion.

The Wood Release experiment, the death of White Fang, Orochimaru's defection...

The dozen or so things Hiruzen Sarutobi recorded in his little notebook alone would have been enough to kill Danzo a hundred times over, not to mention Danzo's stupid personality of always having a backup plan. Who knows how many more traps awaited him?

the most important is!

Danzo knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that too!

This is fucking bizarre!

Even with Hiruzen Sarutobi's years of self-control, he couldn't hold back any longer. He moved silently to Danzo's side and kicked his kneeling best friend next to him.

That good-for-nothing bastard is more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything!

Hiruzen Sarutobi cursed inwardly, feeling that his years of seclusion had been wasted, surrounded by such lunatics who didn't follow the rules.

Damn it (I'm not hiding it anymore)!

"U...Uchiha, please...please calm down. The village...the village naturally trusts the Uchiha! There's no need for them to probe your memories..."

Who the hell wants to probe my memories? Go do whatever you want, nobody wants to die with you!

Despite his inner turmoil, Hiruzen Sarutobi maintained a faint smile on his trembling face.

But obviously.

The slight smile on Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was even uglier than a cry, like that of a mad old man, with a twisted and grotesque quality.

"The village absolutely believes in the Uchiha!"

"Oh, are you sure?"

Feeling the forced goodwill from Hiruzen Sarutobi in front of him, Jin Uchiha's anger gradually subsided, and he once again returned to his previous teasing smile.

"Of course, the Uchiha will always be an integral part of the village!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with absolute certainty, and the aura emanating from the "Strongest Hokage" once again radiated domineering power, as if he had always viewed the Uchiha in this way.

Huh~

Uchiha Jin chuckled lightly, then made another joke.

"That's not too far-fetched, is it? We Uchiha have always won people over with virtue, and Chief Fugaku was even more righteous, willing to do anything to prove his innocence... even revealing his memories!"

(Uchiha Fugaku: Achoo!)

Hey!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was grinding his teeth to powder, but at this moment, he only had this one path in front of him.

Uchiha Jin's real purpose was not to clear the Uchiha's name, but to drag them down with him.

However, this kind of righteous "political correctness" hit Hiruzen Sarutobi's weak spot, causing him, who was not fully prepared, to simply avoid its sharp edge.

no way!

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi had to consider not only himself, but also his Sarutobi clan and the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

True!

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that he could perfectly mobilize his direct ANBU and the elite of the Sarutobi clan, and with his years of authority as Hokage, he could also mobilize some of the elites of the ninja villages.

But that's far from enough...

It's important to understand that while these combined forces are enough to suppress the Uchiha, they are far from reaching the level of the Uchiha's previous crushing of the Root ninjas.

It really has to be a decisive battle between the two sides!

Putting aside other factors, the elite of the Sarutobi clan would be almost entirely wiped out, and Konoha's overall strength would be further weakened, thus attracting the covetous eyes of the other four great ninja villages.

Having done such a foolish thing, Hiruzen Sarutobi will become the biggest joke in the entire ninja world from this day forward, and will be nailed to the pillar of shame in ninja history.

Are those who have nothing to lose not afraid of those who have something to wear?

Hiruzen Sarutobi simply couldn't understand King Uchiha's thought process, but at this moment, he only had this one choice.

"No forcing...not at all. The Nine-Tails' rampage has absolutely nothing to do with the Uchiha clan. Anyone who brings this up in the future is disrupting the harmony and stability of Konoha, and the Konoha ninja clan will unite to kill them!"

As soon as those words were uttered, the entire Konoha Street fell into an eerie silence, with only Hiruzen Sarutobi's panting, tinged with a hint of resentment, echoing softly.

It turns out there really are things that don't follow the logic of politics, things that can't be bought off, intimidated, reasoned with, or negotiated with...

Some people just want to see the world burn!

Hiruzen Sarutobi keenly sensed the flames in King Uchiha's eyes, as if he wanted to burn the entire world to ashes.

but……

Sometimes rules fail to uphold justice and instead become shackles.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was horrified to discover that he was trapped in the very shackles he had created, and he had no way to deal with Uchiha Jin, who was now recklessly breaking the rules.

"Tch~"

Uchiha Jin shook his head helplessly, feeling a mix of disdain for Hiruzen Sarutobi's decisiveness and a sense of utter boredom.

really!

Time makes things clearer than the eyes.

In my previous life, when I first saw the Naruto anime, I was deeply moved by the heroic sacrifice of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage.

However, upon reflection, I suddenly realized that it was all just my innate, quirky sense of humor.

A prodigal son dies for his loyalty, a schemer for his faithfulness, a thief for his dedication, a selfish for his sacrifice, a sunflower for his dying day, and a wild grass for his dying day in the wind.

What Hiruzen Sarutobi's inner thoughts are not important; his actions over the years have already defined everything.

That's why Orochimaru's willingness to risk his life for the village made Uchiha Jin feel both ironic and delighted.

As for now?

Your perspective is determined by where you sit!

Now that we have gained a significant advantage, the next step is naturally to strike while the enemy is down!

"Since the Third Hokage acknowledges that my Uchiha clan has nothing to do with the Nine-Tails' attack, then what should we do with that Danzo Shimura guy?!"

Hey!

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that King Uchiha would pull this stunt, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

"He's just a child..."

……

(End of this chapter)