Chapter 115: Taking Down Shimura Danzo First
Hyuga Arima's shadow clone successfully reached the Military Police Force. Since he'd left only recently, the Uchiha clan ninja recognized him as the young Hyuga clan head's attendant, so he had no trouble meeting Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Izumo.
"Uchiha Clan Head, our clan head asked me to relay a message. The operation to set things right has begun. Your clan should act accordingly."
Arima softened Ritsu's order slightly, but the core meaning came through clearly enough.
Hearing this, both Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Dewa froze.
The Military Police Force headquarters was located in a remote area, far from the Hokage building. Though nominally responsible for the village's security, they had no authority over the village's great barrier, much less the ability to use it for surveillance.
Add to that the Sharingan's lack of long-range reconnaissance abilities.
So they genuinely had no idea what was happening in the village—or rather, they didn't even know something had happened at all.
"Arima, could you be more specific?" Uchiha Izumo stared intently at Hyuga Arima. "What's happened with the Hyuga Clan Head?"
"The Clan Head is currently engaged in combat with the Third Hokage."
Arima's simple explanation dropped like a bombshell.
"What?"
Uchiha Izumo recoiled in shock.
Uchiha Fugaku's pupils contracted, his mind reeling.
Ritsu fighting the Third Hokage... they'd actually come to blows? This was too sudden. His brain struggled to process it.
"Uchiha Clan Head, I've delivered the message. Please make your decision quickly. The Clan Head is at the Hokage building fighting the Third Hokage right now."
Leaving those final words, Hyuga Arima's shadow clone deliberately dispelled itself, transforming into white chakra smoke that dissipated into nothing.
"Izumo, what do you think we should do?"
After a long silence, Uchiha Fugaku finally spoke.
"I..."
For once, Uchiha Izumo found himself at a loss for words.
What should they do?
He didn't know either.
Everything had happened so suddenly. They hadn't even finished discussing what path the Uchiha clan should take, yet the choice was already upon them. It felt like a fire burning in his chest—the frustration made him want to smash everything in sight.
But then—
"Clan Head, ANBU are here. They say they have orders from Lord Hokage."
A clansman's voice came from outside.
Uchiha Fugaku's expression shifted. He exchanged a glance with Uchiha Izumo before responding quickly, "Send them in."
The door opened. An ANBU squad leader wearing an animal mask and a tan coat entered, looking directly at Uchiha Fugaku. "Uchiha Commander, Lord Hokage orders the entire Military Police Force to mobilize and work alongside Root to guard the Mist ninja delegation at their embassy."
Uchiha Fugaku remained silent.
Instead, Uchiha Izumo frowned. "What's happened? Why do we need to guard the Mist delegation? And why does the entire Military Police Force need to work with Root? Isn't that overkill?"
"These are orders. Uchiha Commander, are you refusing to comply?"
The ANBU squad leader ignored Uchiha Izumo's questions entirely, staring fixedly at Uchiha Fugaku, meeting those suddenly crimson three-tomoe Sharingan without the slightest fear.
A few seconds later, Uchiha Fugaku was the first to look away. "I never said I'd refuse orders. I'm just somewhat concerned. If the entire Military Police Force is pulled away, who will maintain order in the village? If something happens—"
"That's not for you to worry about, Uchiha Commander. Lord Hokage has his own arrangements."
"In that case... the Military Police Force accepts the order."
Uchiha Fugaku bowed his head in acknowledgment.
He understood perfectly well—this order wasn't really about guarding the Mist delegation. The Military Police Force was the one being watched. And the watchdog was none other than Root.
But what could he do, even knowing this?
Actually refuse orders?
Uchiha Fugaku didn't have that courage.
"Good. Then issue your orders quickly, Uchiha Commander. I hope you move fast enough. If you delay and miss the critical moment, the Military Police Force will bear full responsibility for the consequences."
The ANBU squad leader spoke without the slightest courtesy or respect for Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku's expression darkened like stormwater. Despite his displeasure, he relayed the orders. The Military Police Force members assembled rapidly. Aside from those on external patrol, every available member gathered.
Over a hundred Uchiha clan ninja stood in neat formation in the plaza before the Military Police Force headquarters.
However—
"Clan Head, Teyaki and I are going home to rest."
Uchiha Izumo suddenly spoke up.
"What?"
Before Uchiha Fugaku could respond, the ANBU squad leader made a sound of displeasure. "Uchiha Commander, Lord Hokage's orders were clear—the entire Military Police Force is to mobilize. If anyone shirks their duty, that's disobeying orders."
Uchiha Izumo looked at the arrogant ANBU squad leader, a flash of killing intent crossing his crimson eyes. He spoke slowly, "Lord Hokage's order was for the entire Military Police Force to mobilize. Unfortunately for you, we're not part of the Military Police Force."
This was the truth. Though nearly every Uchiha clan ninja joined the Military Police Force, there were always exceptions. Uchiha Izumo and Uchiha Teyaki were such exceptions. They had no interest in patrolling streets all day—they'd rather fight Mist ninja on the frontlines than settle for such a stable, boring job.
The ANBU squad leader fell silent.
If that was the case, he truly had no recourse. Lord Hokage's orders were his only authority over these Uchiha ninja. Without those orders, he had no right to command anyone.
"Izumo, you... just remember, don't do anything reckless."
Uchiha Fugaku wanted to say more, but with this irritating ANBU squad leader standing right there, some words couldn't be spoken aloud. He could only offer this brief warning.
"Don't worry, Clan Head. We know the rules. We won't break any laws, and we won't bring trouble to the clan."
Uchiha Izumo acknowledged the words.
Then he called to Uchiha Teyaki, and the two departed together. After a few leaps, they vanished from sight. The ANBU squad leader stared at their retreating backs but ultimately said nothing.
As an ANBU member, he didn't need strong personal convictions—he only needed to execute orders without reservation.
And so, Uchiha Izumo and Uchiha Teyaki headed toward the Hokage building at full speed.
At the Hokage building, Ritsu maintained control of the situation.
His visual range extended nearly twenty kilometers in radius—more than half of Konoha lay under his surveillance. Of course, his brain couldn't process such a massive flood of information simultaneously, so he filtered out most of the irrelevant noise, focusing on specific locations and specific targets.
The Hyuga compound, surrounded by ninja from the Ino-Shika-Cho clans.
The Uchiha clan assembling at the Military Police Force headquarters, with Root approaching.
Shimura Danzo leading Aburame Torune and another Root subordinate, rapidly approaching the Hokage building.
The Nine-Tails jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina, at a training ground with Nohara Rin, Hyuga Akiba, and Uchiha Aika.
These were the only locations and people in Konoha worth his attention right now. The Hyuga clan being surrounded was expected—he'd attacked Sarutobi Hiruzen, so naturally the Third would take countermeasures.
The Uchiha clan was the same. His contact with them had clearly made the already-suspicious Sarutobi Hiruzen even more wary. Root members moving toward the Uchiha proved that perfectly.
Beyond that, other clans like the Aburame and Inuzuka showed no major movements. Only small numbers entered and exited their barrier-protected compounds.
Currently, most of the ninja converging on the Hokage building were actually civilian ninja. The major clans had sent only small groups, clearly focused on intelligence gathering.
After all, this had happened so suddenly. Many people were probably still completely in the dark about what was happening.
"Sensei, we need to take down Shimura Danzo first."
Ritsu spoke softly.
Beside him stood Hiruko, ready for battle.
"Tell me where. I'll handle it."
Hiruko prepared to move immediately.
"No, Sensei. We'll work together."
"What? Is Danzo really that formidable?"
"Not quite. But we need to move fast. Once we capture Danzo, we can hand him over to Kakashi for interrogation. When Kakashi extracts the truth he's seeking, that should be enough to truly pull Sarutobi Hiruzen down from the Hokage's seat."
Ritsu explained his reasoning.
Though he'd chosen to use force to break the deadlock, that didn't mean he planned to rely solely on violence. If he used brute force to bulldoze through every obstacle, he'd only end up with a broken, weakened Konoha.
So violence was a last resort. Before that, he needed to use gentler methods whenever possible to achieve his goals.
Hatake Kakashi was a crucial piece of that puzzle.
He was the son of the White Fang, the student of the Yellow Flash. His choice would influence many people's attitudes and decisions.
"What about here?"
Hiruko's gaze turned toward the mist before them. Within that fog were the Third Hokage and two advisors, along with hundreds of water clones.
"Let the wood clones keep playing with them."
Within the mist, aside from Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu's real bodies and their massive number of water clones, more than a dozen copies of Ritsu stood at different positions around the fog's edge, like a net trapping the mist and ensuring no one could escape.
These were all Ritsu's wood clones.
After using the Hidden Mist Jutsu, he hadn't rushed to defeat Sarutobi Hiruzen. Taking down the Third Hokage required the right moment—he needed to maximize the benefits.
"Just to be safe, let's add a few more."
After thinking it over, Ritsu decided to show proper respect to this man called the "Strongest Hokage." He also needed to account for the Konoha ninja gathering who might try to rescue the Third.
In the next instant, a large chunk of wood sprouted from his shoulder, splitting into ten pieces that rapidly took human form. As they fully separated from Ritsu's body, color flooded through them as if divine craftsmanship had instantly completed the work. The ten wood-colored figures immediately became lifelike.
These ten wood clones flexed their limbs briefly, then entered the fog without a word. Azure chakra lion heads wreathed their hands as they used the Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists to effortlessly destroy the nearby water clones.
The water clones in the mist swarmed toward the wood clones like a disturbed hornets' nest, following the sounds of combat.
Hearing the fighting from within the fog, the Konoha ninja outside grew restless. But those who'd entered the fog earlier had quickly fallen silent, leaving everyone too uncertain to venture in. Instead, they tried to call for more help, waiting for stronger reinforcements to arrive.
Some noticed Hatake Kakashi.
However, the famous genius looked terrible—standing on a rooftop like a scarecrow, staring fixedly at the mist. Seeing his condition, no one dared approach. None of them were particularly close to Kakashi anyway.
As for Ritsu and Hiruko, thanks to the Byakugan's perception, the teacher-student pair had positioned themselves quite cleverly. None of the arriving Konoha ninja noticed that the Hyuga clan head was also present, much less that he was the one fighting the Third Hokage within the mist.
"Let's go, Sensei."
Ritsu turned, facing northeast. Shimura Danzo was approaching from that direction. Root's base was located in the village's northeast corner, not far from the Military Police Force and the Uchiha compound.
Root's initial establishment had likely been connected to the Uchiha clan. Perhaps Shimura Danzo had convinced the Third Hokage to create Root by proposing to monitor the Uchiha.
But Root's origins didn't matter. What mattered was that Root was about to be finished.
Danzo's other subordinate suddenly spoke. The three-person group immediately halted, adopting defensive postures. Aburame Torune released a swarm of insects that spread like a black cloud.
Their stance made it clear they'd detected the approaching teacher and student.
"A Yamanaka clan member?"
Watching this unfold, Ritsu understood. The other subordinate Danzo had brought was almost certainly from the Yamanaka clan.
But it didn't matter if they'd been detected.
Because Shimura Danzo hadn't chosen to flee—he was preparing to fight.
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