Danzo gave a fairly accurate time.
"Karatachi Yagura... What a terrifying man. But for Konoha right now, this is actually a good thing."
Utatane Koharu let out a sigh of relief—finally, some good news had arrived.
None of them were surprised that Danzo had planted spies in the Hidden Mist.
After all, that's what Root's external missions were about—working on the frontlines and handling the most dangerous jobs.
Even if the spies' rank wasn't particularly high and they couldn't get close to the Hidden Mist's core leadership, an event as huge as a coup couldn't be concealed no matter how hard they tried.
The external issues were largely resolved. Even though the Fourth Hokage and his wife were lost, Konoha would not lose its deterrent power because of this.
Even without the Yellow Flash, with the Byakugan and Sharingan, various Hiden Jutsu Ninja, and the Sannin, Konoha was far from being at its last gasp.
What's more, in the new generation of ninja, there were geniuses like Hatake Kakashi. In a few years, he'd be another Konoha White Fang, a sharp blade to deter the other nations.
As long as these prodigies are given enough room to grow, in the future, they will support Konoha's towering tree.
In the past two or three decades, Konoha's younger generation of ninja had never disappointed them—each and every one grew up strong, becoming the foundation that steadies the great tree of Konoha.
"Compared to the pressure from outside, the internal threats are actually more acute. Like..." Danzo paused here—not to imply anything, but to directly announce the object of their vigilance: "...the Uchiha Clan."
The expressions of Hiruzen and the other two were each different.
"The Nine-tailed was released during the Jinchuriki's childbirth and attacked Konoha. This was no accident—it was a meticulously planned act, meant to overturn Konoha. The Uchiha Clan is under the greatest suspicion. Their Sharingan can control the Nine-tailed. But because of the Fourth Hokage, their plot failed."
"Danzo, the Uchiha are also villagers of Konoha; you shouldn't treat them differently like this."
Hiruzen furrowed his brows deeply.
"But that night, none of the Uchiha ninja came to help. Many ninja in the village are also unhappy with the Uchiha. Even if they don't say it out loud, in their hearts, they believe the Uchiha ninja controlled the Nine-tailed and attacked the village."
Mitokado Homura also spoke his mind.
"That was because someone acted on their own without permission and changed my orders. My original intent was to have the Uchiha ninja come and use the Sharingan to restrain the Nine-tailed."
At this, Hiruzen took a deep breath.
He didn't say exactly who it was, but Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu immediately understood, shooting a subtle glance at Danzo.
"That might have been exactly what they wanted."
Danzo remained relentless.
"Danzo!"
Hiruzen's face was ashen.
"Then how do you explain the Mangekyo Sharingan incident?"
Danzo's gaze was sharp as he stared down Hiruzen, showing no fear.
Hiruzen was at a loss for words.
Mangekyo Sharingan... Just thinking about it made Hiruzen uneasy. Was this really not the Uchiha's doing?
"Koharu told me, the Fourth Hokage's dying words were for us to be wary of Chiba Hakushi and the Mangekyo Sharingan's space-time ninjutsu, right? The Fourth Hokage wasn't a man to speak without reason. If he said that, it means he likely fought with the user of the Mangekyo Sharingan, and confirmed their Mangekyo Sharingan's ability has to do with space-time jutsu."
"But even so, we can't just pin it on the Uchiha. No matter what, they made enormous contributions in topping the last war."
"The only reason they tried so hard was to reach for the position of Fourth Hokage. With motives like that, they're simply not trustworthy. Besides, talking about controlling the Nine-tailed, years ago Uchiha Ruri managed to do just that—though it wasn't the Complete Form of the Nine-tailed back then. Now after a few more years, her donjutsu is even stronger. Awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan isn't strange for her."
Linking the Mangekyo Sharingan and the name 'Chiba Hakushi' together made Danzo inevitably consider such things.
Because this was the strongest possibility—Uchiha Ruri had the power and the potential for it.
Otherwise, why would the Fourth Hokage connect the Mangekyo Sharingan and the name 'Chiba Hakushi' as a warning?
This in itself was already a very clear hint.
The masterminds behind planning the Nine-tailed attack on Konoha were S-Class Renegade Ninja Chiba Hakushi, Uchiha Ruri, and Hyuga Ayane—those three.
Danzo's argument was irrefutable. Even if one tried to defend the Uchiha, with the hint left by the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato, this guess was most fitting and left no gaps in logic.
"Danzo's words aren't without merit. Maybe there really are spies left inside the Uchiha Clan, watching the village's every move, feeding them information. Also, any ninja related to Chiba Hakushi and those three should be thoroughly investigated."
Utatane Koharu also thought they needed to act with caution.
Mitokado Homura frowned and said: "But, in that case, Hatake Kakashi is the most suspicious. His father once led those three as their Jonin captain. Before their defection, Kakashi had close contact with them."
Hearing Homura say that, Danzo couldn't help but tense up inside.
But Hiruzen spoke up to defend Kakashi without prompting: "Impossible. Until now, Kakashi has always been with the Anbu, no chance to leak information. He is an excellent Jonin who has inherited the Will of Fire—absolutely not someone who would be a traitor."