Meanwhile, Iruka had just arrived at the Hokage's office building!
"Lord Hokage!!!"
Bang!
Iruka burst through the door of the Hokage's office without hesitation. The situation was urgent, and he couldn't afford to worry about formalities!
Behind the desk, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, hurriedly stashed away a crystal ball, clearly caught off guard.
"Ahem… Iruka, it's you. Shouldn't you be teaching at the Academy at this hour? What's got you so worked up? Did something happen at the Ninja Academy?!"
Iruka barely registered the crystal ball the Hokage had hidden and rushed to explain.
"Lord Hokage!!! Just now, Elder Danzo ordered Root ninjas to take Ito Hirofumi from the Ninja Academy! And the ninja's attitude was beyond harsh!"
"What did you say?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, his brow furrowing deeply.
He had already received word from Jiraiya, who was on his way back to the Hidden Leaf Village. Hiruzen had been planning to have Jiraiya take Ito Hirofumi as his student!
But to think Danzo would go behind his back and make a move like this?!
"Hmph!!! Danzo!!! You're really starting to act like I don't exist!!!"
"Lord Hokage! What should we do?!"
"Iruka, don't panic just yet! I'm heading to Root's base right now to get to the bottom of this!!!"
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!"
With a wave of Hiruzen's hand, a squad of Anbu ninjas appeared behind him. The group set off toward Root's headquarters in a determined march.
---
Meanwhile, Ito Hirofumi had already been brought to Root's base…
This was his first time seeing the place.
And, honestly, it didn't exactly scream "welcoming." The atmosphere was dim, heavy, oppressive—like a prison. The entire hall of Root's headquarters felt shrouded in darkness.
Danzo Shimura sat at the highest seat in the hall, his single eye glaring down at Ito Hirofumi.
The moment Hirofumi laid eyes on Danzo, something stirred in the summoning space. The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, furrowed his brow instantly.
"The ripple of a Sharingan?!"
Tobirama Senju, standing nearby, looked puzzled as well.
"You're right… That does feel like a Sharingan's ripple! How does Danzo have the aura of a Sharingan?! What's going on here?!"
Tobirama only knew that the Uchiha clan had been wiped out, but he was still unaware that his own prized student was behind it all.
Uchiha Madara, who knew the full truth, let out a cold scoff.
Hashirama hadn't mentioned it yet, but he didn't just sense the Sharingan's ripple from Danzo—he also felt the presence of his own cells and chakra!
"Madara!!! Are you hiding something?!"
"Hmph! Is it so strange to sense a Sharingan? Our entire Uchiha clan was wiped out, so is it really a shock that Danzo's got himself a transplanted Uchiha eye or two?!"
"What?!"
"What?!"
The shocked exclamations came from Hashirama Senju and Minato Namikaze, respectively.
"What's going on here?! How could the Uchiha clan be wiped out?!"
Minato turned to Uchiha Fugaku, realization dawning. No wonder his friend, still in the prime of his life, had died. The entire Uchiha clan had been exterminated…
Madara shot a cold glance at Fugaku.
"Hmph! As the last clan head of the Uchiha, don't you think you owe these Hokages an explanation? How exactly did the mighty Uchiha clan get wiped out?!"
At that moment, Fugaku felt his throat go dry as a desert…
"Ancestor…"
"Hmph! Don't call me your ancestor! I'm no ancestor to someone like you!!!
"Tch, tch, tch!!! Damn it!
"You've got me so pissed I can barely think straight! You, the grand final clan head, managed to let an entire clan get obliterated! Go on, explain it to these Hokages!
"Especially to the Second Hokage over there~
"Now that the 'evil' Uchiha are gone, the Second Hokage must be thrilled, right?!"
Madara's tone was dripping with sarcasm, practically tearing into Tobirama Senju.
Tobirama had already known about the Uchiha's destruction, but his expression was still grim.
Fugaku, facing the piercing gazes of everyone, had no choice but to start explaining…
"It all started during the Second Hokage's reign…
"Over time, the Uchiha clan and the Hidden Leaf Village grew further and further apart, with an unbridgeable divide forming…
"The will of the village's higher-ups… the Third Hokage… Danzo Shimura…"
Fugaku gave a rough account of the Uchiha clan's extermination but carefully avoided mentioning that it was his own son, Itachi Uchiha, who carried it out.
What Fugaku didn't know was that Madara already knew Itachi was the one responsible—he just didn't know Itachi was Fugaku's son.
Fugaku figured if he spilled that detail now, his ancestor Madara might just send him straight back to the afterlife.
Hashirama's face was dark and stormy.
In his heart, whether it was the Uchiha or any other clan, they were all villagers of the Hidden Leaf!
He and Madara had founded the village to protect everyone, hadn't they?!
And yet…
An entire clan, the Uchiha, didn't fall to enemies but to their own people!!!
The Third Hokage! And Danzo Shimura!!! Just what the hell were those two doing?!
Minato's expression was equally grim. When he became the Fourth Hokage, he had worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between the village and the Uchiha, hoping to integrate them fully into the Leaf.
And now the Uchiha were gone?!
This was beyond absurd!!!
In the summoning space, everyone fell silent, observing the outside world through Ito Hirofumi's perspective, all eager to see what Danzo was planning to do.
---
Back at Root's headquarters.
Danzo sized up Ito Hirofumi from head to toe.
"Ito Hirofumi…"
"Oh! What's up, One-Eye Elder?!" Hirofumi said casually, picking at his nose.
Seeing Hirofumi's complete lack of respect—calling him "One-Eye Elder" no less—Danzo's single eye narrowed slightly…
"What did you just call me?!"
"Huh? Is One-Eye Elder not just half-blind but half-deaf too? I called you One-Eye Elder! Did you hear me that time, One-Eye Elder?!"
This time, Hirofumi shouted even louder!
The Root ninja who had brought Hirofumi there drew a short blade in a flash, pressing it against Hirofumi's neck.
"Insolent!!!"
Hirofumi just smirked, glancing at Danzo.
"What? Is One-Eye Elder gonna have me killed or something?!"
Danzo waved his hand dismissively. "Stand down."
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
Once the Root ninja backed off, Danzo picked up his cane and stood.
"Ito Hirofumi… I don't know what gives you the nerve to talk to me like that, but let me give you a piece of advice: young people shouldn't be too full of themselves!!!"
"Heh! What a joke!!!
"If you're not full of fire, can you even call yourself a young person?!!"