Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen gasped.
Good heavens!
He finally understood why Uchiha Jin was able to awaken the Mangekyou, why he resolutely joined the Radical Faction, and why he assumed a posture of fighting to the death against the Konoha higher-ups.
"So that's how it is!"
Mitokado Homura nodded slightly, but immediately looked puzzled: "But something isn't right. Shouldn't one seek the Hokage first if their parents are captured?"
"Even if he didn't seek the Hokage, shouldn't he have asked Fugaku, the Clan Head, for help?"
Utatane Koharu was full of doubt.
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head: "I won't be surprised by any decision the Uchiha make. There is no point in discussing this now. I have no objection to Danzo's idea, but I will not give you any support."
"Uchiha Jin is not easy to deal with. Danzo, make your plans carefully before you act!"
If it were any other Uchiha, he would probably be hesitant, but Uchiha Jin was completely different.
There was no possibility of winning him over!
Danzo was not surprised at all and directly stated his price: "I need a few Anbu squads transferred to me, and the various clans must also provide a batch of people."
"Absolutely not, don't even think about it." Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected it directly upon hearing this: "Go to the Exchange Office and place a commission."
"Koharu, try to give Danzo a sum of funds. Choose an ambush location outside Konoha as much as possible. Even if it fails, we cannot give him an excuse to start a war."
He knew in his heart, of course, that Danzo wanted cannon fodder.
But if he really let the major ninja clans serve as cannon fodder, his career as Hokage would likely come to an end.
Using his own manpower was even more out of the question!
His prestige had already declined at the end of the Third Great Ninja War. Later, with the sacrifice of Namikaze Minato during the Nine-Tails Rebellion, his prestige dropped another level.
Coupled with giving Danzo free rein, driving Hatake Sakumo to death, and especially the mistreatment of Uzumaki Naruto, the son of the Fourth, Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation was already terribly poor. He was only barely able to hold onto his position because he still had some prestige among the civilians.
If his own manpower suffered too many losses, he wasn't sure if he could still control Konoha, let alone face the provocations of the other four great ninja villages.
In response to this.
Facing Sarutobi Hiruzen's refusal, Danzo shook his head directly: "Relying solely on the ronin and a small number of missing-nin from the Exchange Office isn't even enough to qualify for Uchiha Jin to use his Mangekyou, let alone consume his Mangekyou pupil power."
"If you won't even give this little bit of support, then I give up on this operation!"
Danzo wasn't stupid either.
On the contrary, his ability to preserve his own life was the strongest in Konoha.
If he hadn't run into that cheat Uchiha Sasuke, there was a high probability he could have laid low until the late Boruto era. Despite targeting the Uchiha countless times, he almost always bullied the weak and stayed in the safest area each time.
If the Uchiha in the original story had been a bit tougher, and without that white-eyed wolf Itachi helping, he wouldn't have had the chance to wipe out the Uchiha!
Don't look at how cowardly the current Uchiha are; the Uchiha are still the number one prestigious clan.
A lean camel is still bigger than a horse!
This time, it was the same.
He could feel Uchiha Jin's determination and madness. So, plotting against Uchiha Jin was fine, but not giving him manpower and expecting him to fill the gap with Root's lives?
Don't even think about it!
Although killing the Uchiha was important to him, accumulating power to help himself ascend to the position of Hokage was even more important.
He was willing to take the blame for Sarutobi Hiruzen because only in this way could he accumulate power, but he would absolutely not lose too much of his own strength for it. Otherwise, what would he rely on to compete for the position of Hokage in the future?
Anyway, with Uchiha Jin's rise, the one most threatened was Sarutobi Hiruzen.
So...
Don't agree? Then forget it!
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "..."
He looked bewildered.
At this moment, his mind went blank, and the look he gave Danzo was full of confusion.
This guy, Danzo, actually wouldn't take the blame for him?
"Don't look at me like that, and don't treat me like a fool!"
"Everyone here is one of us, so there's no need for useless talk. I know very well what my reputation is in Konoha."
"If Root is wiped out, even if we manage to kill Uchiha Jin, those ninja clans will never let me off when you step down!"
"Hiruzen, take your time to consider it."
After speaking.
Danzo didn't hesitate at all and left the Hokage's office directly!
Watching Danzo's retreating figure, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a severe headache. It was very difficult to handle this matter now that Danzo wouldn't take the blame.
So, what to do?
He subconsciously looked at Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, but in the end, he said nothing and just shook his head helplessly.
These two idiots were even less reliable!
"Hiruzen, what should we do?" Utatane Koharu asked.
Mitokado Homura also frowned: "Uchiha Jin is a trouble; we must kill him as soon as possible!"
regarding their words, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed.
Guessed right!
These two idiots had no ability to solve problems other than raising them.
So, in the end.
After pondering for a long time, he spoke helplessly: "There is no need to be too anxious. Uchiha Jin has just taken charge of the Radical Faction, so the threat to us is not too great."
"On the contrary, the one who should be anxious now is Fugaku. Uchiha Jin's rise will inevitably challenge his position. I will have Shisui truly join Fugaku's faction, and we will secretly give Fugaku some help..."
"Let the Uchiha fight among themselves!"
"This is a good opportunity. We will announce to the public later that, considering Fugaku's loyalty to Konoha, the Nine-Tails Rebellion is likely unrelated to him. We will implicitly propagate that the Nine-Tails Rebellion might be related to the Radical Faction."
"For now—let's leave it at that!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was experienced and ruthless.
Since Danzo was unwilling to take the blame for him, as the glorious and correct Hokage, he naturally couldn't personally take action against Uchiha Jin.
So supporting Fugaku, the Clan Head, and causing internal strife within the Uchiha was the best way!
Although Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were unhappy in their hearts, they could only accept it.
...
On the other side.
After Uchiha Jin returned to the clan grounds, many Radical Faction members gathered around.
"Rest assured, it's fine."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen chose to take a step back. The Root and Anbu outside the clan grounds have been withdrawn."
"This proves that the plan formulated by our Radical Faction is fine. Next, just execute it step by step according to the plan."
Regarding everyone's worries, Uchiha Jin smiled slightly.
Subsequently.
He briefly explained the matter. The people present were excited inwardly because this was the first time the Konoha higher-ups had chosen to back down since their confrontation with Konoha began.
However, it was a pity.
Before everyone could be happy for long, although Root and Anbu had withdrawn, the reason publicized by the Konoha higher-ups made everyone grit their teeth with hatred.
Sensed the sincerity of Fugaku, the Clan Head?
Konoha is willing to give some trust back to the Uchiha led by Fugaku?
Damn it!
The shamelessness of the Konoha higher-ups directly caused the Radical Faction to snap.
It was clearly Uchiha Jin's credit, but in the end, it let Fugaku, this coward, win without doing anything!