The people from Konoha's clans looked at their trapped clan members in Root, wanting to say something but were pulled back by their respective clan heads.
Some were still unwilling. The clan head was so angry he gave them a big slap.
"Didn't you see that those clan members have been brainwashed to the point where they only want to kill Hiromi?"
Those clan members of theirs were already ruined.
Hiruzen left.
The ninjas left too.
Only the people of the Uchiha clan remained. They looked excited, their faces flushed, and pairs of blood-red Sharingan no longer emitted light of only hatred in the late night, but a brilliant radiance.
"Hiromi, what do you plan to do with these people?" Shisui asked.
He was talking about the people from Root.
Hiromi faced the forty-plus Root members inside the golden flame cage. He could clearly feel their uncontrollable killing intent. These people were members of other clans, and now they only had Danzo in their minds, believing Danzo was their only hope.
Now that Danzo had been killed by him, the fury in their hearts only made them want to kill him to accompany Danzo in death.
Facing these people, the easiest choice would be to kill them all. But that would push away the clans that had been drawn closer.
"Have the people from each clan cooperate with us to undo the brainwashing. Once the brainwashing is successfully removed, release them back to their clans."
Shisui was a bit confused hearing such an answer. "Then how will Root be arranged?"
Right now, the Uchiha clan barely had enough people for the Police Force. Adding Root would mean they would be short-handed.
"Except for important positions, transfer other personnel to Root."
Hiromi said, looking up toward the front-left, "Itachi, come out."
The surroundings fell silent.
It took nearly ten seconds before a figure slowly walked out from the darkness.
Itachi's expression looked very calm at this moment, completely devoid of the awkwardness following a betrayal, nor was there any frustration from failure.
He looked at Hiromi, saying nothing, but it seemed as if he were asking: "What is it?"
Such an attitude made the Uchiha Clan Members grit their teeth.
"Traitor!"
"Damn Itachi!"
"I shouldn't have given you those dango back then!"
At this moment, a young girl with a beauty mark under her right eye ran into the Uchiha Clan Compound. She looked at Itachi, filled with disbelief, and clear tears fell.
"Itachi, why did you..."
Itachi's expression remained calm, he had long since prepared himself to bear everything.
Hiromi was also calm. "Itachi, I give you two choices. One, take your younger brother, Sasuke, and leave the Uchiha clan. From this moment on, you will have no relationship with our Uchiha clan. Two, become the leader of Root. If you betray us again, you will be executed without mercy."
Upon hearing the first option, the Uchiha Clan Members' expressions turned cold. Only the young girl, Izumi, looked pained.
Upon hearing the second option, the Uchiha Clan Members looked stunned, turning their heads to look at Hiromi, doubting whether they had misheard something.
However, Izumi seemed to see hope. She stared at Itachi, her eyes flickering constantly, as if she were shouting internally: "Choose two! Quickly choose two!"
"Why?" Itachi was very calm.
The Uchiha Clan Members did not know if he was asking why he had to take Sasuke and leave the Uchiha clan, or why he was being made the leader of Root.
But Hiromi knew exactly what he was asking—Why forgive him?
Hiromi said, "Your ability is insufficient. You cannot see hope and cannot see choices. I do not blame you."
Itachi's pupils trembled slightly. He understood what Hiromi meant—now I have shown you the options, and you have seen them. If you do not choose, then the next time I see you standing on the opposing side, you will be my, Hiromi's, enemy.
But... he still couldn't see clearly.
The Uchiha clan had won for now, but what about the conflict between the clan and the villagers? What about the threats from Kumogakure and Iwagakure?
To be honest, he did not care about the life or death of Hiruzen. This was evident from the fact that he had never mentioned Hiruzen again after leaving Konoha. He just wanted the village to be safe and sound.
No matter what, he still had feelings for the Uchiha clan. Even if it wasn't his top priority, no one would destroy something precious to them without reason.
He racked his brain thinking about what Hiromi would do next to turn the situation around, but he couldn't figure it out at all.
Finally, he asked a question. "The village... will it not be destroyed?"
This sentence caused the Uchiha Clan Members to tremble, as if they were seeing Itachi for who he really was for the first time. Their gazes were not filled with the hateful incomprehension from just moments ago, but with a complex understanding, as if they were saying—even so, no matter what, you shouldn't have chosen to destroy the Uchiha clan.
Hiromi answered Itachi's question, "See for yourself."
After saying this, he turned and returned to the Uchiha Clan Compound.
The next second, the golden light on his body flared brightly. An Anbu hidden on the roof was caught by a cage of golden flames and lifted into the air.
"Hiromi! What are you doing!" This was a spy Danzo had hidden within the Anbu.
Hiromi didn't know that but he knew that this Anbu had the strongest killing intent. Making an example out of him was definitely the right move.
Everyone looked up at the golden flame cage. Amidst the Anbu's cursing, the golden flame cage contracted.
It was as if everyone's hearts were being squeezed. No sound could be made, and the surroundings were completely silent.
The next second.
Bang!
A muffled sound rang out, and blood and golden flames appeared in the air.
Under the illumination of the golden flames, the blood shimmered with a golden glow. The brilliant mixture of red and gold evaporated before it could hit the ground. Only a faint, lingering scent of evaporated blood permeated the air.
"From this moment on, whoever dares to monitor the Uchiha clan will be executed without mercy." Hiromi's voice was filled with a majesty that commanded the respect of all.
Everyone was stunned. The Uchiha Clan Members were the same. Their brains seemed to have crashed, staring blankly at Hiromi.