Danzō had originally intended to do nothing more than exaggerate Uchiha Kei’s strength.
His goal was simple: make Hiruzen wary of Kei and strengthen the Third Hokage’s resolve to eliminate him.
From the very beginning, Danzō had already settled on his strategy.
He would betray Uchiha Kei to Hiruzen...
...and betray Hiruzen to Uchiha Kei.
By playing both sides, he could ensure his own survival.
Given the current state of affairs, there was no chance the two men would ever sit down for a private conversation. That made Danzō the perfect middleman to stir up conflict.
As long as he provoked a war between them that destroyed one side, he would emerge safely.
When that happened, all of his betrayals would no longer be betrayals.
They would become "loyal service."
Danzō had already accepted one harsh truth.
The position of Hokage would never belong to him.
His intellect simply couldn’t compete with either Hiruzen or Uchiha Kei.
Still, a man needed something to strive for.
From now on, becoming one of Konoha’s elders would be enough.
As for who actually became Hokage...
He no longer cared.
What mattered was making both Hiruzen and Uchiha Kei realize who their greatest enemy truly was—and just how dangerous that enemy had become.
Dangerous enough that neither side could afford to ignore him any longer.
Hiruzen had known about Kei’s existence for quite some time.
Yet despite everything, he had never acted against him.
That alone proved Kei remained within the limits of what Hiruzen was willing to tolerate.
But that wasn’t what Danzō wanted.
He had to convince Hiruzen that Uchiha Kei’s power had already grown beyond acceptable limits.
Whether that perception was true or not didn’t matter.
In Danzō’s opinion, Kei’s few hundred followers were enough to bully someone like him, but nowhere near enough to challenge the Sarutobi Clan’s overwhelming manpower.
Which meant he needed to make Kei sound even stronger.
Kei’s advantages were obvious.
The Sarutobi Clan might boast over ten thousand members, but only around three thousand were active shinobi. Even if they mobilized every available reserve, they’d be lucky to field five thousand fighters.
Among them, aside from Hiruzen himself—and perhaps his eldest son—there weren’t many truly exceptional combatants.
They might not even possess as many jōnin as Kei’s faction.
And Kei represented only a single branch of the Uchiha Clan.
When it came to elite fighters...
The Sarutobi simply couldn’t compare.
So Danzō intended to paint Kei’s forces as a gathering of monsters—each one supposedly Kage-level, or close enough to make no difference.
Let’s see if that doesn’t scare you, Hiruzen.
But who could have predicted what happened next?
Minato casually dropped an even bigger bomb.
He had actually encountered someone wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Danzō had merely been bluffing based on fragmented intelligence.
The Uchiha had been infiltrated so thoroughly that all kinds of rumors leaked out.
His exaggerations had at least rested on some foundation.
But Minato wasn’t someone who fabricated stories.
"Minato... do you realize what you’re saying?"
Danzō and Hiruzen asked in unison.
"I’m saying..."
"I encountered another Uchiha with unusual eyes."
Minato frowned.
Is the Mangekyō Sharingan really that frightening?
"What did it look like?" Hiruzen asked.
"What made it different?" Danzō added.
For once, they didn’t speak simultaneously.
Even so, both questions sought the same answer.
"It still had the usual crimson color and the Three-Tomoe Sharingan..."
"But there was an additional straight mark running through the center—almost like the slash of a blade."
"I see..."
Hiruzen’s expression darkened.
"So every Mangekyō truly is unique."
"Did the owner display any unusual abilities?"
"Yes."
"He only struck me once."
"But for some reason..."
"It felt as though I’d been cut twice."
As he spoke, Minato removed his Forehead Protector and held it out.
"Look."
"There’s only one slash across it..."
"But if you look closely, you’ll notice two overlapping cuts of different depths."
"The difference is subtle, but it’s definitely there."
Without a shinobi’s exceptional eyesight, the distinction would have been impossible to notice.
Even Hiruzen—known throughout the world as the Professor—had to examine it carefully before concluding that it truly represented a unique ability.
His expression grew increasingly grave.
There was no longer any doubt.
It was the Mangekyō Sharingan.
According to the legends, every pair of Mangekyō Sharingan possessed its own unique dōjutsu.
If that was true...
Then Uchiha Kei not only commanded dozens of elite shinobi...
He also had two Mangekyō Sharingan users under his command.
But how?
How could someone so young command people like that?
Every awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan was born from unimaginable tragedy.
Its power demanded an enormous sacrifice.
Usually an entire family died...
Or the wielder lost everyone they loved.
Never had a Mangekyō appeared without bloodshed.
Yet Kei had survived two such unseen tragedies and somehow united their survivors beneath him.
How had he accomplished that?
Or perhaps...
Was Kei himself also a Mangekyō Sharingan user?
Or was the mysterious force supporting him even more terrifying?
If there were truly three Mangekyō Sharingan involved...
That would be a nightmare.
What am I supposed to do with you...
Uchiha Clan... one of Konoha’s founding clans.
Why can’t you behave like the Senju Clan?
Take your wealth... live prosperous lives...
Treat Konoha as nothing more than a machine that earns you money...
And stop concerning yourselves with the village’s politics.
Wouldn’t that make everyone happier?
Why must you constantly stir up trouble...
Forcing me to act against you?
Do you really believe the Mangekyō Sharingan makes you invincible?
The Uchiha of the past had failed to dominate the world.
The Uchiha of the future would fail as well.
Far from retreating after hearing of another legendary pair of eyes, Hiruzen became even more determined.
Still...
The situation had become far more troublesome.
If that was the case...
He would have to prepare for the possibility of facing three Mangekyō Sharingan.
Until those preparations were complete...
He would simply have to continue placating the Uchiha Clan.
"Danzō."
"Why did Uchiha Kei spare your life?"
Hiruzen no longer questioned whether the Mangekyō was real.
Whatever was coming...
Would come.
Danzō himself was stunned.
I was only bluffing...
How did my bluff end up being confirmed as true?
Did I ruin everything again?
Originally, he had merely intended to raise Kei’s perceived threat to the point where Hiruzen could no longer tolerate him.
Now Minato had unintentionally made things much worse.
Instead of becoming someone Hiruzen couldn’t tolerate...
Kei had become someone Hiruzen couldn’t afford not to tolerate.
That meant Danzō’s days of playing both sides would continue indefinitely.
Based on his understanding of Hiruzen, the Third believed it generally took two jōnin to reliably defeat a single elite Uchiha jōnin.
Against someone commanding multiple Mangekyō Sharingan...
Unless Konoha could assemble at least six Kage-level shinobi...
Hiruzen would never make his move.
A few years ago, that might actually have been possible.
Now?
Hiruzen counted as one.
Orochimaru as one.
Jiraiya as one.
Tsunade—perhaps half.
Minato as one.
And Might Dai, if he opened the Eight Gates—another half.
At best...
Konoha could barely scrape together five Kage-level fighters.
And even then, they had never truly been united.
If conflict erupted...
There was no telling who might stab whom in the back.
Who knew how long it would take Hiruzen to unite them all?
Seeing Hiruzen waiting for an answer, Danzō replied without much enthusiasm,
"I traded Root’s ninjutsu intelligence for my life."
He had completely lost interest in arguing with Hiruzen.
His thoughts were occupied solely with his own future.
Hiruzen remained silent for a moment before forming a series of hand seals.
A scroll appeared in his hand.
"Then, Danzō..."
"Take this to Uchiha Kei as well."
"What is it?"
"It’s the Uchiha Clan’s historical records concerning the Sharingan."
"It details the achievements of every great Uchiha who possessed the Sharingan and led the clan to glory."
Danzō’s eyes widened.
"Third... what are you planning?"
He knew exactly what Hiruzen intended.
It just felt... underhanded.
"Ambition," Hiruzen said calmly, "needs to be flattered."
For once, he spoke with complete honesty.
Without waiting for Danzō’s response, he turned and walked away.
"Get some rest."
"I’m leaving."
Left alone, Danzō stared at the scroll in his hands, wanting to cry.
Hiruzen...
If you really think those Uchiha are standing in Konoha’s way...
Then send your army and wipe them out!
Your clan isn’t incapable of defeating them.
Sure, the losses would be heavy...
But what kind of hero schemes behind people’s backs like this?
And if you’re going to manipulate someone...
Why don’t you deliver the scroll yourself?
Why hide it among the things I already promised Uchiha Kei?
What am I supposed to do if Kei figures it out?
Do you think he’ll spare me?
He really will kill me.
Right now, he’s only waiting for a suitable excuse to erase me completely.
You’re sending me straight to my death!
These schemers...
Their hearts were truly filthy.
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