Chapter 18: Danzo Had Long Grown Accustomed

The office was silent, with everyone keeping quiet.

Sitting at the top, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a drag of his cigarette, his face obscured by the smoke.

At this moment, even Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know how to convict Reijin.

This time, it could be said that the Konoha Police Force was entirely within its rights, and it was even within their jurisdiction.

To be honest, Sarutobi Hiruzen had never paid much attention to the Police Force.

Over the years, the Uchiha clan had kept to themselves.

The duties of the Konoha Police Force were also unclear to them, and they hadn't thought about reclaiming those powers.

Moreover, the actions of the Uchiha in Konoha over the years hadn't indicated any real authority.

But, on the contrary, the Konoha Police Force actually held significant power.

It could be said that they managed various parts of Konoha, except for what the Hokage directly controlled.

Every other area could be handled comprehensively by them, and they could even oversee everything.

Even a private organization like Danzo's Root, even if permitted by the Hokage, still fell under the jurisdiction of the Uchiha.

"Hokage-sama, is there anything else?" Reijin asked.

"No," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied, looking at Reijin with a complicated expression.

This strong, decisive, and rule-savvy demeanor was very reminiscent of the Second Hokage.

But here it was, manifesting within the Uchiha clan.

The stronger the Uchiha became, the more unsettled Sarutobi Hiruzen felt.

And now, he realized that the Uchiha clan held such considerable power.

This only made Sarutobi Hiruzen even more uneasy.

Now, they even had authority over the Root. If Reijin made a move against it, the Hokage would find himself isolated.

"Danzo, make sure you provide the Police Force with a copy of your Root's roster!"

"From now on, any Root ninja leaving the village must report to both the Hokage and the Police Force."

"If our Uchiha Police Force finds any unregistered members, they will be killed without mercy."

Uchiha Reijin glanced coldly at Danzo.

This was meant as a warning to Konoha, to apply pressure so that these people knew their place.

The more Konoha targeted the Uchiha clan, the faster Reijin could rally the hearts of the Uchiha.

"Who gave you the nerve! Hiruzen, look at how the Uchiha clan is running wild," Danzo shouted, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

"???"

This part of Danzo's outburst transformed in Reijin's mind into, 'Honey, say something!'

There might have been something wrong with him.

But now, with Danzo isolated and facing the risk of having his assets seized by the Uchiha, he could only turn to Sarutobi Hiruzen for help, though his personality was still stubborn.

"Even if the Hokage allowed you to establish the Root, you still need to register with the Police Force."

"After all, the Root is solely your personal force, Danzo. As far as I know, even the Hokage has difficulty intervening."

"If you refuse to register, I'll suspect you of plotting rebellion, raising a private army with the intent to assassinate the Hokage."

Reijin didn't care what Sarutobi Hiruzen or Danzo was thinking at this point.

His goal was to cut off one of Sarutobi Hiruzen's arms.

Danzo had too many skeletons in his closet. If they implicated Sarutobi Hiruzen, it could even destabilize his position as Hokage.

"Danzo's Root is to be disbanded, and he is temporarily relieved of his position as Konoha's advisor!"

"Root ninja will be integrated into the ANBU, and future assignments will be managed by the ANBU."

"Once Danzo's activities are thoroughly investigated and no issues are found, his position as advisor will be restored."

"Are you satisfied now, Jonin Reijin?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, effectively protecting Danzo. However, on the surface, Danzo's positions had all been stripped away. The once-feared "darkness of the shinobi world" was now just an ordinary ninja within Konoha.

As for how Danzo would operate behind the scenes, Sarutobi Hiruzen would turn a blind eye.

The Root still belonged to Danzo!

"No more issues then, Hokage-sama. I'll take my leave," Reijin said, feeling that he had accomplished enough. He had successfully brought Danzo down—what more could he ask for?

Next, it was likely that the Uchiha clan would face a major weakening, with Konoha likely moving against the Uchiha Police Force first.

After Uchiha Reijin left, the Jonin and clan heads in the office exchanged bewildered looks. At that moment, they weren't sure what kind of expression they should wear.

They had expected this meeting to result in the Uchiha clan's retreat, especially with the recent fall of the Uchiha's prominent warrior faction leaders.

But contrary to their expectations, the meeting ended with an increase in the Uchiha clan's authority, extending over all of Konoha. Even the infamous dark organization, the Root, was now under Uchiha control.

The once-powerful Elder Danzo had been brought down, reduced to just an ordinary Jonin within Konoha.

And all this had nothing to do with them. They were just spectators in a drama, not even given a chance to speak.

"Dismissed!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said to everyone present. 

Today had been a disaster for Konoha—failing to bring the Uchiha clan under control and instead, losing out themselves.

"Yes!" The others quickly left, not daring to linger any longer. They had all noticed how dark the expressions of the Hokage and the advisors had become.

Once everyone had left, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked over at Danzo, his eyes filled with a bit of helplessness, unsure of what to do next. Danzo had too many black marks on his record, too many to count—some shared with Hiruzen, and others that were entirely true.

This was the most difficult part. If there had been even a few fabricated accusations, he could have made some sort of public statement. But the problem was, there wasn't a single false charge among them.

"Danzo, be more cautious in your actions from now on," Sarutobi Hiruzen advised. "If the Uchiha catch you slipping again…"

He left the sentence unfinished, but Danzo nodded coldly, understanding well enough. For now, being stripped of his positions was the best outcome he could hope for.

However, once the Uchiha clan was dealt with, who in Konoha would dare to oppose Danzo?

"Hiruzen, the Uchiha's power has grown too large. We must reclaim control of the Police Force," Danzo urged, still intent on targeting the Uchiha Police Force. He had always believed that the malevolent Uchiha shouldn't hold such authority within Konoha. But now, with the Uchiha even threatening to dismantle his Root, he had no choice but to push back.

"We'll discuss this later," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, looking out the window.

Danzo immediately understood, realizing that Hiruzen was leaving it up to him to handle. They knew each other too well. Whenever Hiruzen hesitated, Danzo knew it was his cue to say, "You're too soft," and then take matters into his own hands.

He was the darkness of Konoha, after all.

Such matters… Danzo had long grown accustomed to them.

(End of Chapter)