Chapter 247: Danzō Has Gone Mad!

Amidst the gaze of over a hundred thousand villagers of Konohagakure, Danzō was escorted to the square.

However, even in his captive state, Danzō maintained a composed demeanor, exuding an aura of authority. To the uninformed, it might seem as if he was still the Hokage of Konoha, stepping into the limelight to deliver a speech.

This calm facade of Danzō didn't last long.

With his arrival, a chorus of curses from the villagers began to rise.

"Danzō, that old dog, has brought so much suffering to Konoha. He's ten, no, a hundred times worse than any of the criminals from the four great ninja villages!"

"We hope the Uchiha clan will bring justice and tear this old man apart, ensuring he doesn't have a proper burial, to vent our anger!"

"Danzō, just die!"

"..."

Angry curses, like a roaring tide, came from all directions. If looks could kill, Danzō might have been slain countless times by the villagers.

Facing the villagers' fury, Danzō's face stiffened, and his previously calm demeanor vanished.

"You ungrateful lot! If it weren't for me, Konoha would have been destroyed long ago. Instead of being grateful, you turn against me, slandering my name. Utterly foolish and beyond redemption!"

In Danzō's view, when the Allied Shinobi Forces captured Konoha, it was his efforts that brokered a peace agreement with the four great ninja villages, saving Konoha.

He saw himself as the savior of Konoha, a benefactor to all its residents.

Thus, Danzō rebuked the crowd. However, his voice was drowned out by the villagers' condemnations.

"Danzō, save your breath. Do you really think anyone here would believe a word you say or show you any respect?" Tenzo coldly mocked.

"Hmph."

Danzō grunted, choosing to remain silent.

Soon, the trio reached the center of the square.

Although the bodies of the criminals had been removed, remnants of human tissue and bloodstains remained, painting a gruesome picture.

The overpowering scent of blood assaulted Danzō's nostrils, and the sight of the blood-soaked ground was deeply unsettling.

Would his fate be the same as those criminals?

Realizing this, Danzō's face paled, revealing his fear of death.

However, when he saw Dan, Fugaku, and Itachi, his fear quickly transformed into burning rage.

It was the Uchiha clan's doing.

They had deceived the villagers of Konoha, tarnishing his reputation as the great Fifth Hokage.

He would confront the Uchiha!

With this thought, Danzō's eyes sharpened, and he shouted:

"Uchiha Dan!

Do you think you've won? Do you believe that by ruling Konoha with violence and tarnishing my reputation, you can make people forget the sins committed by the Uchiha in the past?

No, time will reveal the truth.

The Second Hokage once said that the Uchiha are inherently evil, and that will never change!"

The claim that the Uchiha were born evil was a conclusion drawn by the Second Hokage after extensive research. For decades, the Third Hokage, Danzō, and others had held this belief as an absolute truth.

Danzō's voice echoed across the square, silencing the crowd momentarily.

"This old fool is trying to deceive the public again. Let's not waste time listening to his nonsense. Let's start the trial," Tetsuhi coldly remarked, signaling Chiyoko to move forward and silence Danzō once and for all.

"Wait."

Dan's voice suddenly rang out.

He stepped into the center of the square, facing Danzō, looking at him with a somewhat mocking expression.

Being this close to Dan, with his towering stature and those piercing Sharingan eyes, exerted immense pressure on Danzō.

However, having lost everything, Danzō felt there was little left to fear.

At worst, he would die.

But if that were the case, Danzō hoped to die as a martyr in front of all the villagers of Konoha.

He wanted the world to know that he had always been a protector of Konoha and the Will of Fire.

Driven by this belief, Danzō regained his composure.

He stood tall, looking at Dan with an authoritative gaze, as if he were the judge and Dan the accused.

Then, raising his voice, Danzō preemptively accused Dan and the Uchiha clan:

"The reason Konoha is in its current state is all because of the Uchiha clan and their cursed Sharingan!

From Uchiha Madara's attempt to seize the title of Hokage and destroy Konoha, to the Uchiha Police Force's decades of tyranny over the villagers, to Obito's manipulation of the Nine-Tails to attack Konoha and kill the Fourth Hokage and his wife, and finally, the Uchiha clan's coup...

The sins of the Uchiha are too numerous to count!"

In Danzō's eyes, the Uchiha clan was undoubtedly the biggest cancer of Konoha, hindering the village's peace and development for years. They were the primary culprits behind Konoha's decline.

Ah, the Uchihas.

Ah, the Sharingan.

"Is that so?" Facing the aggressive Danzō, Dan replied calmly, then asked lightly, "Was it the Uchiha responsible for the defection and departure of the Legendary Sannin? On the night of the Nine-Tails' attack, who ordered the Uchiha clan not to assist the Fourth Hokage? Who plotted to kill the leader of the Akatsuki, Yahiko, leading Nagato to seek revenge on Konoha? Was the Sarutobi clan annihilated by the Uchiha?"

Danzō was left speechless by these questions.

Finally, Dan, with a mocking tone, revealed the truth: "It's the internal strife among you Konoha higher-ups, fighting for power, that's the real reason for the village's decline."

Danzō, hearing this, scoffed on the spot, retorting, "Aren't you also after power? Dan Uchiha, don't think I don't know. You're just like Uchiha Madara back in the day, appearing aloof on the surface but deeply coveting the title of Hokage. You led the Uchiha clan in a coup for the title, and now you're pulling all these tricks. Isn't it all for that title? Just admit it, why be so hypocritical?"

Dan shook his head with a smile, "The title of Hokage? I'm genuinely not interested. If you want to continue being Hokage, go ahead. As long as these people agree, the Uchiha clan won't have any objections."

After saying this, Dan looked towards the villagers of Konoha.

"Really?" Danzō hesitated, unsure.

"I, Dan Uchiha, never take back what I say in public. Go ahead, no matter what you do or say next, I promise not to interrupt you."

Dan gestured invitingly, looking forward to Danzō's performance.

Danzō's face lit up with joy. He turned to address the villagers of Konoha, preparing to deliver his speech.

However, at that moment, Kakashi, sensing the situation was turning, rushed out and sternly reprimanded Danzō, "Danzō, do you still have the face to speak in front of the villagers of Konoha? During your tenure as Hokage's assistant, you forcibly recruited talents from various Konoha clans into the Root, brainwashing them, even sending assassins after the Third Hokage. Later, you masterminded the annihilation of the Uchiha clan, killed Shisui, and repeatedly unleashed the Nine-Tails, causing internal strife in Konoha, severely weakening it, and allowing the four major ninja villages to take advantage. Finally, you betrayed Konoha's interests, becoming an agent for the four major ninja villages, enslaving Konoha's ninja and civilians. For all these crimes, even dying a hundred or a thousand times wouldn't be enough. And you still dream of continuing as Hokage? Ridiculous!"

Danzō's face changed colors with every accusation.

"Kakashi, you..." He pointed at Kakashi, fury in his eyes, ready to refute.

Unfortunately, Kakashi's words resonated with many villagers.

So, as soon as he finished speaking, the villagers echoed Kakashi's sentiments, "Execute Danzō!" "Danzō has been a blight on Konoha for over forty years!" "Old man, just go to hell already. You've disgraced the title of Hokage and the Will of Fire of the First Hokage!"

The angry shouts of tens of thousands echoed like a tidal wave.

Danzō took several steps back, overwhelmed by the public sentiment, feeling suffocated.

"You all..."

He looked at the villagers in front of him, his face pale.

It was only then that Danzō realized that he, as Hokage, had lost the people's trust. No matter what he said now, it would be in vain.

Seeing this, Dan shook his head again, disappointment evident on his face.

How boring.

With that in mind, it was time to end this increasingly tedious play.

He spread his right hand, bringing his left index and middle fingers together, pressing them into the palm of his right hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

In just a few seconds, after seeing Dan's gesture, the previously boiling villagers quieted down instantly. All eyes were on Dan.

Dan took steps forward, approaching Danzō.

"You... stay away..."

Danzō continued to retreat, his wrinkled old face filled with terror.

"Danzō, it's time to wake up from your dream."

Dan spoke calmly, his Sharingan with three tomoe suddenly spinning, transforming into the Yin-Yang Tai Chi pattern, and unleashed a powerful genjutsu towards Danzō.

Release!!!

Originally, Dan didn't kill Danzō but used his Mangekyō Sharingan's Tsukuyomi to implant a nearly realistic illusion in his mind.

In that intricately woven dream, Danzō not only became the Hokage but also conquered all the ninja villages, eventually uniting the Five Great Shinobi Countries and becoming the supreme ruler.

From that moment on, Danzō became a puppet, performing one spectacular act after another for Dan, the spectator.

Driven by his own ambition and the Tsukuyomi, Danzō became almost mad, resorting to any means to seize the title of Hokage, firmly believing he was the chosen one.

But today, that dream finally came to an end, like a colorful bubble that had expanded to its limit, bursting with a "pop."

"No, no..."

Danzō's eyes widened, murmuring to himself. His once unbreakable inner world crumbled.

He always believed that everything he did was for Konoha, and no one could understand his sacrifices.

He also believed he was a hero of Konoha, and even if he died, it would be a noble death.

But now, he realized he was just a clown.

A clown blinded by power and manipulated by Dan.

At this moment, a pain and despair beyond anything else descended upon Danzō, crushing him both physically and mentally.

No one could bear such a blow.

So, Danzō broke down.

Clang.

He dropped his walking stick, his eyes bloodshot, and suddenly screamed:

"No, I am the Hokage, I am the Hokage!"

In front of tens of thousands of Konoha villagers, Danzō sometimes crouched down, sometimes rolled on the ground, completely losing his sanity.

This was Danzō's final "curtain call."

Itachi approached Dan, looking at the rolling, deranged Danzō, his face in shock.

He never understood why his uncle didn't avenge Shisui and instead kept indulging Danzō.

Now he understood.

Danzō, a hypocrite who always claimed "everything for Konoha," deceived himself and others throughout his life. He was a self-proclaimed righteous villain.

Simply destroying him physically wouldn't count as revenge; it would even glorify his "martyr" status.

Only by breaking Danzō's spirit and turning him into a madman, as his uncle did, would it be the best revenge.

Danzō, who had committed countless evils, finally received his due punishment.

"Uncle, how should we deal with Danzō now?" Itachi asked.

"Seal his chakra and let him self-destruct," Dan glanced at Danzō and casually said, having lost interest in him.

Itachi nodded, approached Danzō, who was mumbling to himself on the ground.

"Kid, who are you? Bow to me, I am the Hokage!"

Danzō looked up at Itachi and rebuked.

Itachi, expressionless, activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and cast Tsukuyomi on Danzō, taking him into a genjutsu world.

There, Itachi tortured Danzō for several hours to confirm that he had truly gone mad.

The hours in the genjutsu world were but a moment in reality.

After Tsukuyomi ended.

Thud.

Danzō collapsed, unconscious, his face deathly pale.

Then, Itachi sealed Danzō's chakra pathways on the spot, turning him into an ordinary person.

From that day on, there was a mad old man in Konoha.

He always claimed he was the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, aiming to become a legend on par with the Sage of Six Paths.

He had no home, competed with stray dogs for food, and wandered in a daze, slowly approaching death.

No one pitied him.

Because this madman brought immeasurable disaster to Konoha. Tens of thousands of Konoha ninjas and villagers died directly or indirectly because of him.

They would never forgive him.