Chp-159: Sarutobi Hiruzen's Compromise

The atmosphere was suffocatingly tense. In the thick of the night, the only sound was that of some ninjas swallowing nervously.

The discord between the Uchiha clan and the village's upper echelon wasn't a secret to many ninjas. But what about the notion of a high-ranking official harvesting Uchiha Sharingan and embedding them in his own arm? Such a horrifying concept was enough to cause severe psychological discomfort, even with just a fleeting thought.

Almost everyone's gaze, whether filled with doubt, shock, or disgust, was fixed on Sarutobi Hiruzen. Especially the Uchiha ninjas, whose eyes seemed ready to pop out of their sockets. It was the first time in Sarutobi Hiruzen's life that he had been so intensely stared down by so many Sharingan-filled eyes, each exuding a killing intent so potent that he had no doubt that if an explanation wasn't satisfactory, these frenzied Uchiha would go berserk and charge at him regardless of the consequences.

Beside him, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado instinctively swallowed hard, cautiously approaching Sarutobi Hiruzen. 

"Sarutobi, what's going on? If we can't appease these Uchiha today, it's going to be a disaster..."

"I don't know either," Sarutobi Hiruzen responded with a bitter smile. He truly didn't know about the Sharingan, but he had his suspicions about the arm created with Hashirama's cells.

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes flickered with curiosity as he spoke hoarsely. 

"Sandaime, Danzo was conducting such disgusting activities while I was still becoming the Yondaime Hokage. So I'm also very curious. Did you know about this?"

The bitterness in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart deepened. Weren't you the one closest to Danzo before? How could you not know? Yet, despite the burning questions, the current circumstances didn't allow him to voice them directly.

"I truly didn't know about this matter. I only just learned about Danzo's transplantation of the Sharingan."

"Sandaime-sama, may I ask, you were the Hokage at that time. Danzo, as a high-ranking official, could he really transplant Sharingan under your nose without your knowledge?" Hyuga Satoru asked calmly.

This calm voice, however, was like a boulder thrown into a lake, creating ripples among the surrounding ninjas. 

"That's right, Sandaime-sama! Danzo's behaviour has crossed the village's line. How could you allow this to happen?"

"Sandaime-sama, you must give us an explanation!"

"Danzo's actions have seriously trampled on the Will of Fire!"

The Uchiha ninjas, especially, were on the verge of exploding. If not for their leader, Uchiha Fugaku, holding them back, they might have already erupted in rage. How could they swallow this when so many of their clansmen had their eyes gouged out?

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado exchanged glances, each seeing the gravity and unwillingness in the other's eyes. 

Danzo, you bastard! You've died and left us with this huge mess!

To further press Sarutobi Hiruzen for an answer, the surrounding Hyuga ninjas, with their sniper rifles, took a small step forward. The dark muzzles exuded a boundless threat.

"Danzo's actions were indeed unknown to me. I only authorized the research on Hashirama's cells for the benefit of the village, but he secretly harvested Sharingan..."

"Let's do this then," Orochimaru interrupted, speaking hoarsely.

"Sandaime, since Danzo is dead, let's investigate Root first and then decide. However, during your tenure, allowing Danzo to persecute the Uchiha clan privately severely violated the Will of Fire..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared deeply at Orochimaru.

"I understand. I will take responsibility for this."

"Sarutobi!" 

Beside him, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were shocked.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen gave in, it would mean a significant concession in their high-level power, making it extremely difficult to intervene in the village's decisions in the future.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, signalling them to remain silent.

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado gritted their teeth, reluctantly turning away.

Orochimaru, you're truly surprising. I can no longer see through you.

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a wave of melancholy and sentimentality.

Taking power, are you? Orochimaru, I didn't expect you to achieve this so quickly after becoming Hokage. By dawn, what happened here would spread throughout the village. 

As the former Hokage, he would inevitably bear the blame. The village's power centre would now firmly be in the hands of the new Yondaime Hokage. He sighed, suddenly feeling much older.

Danzo, do you know the trouble you've caused?

Among the crowd, Hyuga Satoru and Orochimaru exchanged a brief glance, both seeing a hint of a smile in each other's eyes.

...

The next morning, many people were just waking up from sleep and hadn't yet begun their day's work when they heard a shocking piece of news spreading rapidly through the village.

"Danzo? That leader of Root? Dead? Really dead?"

"Yes! And I heard that before he died, he even sealed a giant bridge!"

"Let me tell you, I heard Danzo's arm was filled with Sharingan, and Sandaime was punished because of it!"

"Hey, did you hear? The village's high-ranking official, Danzo-sama, fell off a bridge and died last night! They found his body covered in Sharingan!"

"Gasp! Did you hear? Danzo died falling off a bridge while peeing! His pants were full of Sharingan!"

"Yes, yes! And I heard Sandaime built that bridge!"

...

In the Sarutobi clan, a room was filled with the sounds of things being smashed. Furious shouts could be heard through the window, making passing clan members lower their heads and hurry away.

The day after Danzo's death, Yondaime Hokage Orochimaru led the ANBU to raid Root. The evidence gathered confirmed that Danzo had been conducting inhumane experiments in secret! The harvested Sharingan was not limited to just that one arm! Orochimaru, overcome with grief, immediately disbanded many Root members and compensated the victims' families with the materials seized.

He was praised by many ninjas as being selfless, a true embodiment of the Will of Fire.

...

In the Hokage office, Orochimaru had just finished cataloguing the gains from raiding Root, smiling with satisfaction. He handed a thick stack of papers to Hyuga Satoru beside him.

"Satoru, it seems our cooperation has been quite successful, hasn't it? Root, which has operated for so many years, is indeed quite wealthy, isn't it?"