Chapter 95: The Uchiha Betrayal?! Ishihara's Wrath!
"First Hokage?"
Ishihara had already seen the confrontation between Danzo and Uchiha Fugaku through his Byakugan and raised his eyebrows slightly.
Looks like things are about to get interesting.
He quickly wrapped up his negotiations with the Akimichi Clan and put the day's business on hold. In reality, those waiting outside the doors had already lost interest in any deals.
"Lord First Hokage, Lord Second Hokage?!"
Hyuga Hiashi exclaimed after using his Byakugan to witness the situation, causing a stir among the crowd.
The Third Hokage's face changed dramatically, and without hesitation, he rushed towards the scene.
Everyone else turned their eyes to Hiashi, as he was the only one capable of clearly seeing what was happening from such a distance.
With a serious expression, Hiashi explained, "Clan Leader Fugaku has led a group to the Root organization!"
Gasp!
The crowd exchanged glances. "Looks like a battle is imminent."
However, many had already made deals with Fugaku and chose to remain inactive for now. What they truly thought deep down, no one knew.
---
At the Root organization's base, the negotiations between Fugaku and the First and Second Hokage had come to a conclusion.
The Uchiha Clan was to relinquish part of their control over the police force in exchange for positions in the Anbu. Additionally, they would be tasked with guarding and defending parts of the borders of the Land of Fire.
Danzo was to be stripped of his title as the Hokage's assistant and sent to the borders for ten years, essentially ensuring he would die in exile.
Fugaku, though unwilling, knew that the First and Second Hokage would never kill Danzo. He could only let it go, planning to deal with Danzo himself later.
As for Danzo...
Damn it...
Danzo felt like he was about to lose his mind. He had summoned the First and Second Hokage, but now they were turning on him?
Coupled with the humiliation he had suffered at Ishihara's place earlier, Danzo could no longer endure it.
He quietly began forming hand seals, intending to take full control of the First and Second Hokage.
But...
Swoosh!
The Second Hokage's cold gaze landed on him, and he began to step towards Danzo.
"Teacher?" Danzo's nerves tightened.
The Second Hokage sneered, "Danzo, did you really think you could control me and my brother just because you obtained Ishihara's forbidden technique?"
"Don't forget who invented the Reanimation Jutsu! Do you think it could possibly bind me?"
Danzo trembled all over, staring at the Second Hokage in disbelief, desperately forming seals to control him, but to no avail.
He sighed, his whole body seeming to age several years as his back slumped in defeat.
The Second Hokage shook his head, unsure what to say to this misguided student. While Danzo had ability, his ambition far outweighed it, bringing nothing but disaster.
The Second Hokage then turned to Fugaku and said, "I have upheld my end of the agreement. Now it's your turn."
Seeing Danzo in such a state, Uchiha Inaho and the others looked on with schadenfreude, though the cold glint in their eyes remained. For them, only Danzo's death could truly quench their anger.
Fugaku spoke gravely, "Hirako, begin."
"Yes!"
"Reverse Pillars Gate!"
Uchiha Hirako fixed his gaze on Fugaku and began to activate his eye technique.
Fugaku and the others tensed up immediately. If the technique worked, everything would go smoothly, but if it failed and the seal couldn't be undone, their prior agreements would all be meaningless.
Buzz—
A mysterious wave of energy emanated from Fugaku.
Relief!
A deep sense of relief washed over him, and Fugaku burst into excited laughter.
"It worked! Well done, Hirako!"
From that moment on, he was no longer under Ishihara's control, finally free.
Hirako quickly released the seals on Inaho and the others as well.
"My seal... it's lifted too?"
Itachi, sensing the disappearance of his seal, felt as if he were dreaming. After all, his seal had been a specially modified version crafted by Ishihara.
"Looks like I underestimated the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan," thought Itachi, his eyes flashing with a sharp glint.
No one wanted to be someone else's puppet, especially not a genius like him.
Everyone was elated! From that moment on, the Uchiha Clan had regained their freedom.
"Itachi, go home and wait for our victory," Fugaku said boldly, waving his hand.
Itachi watched them leave, remaining silent. For a moment, Ishihara's calm expression flashed through his mind, and his heart tightened.
He could only hope that things would truly go as planned.
---
Back at Ishihara's courtyard, he had been calmly observing the scene unfold. But suddenly, his face darkened.
The moment the seal within Uchiha Fugaku's body was released, Ishihara sensed it.
And then, one after another, the seals on others were lifted, including Itachi's!
The Uchiha had actually betrayed him?
Ishihara smirked coldly, his eyes filled with icy malice.
"They're asking for death!"
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several figures appeared in rapid succession within the courtyard.
At the forefront were the First Hokage and Uchiha Fugaku, followed by the Second Hokage and the Uchiha Mangekyō trio.
Ishihara remained seated, his gaze cold as he looked at Fugaku and the others.
"Fugaku, who gave you the courage to betray me and still dare to stand before me?!" he asked, voice laced with venom. "Was it these two half-dead corpses?"
"Or perhaps it's those Mangekyō Sharingan, which I've long since mastered through my research?!"
"You...!" Fugaku's eyes widened in fury, about to shout something, but the sight of Ishihara's cold stare felt like a bucket of ice water, instantly freezing his resolve.
He remembered the fear Ishihara had instilled in him, and his body stiffened in place.
At that moment, the Second Hokage stepped forward to shield Fugaku, his gaze serious as he stared at Ishihara.
"Young man, don't be too arrogant."
"If I weren't arrogant, I wouldn't be young," Ishihara replied with a sneer. Then, standing up, he cracked his neck and said coldly, "I've never stolen, nor robbed anyone. I worked with the people of Konoha, helping them improve their secret techniques."
"I think it's fair to say that I've helped Konoha."
His voice suddenly rose, filled with rage.
"And this is how you repay me?!"
His furious voice echoed throughout the courtyard, spreading in all directions.
Outside, the clan leaders exchanged uncertain looks.
The Second Hokage's face changed slightly, and he replied coldly, "You may have helped Konoha, but Konoha also helped you with your research. It was mutually beneficial!"
"However, you've secretly provoked a war between the Uchiha and Konoha, violating Konoha's most sacred taboo!"
As an expert in forbidden techniques, the Second Hokage knew exactly what Ishihara's research aimed for.
Hahaha!
Ishihara laughed, but it was a cold, bitter laugh.
"I don't care to explain, because there's no point."
"If it's war you want, then war it is!"