While Uchiha Fugaku and the other three were holding their eting, another discussion—or rather, a conversation was unfolding at the Root base.
"Lord Danzō, Uchiha Fugaku is far too arrogant. He completely disregards both you and the Shimura clan."
Shimura Naoya, his face bruised and swollen, spoke with righteous indignation.
He had intended to use the conflict between the Uchiha and the Shimura clans to establish his prestige and win the approval of his clansn.
But unexpectedly, Fugaku had acted completely against conventional logic—he showed no regard for Naoya's position as head of the Shimura clan and had him arrested along with the rest.
As a result, not only did Naoya fail to establish authority, but he also lost all face.
On the way back from the Konoha Police Departnt, he could sense the strange looks from many clansn.
It was clear that they had begun to doubt him—questioning whether he was capable of leading the Shimura clan.
"..."
Danzō gave Naoya a sidelong glance, his brow slightly furrowed.
He was already beginning to doubt Naoya's abilities and sowhat regretted recomnding him as the head of the Shimura clan.
Still, what he said wasn't wrong—Uchiha Fugaku had beco too arrogant.
Thinking of this, Danzō said in a low voice:
"He's definitely beco more inflated than before. It seems sothing has caused him to swell with overconfidence."
"Perhaps it's because of Uchiha Shisui," Naoya replied after a mont's thought.
"Seeing such a prodigy erge from the Uchiha clan probably made Fugaku swell with pride."
As he said this, a trace of envy appeared on his face.
"But Uchiha Shisui truly is a genius. If only the Shimura clan could produce soone like that…"
The Shimura clan once had a genius nad Shimura Ichirō, but unfortunately, he died on what should have been a low-risk mission.
And even then, Ichirō's talent was nowhere near that of Uchiha Shisui.
"The Uchiha may have produced a genius, but he doesn't really belong to the Uchiha."
At Naoya's words, Danzō let out a cold chuckle.
Shisui had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at such a young age. That certainly qualified him as a once-in-decades prodigy.
But what a sha—this prodigy didn't belong to the Uchiha clan. He had long since been brainwashed by Hiruzen and was completely loyal to the Third Hokage.
Danzō still resented the fact that, back when they were competing over who would claim Shisui—Root or ANBU—he had lost to the Third. If only he had won, such a genius would be under his control.
"Lord Danzō, what do you an by that? I don't quite follow," Naoya asked, stunned.
Could it be that there was so kind of rift between Shisui and the Uchiha clan?
"…That's not sothing you need to know just yet," Danzō replied bluntly.
Shisui's role as an internal informant was a top-level secret. In all of Konoha, only he, the Third Hokage, and the two advisors knew about it.
"..."
Since Danzō wasn't going to explain, Naoya could only suppress his curiosity.
With an angry expression, he continued, "Lord Danzō, we must retaliate for what happened today. Otherwise, the Shimura clan will beco a laughingstock in the village."
He had lost face this ti. If he couldn't strike back, he'd lose all credibility within the clan.
So he worked hard to goad Danzō into retaliating against Fugaku.
"..."
Danzō gave Naoya a cold look. Of course he could see through Naoya's petty sches.
He sneered and said:
"You want revenge? I'll give you that chance. In a few days, I'll find a way to lure Fugaku out of the village. When that happens, you'll lead a team and eliminate him."
"W-What? Lord Danzō, you want to…?"
Naoya's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Danzō.
He had originally hoped Danzō would suppress Fugaku through political ans to restore his reputation.
He didn't expect Danzō to go this far—he wanted Fugaku dead, and he wanted Naoya to lead the operation.
"Didn't you want revenge? What, are you afraid now?" Danzō asked coldly, staring at Naoya.
"It's not that I'm afraid, Lord Danzō, but the repercussions of such an act would be huge. If the village finds out, I'll have no choice but to defect. There'd be no other option," Naoya said hesitantly.
He was already beginning to regret provoking Danzō into targeting Fugaku.
If he'd known this would be the plan, he never would have pushed for it.
Losing face in the clan and village was bad, but at least it wasn't as risky as this.
"That's only if the village finds out. As long as they don't, there's no problem," Danzō said with a cold laugh, his tone slow and deliberate.
"You're right, Lord Danzō."
Naoya forced a laugh, then carefully added:
"But my strength is only on par with a standard jōnin. I'm afraid I might not be capable of taking down soone like Uchiha Fugaku."
"I believe this should be handled by Root's elite. That's the only way to guarantee success."
Taking out Fugaku was certainly a desirable outco—but only if he didn't have to take the risk himself.
"I'll assign elite Root mbers to assist you. It's just Uchiha Fugaku. You don't even have that much confidence?" Danzō frowned, clearly displeased.
Compared to Shimura Daisuke, Naoya lacked both courage and decisiveness.
If Daisuke hadn't been killed by that ninja with the Wood Release kekkei genkai, Danzō would never have promoted Naoya to clan head.
"..."
Naoya began to panic. His mind raced as he tried to figure out a way to get out of the assignnt.
Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he said:
"Lord Danzō, with all due respect—you're underestimating Uchiha Fugaku!"
"Hm?" Danzō looked at him in surprise, frowning slightly. "What do you an?"
"I an… Uchiha Fugaku's strength may be far beyond what we expect. If we follow your current plan, it might end in failure."
Feeling Danzō's sharp gaze, Naoya took a deep breath.
If he wanted Danzō to back off, he needed a compelling enough reason.
And just now, he had thought of one a very good one.
"What level do you think he's at?"
After a mont of contemplation, Danzō asked.
"Close to Kage-level… maybe even—"
Naoya paused deliberately, his voice taking on a grave tone.
"Maybe even at Kage-level already."
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