I forgot to post last week's bonus.
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The atmosphere in the Hokage's office fell into an eerie silence. Hiruzen didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Even Danzō was puzzled by why Yami was so irritable today.
It was Utatane Koharu who stepped forward to ease the tension.
"Yami, how can you speak to the Third Hokage like that? As Hokage, it's his duty to be informed, and what actions he takes are his responsibility. Don't question that."
"Besides, we're only asking for some clarification."
She looked toward Danzō. "You said he was with you the whole time, right?"
Danzō showed his stance as well. "Yami, Hiruzen, you can ask me whatever you want. I have nothing to hide. Everything I do is for Konoha."
"What else is there to say?"
Yami walked over to the sofa and sat down. "Uchiha Itachi couldn't bear to watch the village and clan descend into civil war, so he invited a masked man claiming to be Uchiha Madara to help kill the clan."
"Everyone was wiped out, aside from a few civilians."
"That many people? Just the two of them?" Mitokado Homura asked.
"The Security Department was wiped out entirely by the masked man. Itachi focused on the clan area. Oh, and there were a few elders who didn't get along with me. Since they talked behind my back, I helped send them on their way."
Everyone exchanged glances, their expressions growing solemn.
This so-called Uchiha Madara's strength wasn't to be underestimated. He managed to slaughter the most elite Uchiha in the Security Department without leaving a trace.
Hiruzen's expression darkened as he pressed on. "What about Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto? Anbu couldn't find their bodies during the sweep."
"Itachi buried them using Earth Release. Maybe that was his last shred of humanity?"
"But I can confirm he killed them. I was fighting the masked man and happened to break into Fugaku's house. I saw it with my own eyes."
"And the missing Sharingan?"
"All taken by Uchiha Madara." Yami's expression remained calm, while Hiruzen's face flushed red.
Did Hiruzen really believe Itachi was acting on his own?
Itachi had told him everything the night before.
But there were things he couldn't say publicly. Otherwise, it would seem like the Hokage himself was requesting the Sharingan. And what reason would he give for needing them?
Hiruzen couldn't risk that kind of accusation.
He could only glare at Danzō.
"Danzō! Who gave you the authority to order Uchiha Itachi to annihilate the clan behind my back?! Do you have any idea what the other clans will think? What about the consequences when the other hidden villages find out?!"
"From now on, the Root will be disbanded immediately! And Yami, your Anbu post is revoked. Go home and reflect on your actions. Once you realize your mistakes, come report back to me!"
He wasn't abandoning them—at least, not in his eyes.
Danzo had acted without informing him, so a penalty was necessary. And Yami… he was still young. Once the child acknowledged his fault, he could reinstate him.
After all, someone had to take the blame for the Uchiha extermination.
Hiruzen believed this arrangement was fair.
But there was one person who didn't.
"Third Hokage, are you certain?"
Yami smiled faintly at Danzō, then turned to Hiruzen.
But that smile held no warmth.
"It was Uchiha Itachi who destroyed the Uchiha clan. My old man only gave him a few options. The path was his choice."
"I'm the Hokage! Shimura Yami, this is an order!" Hiruzen's gaze turned sharp.
"What kind of order does a rogue-nin need to follow?"
Yami reached for the forehead protector at his waist. With a single swipe of his Kusanagi sword, he carved a deep slash through it.
The elders' expressions changed instantly.
"Third Hokage, do you dare gamble?"
"Can Konoha afford my defection right now? Uchiha was wiped out yesterday, and today I abandon the village. How long before the outside world pounces?"
"You're threatening me?" Hiruzen glared. "You want to see if this old man can still fight?"
Yami pressed his sword forward. A gust of wind blew through the room.
"My sword isn't dull either."
Swish! Swish!
Sensing the danger, several Anbu rushed into the room, only to find Yami pointing his blade at the Hokage. They immediately placed themselves in front of Hiruzen and encircled Yami.
"Back off!" Hiruzen barked. "That's an order. No one enters without my command!"
"Yes, sir."
Though worried, the Anbu obeyed and vanished out the window.
"Shimura Yami, do you understand what you're saying?"
Hiruzen's voice was laced with fury. "The village has only one law when it comes to traitors—death!"
"Whether you're someone's grandson or not, no one can betray Konoha!"
"Can you kill me?"
Yami toyed with a special kunai. "Frankly, I can't think of anyone in Konoha right now who can. Maybe before Itachi left, his Mangekyō Sharingan could've threatened me a little. But now?"
That knife-like remark pierced Hiruzen's heart.
"Even if you call Jiraiya back, it won't matter."
"He couldn't stop me."
Yami smacked his forehead as if he just remembered something. "No one can betray the village, huh? But wait… wasn't there someone named Sarutobi Asuma who quietly left and became one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, even opposing Konoha?"
He shook his head regretfully. "Tch, that's also a traitor, isn't it? Shame I didn't realize it sooner. He might still be alive."
"You!"
Hiruzen nearly exploded. His chakra surged, and pressure filled the room.
He was old, but still a shinobi. He hadn't lost his edge.
"Monkey, no one in this world can say the Shimura clan betrayed Konoha."
Danzō finally spoke coldly.
"You betrayed Nidaime's will, allowed Uchiha their own armed force, and then used your 'righteousness' as a weapon to suppress me and Yami. Do you think I have no temper?"
"If you're so confident in your decision, then summon all the clan leaders. Let the truth be known. Let them decide."
"No!" Hiruzen immediately shouted. "This is a top-secret matter. They can't know!"
It was then that Hiruzen finally realized, eliminating the Uchiha had removed an unstable element, yes. But it also stripped away his leverage against Shimura Yami.
He had assumed that, despite their disagreements, Danzō and Yami would never become adversaries.
But he had been wrong.
Yami wasn't one of them—he didn't play politics. He was just a hot-blooded youth.
Try to suppress him?
He simply stopped playing.
Now in check, Hiruzen regretted everything.
Not just condoning the Uchiha extermination, but confronting Yami so recklessly.
But as Hokage, he couldn't bow his head.
He looked desperately to Danzō.
And after decades of partnership, Danzō understood.
He smiled faintly and turned to Yami. "Go home for now. I'll handle everything."
Yami nearly rolled his eyes.
You know nothing.
Hiruzen had just disbanded Root. It wasn't until after his death and Tsunade's succession that Danzō dared to resurface.
Hiruzen had played Danzō like a fool his entire life.
Still, Yami gave him the courtesy of walking out with the Kusanagi sword in hand.
At that moment, Danzō had to suppress his expression using chakra control.
Cool.
Absolutely incredible.
Yami's father had died young. But Danzō—he had lived to see the day the Shimura name truly shined.
He finally understood what it meant to have a strategic-level powerhouse on your side. Enough to make Sarutobi Hiruzen waver.
What means Hiruzen used to smooth things over was another matter.
For now, Yami left the Hokage Building and went home.
Yesterday's events didn't affect the ninja academy. Only Karin went to school. Yugao and Kurenai stayed behind. Izumi, having just returned, repeated what Yami had told her the night before.
Everyone was shocked.
"So many people, all connected by blood… and Itachi killed them all?"
"He even killed his parents. Is he still human?" Kurenai clutched her chest in horror.
As an Anbu, she had worked with Itachi the most.
He was quiet but polite. He lacked the arrogance typical of Uchiha and completed his missions efficiently. By all appearances, he was a good subordinate.
Who would've thought he was capable of something so horrifying?
"Good thing Yami got you out first." Yugao looked at Izumi, curled up in Yami's lap. "Otherwise, that man might've targeted you too."
"Would he dare?"
Yami scoffed and pulled Izumi closer. "Itachi has a little brother in the village. He did all of this so Sasuke could be protected. He definitely wouldn't risk attacking Izumi."
"I was only worried about the masked man. His space-time ability is more annoying."
"Is he really Uchiha Madara?" Izumi tilted her head, confused.
"No." Yami shook his head. "Madara was far stronger."
"His goal was the Uchiha Sharingan. He got what he came for. He won't touch Konoha again anytime soon."
"The one we need to worry about… is the Third Hokage."
Yami briefly explained the conflict in the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen had done all the dirty work, and now the mask was off.
In a head-on clash, Hiruzen held no advantage. But Yami didn't want to raze the village. He still had to be wary of secret retaliation.
"Aunt Misa, use the Mind's Eye of the Kagura often. If you detect unknown chakra nearby, notify Pakura and Samui."
"Yes. I'll keep my senses active at all times." Misa nodded seriously.
"Pakura, don't kill the ones spying on you. Knock them out and send them to Root. I'll take them directly to the Third Hokage and kill them in front of him."
Everyone agreed. Neither Kurenai nor Yugao felt anything was wrong with that plan.
"I'll keep an eye on Anbu," Kurenai added. "If I spot spies working for the Third Hokage, I'll arrange for them to die in the line of duty."
"Smart girl." Yami gave her a thumbs up.
After understanding the situation, the others urged Yami to rest. He'd been busy all night.
Yami returned to his room, but instead of sleeping, he opened the system and began integrating the gains from last night.
Many Uchiha had rewarded him with bloodline and pupil power. Several elders had long awakened the three tomoe. With Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō at the end, unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't difficult at all for Yami.
As for the Eternal Mangekyō…
Yami had long suspected it was a flawed concept.
More accurately, the standard Mangekyō was incomplete. Eternal Mangekyō was simply the completed version.
You didn't gain new eye techniques. You just increased the upper limit of eye power, made it recoverable, and removed the risk of blindness.
That's how it should've been in the first place.
Only because most Uchiha forcibly awakened the Mangekyō through emotional trauma did they end up with half-baked versions.
And the theory that only transplanting a sibling's eyes could reach eternity? Yami didn't buy it.
Indra certainly didn't need to do that.
So, if your bloodline was pure enough and your talent strong enough, you could open the true Mangekyō in one go.
A surge of eye power flowed into his body. His Uchiha bloodline purified further. His eyes felt like they were boiling.
Looking into the mirror, Yami watched the three tomoe spin wildly, leaving afterimages.
Then the tomoe blurred, merged, and formed a strange hexagram pattern wrapped in three sickle-like marks.
His eye power surged, and with that, his Mangekyō fully awakened.
Two eye techniques formed in his mind.
"Takamagahara…"
He whispered softly.
His figure shimmered.
And vanished completely from the room.
(To be continued.)