Naruto: The Uchiha They Should Have Killed

Chapter 265: Shimura Danzō’s Suspicion

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the night before the election of the Fourth Hokage.

Over the past few days, Shimura Danzō and Namikaze Minato had both launched vigorous campaigns throughout Konohagakure, rallying support for their respective bids for the Hokage position.

Danzō had even begun openly visiting the various clans within the village, actively canvassing for votes.

During this time, he had also visited Uchiha Ren several times to confirm the Uchiha clan's stance, and each time Ren had reassured him.

Yet at this final moment, Danzō still couldn't completely put his mind at ease—and came personally once again.

Inside the reception room of Uchiha Ren's house, Shimura Danzō sat in the guest seat with a gloomy expression.

His single eye stared fixedly at Ren, filled with suspicion and scrutiny.

"Elder Shimura," Ren said calmly after finishing his third cup of tea, clearly unwilling to continue this silent standoff.

"You've been here for fifteen minutes already. If you have something to say, just say it. What's the meaning of staring at me without speaking?"

Danzō no longer remained silent.

In a cold voice he said:

"Uchiha Ren, you should know exactly why I've come. We're at the final moment now. What exactly is the Uchiha clan's position?"

Ren shrugged helplessly.

"Elder Shimura, this is already the third time you've come to ask me this question. My answer is still the same as before."

"The Uchiha clan will stand firmly on your side."

"That answer should be clear enough, shouldn't it?"

"So what exactly are you worried about… or rather, what are you suspecting?"

"If your distrust of the Uchiha clan has reached this level, then perhaps there's no need for us to continue cooperating."

Even Ren hadn't expected Danzō's paranoia to reach such an extent—coming every day to reconfirm their position.

But at the same time, it also showed that Danzō was both anxious and insecure right now.

Danzō snorted coldly.

"Uchiha Ren, spare me the pretty words."

"Our relationship has always been one of mutual benefit. There has never been any talk of 'trust.'"

"I have never trusted the Uchiha. And the Uchiha certainly don't trust me."

"We're simply taking what we each need."

"But…"

His tone suddenly turned icy.

"…since we are partners, is it really appropriate for you to hide things from me?"

Ren raised an eyebrow.

"Elder Shimura, what exactly are you referring to? What have I hidden from you?"

This time, Ren was genuinely puzzled.

He had no idea what rumor or intelligence Danzō had picked up.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi," Danzō said viciously.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi and Namikaze Minato must have already come to see you, haven't they?"

Ren froze slightly.

Though surprised internally, his face remained perfectly calm.

Danzō didn't give him a chance to respond and continued speaking.

"You don't need to rush to deny it. If I've brought it up, it means I've already confirmed the truth of the matter."

"Your meeting may have been secretive, but you still left behind a major flaw."

Ren's gaze flickered slightly.

Though his expression didn't change, his mind was already racing.

Hiruzen and Minato had indeed visited him.

But they had used the Flying Thunder God Technique, leaving virtually no trace behind. Only a handful of people even knew about it.

So what "flaw" was Danzō talking about?

Danzō continued:

"These past few days, Hiruzen and his faction—just like me—have been visiting the various clans and shinobi within the village, seeking their support."

"Almost every person in the village who holds voting rights has been approached by one side or the other."

"But strangely enough, they never once approached the Uchiha clan."

"That's highly abnormal."

"Even though the Uchiha already declared support for me at the previous Jōnin Assembly, given Hiruzen's personality, he would never easily give up trying to win you over."

"Even if the chances were slim, he would at least try."

"So they must have contacted you."

"If they didn't do it openly, then they did it secretly."

"And you've probably already reached an agreement with them."

"The reason they haven't approached you publicly is simply to avoid suspicion—to lull me into a false sense of security."

"And that…"

"…is the huge flaw you left behind."

Danzō's reasoning was logical and well constructed, leaving Ren momentarily unable to refute it.

The real issue was that Danzō knew Hiruzen far too well.

Any slightly abnormal behavior from Hiruzen's side would immediately be magnified in Danzō's mind.

Ren shook his head calmly.

Regardless of the truth, he absolutely couldn't admit anything.

"Elder Shimura, that's just speculation."

"But my answer remains the same."

"Hiruzen Sarutobi and Namikaze Minato never came to see me."

"And since you yourself said our relationship is purely one of interests—with no trust involved—there's no point in me explaining further."

"So just tell me directly."

"What exactly do you want to do?"

Danzō frowned slightly.

Ren's calm and indifferent attitude made him hesitate.

Could it be…

that Hiruzen really hadn't contacted the Uchiha clan at all?

Impossible.

The Uchiha currently controlled over a hundred Jōnin-level votes.

Hiruzen would never ignore such a massive voting bloc.

After a moment of thought, Ren spoke again.

He deliberately acted as though he were hesitating before finally saying:

"Elder Shimura… considering our previous cooperation has been fairly pleasant, let me give you a small reminder."

"Have you considered the possibility that Hiruzen didn't approach the Uchiha clan because he's already found a way to counterbalance us?"

"I've heard that over the past few days, the village has suddenly gained quite a few unfamiliar faces."

"Unfamiliar faces?" Danzō's pupils contracted as if something had suddenly occurred to him.

"What unfamiliar faces? What exactly is going on?"

Recently, Danzō had been busy canvassing for votes, but he had never relaxed his vigilance regarding the village's overall situation.

Yet he had heard nothing about these "unfamiliar faces."

However, the moment Ren mentioned it, Danzō immediately thought about certain recent developments within the Sarutobi clan, the Utatane clan, and the Mitokado clan.

A bad feeling began to form in his heart.

Ren spoke in a low voice:

"Elder Shimura, you've been extremely busy lately, so you may have overlooked some details."

"But the Konoha Military Police Force patrols every corner of the village day and night."

"And recently, our patrols have discovered that the territories of the Sarutobi clan, Utatane clan, and Mitokado clan have suddenly gained nearly one hundred unfamiliar individuals with powerful chakra signatures."

Naruto: The Uchiha They Should Have Killed

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