Naruto: The Uchiha They Should Have Killed

Although Shimura Danzō's face had darkened, he still managed to remain composed.

According to the voting order, the ballots near the top of the box were mostly cast by ordinary jōnin, so it was normal for Namikaze Minato to hold the early advantage.

Moreover, there were over a thousand Jōnin confidence votes in total. Even though Minato was currently leading by more than a hundred votes, the final outcome was still uncertain.

"Namikaze Minato — 321 votes!"

"Namikaze Minato — 322 votes!"

"Shimura Danzō — 34 votes!"

…

As time passed, Danzō's expression grew darker and darker. The reasoning he had used to comfort himself earlier now seemed like nothing more than hollow self-consolation.

Taking a deep breath, Danzō's gaze suddenly became sharp.

"Namikaze Minato — 491 votes!"

"Namikaze Minato — 492 votes!"

"Shimura Danzō — 53 votes!"

…

As Homura Mitokado continued announcing the ballots, Danzō's expression gradually returned to calm, though he still waited silently for the final result.

…

"Namikaze Minato — 700 votes!"

…

Danzō slowly exhaled a breath.

The outcome had already been decided. There was no longer any need to keep listening to the remaining votes.

Although he didn't know why the gap between himself and Minato had become so enormous, or who exactly had betrayed him, it no longer mattered.

Danzō slightly raised his head and glanced toward a tall building several hundred meters away.

His fingers moved subtly in a small signal.

"Namikaze Minato — 781 votes!"

"Namikaze Minato — 782 votes!"

"Shimura Danzō — 139 votes!"

BOOM!!!

…

Just as Homura was focused on reading the ballots, a violent explosion suddenly erupted in the distance.

"That direction… Kushina!"

Everyone present froze for a moment. But Minato was the first to react when he saw the fireball rising into the air.

His figure flashed—

And he vanished instantly.

A vicious grin appeared on Danzō's face.

"Move!"

The next moment, dozens of figures dressed in ANBU uniforms leapt out from all directions and rushed onto the rooftop.

"Everyone stay where you are! Members of the Konoha Military Police Force, step forward!"

Uchiha Ren shouted loudly as he simultaneously moved toward the edge of the rooftop, retreating away from the center.

Beside him, Hiashi Hyūga  did not hesitate at all. Almost at the same moment Ren moved, he followed and withdrew toward the outside of the rooftop.

The clan heads present had already refrained from acting since they still didn't understand what was happening. They merely watched the suddenly appearing "ANBU ninja" with guarded vigilance.

After Ren and Hiashi moved, Shikaku Nara 's eyes flickered. He immediately grabbed Chōza Akimichi  and Inoichi Yamanaka  beside him and jumped down from the rooftop as well.

Seeing this, the other clan heads quickly followed.

In the blink of an eye, the rooftop of the Hokage Tower was left with only a handful of people:

Shimura Danzō,

Hiruzen Sarutobi,

Homura Mitokado,

Koharu Utatane ,

—and several dozen so-called "ANBU ninja."

"Shimura Danzō, what are you trying to do?!"

Hiruzen's expression was grave as he questioned Danzō, who stood surrounded by the masked shinobi.

"What am I trying to do?" Danzō sneered. "At this point, what else is there to say?"

He suddenly raised his voice.

"Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane have conspired to betray the village. Their crimes are unforgivable!"

"Why don't you surrender immediately!"

"Attack!"

At Danzō's command, four of the masked shinobi instantly moved to the four corners surrounding the Hokage Tower and rapidly formed hand seals.

"Four Violet Flames Formation — Activate!"

In an instant, a deep purple barrier rose into the sky, sealing the entire Hokage Tower inside.

"Shimura Danzō, have you gone mad?!"

Seeing the barrier form, Koharu Utatane 's expression changed drastically.

"Hiruzen is the Third Hokage! How could he possibly betray the village?!"

"The Third Hokage?" Danzō replied coldly. "And what of it? Does being Hokage mean he can't betray the village?"

"I possess ample evidence proving that the three of you have abused your authority and sold out the village's interests!"

Then Danzō chuckled faintly.

"Speaking of which… I'm actually quite curious."

"Why would the Hokage betray the village?"

Homura's expression darkened.

"Danzō… do you really have to push things this far? We're all on the same boat. If we're dirty, do you think your hands are clean?"

Homura naturally understood what kind of "evidence" Danzō was referring to. The calm he had maintained until now finally cracked.

Danzō's gaze turned icy.

"My hands are perfectly clean."

"As for the things I've done… heh."

"Once you're dead, who will know about them?"

Homura and Koharu's expressions changed drastically.

They had finally realized the truth.

There was no peaceful resolution to this matter.

"So you've decided to walk down a path of no return," Hiruzen said calmly.

He removed the Hokage robe from his shoulders, revealing the combat attire he had already prepared underneath.

Hiruzen had long been ready for the worst.

"Attack. Kill them."

With a wave of his hand, dozens of Root shinobi immediately rushed toward Hiruzen and the other two elders.

Below the Hokage Tower

"Uchiha Clan Head… what exactly is going on here?"

After seeing the Four Violet Flames Formation rise, Shikaku Nara 's expression turned extremely serious as he questioned Uchiha Ren.

The other clan heads also turned toward Ren, waiting for an explanation.

"What do you mean what's going on? I have no idea either," Ren said with a helpless shrug.

"You don't know?" Shikaku narrowed his eyes.

"If you don't know, then why did you tell us not to act? And why did you jump down here in the first place?"

Ren chuckled and explained:

"Was it wrong for me to say not to act? Suddenly dozens of people appeared. I didn't know whether they were enemies or allies, or what they were trying to do. Asking everyone to hold their position was the fastest way to distinguish friend from foe."

"As for why I jumped down…"

"As the Chief of the Konoha Military Police Force, I'm responsible for the security of this Hokage election. Naturally I need to come down here and take charge of the situation."

"And besides," Ren added casually, "I never told you all to jump down too. You were the ones who chose to follow."

Shikaku and the others were momentarily stunned.

Thinking back carefully, it really did seem like Ren was telling the truth.

But Shikaku clearly didn't believe such a flimsy explanation.

Instead, he turned to look at Hiashi Hyūga .

Hiashi had been the first person to follow Ren off the rooftop, and it was precisely because of his action that everyone else had instinctively jumped down as well.

Facing their gazes, Hiashi's expression remained perfectly calm.

"A wise man does not stand beneath a collapsing wall," he said evenly.

"With the situation above being so chaotic, what's wrong with me choosing to remove myself from danger?"

Then his voice grew slightly heavier.

"Besides… the most important question right now isn't assigning blame to me or Clan Head Uchiha."

"It's deciding—"

"Whose side we should support."

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