Chapter 34: The Uchiha Clan vs. Root

"Iizumi Senior, that Anbu Ninja—Hiruzen Shintetsu… was he really your teacher? And… is he perhaps closely related to the Third Hokage?"

Throughout the journey, Izumi couldn’t help but feel that Iizumi Senior was moving far too slowly.

The suffocating silence between them made her uneasy.

Gathering her courage, she finally broke the quiet, asking hesitantly.

"He was my assigned senior ninja mentor," Uchiha Iizumi replied calmly. "Years ago, during the Third Ninja World War, he took me onto the battlefield. His surname is Senju—no, wait, it’s Hiruzen. He’s the Third Hokage’s eldest son."

Izumi: "!!!"

She hadn’t fully heard the exchange between Iizumi Senior and the Anbu Ninja during their clash—too much was happening, too fast. She hadn’t even dared to get close.

But now, the revelation struck her like lightning.

Hiruzen Shintetsu… was the Hokage’s own son?

Her palms grew slick with sweat, no matter how many times she wiped them.

She couldn’t help but think: This is practically declaring war on the Third Hokage himself.

Yet another question nagged at her: Why had the Hokage allowed her and Iizumi Senior to leave so easily?

He’d brought so many Anbu—clearly, he’d come with intent to confront them.

"Then… the Hokage…"

Izumi barely managed to whisper, but before she could finish, Uchiha Iizumi cut in.

"Relax. If the Third didn’t detain me just now, it means he respected the final words of my teacher, Shintetsu."

He glanced sideways at the anxious Izumi, then added, "You don’t have to worry about Anbu sneaking into your room at night."

She felt exposed—again.

Her thoughts had been laid bare, just like always.

"Oh…" Izumi murmured, nodding awkwardly.

She didn’t fully grasp the undercurrents. She didn’t know when—or how—the Hokage’s son had left his final words.

But if Iizumi Senior said it was safe… then it probably was safe.

Just then, her head dipped suddenly, as if something heavy had pressed down on it.

She gasped in surprise.

Then, a strange, raspy voice echoed from right above her forehead:

"Meow. Newcomer, leave Iizumi-sama alone for a moment. Stop pestering him with endless questions, meow!"

Izumi froze.

In this trio—two ninjas and a cat—she was clearly the weakest link.

Even less than the cat.

"There’s no need to overcomplicate things," Uchiha Iizumi said, his tone flat. "Hiruzen Shintetsu took a wrong path. He’s fallen into the abyss, blind to it. Only at the moment of death did he finally understand—but even then, he didn’t regret it."

"The Ninja World is now so sick that even elite Jonin see darkness as nothing more than a natural state. This kind of tragedy repeats itself in countless places across the world."

"Newcomer, this is your fourth lesson."

"No matter what noble excuse the world gives for evil, you must uphold Absolute Justice without hesitation. Even if it means turning your blade against someone you know best."

Every word sank into Izumi’s mind.

She straightened up, her voice firm.

"Yes, Senior!"

…

Meanwhile, in Leaf Village.

"Danzō-sama, what exactly do you mean by this?"

Uchiha Fugaku stood at the front of the Uchiha Police Force, facing off against Shimura Danzō and his Root operatives.

Behind him, the entire Uchiha contingent glared at the Root ninjas, tension thick in the air.

The standoff was electric—ready to explode at any moment.

Fugaku’s face was grim, his voice cold and rigid as he stared down Danzō.

"The Investigation Corps member, Uchiha Iizumi, encountered an emergency outside the village. I’m leading the team to assist him. That’s perfectly reasonable, isn’t it?"

"Yet you, Danzō-sama, have brought so many Root ninjas to block us. What’s your intention?"

His gaze kept drifting toward the white bandages wrapped around Danzō’s body.

He remembered what Iizumi had told him—about Danzō’s secret.

If Iizumi was right, those bandages concealed not just wounds… but Sharingan eyes, one after another.

Fugaku’s eyes darkened instinctively.

"Hmph!" Danzō shifted slightly, clearly annoyed by the reaction.

So the cursed Uchiha brat did tell Fugaku.

Damn it. That kid was the village’s greatest threat.

Had the monkey-faced Hokage finally dealt with him?

Danzō didn’t back down.

He wouldn’t let Fugaku go after Iizumi.

"The Hokage has already dispatched Anbu to assist. Your clan has no need to interfere. Moreover, your jurisdiction is limited to inside the village. Outside? You Uchiha Police Force have no authority there."

When facing the Uchiha Clan, Danzō’s dictionary had no such words as negotiation or reason.

Fugaku paused.

He stared deeply into Danzō’s eyes.

"Adding more Investigation Corps personnel would speed up the resolution. Danzō-sama, please allow us to go."

Danzō’s gaze hardened.

"Fugaku! Are you defying direct orders from the higher-ups?"

Behind him, the Root ninjas slowly reached for their weapons.

The Uchiha shinobi tensed instantly, ready to respond.

A young, fiery Uchiha ninja opened his mouth—

But Fugaku’s hand shot out, cutting him off with a sharp glare.

Then, Fugaku turned back to Danzō.

"If your delay causes the loss of a double bloodline genius from our clan, I will report you directly to the Hokage."

Danzō sneered.

At that moment, one of the Root scouts—silent and observant—stepped forward.

"Danzō-sama, the disturbance over there has ceased for over ten minutes. If I’m not mistaken, the Hokage and his Anbu have already arrived. They’ve been there for some time, and they’ve stopped the fight using an unknown technique."

Fugaku heard the words clearly.

His brow furrowed.

Danzō, however, smirked.

His goal was achieved.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Fugaku… the situation’s already resolved. Are you planning to keep gathering Uchiha here? Or… do you have another agenda?"

Fugaku clenched his fists—then slowly released them.

"Disband!"

He took a deep breath, his face expressionless, and ordered the Uchiha force behind him.

"Sir, the Clan Head!"

Many Uchiha resisted, frustrated.

It wasn’t about Iizumi—they weren’t truly eager to go.

It was the insult, the distrust. The feeling of being excluded.

"Disband!"

Fugaku ground out the command again, his voice tight with restraint.

…

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end