The terrifying pressure continued to spread through the shrine like an invisible tide.
A suffocating weight settled over everyone’s hearts.
What a monster…
The thought surfaced simultaneously in the minds of everyone present.
At this moment, Danzō had finally revealed his true nature.
His hands remained casually tucked into his pockets.
His chin was slightly raised.
His narrowed eyes swept across the gathered Uchiha with blatant disdain.
The feeling…
Was as if he were looking down at a pile of trash.
“Danzō…”
Several Uchiha clenched their fists.
Veins bulged on their foreheads.
Yet none dared to move.
The pressure radiating from the young Hokage was simply too overwhelming.
At last, Danzō spoke.
“Elder Setsuna.”
His voice was calm and unhurried.
“I hope you understand something.”
“The Military Police Force is not the private property of the Uchiha clan.”
“When my teacher entrusted the Police Force to the Uchiha…”
His gaze sharpened.
“…he also retained the authority to take it back.”
“And now…”
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
“So can I.”
The words themselves were spoken gently.
But to the ears of the Uchiha, they sounded unbearably arrogant.
Unforgivably arrogant.
How many years had it been?
How many years since anyone had dared to speak to the Uchiha like this?
Even the God of Shinobi himself had never looked down on them in such a manner.
So what gave this brat the right?
Fury surged through Setsuna’s body.
Under the influence of that anger, his dark pupils suddenly turned crimson.
Three tomoe slowly rotated within his eyes.
Cold, ominous chakra began leaking from his body.
“Shimura Danzō…”
His voice was low and hoarse.
Filled with warning.
Filled with killing intent.
“Do you truly intend to tear apart the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha?”
His scarlet Sharingan locked firmly onto Danzō.
Like a furious wolf staring down its prey.
This was his final warning.
If Danzō truly intended to strip away the Uchiha’s authority…
Then Setsuna wouldn’t mind teaching this young Hokage a painful lesson.
After all, every major clan in the village was currently standing on the sidelines, watching.
If the newly appointed Third Hokage were publicly humiliated by the Uchiha…
The political consequences would be fascinating.
“Tear apart the relationship?”
Danzō chuckled softly.
A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
“Is that a threat, Elder Setsuna?”
His expression remained relaxed.
As though Setsuna’s fury wasn’t even worth acknowledging.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
Setsuna forcibly suppressed the volcanic rage rising inside his chest.
Were Danzō anyone else, the Uchiha would have attacked already.
Their tempers were never known for restraint.
Yet Danzō seemed completely unaware of how close he was to crossing the line.
Or perhaps…
He simply didn’t care.
Instead, he continued pressing forward.
“Then again…”
Danzō slowly lifted his gaze and looked around the hall.
Every Uchiha present wore an expression of anger and indignation.
“The Uchiha clan’s reputation is legendary.”
His voice echoed through the shrine.
“You possess both the strength and the confidence to stand against Konoha itself.”
“To divide the village.”
“To challenge its authority.”
As he spoke, he took a single step forward.
BOOM!
The pressure erupting from his body surged once more.
Like an endless ocean rising into a tidal wave.
Like a mountain crashing down from the heavens.
The overwhelming force swept through the shrine and descended entirely upon Setsuna.
The old elder’s expression immediately changed.
Then—
Danzō smiled.
A cold, dangerous smile.
“How about this?”
His eyes locked onto Setsuna’s.
“I’ll give you an opportunity.”
The entire shrine fell silent.
Every Uchiha instinctively held their breath.
A faint smile curved Danzō’s lips.
His black hair whipped wildly in the surging currents of chakra, his posture overflowing with arrogance and confidence.
His grin widened.
“Challenge me.”
His eyes blazed with fierce, almost manic battle intent.
Unrestrained.
Unyielding.
A naked challenge.
“A challenge?”
Beneath the crushing pressure, Uchiha Setsuna took a deep breath.
In that instant, he understood exactly what the young Hokage was trying to do.
So that’s your game.
You’ve chosen me as the sacrifice to establish your authority.
If that was the case…
Then he absolutely couldn’t fall for it.
Suppressing his anger, Setsuna rapidly weighed his options.
Just as he was about to refuse—
Danzō casually added:
“Elder Setsuna wouldn’t be afraid, would he?”
The moment those words left his mouth, every Uchiha present turned toward Setsuna.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
No way…
The leader of the Uchiha hardliners isn’t afraid to fight, is he?
Setsuna immediately felt the blood surging through his veins.
The pride engraved into Uchiha blood overwhelmed his mind.
The last remnants of his rationality were washed away.
All caution.
All calculation.
All restraint.
Gone.
“Afraid?!”
Setsuna abruptly raised his head.
Rage burned within his scarlet Sharingan.
“The word ‘afraid’ has never existed in Uchiha history!”
BOOM!
Dark, chilling chakra erupted from his body without reservation.
As the undisputed leader of the Uchiha hawks, Setsuna’s strength was beyond question.
Even if age had diminished him somewhat, the pressure he released was still enough to make Hiruzen and the others tense instinctively.
“Since Tobirama isn’t here…”
His voice dripped with hostility.
“I’ll teach you a lesson in his place.”
At this point, Setsuna no longer cared about appearances.
All the resentment and hatred he had harbored toward Senju Tobirama over the years was redirected toward the young man standing before him.
“Heh…”
Danzō’s grin widened.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
The next moment—
Setsuna exploded forward.
Chakra burst beneath his feet.
His body vanished from sight and appeared before Danzō almost instantly.
The cane in his hand transformed into a hidden sword.
Wrapped in a screaming gust of wind, the blade stabbed straight toward Danzō’s throat.
His movements were astonishingly swift and agile.
There was not the slightest trace of the frail old man who had been leaning on a cane moments earlier.
Fortunately, Danzō had already prepared for this.
His eyes lowered slightly, deliberately avoiding direct contact with the Sharingan.
At the same time, he drew a gleaming kunai from his waist and raised it to intercept the strike.
CLANG!
Metal collided with metal.
Sparks exploded into the darkness.
Setsuna stepped forward aggressively.
A tremendous force erupted through the blade.
Danzō’s hand immediately went numb.
He retreated without hesitation.
Crashing through the shrine gates, he withdrew into the open space beyond.
Setsuna pursued relentlessly.
Not giving his opponent even a moment to breathe.
His hands flashed through a series of seals.
Then—
A blazing crimson light erupted beneath the night sky.
“Fire Release!”
Setsuna opened his mouth.
A massive fireball nearly twenty feet across roared into existence.
The inferno surged forward, carrying enough heat to incinerate everything in its path.
At that moment, Danzō’s evasive movements brought him onto the surface of the Naka River outside the shrine.
Moonlight shimmered across the flowing water.
The gigantic fireball hurtled toward him.
The intense heat instantly generated clouds of steam above the river’s surface.
Seeing this, Danzō acted without hesitation.
He drove his kunai downward.
Wind chakra erupted violently from the blade.
WHOOSH!
Towering waves surged upward.
The river rose like a wall, dozens of feet high.
Water and fire collided head-on.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the night.
Scalding steam burst outward in every direction.
Within moments, a dense white fog covered the entire river.
Through the swirling mist, Setsuna’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
“So.”
“You chose the river as your battlefield because you knew your Wind Release would be countered by Fire Release.”
His tone dripped with contempt.
“Not a bad plan.”
“But before overwhelming strength, tricks are meaningless.”
The tomoe of his Sharingan spun slowly.
Almost instantly, he located Danzō’s position within the fog.
His hands formed seals once more.
Fire chakra surged.
One blazing fireball after another erupted from his mouth.
“The eyes of the Uchiha…”
His voice echoed across the river.
“…are not hindered by something as insignificant as fog!”
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