Red’s voice reverberated through the night sky.
The dark green Chakra gathering in his hand was like a starving wolf with bared fangs, locking onto the three Anbu on the ground.
The murderous intent had reached its peak.
The surrounding Uchiha clansmen felt their blood boil as they listened.
“Right! Kill the spies!”
“Red is right. Daring to impersonate Anbu to come here and steal Sharingan? They deserve to be executed as a warning!”
“We ask Hokage-sama to give the order to slaughter these three animals on the spot!”
The waves of shouting came one after another.
Hundreds of crimson Sharingan flickered in the firelight, all filled with murderous intent.
Standing at the very front, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s old face had turned a liver-like shade of purple.
The hand holding his pipe was trembling slightly.
His chest heaved violently; he was clearly furious.
Humiliation.
He had never felt so stifled in his entire life.
That kid Red had just handed him an unsolvable death trap.
If Hiruzen admitted these three were Anbu, he would be admitting that he had sent people to spy on the founders of the Village in the middle of the night, tearing away Konoha’s last shred of dignity.
But if he went along with Red’s words and called them spies, then those three fine heads would have to be lined up neatly in the Uchiha compound today.
These were elite, loyal assassins he had spent years cultivating.
Admitting it was wrong; denying it was also wrong.
Having lived for so long, this was the first time Hiruzen had been cornered by a teenage brat, caught between a rock and a hard place.
The air was eerily quiet, save for the crackling of torches.
Just as Hiruzen was about to break.
“Silence! Red!”
A sharp shout suddenly broke the stalemate.
Uchiha Itachi stepped forward, his face as cold as ice.
His Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared fixedly at Red, his eyes full of warning and anger.
“This is Konoha, and the person sitting before you is the Third Hokage!”
Itachi’s voice rose, carrying an unquestionable reprimand:
“How to handle suspects is Hokage-sama’s authority; it is not your place to shout here! Do not presume to make decisions for Hokage-sama!”
Itachi was feeling incredibly anxious.
He thought Red had gone mad.
Forcing the Hokage like this would only escalate the conflict between the Village and the Clan, which did not align with the “greater good” in his heart.
“Itachi is right.”
Uchiha Fugaku stepped out at this moment.
With a dark expression, his words were clearly meant to keep Red in check:
“Red, step down. This is not your place to make decisions. Do not go too far.”
As Fugaku spoke, he glanced at Hiruzen without a trace. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
His back was actually already soaked with cold sweat.
If others didn’t know, how could he, as Clan Head, not know?
The higher-ups’ patience with the Uchiha was nearing its limit.
Danzo, that venomous snake, was watching from the shadows every day, just waiting for the Uchiha to make a mistake.
The strength Red had displayed tonight was truly terrifying, enough to even unsettle him as the Clan Head.
But the more that was the case, the more afraid Fugaku became.
Konoha would absolutely never allow another “Uchiha Madara” figure to emerge within the Uchiha.
If Red really pushed things to the point of no return tonight, Hiruzen, in order to maintain the absolute authority of the Hokage, might very well mobilize the entire Village’s Ninja force to completely wipe out the Uchiha Clan.
Fugaku dared not gamble.
For the survival of the entire Clan, he would rather appear cowardly and act as a submissive subject to the Hokage.
Therefore.
He had to suppress Red’s anger and give the Hokage a chance to back down gracefully.
Hearing the father-son duo singing the same tune.
Hiruzen’s tense old face finally relaxed just a fraction.
He took a puff of his pipe, his gaze toward the Fugaku father and son holding a hint of appreciation.
There were still some who understood the situation.
Hiruzen turned his head, preparing to use his authority as Hokage to say a few diplomatic words and take these three people away in a justifiable manner.
But before he could speak.
Red suddenly smiled.
It was a smile of extreme malice, even tinged with a hint of madness.
He looked at the righteous Uchiha Itachi, then at the fearful Uchiha Fugaku, and finally let his gaze fall upon the hypocritical Hiruzen.
This is the so-called Clan Head.
This is the so-called genius.
For the sake of the so-called “greater good,” they would smile and lean into the blade even when it was held against their throats.
Since you want the greater good so much.
Fine.
I will give you a “massive” greater good today.
The dark green light in Red’s eyes suddenly receded.
The dust and oppressive weight on the ground also vanished without a trace in an instant.
He shrugged, the murderous intent on his face replaced by a look of indifferent flippancy:
“Fine, since the Clan Head and Squad Leader Itachi have both said so, I am not someone who doesn’t understand the greater good.”
Red turned around, looking down from a height at the three Anbu sprawled on the ground, gasping for air.
Subsequently, he turned his head and stared straight into Hiruzen’s aged eyes.
His voice suddenly rose, echoing throughout the entire plaza:
“Since that is the case, to show our Uchiha trust in the Village, these three spies from enemy Villages shall be handed over to Hokage-sama to be executed personally!” This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“I believe that the impartial Hokage-sama will surely execute these three scumbags who attempted to disrupt the peace of the Village in front of all the Ninjas in the Village!”
“And let the other Ninja Villages see that Konoha cannot be bullied!”
Boom.
After Red finished speaking.
The entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
The Uchiha clansmen who had originally been suppressed by Fugaku suddenly had their eyes light up again.
That’s right.
Handing the people to the Hokage for execution not only gave the Hokage face but also provided a good show.
Hundreds of Uchiha Ninjas looked in unison at Hiruzen, waiting for his response.
And at this moment.
Uchiha Fugaku’s complexion turned bloodless in an instant.
Uchiha Itachi’s pupils also shrank into tiny black dots.
They had initially thought Red was backing down.
But now they realized that this kid had just dumped a basin of scalding lava directly onto the Hokage’s head.
Didn’t the Hokage say it was a misunderstanding?
Now Red had gone with the flow, firmly establishing the label of “spy” in the open.
If Hiruzen really took them back to “execute personally,” he would be killing his most loyal Anbu elites with his own hands.
And once these three died, how would other enemy Ninja Villages view it?
Konoha executing three Anbu for no apparent reason—who knows what outsiders would speculate?
Diplomatic and external conflicts would explode immediately.
But if Hiruzen took them back and didn’t execute them, or even secretly let them go.
Then, on the surface, he would be confirmed as “colluding with the enemy,” “harboring spies,” or even being “weak and incompetent.”
With so many Uchiha Ninjas present today, this news would spread throughout the grassroots of Konoha before tomorrow.
By then, the Hokage’s popularity and prestige would fall straight into the sewer.
Red appeared to be making a concession.
In reality, he had used large iron tongs to forcefully shove these three hot potatoes right into Hiruzen’s mouth.
Swallow them, and they burn through his stomach.
Spit them out, and he smashes his own feet.
What was even more terrifying.
Red’s words caused the ordinary Uchiha clansmen nearby to quietly develop a strange thought.
Facing Anbu’s bullying.
The Clan Head was trying to smooth things over, and Itachi was acting as a lackey for the higher-ups.
Only Red.
This Chunin, who usually kept a low profile, was going head-to-head with the Hokage, fighting for the Clan’s interests and dignity.
Hearts and minds.
In this instant, they had already begun to quietly shift toward Red.