Dust and smoke filled the shattered dome of the Root base.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, landed heavily, clutching his Adamantine Staff and surrounded by an elite Anbu squad.
As soon as he stabilized himself, his gaze swept across the scene.
When he saw the young figure standing in the middle of the ruins, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s breath hitched.
Mangekyo Sharingan!
Within the eye sockets, a pattern of three interconnected black blades was spinning.
“It really is the Mangekyo…”
The veins on the back of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s hand holding the staff bulged, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead.
Hearing Fugaku’s report in the Hokage Office earlier was one thing, but witnessing it with his own eyes was quite another.
That cold Chakra was even more violent than the aura during the Nine-Tails Rebellion years ago!
However, what horrified Hiruzen Sarutobi was far more than just this.
His gaze moved past Lu Ming and fell upon the group of young people behind him, all wearing uniform dark combat gear.
A total of forty-three people!
In the underground space, forty-three pairs of crimson eyes lit up.
In every single pair, three tomoe were spinning!
Gulp…
Among the dozens of elite Anbu following the Third Hokage, the sound of people struggling to swallow their saliva could be heard.
“Are you kidding me… They’re all Three-Tomoe Sharingan?!”
An Anbu Squad Leader’s eyes widened behind his mask, and his hand holding his ninjatō trembled.
“And they’re all young people under twenty! This potential… it’s terrifying!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt his scalp tingle and his head spin.
As the Hokage who had ruled Konoha for decades, he knew the Uchiha Clan’s foundation all too well.
In the past, the elites of the entire Uchiha Clan who had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan only numbered about ten or twenty in total, which was already the prestige of Konoha’s greatest clan.
But now, Lu Ming had brought only a so-called “Temple” Guard and directly pulled out forty-three young Three-Tomoe Sharingan elites!
This number far exceeded the total of the Uchiha in any previous period!
This group of young people radiated fighting spirit; as long as Lu Ming gave the order, they would tear the entire Root to pieces without hesitation!
Lu Ming’s Mangekyo, combined with Fugaku’s and Shisui’s Mangekyo, plus this army of young Three-Tomoe Sharingan with such staggering strength and potential…
“This power is enough to subvert all of Konoha!”
Cold sweat soaked Hiruzen Sarutobi’s back.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was deeply shaken,
Danzo Shimura, kneeling on the ground, saw the Third Hokage arriving with a large group of Anbu, and wild joy erupted in his eyes.
“Hiruzen! You’ve come at the right time!”
Danzo endured the pain of his severed wrist and stumbled to his feet with the help of his guards.
“Uchiha Lu Ming has no respect for his elders. He led a large number of armed personnel to trespass into the Root’s restricted area, not only wounding me but also severely injuring Fū Yamanaka.”
“He is openly challenging the authority of the Village and intends to launch an armed rebellion!”
Malice gleamed in Danzo’s single eye as he pointed at Lu Ming and shouted,
“Hiruzen, order the Anbu and Root to join forces.”
“Today, we must wipe out this bunch of naturally evil Uchiha remnants; we must not let them leave this place alive!”
Hearing Danzo’s shouting, the surrounding Root Ninjas tightened their grip on their weapons, preparing to coordinate with the Anbu for the suppression.
However.
“Shut up!!!”
A roar echoed through the underground space.
The one who spoke was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Danzo was stunned.
The surrounding Root Ninjas and elite Anbu were also stunned.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s eyes were wide as he glared at Danzo.
“Hiruzen, you…”
Danzo was full of confusion and was about to speak.
“I told you to shut up! Do you not understand, Danzo?!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him, his tone severe.
“The Uchiha Clan is a founding clan of Konoha. Lu Ming and the others are all Konoha Ninjas and our important comrades.”
“What nonsense are you talking about, ‘armed rebellion’!”
Uproar!
The entire place broke into an uproar.
The Anbu Ninjas looked at each other, while the Root Ninjas felt as if they had been struck by lightning.
No one expected that the Third Hokage, who had always maintained a tacit understanding with Danzo on the Uchiha issue, would actually reprimand Danzo so severely in public today, and even take the initiative to call the Uchiha “important comrades”!
This attitude was a complete 180-degree turn!
Danzo’s single eye bulged, his face full of shock.
“Hiruzen! Have you lost your mind! They are…”
“Enough! You reckless fool!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi was trembling with rage, wishing he could strike this old man, who was only good at ruining things, dead with his staff.
Are you blind?
Didn’t you see the Mangekyo in Lu Ming’s eyes?
Didn’t you see those forty-three pairs of Three-Tomoe Sharingan?
To provoke them at this time—do you think Konoha isn’t being destroyed fast enough?!
Hiruzen Sarutobi forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart. Find the original chapter at g.com.
He turned around to face the crowd, his voice carrying to every corner through the surge of Chakra.
“Everyone, listen!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi announced loudly with a solemn expression,
“Just an hour ago, Uchiha Fugaku voluntarily stepped down.”
“From now on, Uchiha Lu Ming has officially taken over the position of Uchiha Clan Head! Simultaneously, he will serve as the Chief of the Konoha Police Force!”
This news exploded like a bombshell among the crowd.
“What?!”
Danzo felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, freezing in place, his old face turning pale as paper.
“Clan Head? Chief of the Police Force?!”
Danzo’s lips trembled violently, his single eye filled with disbelief.
“That coward Fugaku actually abdicated at a time like this? How is this possible!”
The Root Ninjas were scared out of their wits, their legs going weak.
The person they were just besieging wasn’t just some ordinary Uchiha genius, but the current Clan Head of the Uchiha!
One of the Konoha High Command, the Chief of the Police Force!
For the Root to forcibly detain or even try to kill a Clan Head was a monstrous crime enough to trigger a civil war in the Village!
“It’s over… what kind of existence did we provoke…”
The Root elites, who were just shouting to take down Lu Ming, didn’t even have the strength to hold their blades anymore.
After announcing this blockbuster news, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to face Lu Ming.
This old man, who had ruled Konoha for decades, actually lowered his head slightly in front of the shocked crowd, adopting the humblest posture.
“Clan Head Lu Ming.”
Bitterness and helplessness seeped through Hiruzen Sarutobi’s voice.
“Tonight’s events were a complete misunderstanding.”
“Danzo stays in the Root year-round and is poorly informed; he didn’t know that you had already succeeded as the Clan Head and Chief of the Police Force.”
“He acted recklessly and caused much offense. On behalf of the Village, I offer you my sincerest apologies.”
The esteemed Third Hokage actually apologized to a young man in public!
This highly impactful scene made everyone present gasp.
Facing the Third Hokage’s humble apology, there was no ripple of emotion on Lu Ming’s face.
The Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes slowly faded, returning to black pupils, as he looked coldly at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo.
“A misunderstanding? Poorly informed?”
Lu Ming sneered, his voice full of mockery.
“Lord Third, even if I were just an ordinary Uchiha member, does the Root have the authority to bypass any investigation and directly abduct someone on the road, or even resort to lethal force?”