"What is the meaning of this, Hiruzen?" Koharu demanded as both she and Homura made their way toward the center of the hall.
Hiruzen sighed, losing count of how many times he had done so already. This was precisely why he hadn't included them in the meeting from the start. Since he was already planning to remove Danzo from his position and dissolve Root, these two would have likely opposed it.
But now there was nothing he could do; either Danzo would die, or Konoha would face a deadly civil war, just like the Blood Mist Village.
"We know what he did was wrong, but you can't forget all the things he has done for the village. The death penalty is too harsh, Hiruzen," Homura said in the most serious voice he could muster, trying to act as impartial as possible.
"I agree with Elder Homura, Lord Third," Fugaku interjected. "It would be unwise to know only one side of the story. I would like to once again use the Yamanaka clan's expertise to show us what Danzo has done and the reasons behind his actions.
However, I strongly request to be part of the group. The number of Sharingan we recovered from the Root base is very concerning. From the count, it seems that more than 50 percent of the Uchiha shinobi who died during missions have had their Sharingan stored in Root bases."
This was the last thing Kaida had asked Fugaku to complete. According to him, there might be a chance that Danzo had kept some captives alive for live experiments.
Even if Kaida hadn't pointed this out, Fugaku was already planning to investigate. The problem was getting Hiruzen's permission, but now the situation was so much in his favor that it would be utterly foolish not to pursue it.
Both Koharu and Homura's faces went pale. If this investigation happened, they would also have to face punishment too, because they already knew about some of Danzo's experiments and had decided to keep quiet, while also receiving gifts from their old friend.
"Do you even know what you're saying? You want to violate the mind of an elder of Konoha?" Koharu shouted, as if she had heard the most offensive thing in the world.
"Ex-elder, who had killed hundreds of my allies," Shibi retorted, his voice filled with killing intent. "Forget violating his mind; if I were to do what I actually want, he would plead for death himself after I'm done with him."
The main reason for Shibi's anger was that just a couple of days before Fugaku called for the meeting, Danzo had asked for Shibi's son, who had shown many qualities of a genius to be recruited in Root.
Shibi was sure that given time and proper training, his son would easily surpass him and might even become an S-rank ninja. When Danzo requested him, Shibi wanted to refuse, but Danzo forced him with his authority, spouting rhetoric about sacrifice for the village.
Shibi had asked for some time before giving a reply, trying to figure out a way to protect his son. After seeing what had happened to other Aburame clan ninja who were under Root or captured by them, the thought of his son facing the same fate made Shibi want to kill Danzo in a way that would shred even his soul from the pain.
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"There is no need for that," Hiruzen interrupted, not wanting to drag things out further. "As I have already said, Danzo is going to die for what he has done to the village's shinobi."
"I apologize, Lord Third, but I must insist on my request," Fugaku persisted. "The reason for this is crucial for me and everyone else here..." Though he called it a request, there was no possibility that he would accept a refusal.
"Fine. Inoichi, can you help us?" Seeing no chances of Fugaku backing down Hiruzen conceded.
"Lord Third, can you please remove the seal from Danzo's brain first?" Inoichi asked, already sensing a seal similar to the one Root ninja had, only this one was much more deadly for anyone attempting to read Danzo's mind.
Hiruzen nodded and placed his hand on Danzo's head. After five minutes, when he had almost removed the seal, he was surprised to find a message embedded within it:
"Hiruzen, I know this is you. No other person would be able to remove this seal this far. Since you're doing this, it means I'm going to die. Looks like I really screwed up, huh? Well, sorry for everything, and thank you for believing in me until now."
Hiruzen knew this could very well be Danzo's last-ditch effort to manipulate his emotions, but the situation had progressed to a point where, even if he wanted to, there was nothing he could do now.
'It's all for the village, my friend,' Hiruzen thought as he removed his hand and nodded to Inoichi to proceed.
Inoichi got straight to business. "I will be able to share the memories with five people," he said, sitting directly in front of Danzo.
Hiruzen looked toward Fugaku and Shibi, knowing he would have to include them.
"I will be part of the group as well," Homura said, hoping to see the memories firsthand and come up with excuses if anything related to him surfaced.
"Shikaku, join us as well," Hiruzen added, knowing he would need a capable person to help him make rational decisions after seeing the memories.
With the group of Hiruzen, Homura, Shikaku, Shibi, and Fugaku surrounding Inoichi, everyone else remained seated. The tension was so high that one might have thought the Fourth Great Ninja War had already begun.
Everyone touched Inoichi as he began making many hand signs, then declared:
"Yin Release: Memory Share Jutsu!"
All six of them closed their eyes as they began to see Danzo's most impactful memories, which were the easiest to access and share. Inoichi could access complete memories too, but he wasn't doing so at the moment because it would require an enormous amount of concentration and chakra, which he couldn't manage while sharing memories with five other people.
The first scene they witnessed was of Danzo on a team led by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. Everyone could feel the deep respect Danzo had for Tobirama. They saw many scenes of Danzo being trained alongside his teammates, with two individuals particularly highlighted in these memories:
The first was a boy with dark brown hair, all of it pointing upward, possessing unparalleled talent. This person absorbed every teaching of Tobirama Senju like a sponge yet remained humble, helping his teammates who struggled to grasp the lessons. This was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The second was an anomaly: a handsome young boy with dark black hair and eyes of the same color. Though not as naturally talented as Hiruzen, he possessed something that made his learning speed comparable - a pair of three-tomoe Sharingan. Even though Tobirama never fully trusted the Uchihas, this person was different. With a pure heart and a will to protect the village, he had found a place in Tobirama's team - Kagami Uchiha.
Although they were all friends, Danzo was quite jealous of both of them. Even though he was talented in his own right, they were simply better than him. There was no denying it, but he still considered them his friends.
The memory shifted, and they saw various missions where Kagami saved Danzo's and Hiruzen's lives many times with the help of his Sharingan. Though Danzo was grateful for Kagami's help, he began to think that if he had those eyes, he would be just as good as Kagami.
Finally, the memory that had the biggest impact on Danzo's mind played out:
Tobirama and his guard squad were sitting in a jungle, alert and ready to attack at a moment's notice. Tobirama said, "We will not be able to shake them off. It's impossible for all of us to reach the village."
The meaning behind his words was clear. A team of S-rank ninja, including the Gold and Silver Brothers, had been sent after Tobirama's life. This was a carefully planned attack. Someone had to stall the enemy so the Hokage and others could reach the village safely. Danzo wanted to volunteer for the sacrifice.
'Come on, don't be afraid... You can do it,' he thought to himself. But before he could act, he saw Kagami starting to raise his hand. Before Kagami could fully volunteer, Hiruzen spoke up:
"Lord Second, I will stall them for some time. Please return as quickly as you can." There was a smile on Hiruzen's face, as if he was happy to give his life for the village.
"Good," Tobirama replied. "Hiruzen, I appoint you as the next Hokage of Konohagakure. All of you will support Hiruzen from now on."