Uchiha Takeshi actually awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan!?
Just as Takeshi expected, Hiruzen Sarutobi, that old fox, was indeed observing their conversation through a crystal ball.
After all, he had been Hokage for so long.
He still had that much caution.
His turning a blind eye to Danzo was only because he felt he owed Danzo.
After all, the two of them were like Konoha bathed in sunlight and the Roots buried deep underground.
Whenever there was a shady operation, Hiruzen Sarutobi would always seek out Danzo Shimura.
He would make him take the blame.
Hiruzen Sarutobi truly couldn't do without Danzo Shimura!
Inside the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was grave.
Although he had long been wary of and paying attention to Takeshi, he still hadn't expected him to be able to awaken those legendary eyes so early.
In his memory, Uchiha Madara had used those eyes to contend and battle with the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.
In his opinion, those were dangerous and violent eyes, a threat to the Village's safety, and needed to be dealt with.
"It seems I need to find Danzo..."
He stopped mid-sentence, realizing that Danzo was currently confronting Takeshi, so he couldn't let him take the blame yet.
So he continued to watch the scene in the crystal ball.
"What? Kagami's disappearance is actually related to Danzo?"
Upon seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened instantly.
Uchiha Kagami, like them, had once served as a member of the Second Hokage's elite guard unit.
He was one of the few who were not bound by narrow tribalism.
In his eyes, Kagami was different from other Uchiha; he was wise, extremely calm in his actions, loved the Village more than anyone, and was an Uchiha who could sacrifice everything for the Village.
If he were still alive, he could definitely have become a bridge for communication between the Uchiha and the Village.
It was a pity he died young; at the time, he had even grieved for him for a while.
But he never expected that it was his old comrade who had offed him.
"Danzo, you're muddled!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi lamented.
But what was done was done, and it couldn't be changed.
He took a deep puff from his pipe, "The most urgent task is to first resolve Takeshi's matter..."
In his view, the greatest threat to the Village now was Takeshi, who had awakened the Mangekyo.
As for Danzo killing Uchiha Kagami... that was an unavoidable matter.
The dead cannot be brought back to life.
And Danzo was his old comrade; he couldn't possibly act against him, at most... a warning.
"Why are you out?"
The Root member guarding the door looked at Takeshi, who walked out as if nothing had happened, and felt a jolt of surprise.
"I saw that your Lord Danzo was asleep, so I came out," Takeshi casually fabricated.
"Asleep?"
The Root member frowned slightly.
Takeshi ignored him, and taking advantage of the other party's distraction, he turned and left.
His purpose in coming this time was, first, to gather intelligence, and second, to give Danzo a warning.
Now that both objectives had been achieved, he naturally couldn't stay here any longer.
"Lord Danzo?"
The Root member who pushed open the door and entered softly called out to Danzo, who was frozen in place.
But Danzo still didn't react, as if he had been frozen, unmoving.
"Lord Danzo? Lord Danzo, you're finally awake..."
After a while, Danzo recovered, his eyes bloodshot, and he began to gasp for air, utterly exhausted, his forehead covered in sweat.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo—"
"Where... where did that evil Uchiha brat go?"
As soon as he broke free from the temporal genjutsu, Danzo began to look for Takeshi.
"He... he left."
"Left?"
"Ye... yes."
"Damn it!"
Danzo slammed his fist on the ground, but it didn't budge, and he instantly felt depleted, truly without an ounce of strength left.
That feeling of spending time in nothingness was truly terrifying.
It had almost completely eroded his will.
His body was unable to move, only his mind remained clear.
He had remained in that state for a full three months!
The exact time was a bit blurry to him, but at least in his perception, three months had passed.
This kind of suffering was no different from the water torture.
It's when you are tied down and immobilized, and a dripping water device is placed above your forehead, allowing each drop of water to fall on the same spot on your forehead.
You cannot sleep, because each time you are about to fall asleep, a drop of water will wake you up.
You cannot die, because the amount of water dropped each time is very small, not enough to cause death.
This is a form of physiological and psychological torment that makes people wish they were dead, leading to a complete mental breakdown.
To be honest, Takeshi had actually shown mercy; he hadn't gone too hard on Danzo, just in case he was driven insane, and Hiruzen Sarutobi came to bother him.
"Uchiha Takeshi..."
Danzo Shimura glared with bloodshot eyes, his expression hideous, "This old man will never let you off!"
It seemed Takeshi's warning was completely useless to him.
Time came to the afternoon.
By now, the maple forest had gathered quite a few young couples again, with Takeshi and Kushina sitting on a bench under a tree.
Kushina held Anko dango in her hands, her mouth full, making her already somewhat plump face look even rounder, truly adorable.
"Mmm... Takeshi... Mmm... are we not having a picnic... Mmm... today?"
Saying that, she stuffed another skewer into her mouth.
"Slow down."
Takeshi couldn't help but remind her.
"No picnic today."
"Mmm... Actually, I wasn't that keen on a picnic either."
She felt that just being with Takeshi like this was quite nice.
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
Takeshi thought for a moment, then suddenly blurted out.
"Huh?"
Kushina's hands paused, and she felt bewildered: "Leaving? Leaving for where?"
"To the front lines."
Takeshi looked up at the sky and explained, "Hokage-sama wants us Uchiha to go to war."
"But we just graduated... we're not even Genin yet."
Kushina put down her Anko dango, feeling unhappy.
"That's just a title."
Takeshi smiled and said, "Our strength has long surpassed that standard, you should know that."
"Can't... can't you not go?"
Kushina lowered her head, her small hands on her lap clenching slightly.
"I'm afraid not."
If he didn't go, Nawaki would surely die.
And if Nawaki died, Orochimaru's mentality would collapse, then he would embark on the path of immortality, and finally defect from Konoha.
Tsunade would be heartbroken and sad, submitting a proposal for medical Ninja, being provoked by the blue-haired brat, then developing hemophobia, and leaving Konoha.
A series of terrible things would all be triggered.
He had to admit, Danzo's scheme this time had actually helped him.
If he hadn't made the Uchiha suddenly go to war, Takeshi wouldn't have been able to go to the front lines with them.
In that case, he would have had to find an excuse to sneak over by himself, which would have been incredibly troublesome.
But with Danzo's intervention, all problems were solved.
He really should thank that old fox.
"But if I leave, won't there be no one to bother you anymore? Isn't that good?"
Takeshi turned to look at Kushina, teasing her with a smile.
"You... you... you idiot!"
Kushina was so angry that she stood up and stomped on him several times.
"Ow, no, what did I do to provoke you this time?"
Watching Kushina's retreating back, Takeshi looked speechless.
He looked down at his stomped foot, and on a whim, subconsciously said:
"Too bad it wasn't stomped by black stockings."