"Wen Lan!"
Everyone present turned pale at his words, and Minato even barked a low reprimand.
The Fire Daimyō's pupils shrank sharply. He clenched his fan until it creaked.
"You dare commit regicide?!"
"Why not?" Wen Lan sneered, his left thumb nudging the tsuba, exposing a sliver of gleaming blade.
"You're nothing more than a nominal ruler of the Land of Fire.
"I let you sit there, so you get to sit peacefully.
If I don't—do you really think these trash-tier guards of yours could stop me?"
A flash of steel cut through the air.
With a sharp crack, the Daimyō's fan split cleanly in two, fragments scattering everywhere.
The Daimyō staggered back, his chair screeching against the floor, face drained of all color.
"The Uchiha's Sharingan genjutsu is unrivaled—this you know very well.
I don't even bother wasting chakra on you. One look is enough to trap you in endless illusion, never to return.
"Your so-called power and status are a joke.
If you won't obey, I can always replace you with someone who will."
"Wen Lan! What do you think you're doing—rebelling?!"
Koharu Utatane slammed the table and shouted.
Wen Lan snapped his gaze toward her.
In the next instant, Koharu froze in place. Her pupils went unfocused, cold sweat pouring down her face—
Wen Lan's Sharingan had already activated, genjutsu flooding her consciousness like a tide.
She collapsed back into her chair, gasping for air as if pulled from deep water, face deathly pale.
Wen Lan slowly withdrew his gaze and swept his eyes across the room, then turned back to the Daimyō and spoke calmly:
"Konoha's funding will not be reduced.
Not only that—it will be doubled.
"I've said my piece.
Do you agree, or do you object?"
The Daimyō trembled. His lips quivered, but no sound came out.
Dead silence filled the hall, broken only by the faint whisper of wind through the pillars.
After a long moment, he nodded stiffly, sweat dripping from his temples onto the broken fan handle.
Wen Lan narrowed his eyes slightly and sheathed his blade.
He knew that with this single step, the shadow of the Uchiha had fully fallen over the political heart of the Land of Fire.
From this day on, no one would dare meet his eyes directly.
Minato Namikaze did not approve of Wen Lan's methods, but the results were undeniable.
He couldn't bring himself to rebuke him.
Minato understood clearly—Wen Lan was a double-edged sword.
One that would never turn on its wielder…
but left unchecked, could one day bring calamity.
At that moment, a figure suddenly appeared at the entrance to the council chamber.
An ANBU ninja.
He dropped to one knee and reported urgently, "Hokage-sir—Advisor Danzō has escaped from prison!"
Every pupil in the room constricted violently.
Wen Lan spun around, Sharingan locking onto the ANBU, his voice colder than a blade of ice:
"Escaped? How?"
The ANBU instinctively glanced at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen gave a slight nod.
The ANBU continued, "We don't know. Two Uchiha jōnin guarding the prison suddenly fell unconscious and haven't awakened yet.
Investigation suggests they were hit by genjutsu.
"Danzō's cell is completely intact—no signs of battle.
The locks are undamaged.
It's as if he vanished into thin air."
Wen Lan's eyes turned icy.
Genjutsu capable of incapacitating Uchiha jōnin with three-tomoe Sharingan…
and extracting someone without a sound.
Only one name came to mind—
Uchiha Obito.
Mangekyō Sharingan versus three-tomoe was like a father beating his child.
And coupled with Obito's space-time dōjutsu—
But where could Danzō have gone?
More importantly—why would Obito help Danzō?
Wen Lan's thoughts raced.
Who did Danzō hate the most right now?
—Him.
What did Danzō want to destroy?
The Uchiha.
With no power base left, only remnants of Root hiding in the shadows, Danzō alone posed little threat.
Unless… he borrowed external power.
But Obito had never allied with Danzō in the original timeline.
Danzō should have been worthless to Obito.
Unless—
The plan.
Wen Lan's eyes widened.
The Eye of the Moon Plan had one absolutely crucial element—
The Rinnegan.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Danzō conspired with Hanzō of the Salamander to wipe out the original Akatsuki.
Yahiko died by Nagato's hand.
In his rage, Nagato summoned the Gedo Statue, awakening the true power of the Rinnegan.
Only the clan heads present at the time and those in the Hokage Building knew Danzō had been imprisoned.
That meant Danzō could still bluff—using the title of Hokage's Advisor to approach Hanzō.
His objective would be clear:
The Rinnegan.
With the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths, Danzō would believe himself invincible.
Wen Lan suddenly realized something even more terrifying—
He had forgotten Nagato and the others.
Because of Wen Lan's actions against Kirigakure and his display of Kage-level strength, Iwagakure's movements slowed compared to canon.
The Earth Country front ended earlier than it should have.
Which meant—
Yahiko might still be alive.
If Nagato could be brought under his banner…
Wen Lan turned sharply to Naori and Shisui.
"Naori. Shisui. With me!"
He bolted out immediately.
Everyone present instantly realized one thing—
Wen Lan probably knew where Danzō was.
Hiruzen shouted at once, "Follow him! If necessary—keep Danzō alive!"
Five ANBU vanished in an instant, shadows chasing shadows.
Minato moved to follow—but Hiruzen stopped him.
"Minato. You're about to become Hokage. This isn't the time."
Minato paused, then anxiety flashed in his eyes.
"Hokage-sir, I have to go. Wen Lan is the son of an old comrade—I must protect him."
With that, he vanished in a flash, racing after Wen Lan.
Minato trusted Wen Lan's strength, but the ANBU's description of Danzō's disappearance was too strange.
Something felt wrong.
Wen Lan tore through the forest at breakneck speed, wind screaming past his ears.
When a golden flash appeared beside him, Wen Lan was momentarily startled.
"Master Minato? Why are you here?"
"I don't trust you to act with restraint," Minato replied quietly.
"You're too reckless."
Wen Lan curled his lips.
"I'm not Hokage. I don't need to worry about all that."
"You know where Danzō is?" Minato asked, ignoring the jab.
"I have a theory," Wen Lan replied, eyes sharp.
"Danzō himself is just a bonus.
"The real objective…
is three other people."
—------------------------------
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