After collecting the Sharingan from the seven Uchiha shinobi, Sora gave the scroll to Snake to deliver to Danzō.
A few days later, seven glass bottles containing pairs of Sharingan sat on Danzō's table. A smile never left his face as he examined them.
"He's quite resolute," Danzō murmured. "But I like that. He's much more obedient than that Orochimaru."
News of Sora killing seven Uchiha in the Land of Waves had already reached Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The Hokage's first reaction was confusion. His second was concern that Sora's mind might be unhinged. He had instructed Sora to keep the Uchiha shinobi in check, not to provoke their hatred.
As expected, Uchiha Masaki soon came to see Sarutobi Hiruzen with urgent business.
Masaki voiced his complaints immediately, stating that Uchiha shinobi had been risking their lives fighting enemies since the beginning of the war, yet Sora had killed their clansmen so ruthlessly. This was completely unacceptable, and he hoped the Hokage would punish Sora severely.
Sarutobi Hiruzen could only offer words of comfort to Uchiha Masaki, but said nothing about punishing Sora. Though Sora had gone too far this time, he was an excellent operative. Without Sora, finding someone equally capable would be extremely difficult.
Uchiha Masaki clearly saw that the Hokage planned to let the matter slide, but he was determined to have Sora removed from his command position and punished. After all, his son Uchiha Fugaku was also in the Land of Waves. What if Sora decided to kill Fugaku next?
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was developing a headache from the situation, Danzō arrived with a forceful presence.
As soon as he entered the office, Danzō threw a stack of documents in front of Uchiha Masaki without saying a word.
Masaki frowned at the papers on the table. "What is this?" he asked.
"What is this?" Danzō replied coldly. "You'll know if you look at it yourself."
Uchiha Masaki opened the file and began reading. His expression grew darker with each page.
The files detailed various infractions committed by Uchiha shinobi on different battlefields—attacking comrades, disobeying orders, and other serious violations.
Just as Masaki was about to speak, Danzō interrupted forcefully. "Are you going to question the authenticity of these documents? My people conducted these investigations. If you doubt them, I can send Root operatives to bring these shinobi back for questioning. You can ask them personally whether these incidents are true."
Masaki opened his mouth, but Danzō's words left him without a response.
"Of course I'm not questioning the authenticity of these documents, Lord Danzō," Masaki finally said. "I will discipline our clan members strictly. The current issue, however, is Sora's actions in the Land of Waves..."
Danzō interrupted again. "Strict discipline? Discipline should happen behind closed doors in your Uchiha compound. The battlefield is not a place for it! Do you realize how much trouble your Uchiha shinobi have caused during combat operations?
"There were multiple occasions when Konoha shinobi could have secured victory, but because your Uchiha members created problems, we missed perfect opportunities. Do you understand how much we've lost because of this?"
Danzō slammed his fist on the table.
The loud noise made Uchiha Masaki's heart skip a beat.
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but smile inwardly. Danzō had arrived at the perfect time, and with just a few words, he had completely redirected the conflict.
Danzō sat in the chair next to Sarutobi Hiruzen, crossed his arms, and stared intensely at Uchiha Masaki. "Now, what were you saying happened with Sora in the Land of Waves?"
Masaki now understood that Danzō was here to defend Sora.
Had Danzō not presented these documents, Masaki would have been more confident in his position. Now, his stance had weakened considerably.
But having come this far, Masaki could only press on. "Sora killed seven of our Uchiha shinobi in the Land of Waves, including one Jōnin. This is unacceptable behavior. I hope Lord Hokage will punish Sora severely!"
Danzō pointed to the stack of documents in front of Masaki. "You haven't read the last document yet, Chief Masaki. Read it first."
Masaki's eye twitched as he opened the final document and began reading.
Sure enough, it related directly to the incident in the Land of Waves.
After finishing, Masaki took a deep breath and said, "Although they may have been wrong, death is not an appropriate punishment. Sora's order was unreasonable. Does he expect our Uchiha shinobi to blindly march to their deaths?
"Moreover, Kazuo only raised reasonable concerns, but Sora killed him immediately—a Jōnin—without hesitation. If Kazuo had done something wrong, Lord Hokage should have been the one to determine his punishment. By acting this way, Sora showed complete disregard for Lord Hokage's authority."
Danzō pulled out another document and tossed it in front of Masaki with a smile. "Take a look at this one as well."
Masaki was nearly numb at this point. Why couldn't Danzō just speak plainly instead of continually presenting documents?
Nevertheless, he opened the file and read through it.
After reading this document, Masaki's expression turned sour.
The document detailed Sora's accomplishments—from his early collaboration with Orochimaru in Yu no Kuni that successfully advanced the front lines, to his numerous other achievements, both major and minor.
"Have you finished reading, Chief Masaki?" Danzō asked. "In the past few years, almost every operation Sora has been involved with has succeeded. All of his decisions have maximized Konoha's interests.
"The order Sora gave must have been carefully considered, but Uchiha Kazuo, without knowing the full situation, directly questioned Sora's command and incited other Uchiha shinobi to do the same.
"If Sora, as the commander, had compromised, how could he maintain authority and command respect? This is a battlefield! If no one follows Sora's orders, how can he effectively fight the enemy?
"Chief Masaki, do you still think Uchiha Kazuo should not have been killed? Should those Uchiha shinobi who stirred up doubt about Sora's leadership be spared?"
Uchiha Masaki broke out in a cold sweat.
His purpose today—to convince Sarutobi Hiruzen to punish Sora—was clearly failing.
Seeing that Masaki remained silent, Danzō pressed more aggressively. "Chief Masaki? Tell me! Was Sora right or wrong to do what he did?!"
Masaki found himself in a dilemma. He had come to cause trouble for Sora, but now Danzō was forcing him to admit that Sora had been justified in killing members of his clan.
At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen interjected cheerfully, "That's enough, Danzō. Chief Masaki came to express his concerns to me, and I do believe Sora went a bit too far. When someone makes a mistake, a lesser punishment would suffice. Such extreme measures aren't always necessary.
"Don't worry, Chief Masaki," the Hokage continued. "I will certainly speak with Sora and ask him to show more restraint in the future."
----------------
📢 New Fanfic Alert!
I'm excited to announce my brand-new Soul Land fanfiction:✨ Soul Land: Full Body Martial Soul ✨
Dive into a fresh take on the Soul Land universe, where the protagonist awakens an extremely rare Full Body Martial Soul, reshaping the balance of power in Douluo Continent! 🔥
If you enjoy action-packed cultivation, deep character development, and twists that stay true to the original while breaking new ground, you won't want to miss this!
👉 Available now on Webnovel!Please check it out, leave a review, add to your library, and support it with power stones if you enjoy it—it really helps me continue writing daily updates for you all! 🙏