Uchiha Masaki breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Sarutobi Hiruzen was offering him a way out of the situation.
"Thank you for your understanding, Hokage-sama. I'll take my leave now," Masaki said with a bow.
As he stood up and turned to leave, Danzō's gloomy voice came from behind him. "Chief Masaki, please control your clan members. The battlefield is for fighting enemies, not for questioning orders!
"Any discipline should be handled behind closed doors in your compound. If you fail to discipline your people properly, someone else inevitably will. And when others must discipline them because you've failed to do so, don't come complaining. It reflects poorly on you as a leader.
"As the largest shinobi clan in Konoha, shouldn't the Uchiha be setting an example for others?"
Uchiha Masaki's fists clenched tightly, anger surging through him with nowhere to vent.
"I understand, Danzō-sama," he replied in a strained voice before leaving without looking back.
After Masaki had gone, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. "Danzō, your timing was perfect."
Danzō snorted coldly. "I've been having Root monitor the Uchiha. When I saw Masaki heading here, I knew exactly what he intended to do."
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "But Sora did go too far this time. Danzō, I think—"
Danzō interrupted the Hokage just as he had interrupted Masaki earlier. "Don't tell me you actually plan to punish Sora. Think carefully about why we sent him to the Land of Waves and why we deployed nearly a hundred Uchiha shinobi there in the first place!
"Sora is executing our plan exactly as intended, and he's doing it well. Yes, his methods are somewhat extreme, but aren't the results exactly what we wanted? Uchiha Masaki was desperate enough to come directly to you, demanding Sora's punishment. That shows it's working, doesn't it?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face grew serious as he considered this.
Inwardly, Danzō felt nothing but disdain for the Hokage.
He knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen was once again being indecisive. The man had wanted to address the Uchiha situation, yet now he was weighing the pros and cons, worried about potential resistance from the clan.
If he was going to worry about every consequence, why send Sora to lead the Uchiha in the first place? This hesitation was unbefitting of a Hokage.
'Lord Tobirama, you were wrong, absolutely wrong,' Danzō thought to himself. 'Hiruzen is entirely unsuited to be Hokage. I am the one who should hold that position!'
Danzō lowered his eyes slightly. "Hiruzen, you must understand Sora's importance in our strategy.
"If you punish him, you're essentially saying you don't approve of his actions. This will make him hesitant in everything he does in the future. If you assign him a task, you must trust him to execute it—otherwise, what's the point?
"However, you can publicly criticize Sora, but make sure to tell the complete story. This way, you give Uchiha Masaki the explanation he wants while also warning the other Uchiha shinobi about the consequences of disobedience. Let them direct their hatred at Sora—I'll explain the situation to him later.
"Hiruzen, I hope you understand that the Uchiha issue cannot be postponed until after the war. We must address it now, or the consequences will be disastrous.
"The fact that Masaki came directly to you, practically demanding that you punish Sora, shows he's trying to force your hand. Consider what you'll do if he continues to pressure you like this in the future."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was conflicted.
Danzō's words had struck a chord. As Hokage, he could never allow anyone to force his decisions.
His eyes flashed with cold resolve. "Very well. We'll proceed as you suggest."
Seeing that the Hokage had agreed, Danzō left the building without another word.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Waves, Sora had already joined the battle.
After Uchiha Kazuo's death, only 19 of the original 20 teams remained, spread out across the region to hunt down Kirigakure shinobi.
True to his word, Sora fought on the front lines, while Nara Kubota managed operations at the rear base.
Today, Sora received a letter from Danzō.
After reading it, his lips curved into a contemptuous smile.
"Public criticism? That certainly sounds like Sarutobi Hiruzen's style. He doesn't want to offend anyone. But it seems Danzō has taken a liking to me."
In the letter, Danzō explained that the Hokage had initially planned to punish Sora, but Danzō had intervened, ensuring that Sora would only receive a formal reprimand.
Sora burned the letter and returned to battle.
A month passed.
During this time, under the relentless assault of the Uchiha shinobi, the Kirigakure forces were finally suppressed.
The Uchiha suffered heavy casualties, but the Kirigakure shinobi suffered even worse. In direct combat, it typically took two Kirigakure shinobi to match one Uchiha.
After a month of intense fighting, only about 40 of the original 91 Uchiha shinobi remained.
Having witnessed Sora's overwhelming strength firsthand, even the most cautious Uchiha had become obedient. They now didn't dare raise their heads when they saw Sora approaching.
By this point, there were very few Kirigakure shinobi left in the Land of Waves, making encounters increasingly rare.
When Sora and the remaining Uchiha returned to Konoha's base, he issued an order for a full-scale attack. All Konoha shinobi joined the battle with the intention of completely eliminating the remaining Kirigakure forces in the Land of Waves.
Every Konoha shinobi at the base dispersed, beginning a final sweep to eliminate any remaining enemy forces.
A few days later, in a forest clearing, three young Genin found themselves in grave danger.
Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu stood frozen as they faced seven intimidating figures.
"We're surrounded!" Genma exclaimed, looking at the powerful shinobi who had encircled them.
Guy's expression turned desperate. "There's no way to escape."
Ebisu's eyes widened with fear. "Aren't those... the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"
Jūzō Biwa grinned, revealing sharp teeth. "I didn't expect brats from Konoha to recognize us. Seems we've become quite famous."
He carried his massive Kubikiribōchō blade on his shoulder. "Oh, there's a small chip in the blade. I need to make it drink some blood so the iron can regenerate!"
Guy, Genma, and Ebisu were at a loss. They couldn't hope to defeat even one of the Seven Swordsmen, let alone all seven together.
"What should we do? There's no way we can win this fight," Ebisu whispered.
Just as the three were contemplating their inevitable defeat, a green figure descended from the sky, landing in front of them with a powerful impact.
It was Guy's father, Might Duy.
Duy exhaled with relief. "Thank goodness I made it in time!"
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