met free Chapter 199 Alliance
Chapter 199 Alliance
Danzo's face grew increasingly grim. He gritted his teeth and said, "Uchiha Fugaku, don't think I don't know your plans. You've secretly colluded with the Hyuga clan, attempting to overthrow the order of Konoha!"
Fugaku Uchiha frowned slightly, feeling deeply wronged and helpless. "Lord Danzo, this is a baseless accusation. Our Uchiha clan has always been the loyal protectors of Konoha, and the Hyuga clan is also a Konoha family. How can there be any talk of collusion?" he replied calmly.
This statement resonated with the Uchiha and Hyuga clansmen, who echoed it, their emotions growing increasingly agitated. The scene gradually spiraled out of control, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.
Seeing this, Danzo knew he couldn't let the situation escalate any further. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I am now ordering you, in my capacity as Konoha's assistant, to stop the Uchiha clan ninjas, or face the consequences!" With that, he glared fiercely at Uchiha Fugaku.
Fugaku Uchiha simply shook his head slightly, speaking casually, "Maintaining the security of Konoha is the duty of our Security Department. Upon my arrival, I issued orders for all Konoha members to immediately cease hostilities, but they showed no sign of stopping. Not only that, they dared to openly attack members of the Hyuga clan of Konoha. Our Security Department naturally bears the responsibility of protecting the Konoha clan. As for these daring ANBU members, since they launched a surprise attack on the Hyuga clan, our Security Department was determined to capture them. However, these petty villains resisted stubbornly, refusing to surrender. Our Security Department had no choice but to take drastic measures to eliminate future troubles and severely punish these madmen and bandits who attacked the Konoha clan! As for the Hokage's orders, I'm sorry, I have no idea that the Hokage's assistant has the authority to order the Konoha Security Department. Please, Assistant Hokage, obtain the Hokage's warrant before issuing orders to us."
At this moment, Shimura Danzo's face was grim, his eyes constantly scanning back and forth between Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku. In truth, he already knew that he wouldn't be able to defeat the Hyuga clan today, regardless of whether the Uchiha clan came or not. Without Sarutobi Hiruzen's support, relying solely on the Root ninja, they had little chance unless the Hyuga clan surrendered. Moreover, today's battle with the Hyuga clan had made Shimura Danzo realize a significant problem.
The Hyuga clan's strength far exceeded his expectations. His Root ninjas were mostly elite, with even the weakest being Chunin, and several Jonin. Yet, when facing the Hyuga clan, he found himself at a disadvantage in one-on-one combat, even the Jonin failing to defeat a single Hyuga ninja. Keep in mind, the Hyuga clan head, Hiashi, hadn't even made a move yet; Hiashi had instantly injured an entire Root squad in the Hokage's office, his strength far exceeding that of a Jonin.
Judging from the current situation, the Hyuga clan's hidden strength is far greater than what is visible on the surface. This clan isn't known for its powerful fighting abilities, yet it has survived for over a thousand years, undoubtedly concealing many unknown secrets and hidden depths. Today, the Root unit I've led may have only scratched the surface; to completely unveil the clan's mysteries, my current strength is unlikely to suffice. I originally hoped to conquer the Hyuga clan through a meticulously planned scheme, but now that hope seems extremely slim. The only way now seems to be for the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to personally intervene and mobilize the entire Hidden Leaf Village's forces to possibly breach the Hyuga clan's defenses. However, with the Uchiha clan's involvement, things have become increasingly complicated. Considering Hiruzen Sarutobi's cowardly nature, he probably won't dare to take any further action against the Hyuga clan so easily.
Danzo Shimura was acutely aware of his predicament. Even before receiving any reinforcements from Konoha, he knew he had been outmaneuvered by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen wanted his Root unit to test the Hyuga clan's strength and resources. If the Hyuga clan were weak and easily manipulated by his Root unit, Hiruzen's main force would likely have already arrived and taken the clan members into custody. However, the Hyuga clan's strength far exceeded his expectations, and he would immediately become the scapegoat, accused of attacking a Konoha clan without authorization. But based on his understanding of Hiruzen, he knew he wouldn't be harmed; at most, he would temporarily relinquish power and be confined at home for a while. Hiruzen knew perfectly well that he had personally trained Root, and only he could command them; therefore, he would only maintain a low profile for a period.
If the current situation continues, it will only increase the number of Root ninja casualties. There is absolutely no chance of taking down the Hyuga clan. On the contrary, it will allow the Uchiha clan to gain the friendship of the Hyuga clan.
After giving Hyuga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku a vicious glare, Shimura Danzo immediately ordered the Root ninja to retreat. Before leaving, he solemnly told Hyuga Hiashi, "Everything I've done is for Konoha. You Hyuga clan, you'd better watch yourselves!" With that, he leaned on his cane and left, the Root ninjas following him quickly, carrying the bodies of their fallen, disappearing into Hyuga territory. In just under ten minutes of fighting, more than twenty Root ninjas had already perished, almost all at the hands of Uchiha clan ninjas.
The Uchiha clan, having been suppressed for so long, finally received the order from their clan head to act freely, and naturally, they were determined to attack the Root ninjas with all their might. The level of hostility between the two sides far surpassed that of the Hyuga clan; once they clashed, they immediately went for the kill, as if they considered each other mortal enemies, fighting to the death. The Uchiha clan truly lived up to its reputation as the most powerful fighting clan in the ninja world; in one-on-one combat, the Root ninjas were simply no match for their ferocious offensive.
The previously tense atmosphere dissipated completely with the retreat of the Root ninja. The Hyuga clan members began cleaning up the battlefield. Hyuga Hiashi, however, looked at Uchiha Fugaku, awaiting his terms. He knew the Uchiha clan's intervention wasn't for nothing; they must have some ulterior motive. After all, by helping the Hyuga clan, the Uchiha clan had truly offended several high-ranking members of Konoha. Although their relationship wasn't entirely harmonious, it hadn't reached the point of open conflict. Today, their direct attack on Root to help the Hyuga clan clearly indicated they had a demand.
Fugaku Uchiha didn't waste any words, directly expressing the Uchiha clan's purpose and attitude in their intervention to Hiashi Hyuga. "Clan Head Hiashi," he said, "I think you are well aware of the predicament our clans are in. The constant pressure from the Konoha leadership has pushed even the most powerful Konoha clans to the brink of danger. Today it's your Hyuga clan, tomorrow it could be my Uchiha clan. I believe our two clans must unite now to face the impending crisis. What do you say?"
Looking at Fugaku Uchiha's sincere expression, Hiashi Hyuga knew that the latter genuinely wanted to join forces with the Hyuga clan to resist the pressure from the Konoha leadership. However, he never imagined that the unruly Uchiha clan had been forced to seek allies; this showed the immense pressure they were under. It made sense, though. The Konoha leadership had been relentlessly targeting the Uchiha clan, even to the point of fanaticism. They had not only forced the Uchiha clan to relocate from their stronghold to a remote area, but also openly monitored their activities. Even their authority in the security forces had been undermined by the Konoha leadership through the Anbu. They had also manipulated public opinion to isolate the Uchiha clan, rendering this once-powerful clan of Konoha unrecognizable as a Konoha clan—a situation far more dire than that of the Hyuga clan.
However, it was precisely because the Uchiha clan was being so severely targeted by the Konoha leadership that Hiashi Hyuga was so wary. Although Danzo Shimura had attacked the Hyuga clan today, the fact that only Danzo's Root ninja were present indicated that Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't yet made up his mind to target the Hyuga clan as he had the Uchiha clan, leaving room for maneuver. Furthermore, Hiashi firmly believed that if Kanan Hyuga returned to Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi would unhesitatingly abandon his current plans against the Hyuga clan. If an alliance with the Uchiha clan were successfully formed, the Konoha leadership would certainly not easily abandon their schemes against the Hyuga clan. Perhaps while Kanan Hyuga remained in Konoha, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly or out of line, but Hiashi knew perfectly well that Kanan Hyuga couldn't possibly stay in Konoha for long, and even his return to Konoha was completely unexpected. Forming an alliance with the Uchiha clan means sharing the immense pressure the Uchiha clan is currently facing, which puts Hiashi Hyuga in a dilemma, leaving him hesitant and indecisive.
However, the Uchiha clan's proactive assistance in resolving the Hyuga clan's crisis today was a debt of gratitude he found difficult to forgive. Having already accepted their help, how could he ignore their need for assistance? This would damage the Hyuga clan's reputation, deterring other clans from forming alliances with them and leading them to perceive the Hyuga clan as heartless and ungrateful.
Fugaku Uchiha also noticed Hiashi Hyuga's hesitation, and he was well aware of Hiashi's concerns. Hiruzen Sarutobi's lack of action to help Danzo Shimura today indicated that Hiashi didn't yet have the resolve to target the Hyuga clan. If Hiashi allied with the Uchiha clan, the situation would be different; they would have to share the pressure the Uchiha clan was currently facing—not an easy decision to make. After all, Hiashi had to consider the consequences for the entire clan and couldn't make a hasty decision. But Fugaku believed Hiashi would eventually understand: not targeting the Hyuga clan now didn't mean not targeting them later. As the Uchiha clan was continuously weakened, the Hyuga clan would eventually be affected. Hiashi, the head of the Hyuga clan, would surely understand this.