UTBW: Ch. 62

"Ah!!" Danzō screamed wildly, like a drowning man clutching at his last straw.

No one responded to him. The civilian jonin looked on coldly, and even some of the ninja clan jonin quietly curled their lips into sneers.

Koharu and Homura were stopped.

"Hurry and—" Hiruzen turned to his personal ANBU guards, but as he opened his mouth, his voice suddenly froze. He was stunned to find that the ANBU guards were deliberately avoiding his gaze.

In that instant, it felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.

Those ANBU guards had been personally selected by him. Even if he was no longer Hokage, shouldn't they still be loyal to him personally? Now they were avoiding his eyes, clearly not taking his orders anymore.

The ninja clans had abandoned him...

The civilians had abandoned him...

Even the ANBU had abandoned him...

Now, the only forces he could still command were probably just the Sarutobi clan and the Ino-Shika-Chō trio clans.

Realizing this, he was seized by a deep, unspeakable emotion. He had to take back his earlier assessment.

This Junichi wasn't just "similar" to Tobirama, he had already become just as terrifying as Tobirama himself!

Where did he learn such methods and cunning?!

Seeing that Danzō was about to have his bandages removed, he gritted his teeth, intending to make one last desperate attempt.

Danzō must have undergone some kind of transplant. He can't be exposed here.

Hiruzen turned to look at Guy, pleading desperately with his eyes.

In the crowd, Guy hesitated. He didn't want to get involved in this mess, but he owed Hiruzen many favors; the Third Hokage had always looked after him.

That sense of personal debt made him lift his foot, ready to move. But just as he stepped out, a booklet was thrown from afar, landing right at Guy's feet.

Clatter!

"Before you act, take a look at this," Junichi's voice rang out.

This action drew the attention of many onlookers.

"…"

Guy hesitated for a brief second, then carefully nudged the booklet up with his foot and picked it up to read.

He barely glanced at it, and his eyes widened in shock, his face contorting in furious anger. This sudden change in expression made Hiruzen's heart sink.

"I understand now," Guy said, withdrawing the foot he had stepped forward with. He then bowed respectfully to Junichi and said, "I will not interfere."

Boom!

For Hiruzen, this blow was no less than a thunderclap on a clear day. He stared at Guy in disbelief.

What in the world was in that booklet, that even Guy, who valued personal loyalty so deeply, was moved and disregarded all debts?!

"It's just Root's Wood Release research logs," Junichi said with a friendly smile, offering an explanation.

Wood Release research logs!?

It felt as if Hiruzen had been struck by lightning. He froze entirely.

Such an important thing had fallen into Uchiha hands, Danzō, you useless fool!

He was seething with rage.

Rip!

At that moment, Fugaku finally subdued Danzō and, with one hand, tore off the bandages from Danzō's right arm.

Instantly, everyone's gaze locked onto it.

A pale and well-formed arm was exposed to everyone. The color and texture of this arm stood in contrast to the rest of Danzō's skin. Moreover, there were distinct wood-like patterns on the arm.

A vibrant green sprout was growing from his shoulder, as if a tree were about to emerge from him.

Hiss—

Many people gasped sharply.

"It's real!"

"He actually transplanted the cells!"

"Disgusting!"

"You've truly gone insane!"

Danzō lay on the ground, motionless, his face ashen. At the moment his arm was exposed, everything was over.

"You actually..." Koharu stopped as well, her face complicated.

Homura looked at Danzō's right arm and let out a deep sigh. "I misjudged you."

They hadn't expected that Danzō would go to such extremes. Researching Wood Release wasn't enough, he had even experimented by grafting it onto his own body.

Splat, splat!

At the same time, two Root bodyguards were slain by Junichi. Their heads rolled to the ground.

"Danzō's desecration of the First Hokage's legacy has been proven beyond doubt," Junichi said with a smile, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "The First Hokage selflessly founded Konoha to protect everyone in the village. Therefore, I propose that we form a joint interrogation squad to interrogate him together, and uncover just how much filthy desecration he committed against the First Hokage's legacy!"

The assembled jonin fell into a slight silence. After a moment, many began to nod. No one objected.

For someone like Danzō, a joint interrogation was entirely justified!

Only Shikaku, hidden in the crowd, seemed to realize something, his face subtly changing.

"Wait!" Koharu suddenly spoke up. "I object! We agreed earlier that Danzō would be handed over to the Fifth Hokage for judgment."

"Yes, but that was regarding the Root base issue. Right now, we're talking about the desecration of the First Hokage," Junichi replied with a light chuckle.

Koharu immediately fell silent.

"I want to join the interrogation team," Homura said grimly.

"Almost forgot about the council," Junichi said, pointing at him casually. That small gesture made Homura break out in a cold sweat.

"Let's first discuss the interrogation." he stepped forward, hands behind his back, and said, "Considering the First Hokage was from the Senju clan... I propose that Lady Tsunade lead the interrogation team. Surely no one objects to that, right?"

The jonin all silently shook their heads. Koharu and Homura's faces darkened.

"Also, the Yamanaka clan specializes in interrogation techniques. In this matter, I hope the Yamanaka contribute to the village and to the First Hokage's honor. I propose that Inoichi act as the primary interrogator."

As these words fell, Inoichi's face instantly changed. His expression twitched; he looked like he wanted to say something. But beside him, Shikaku reached out and grabbed his arm, shaking his head.

Inoichi was bewildered.

This was an interrogation of Danzō, who was closely allied with the Third Hokage. And the Ino-Shika-Chō trio clans were traditional vassals of the Sarutobi clan. If they really extracted any dirt from Danzō, it would be seen as betraying the Sarutobi.

But if they failed to uncover anything, it would be a betrayal of Konoha and the First Hokage's ideals! No matter what, they would be seen as traitors!

"Agree to it," Shikaku said firmly, understanding the look in Inoichi's eyes.

Before Inoichi could say more, Junichi smiled warmly at him and said, "Clearly you have the ability, but if you refuse to contribute to the village, can I then assume that the Yamanaka are secretly allied with Danzō?"

A heavy accusation was laid upon him. Everyone's gazes shifted onto Inoichi. Under the weight of all those stares, he was under immense pressure.

"Accept it, Inoichi," came a weary voice after a long silence.

"Hokage-sama…?" Inoichi looked over in shock, only to see Hiruzen's face full of exhaustion, like a man who had completely burned out.