Chapter 158: The Dissolution of Root

This meeting clearly couldn't continue, and Minato Namikaze immediately announced its adjournment. The people in the conference room all stood up and left. Seeing that Uchiha Fugaku had also gone, Uchiha Yuan followed suit and exited the room.

Just as he was about to step out, Minato called out to him, "Yuan, wait a moment!"

"Does Hokage-sama have something else?" Uchiha Yuan asked.

"You personally experienced the matter in the Hidden Rain Village, and you gathered the evidence too. I'll need your help later, so stay for now."

Uchiha Yuan nodded and returned to his seat.

At this point, only seven people remained in the conference room: Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Yuan, Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Konoha's three senior advisors.

Minato glanced at the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the others, silently steeling himself—he couldn't show mercy this time. Danzo's Root was too great a threat. This was the time to strike, at the very least to paralyze Root!

Meanwhile, Danzo wore a grim expression as he stared at Uchiha Yuan.

If it hadn't been for that guy obstructing them in the Land of Rain, things would've gone smoothly. None of these complications would've occurred.

The Uchiha clan is truly damnable!

Sensing Danzo's gaze, Uchiha Yuan stood and said, "Lord Danzo, since you clearly don't want to see me, I might as well take the scroll out and show it to the other clans."

The Third Hokage quickly stepped in to mediate. "Yuan, Danzo didn't mean it that way. Don't be impulsive."

"Yuan, stop messing around! Lord Danzo is our senior—show him at least basic respect," Minato said with a hint of sarcasm.

Danzo's face grew even darker at that.

Uchiha Yuan gave a slight smile and sat back down.

The Third Hokage sighed and said to Minato, "Minato… I've known Danzo for many years. He's absolutely loyal to Konoha. I can vouch that he never intended to collude with the Hidden Rain."

Minato wasn't angry. He politely replied, "Lord Third, I respect Lord Danzo as well, but what he did this time really went too far."

"Hmph! I merely wanted to help Hanzo stabilize the situation. The Hidden Rain is our neighbor. If they're stable, that benefits us too. What's so excessive about that?" Danzo snorted.

Minato's expression darkened. "Lord Danzo, do you truly not know who you assisted Hanzo in attacking? Or are you just playing dumb?"

The Third Hokage was taken aback by Minato's words and immediately turned to look at Danzo.

Danzo's expression now also held some confusion.

"Minato Namikaze, you know those three from Akatsuki?" Danzo asked Minato directly.

Hearing Danzo call Minato by name, Uchiha Yuan frowned and activated his Sharingan to glare at Danzo. "Lord Danzo, how dare you address the Hokage so directly?"

The blood-red Sharingan in Yuan's eyes exerted enormous pressure on Danzo, reminding him of all the times he had nearly died at Yuan's hands in the Land of Rain.

Even the Third Hokage, dissatisfied with Danzo's rudeness, said nothing in his defense.

Faced with the pressure, Danzo had no choice but to back down. "O-old man misspoke. Hokage-sama, may I ask who those people were?"

Only then did Uchiha Yuan deactivate his Sharingan. Minato replied seriously, "From the end of the Second Shinobi World War until the start of the Third, Jiraiya-sensei stayed in the Land of Rain for three years. During that time, he taught three disciples. The three people you and Hanzo attacked were those very disciples."

The Third Hokage's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly confirmed with Minato, "Minato, is that true?"

Uchiha Yuan sneered. "Of course it's true. The three are named Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. All of them are disciples of Lord Jiraiya. Lord Orochimaru, you should know about them as well?"

Orochimaru nodded. "Jiraiya indeed stayed in the Land of Rain for a long time because of those three."

Hearing this, the Third Hokage glared at Danzo.

Danzo was stunned by the revelation, his face growing even darker. He had had no idea about the identities of Nagato and the others.

The Third Hokage was clearly caught off guard too. He hadn't expected Danzo to target Jiraiya's disciples—his grand-disciples.

"I… I didn't know anything about this. Besides, it was Hanzo who killed him!" (He thinks Yahiko is dead)

Danzo's excuse sounded weak and hollow. The Third Hokage looked at him and sighed. "Sigh… Danzo, you really went too far this time. I can't help you now.

As their grandmaster, I can't let my granddisciples who I have never met die with regrets! You'll have to face this on your own." With that, the Third Hokage stood and left.

Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, knowing this situation was a mess, left as well.

Orochimaru, eager to return to his experiments, also left once he saw others going.

Now only three people remained in the room.

Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Yuan exchanged a glance but said nothing.

A few minutes passed before Danzo could no longer stay silent. With a cold face, he said, "Things have come to this. I won't say more. Hokage-sama, state your terms."

Minato considered, then laid them out. "Danzo, I want you to agree to two things. First, Root is to be disbanded starting today. Only a small squad is permitted to remain for record-keeping purposes.

Second, please resign from your position as a Konoha advisor."

Danzo immediately stood up and exclaimed, "What?! That's impossible! Don't push your luck—"

"Lord Danzo," Uchiha Yuan interrupted, "I advise you to think carefully. If you refuse, I won't hesitate to reveal what's in the scroll. Lord Jiraiya will also soon know that his disciples died at your hands. Can you bear the consequences?"

Danzo's face grew even darker at those words. In the end, he sighed. "Fine. We'll do as you say. I lost this time. But you must destroy that scroll in front of me."

Upon hearing that, Uchiha Yuan summoned lightning in his hand and instantly incinerated the scroll.

Danzo snorted coldly and left the room with a blackened expression.

Seeing this, Minato breathed a sigh of relief. With that, the Root issue was resolved—more or less perfectly.

"Yuan, this time I truly owe you."

"No need for thanks, Hokage-sama. We're allies now. Helping each other is what we should do."

"That may be true, but I'd still feel uncomfortable not giving you something in return after all the help you've given me."

"In that case, Hokage-sama, teach me a couple of sealing techniques. I've recently taken an interest in fūinjutsu."

(To Be Continued...)