Chapter 105: Exposing Danzo’s Treason — The Sarutobi Clan Strikes Back

"All right! It's good that you're sure of it," Orochimaru nodded, his voice half serious, half amused—though internally, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the future fate of Tobirama Senju.

Then, with a curious look, he added,"I understand when you say the decline of the Senju clan is linked to the Third Hokage and Danzo. But... was Uchiha Kagami really killed by Danzo and his men? He was their mentor—Danzo's own comrade! Tsk! What black hearts Danzo and my own teacher must have had…"

Realizing this truth, Orochimaru suddenly felt justified in his betrayal. Standing beside Gin now felt less like treason and more like justice. When the time came to confront Hiruzen Sarutobi, he could do so with a clear conscience.

"That's right," Gin said firmly. "One Mangekyō Sharingan from Kagami was found in Danzo's right eye socket, and the other—at his Root base."

He reached into a spatial seal and withdrew two sealed test tubes, each containing a preserved, blood-suspended eye. He held them out before Orochimaru.

"These… are Mangekyō Sharingan?" Orochimaru stepped closer, greed and awe flaring in his golden eyes. "Magnificent. Gin-kun, may I take them for research?"

It was no surprise he was excited. Though Orochimaru had not yet developed his infamous obsession with the Sharingan, the unique and forbidden nature of the eyes called to his curiosity like moth to flame.

Gin, however, quickly withdrew the tubes under Orochimaru's disappointed gaze.

"I still need to study them," Gin said flatly. "I must first determine whether I can replicate the techniques of the Mangekyō Sharingan. I can't let you risk damaging them. But if your research work satisfies me, I have a few sets of three-tomoe Sharingan. I'll give you some of those for study."

"Perhaps Orochimaru might discover something useful," Gin thought.

"Deal!" Orochimaru's eyes lit up. Three-tomoe Sharingan were more than sufficient. He wasn't picky—not when it came to power.

"Good. I hope you become Hokage soon and form that research division," Orochimaru grinned, rubbing his hands eagerly. "I can't wait any longer!"

Over the next few hours, Orochimaru pressed Gin for details about the future and even insisted on visiting the pirate world Gin had established. After a brief exploratory tour, they returned and immediately summoned the Jonin council.

Gin stood at the center of the room and addressed them.

"Gentlemen," he began.

Before he could continue, Tsunade rose from her seat, her expression deadly serious as she scanned the room.

"During the recent rescue operation," she declared, "the Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha clans not only saved several patrol teams, including Gin's unit—but my student, Gin, personally killed over 2,000 elite Ame shinobi and slew Hanzo the Salamander with a single lightning technique!"

Gasps and murmurs erupted across the hall.

"More than that," Tsunade continued, "we discovered that the ambush targeting Gin and our clans was a trap. And the one who devised it... was none other than Danzo Shimura himself!"

"What?!"

The uproar was immediate.

The news struck like lightning. Whether it was Gin's battlefield feats or Danzo's alleged treason, the assembled jonin couldn't decide what was more shocking. Since most of Danzo and Hiruzen's loyalists were gone or dead, very few voices rose in protest. But one did.

A Sarutobi clansman stood abruptly, fury in his voice.

"Lady Tsunade, do you have proof for such an accusation against Lord Danzo? If not—"

"There is no 'if,'" Tsunade cut him off coldly. "I have irrefutable evidence."

The Sarutobi jonin sat back down, stunned into silence.

Without further delay, Tsunade turned to Gin and gave a nod.

"Gin, bring out Hanzo and Danzo's bodies."

"Yes," Gin said, stepping forward.

He waved his hand—and in a swirl of space-time, the bodies of Hanzo and Danzo appeared on the large central table.

Gasps sounded again, this time more in awe than shock.

"Spatial storage?! Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans have access to this?!" Nara Shikayama and others watched in admiration.

"Yuya," Tsunade called. "Take the Torture and Interrogation Division. Read their memories. Now."

Nara Shikayama and Akimichi Tōfu both turned to Yamanaka Yua and gave a small nod. They trusted Tsunade, and the unveiling of this evidence marked a shift in the balance of Konoha's future.

If Danzo was guilty—and all signs pointed to it—it could take down not just him, but the Third Hokage himself. After all, Danzo's scheme had involved not only the Shimura and Root factions, but rogue members of the Sarutobi and even the Uzumaki. The scandal could bring down an entire legacy.

Yamanaka Yua rose immediately, calling several experts forward. They headed to the table with focused expressions, preparing for deep memory dives.

"Destroy the bodies!" a sudden voice shouted from the crowd.

It was Sarutobi Kuroyama.

Without warning, he hurled explosive seals toward the corpses, chakra flaring violently as more shinobi from the Sarutobi and Shimura clans surged forward.

"No!" many cried out.

Four others joined Kuroyama mid-charge, their hands glowing with chakra, ready to obliterate the evidence.

But before they could reach their mark—

"Four Purple Flame Formation—Activate!"

With a flash, four of Gin's shadow clones appeared at each corner of the central platform. Instantly, a blazing violet barrier surged up, encasing the attackers and the bodies in a sealed dome.

Gin vanished in a flicker of golden light—Flying Thunder God Jutsu—and reappeared inside the barrier.

His Sharingan blazed.

Three tomoe spun, then morphed—

—into Mangekyō Sharingan.

A massive golden skeletal frame erupted around Gin. Muscles formed over the bones in an instant.

"Susanoo!"

The golden warrior's palms slammed together with immense force.

The attackers and their explosives were crushed between them.

"AAAAAGH!"

A series of muffled explosions followed. Shockwaves and smoke burst within the barrier—but not a speck escaped.

Outside the dome, Konoha's shinobi watched in stunned silence.

"Wha… that's Mangekyō Sharingan's power… Susanoo!?""And that barrier—Four Purple Flame Formation?!"

"So that's Uchiha Gin, Tsunade's student? Son of Uchiha Hikaru? What terrifying speed… and fuinjutsu skill!"

"No wonder he killed Hanzo. Maybe even 2,000 Ame shinobi!"

"Well, okay… 2,000 is a stretch. But Hanzo? Yeah, I can believe that now."

"But hold on. Isn't Susanoo exclusive to Mangekyō Sharingan? Didn't he have only three tomoe before?"

"Clearly, there's more going on. Mangekyō…? Isn't that just a legend?"

"Shows what you know. Anyone who knows Uchiha Madara should know of the Mangekyō."

Regret flickered in Aburame Shikuro's eyes.

"…Unfortunately, the bodies of Hanzo and Danzo were destroyed," he muttered.

"Sarutobi Kuroyama succeeded in his goal after all."

"Wait…" murmured Shikayama Nara, standing beside him. "Maybe not."

He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Gin has spatial storage. He reacted faster than the Flying Thunder God itself. There's no reason to believe he didn't already remove the corpses before the explosion."

"Exactly," Hyūga Hizashi and Hatake Sakumo said at once.

"We both saw it. He already sealed the bodies. Those were just shells."

They looked at each other, then smirked.

Gin had outplayed everyone again.