See Through Sarutobi's Danzo Again
A tremendous noise shook the night, and after deterring Uchiha Itachi, Xu Fan chose to leave. He did not need to confirm anything further.
Before long, Uchiha Fugaku would bring the Konoha Military Police Force to investigate the disturbance. Danzo and the Third Hokage would also be informed through the Root and Anbu divisions about what had transpired tonight.
As the head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku immediately sensed something was wrong when the earth trembled beneath the overwhelming surge of Mokuton—the Wood Release. Ever since the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha, the Uchiha clan had been ostracized, pushed to the village's outskirts under baseless suspicion. Except for village-wide celebrations, most Konoha citizens turned a blind eye to them.
When the ground quaked, Fugaku had been leading a clandestine clan meeting at the Naka Shrine. Sensing the disturbance, he quickly gathered the younger and middle-aged Uchiha to investigate.
"Here…"
Twenty to thirty Uchiha followed in Fugaku's footsteps, only to be left utterly stunned by what they saw.
"How is this possible?"
Fugaku's Sharingan spun to life, scanning for any hidden enemies. Yet, despite his careful observation, he found no one lurking in the shadows.
"Patriarch…"
One of the senior Uchiha stepped forward, his face pale. Though they resented Konoha's leadership, they had lived in this village for generations. They knew every inch of its terrain. But now, towering trees stretched endlessly before them, covering the sky and engulfing their surroundings.
It was as if an entire forest had materialized out of nowhere.
Some among the Uchiha continued to explore, only to realize the scale of the phenomenon was far more extensive than they had initially perceived. The weight of realization bore down on them. They had seen this kind of power before.
Everyone in Konoha knew of its history.
Everyone knew only one man had ever wielded such an ability.
The First Hokage—Senju Hashirama.
With this very technique, he had defeated Uchiha Madara in the legendary battle at the Valley of the End.
For years, the Uchiha had believed the era of Hashirama and his Mokuton had passed into history.
But tonight, the impossible had returned.
"This… is a warning…"
A young Uchiha backed away in fear. They had discussed a coup multiple times at Naka Shrine, especially after the mysterious death of Shisui Uchiha. If not for that tragedy, they might have already acted against Konoha's leadership.
Recent hostilities from the village had only fueled their anger. But now… now it seemed someone was watching. Someone powerful enough to send them a message through the very same techniques that had once humbled their greatest leader.
Panic rippled through the gathered Uchiha.
"Enough! Stay calm!"
Fugaku's voice rang with authority, snapping his clan members back to attention. This overwhelming display of power was disturbing, but there had been no attack, no casualties. Whoever had done this had chosen restraint.
If this unknown figure had meant to eliminate the Uchiha, they would have already struck.
But the combination of the Uchiha's internal tensions and this shocking event was too much for some. A few clan members began to break under the pressure, their minds spiraling into paranoia.
Fugaku clenched his fists. The vast sea of trees was beyond anything he had expected. Who could have done this? No one in Konoha should be capable of such a feat.
They needed information. A reckless coup would only worsen their situation.
"Spread the word—until we uncover the truth behind this, no one is to act rashly."
His order was absolute.
---
Meanwhile, in the depths of Konoha, Root operatives rushed to Danzo's location, delivering their urgent report.
"What did you say?!"
Danzo Shimura's single visible eye widened in shock as he processed the intelligence.
For the longest time, he had considered Xu Fan a threat—an unpredictable variable that needed to be eliminated before he could align himself with Hiruzen Sarutobi's vision for Konoha.
But he had never expected this.
Xu Fan had inherited Senju Hashirama's Bloodline Limit.
Mokuton.
Danzo clenched his fist and slammed it against the table. His mind reeled. He had spent years conducting experiments to recreate Hashirama's power, even sacrificing countless subjects to implant Mokuton artificially. The only partially successful result had been Yamato—Tenzō. And even he was a pale imitation of the First Hokage.
Now, a true heir of Mokuton had emerged in Konoha, and Hiruzen had known all along.
Everything made sense now. Hiruzen's recent assertiveness, his insistence on protecting the Hyuga clan despite the ongoing conflict with Kumogakure—it was all because of Xu Fan.
"Mokuton is more powerful than any armor."
Danzo gritted his teeth. Hiruzen had played him for a fool, just as he always had.
The Third Hokage had given up on the human experiments—not out of kindness, but because he had already found the true inheritor of Hashirama's will.
Danzo's thoughts raced back to Xu Fan's early years at the Ninja Academy. He had failed once—just like many others, even prodigies like Might Guy had stumbled before proving their worth. But unlike Guy, Xu Fan had never reapplied.
That wasn't a failure.
That was a deliberate maneuver.
Hiruzen had been protecting Xu Fan from the shadows all along.
"Sarutobi… you sly old fox…"
Danzo seethed with rage. He realized now that, just as he had been secretly training Tenzō, Hiruzen had been grooming Xu Fan.
And when Danzo had tried to take Tenzō, Hiruzen had used Kakashi to lure him away from Root.
Damn him.
Damn him for always being one step ahead!
When Konoha had been cornered by the Gold and Silver Brothers, it was Hiruzen who had stepped forward as bait and secured the Hokage title.
When the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, perished, Hiruzen had swooped in and reclaimed his position.
And now, even in the shadows, he had found the key to Konoha's future before Danzo could.
Danzo's fist tightened. "No."
He refused to lose. If Hiruzen could steal Tenzō from him, then he would steal Xu Fan away from Hiruzen.
Yes.
Hiruzen had forced his hand.
Danzo's resolve hardened. He would not let this opportunity slip away.
But what he didn't know was that, at that very moment, Kakashi Hatake was already reporting to the Third Hokage.
"What?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's cup slipped from his grasp, shattering against the floor.