In the presence of tens of thousands of Konoha villagers, Danzo was escorted to the plaza.
Despite being a prisoner, Danzo walked with a composed demeanor, exuding an air of authority. To the unknowing observer, it might seem as though he were still the Hokage, making an entrance to deliver a grand speech.
However, Danzo’s calm did not last long. As he arrived, the villagers’ curses and shouts erupted like a tidal wave.
“Danzo, you old dog! You’ve caused more harm to Konoha than the four Great Shinobi Villages combined!”
“I hope the Uchiha clan tears you apart, you scum!”
“Danzo, just die already!”
The angry shouts surged from all directions. If looks could kill, Danzo would have been dead countless times over.
Faced with the villagers’ wrath, Danzo’s face stiffened, and his calm façade vanished.
“You ungrateful fools! If not for me, Konoha would have been destroyed long ago. Instead of showing gratitude, you slander me. You are all beyond saving!”
Danzo believed that the village would have been obliterated if it hadn’t been for his efforts to negotiate peace with the four Great Shinobi Villages when the Allied Shinobi Forces attacked Konoha. In his eyes, he was Konoha’s savior, the benefactor of all its people.
Shouting back at the crowd, Danzo’s voice was drowned out by the villagers’ relentless accusations.
“Danzo, save your breath. Do you really think anyone still respects you or believes a word you say?” Yamato mocked coldly.
Danzo snorted and fell silent.
Soon, they reached the center of the plaza. Though the bodies of the executed criminals had been removed, the ground was still stained with blood, and the lingering smell of iron filled the air.
The sight of the blood-soaked ground and the thought of sharing the same fate as those executed made Danzo’s face turn pale. But then, his fear morphed into rage as he saw Dan, Fugaku, Itachi, and the others.
The Uchiha clan had misled the villagers, turning him, the great Fifth Hokage, into a criminal in their eyes. He wanted to confront them!
With steely resolve, Danzo shouted, “Uchiha Dan! Do you think you’ve won? Do you think you can rule Konoha through violence and slander my name? No! Time will reveal the truth. The Second Hokage said that the Uchiha are born evil, and that will never change!”
Danzo’s words echoed through the plaza, momentarily silencing the crowd.
“This old fool is spouting nonsense again. Let’s just get this over with and execute him,” Tetsuka said coldly, signaling to Chishuki, who prepared to behead Danzo on the spot.
“Wait,” Dan’s voice rang out.
He walked to the center of the plaza, standing face-to-face with Danzo, observing him with a bemused expression.
Facing Dan up close, with his imposing stature and crimson Sharingan eyes, Danzo felt immense pressure. But having already lost everything, he had nothing more to fear.
Death was the worst that could happen.
Danzo straightened up, radiating an unyielding aura, as if he were the judge and Dan the criminal. He raised his voice to address the villagers, accusing the Uchiha clan:
“Konoha’s downfall is due to the Uchiha clan and their cursed Sharingan! From Madara’s attempt to usurp the Hokage title and destroy the village, to the Uchiha Police Force oppressing villagers for decades, to Obito’s manipulation of the Nine-Tails that killed the Fourth Hokage and his wife, and finally the Uchiha clan’s coup…”
“The sins of the Uchiha are countless!”
To Danzo, the Uchiha were the biggest blight on Konoha, hindering its peace and progress for years.
“Really?” Dan responded calmly. “Was Kakashi Hatake’s father’s death also the Uchiha’s doing? Did the Uchiha cause the defections of the Legendary Sannin? Who ordered the Uchiha clan not to aid the Fourth Hokage during the Nine-Tails attack? Who orchestrated Yahiko’s death, pushing Nagato to seek revenge on Konoha? Was the Sarutobi clan’s massacre the Uchiha’s doing?”
Dan’s questions left Danzo speechless.
“The true reason for Konoha’s decline is the endless power struggles among its leaders,” Dan concluded with a mocking smile.
Danzo sneered, “Aren’t you after power too, Dan? You’re just like Madara, pretending to be above it all but craving the Hokage title. You’re scheming and plotting for power, just admit it!”
Dan shook his head with a chuckle, “The Hokage title? I’m not interested. If you want it, you can have it—provided the villagers agree.”
Dan turned to the villagers, indicating he was serious.
Danzo was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed, preparing to address the villagers.
But just then, Kakashi stepped forward, shouting, “Danzo, do you have any right to speak to the villagers? During your tenure as Hokage’s advisor, you abducted geniuses from Konoha’s clans, brainwashed them in Root, and ordered assassinations. You orchestrated the Uchiha massacre, killed Shisui, released the Nine-Tails, causing chaos in Konoha, which allowed the Great Shinobi Villages to invade. Lastly, you betrayed Konoha, becoming a puppet of the other villages, enslaving our ninjas and civilians. Your crimes deserve death a thousand times over, and yet you still dream of being Hokage? How laughable!”
Kakashi’s scathing rebuke resonated with the villagers, who echoed his sentiments:
“Execute Danzo!”
“Danzo is Konoha’s biggest curse, ruining us for over forty years!”
“Rot in hell, Danzo! You’ve disgraced the title of Hokage and the Will of Fire!”
The villagers’ fury surged like a tsunami, overwhelming Danzo.
“You…,” Danzo stammered, his face pale as he finally realized he had lost the people’s support.
Dan, seeing this, felt disappointed. “Enough of this charade,” he muttered, raising his right hand and making a gesture for silence.
The raucous crowd fell silent in seconds, their attention riveted on Dan.
Dan stepped closer to Danzo, who began to back away in terror. “Stay away…” Danzo whimpered.
“Danzo, it’s time to wake up from your dream,” Dan said softly. His Sharingan spun, transforming into the Yin-Yang symbol of his Mangekyo Sharingan, and he unleashed a powerful Genjutsu.
Amatsukami: Release.
Years ago, Dan had implanted a near-realistic illusion in Danzo’s mind using his Mangekyo Sharingan technique. In that illusion, Danzo believed he had become Hokage, conquered the Great Shinobi Villages, and united the ninja world. Danzo had become a puppet, acting out Dan’s desires, driven by his ambition and the implanted illusion.
Now, Dan shattered that illusion.
“No… no…” Danzo muttered, his once unshakable belief crumbling.
He had thought he was Konoha’s hero, misunderstood but noble, a martyr for the village. But now he saw he was merely a puppet, manipulated by Dan, a power-hungry clown.
At that moment, Danzo’s spirit broke. The overwhelming despair and pain crushed him.
Danzo lost his mind.
He threw away his cane, his eyes bloodshot, screaming, “No, I am the Hokage! I am the Hokage!”
Under the watchful eyes of Konoha’s villagers, Danzo raved, alternating between curling up on the ground and rolling around, completely losing his sanity.
This was Danzo’s final act.
Itachi approached Dan, watching Danzo’s madness unfold. He had never understood why his uncle didn’t kill Danzo for Shisui’s sake. Now he understood.
Killing Danzo would have made him a martyr. Instead, breaking his spirit and exposing his hypocrisy was the true vengeance.
“Uncle, what should we do with Danzo now?” Itachi asked.
“Seal his chakra and let him live out his days in madness,” Dan replied, losing interest in Danzo.
Itachi nodded, approaching Danzo, who was muttering to himself.
“Boy, who are you? Kneel before me, I’m the Hokage!” Danzo barked.
Itachi’s Mangekyo Sharingan activated, casting Tsukuyomi on Danzo, subjecting him to hours of torment in the illusion.
In reality, only a moment had passed.
Danzo collapsed, unconscious, his face deathly pale. Itachi then sealed his chakra, rendering him powerless.
From that day on, Konoha gained a new madman, a ranting old man claiming to be the Fifth Hokage, destined to unite the ninja world.
He wandered the streets, fighting with stray dogs for food, living in a fog of insanity, inching towards death.
No one pitied him.
For this madman had brought untold suffering to Konoha, causing countless deaths among its ninjas and civilians.
The people would never forgive him.
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