Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou-Chapter 334: Naruto: I am Uchiha Shirou []

"Sa...Sasuke!"

Naruto widened his eyes, flailing his arms in frustration as he faced Sasuke's rebuttal. He didn't know what to say but stubbornly argued:

"Sasuke, what you're doing is wrong, no matter what! Don't you know how much Sakura has done for you all these years...?"

At this moment, Naruto's expression appeared somewhat amusing in Sasuke's eyes. This behavior was exactly like what Shioru-sensei had once described as... a simp.

"Naruto, Let me tell you this: Sakura and I are classmates. We were allies in our Genin squad, and that's it. We've never dated, nor have I ever confessed to her."

Sasuke, in a rare good mood, calmly explained. However, Naruto's angry expression didn't change one bit, and he refused to listen. Naruto kept accusing him:

"Sasuke! I don't care! After everything Sakura has done for you over these years, how can you just... just be with another woman—?"

"Enough!"

Sasuke's expression darkened, a flicker of anger breaking through. Naruto could say whatever he wanted about Sasuke, especially given Sasuke's past betrayal. But one thing Naruto could not do was insult Sasuke's fiancée.

"Sasuke, you—!" Naruto was startled by Sasuke's cold and angry demeanor, staring at him in shock.

How could Sasuke act like this toward him?

Sasuke took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Naruto, we are comrades. I treasure that bond now. But I ask you to respect me too."

Sasuke's mind briefly wandered to Senju Rei. At first, he didn't know how to refuse the arranged meeting with her, a woman from another world. So, he had treated her with indifference.

Yet, over five years of companionship, he had unknowingly grown used to her presence. Unlike Sakura, she wasn't clingy. Unlike other women, she wasn't obsessed with him. She simply stayed by his side with a calm, gentle smile.

When he trained, Rei would quietly prepare bandages and medicine, waiting to treat his wounds when he finished.

When he ate, she would cook his favorite dishes without a word, never demanding gratitude.

When he felt exhausted or lost, she was the first to listen to his story under the moonlight.

Gradually, their conversations grew longer. Over time, Sasuke found himself looking forward to her tales of childhood and the world she came from. Though he often masked his emotions, he found solace in her presence.

Rei was like a caring, gentle elder sister from the neighborhood, someone who tended to his needs and gave him a sense of familial warmth.

Five years of companionship outweighed everything. Even when she learned that Sasuke planned to return home, she hadn't said a word. She had only smiled encouragingly at him.

So, under the moonlight before leaving, Sasuke, for the first time, nervously went to Senju Rei's house. When they emerged, their hands were joined, adorned with matching engagement rings.

"Sasuke!" Naruto stared at him in shock.

Sasuke took another deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said coldly, "Stop being so self-righteous. We're not the clueless kids we used to be. You have your choices, and I have mine. Don't force your beliefs onto others."

Naruto and Sasuke's argument in the tree was overheard by Kiba, who grinned and laughed loudly. "Naruto's getting shut down! Seriously, though, what's his problem with Sasuke having a fiancée? Honestly, I'm surprised someone with Sasuke's stuck-up personality could find a woman! Hahaha!"

Kiba's laughter even made the usually quiet Shino nod in agreement.

Watching all of this, Kakashi sighed in exasperation, while Jiraiya roared with laughter.

"Kakashi, looks like your Team 7 is still giving you headaches."

"Yeah, Jiraiya-sama... it's really a pain."

Kakashi had thought that Sasuke's return would bring some peace. But instead, it seemed as though his squad was still as chaotic as ever.

"Naruto's such an idiot. If Sasuke found someone else, isn't that a good thing? Doesn't Naruto like Sakura? What a dunce."

Jiraiya smirked. "Well, Kakashi, once we deal with Danzo, we'll need to head to the other world for a visit."

"Yeah," Kakashi replied. "Even though it's two different worlds, it's clear that our village is weaker."

This was something Kakashi couldn't deny. Cooperation required equality in strength and status. But Konoha was inferior to the other world's version of itself, in both power and reputation. This disparity made it uncertain who would lead the alliance.

Ambition always comes with risk. Kakashi and Jiraiya both wanted to see just how strong the other world's village was—strong enough to give Tsunade such confidence.

Suddenly, a warning cry broke the silence.

"Target spotted! Everyone, conceal your chakra and hide inside the barrier to avoid detection by Root Anbus!"

"Yes!"

In an instant, the area around the bridge fell silent, the shinobi vanishing without a trace. All eyes turned toward the far end of the bridge.

Tap... tap...

The sound of a wooden cane echoed as Shimura Danzo, with one eye covered, calmly approached, surrounded by Root Anbus.

Danzo's entourage of elite Root shinobi rivaled the security detail of the Five Kage. He knew the importance of appearances; prestige was something one created for oneself.

"Lord Danzo, the village is just across the bridge," one of his subordinates reported.

"Hmm," Danzo replied indifferently, exuding an air of authority as he strode forward.

"Two worthless fools," Danzo thought bitterly. "Even after all these years, they still haven't grown. How could Tsunade scare them like this?"

Danzo stepped onto the bridge, his thoughts filled with contempt. He had no idea that Root had already fallen, and he was now classified as an S-rank rogue ninja by Konoha.

"Lord Danzo, something's not right!"

At the center of the bridge, Danzo's personal guard, Aburame Torune, stiffened and stepped in front of him alongside Yamanaka Fu.

"My nano-scale venomous insects are sensing a dangerous presence!"

Before Torune could finish speaking, shadows flickered on both sides of the bridge. Shinobi emerged in droves, their Konoha forehead protectors glinting in the light.

Danzo froze, his gaze hardening.

"Danzo, long time no see," Jiraiya's voice boomed with laughter.

Danzo looked up to see Jiraiya standing atop one of the bridge's stone pillars.

"Jiraiya?! What are you doing here? And Hatake Kakashi?!"

Danzo's expression soured as unease crept into his heart. Something was very wrong.

"Lord Danzo," Kakashi said with a sigh, his usual laziness replaced with a grave demeanor. He readied a kunai, causing Danzo's lone eye to narrow.

"Kakashi...!"

That ominous feeling was growing stronger.

"All Root members, listen up!" Kakashi shouted.

"Shimura Danzo has been found guilty of crimes against Konoha, including harming fellow shinobi and conducting human experiments. Root has been disbanded!

If you are loyal to Konoha, lay down your weapons and surrender. Do not resist needlessly!

Furthermore, former Root leader Shimura Danzo has been classified as an S-rank rogue ninja by the Hokage!"

The Root operatives froze in shock. Though conditioned to obey Danzo, many were still loyal to Konoha. Surrendering now would spare them from being branded traitors.

Danzo, however, was stunned. His face twisted in disbelief before he growled, "Tsunade wouldn't dare!"

Danzo Shimura was instantly overwhelmed with shock and fury. This time, it was for real. The next moment, he flew into a rage, shouting,

"Outrageous! I am an advisor to the Hokage of Konoha! What right does that Tsunade have to brand me as a rogue ninja?!"

"Apologies, Lord Danzo—no, I should say rogue ninja Danzo Shimura. The position of Hokage Advisor was established by the Third Hokage. Now it's the era of the Fifth Hokage's governance!"

Kakashi's words immediately made Danzo's eyes widen in disbelief.

Genjutsu?!

No! Impossible!

He had only left for a short trip, and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, those two fools, had told him Tsunade was trying to seize power. Yet before he could even make it halfway back, his home was gone, and he was branded a rogue ninja?!

What the hell?!

Not even Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise would dare write a plot like this!

"Danzo!"

At that moment, Sasuke's cold voice echoed as he slowly stepped forward from the crowd. The Konoha forehead protector on his head sparkled conspicuously.

"Danzo, you coerced Itachi into slaughtering the Uchiha clan. Furthermore, you cruelly experimented on the Sharingan and the corpses of my people in your Root division. Your crimes are unforgivable!"

Danzo was startled when Sasuke appeared, but upon hearing these accusations, his anger exploded.

"Evil Uchiha! Tsunade! Oh, Tsunade! So, you've even joined forces with the Uchiha for a coup d'état? Have you all gone mad?! Are you all going to follow Tsunade into madness?!"

"Danzo! Over the years, your Root division has done terrible things to the Hyuga clan..."

"Danzo, the ninja of my Aburame clan has fallen victim to your schemes..."

"Danzo, surrender now!"

In an instant, Konoha ninjas on both sides of the bridge glared at Danzo in anger, exposing all the atrocities committed by his Root division.

The Root guards, known as emotionless tools, now showed expressions of panic.

"All Root members, what are you hesitating for?! If you surrender now, the Sealing Team can immediately lift the curse marks placed on your bodies!"

"Don't follow Danzo and become a rogue ninja with him!"

"You were meant to be Konoha's heroes—don't throw it all away for this devil!"

In that very instant, Danzo Shimura, who had once been a Hokage Advisor and leader of Root—a man whose authority was second only to the Hokage—suddenly became a rogue ninja despised by all.

"No! Impossible! I am Konoha's hero! Without me, Konoha in your hands will only..."

Danzo glared furiously at Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the other Jonin. From the moment they appeared, he knew the accusations were true.

Tsunade, how ruthless!

She had gone straight for the throat, dealing him a devastating blow!

By branding him a rogue ninja, she had stripped him of any chance to resist.

"Damn it! How could I be brought down by the likes of you..."

Danzo roared in fury, but suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked toward him. His pupils shrank as he instinctively raised his arm to defend himself.

Clang!

The golden shackles around his arm fell off, revealing a bleeding limb. The sight made all the surrounding Konoha ninjas gasp in shock.

"Danzo!"

"What the hell is this?!"

"Sharingan! His entire arm is full of Sharingan!"

"Wait, that arm... its color is wrong. This is human experimentation!"

Previously, some Jonin might have thought this was merely a case of political infighting among the higher-ups. But upon seeing Danzo's grotesque arm, filled with Sharingan, countless Konoha ninjas were filled with rage.

That arm alone was proof that all of Danzo's crimes were true!

"Danzo, you've been harming your fellow villagers and even transplanting Sharingan!"

At this moment, the Uchiha Massacre no longer seemed like a necessary action to suppress a coup. Instead, it appeared to be a selfish conspiracy by the higher-ups to obtain the Sharingan for their gain.

Danzo couldn't clear his name now!

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

Exposed under the crowd's furious gazes, Danzo—his arm covered in Sharingan—was enraged.

It was all because of this damn Uchiha brat!

"Danzo, surrender!"

Even Jiraiya, upon seeing Danzo's arm, looked grim. A smoldering fury burned in his eyes.

Danzo had gone too far.

"Damn it! Even you, Jiraiya?!"

Danzo was filled with frustration. Every Konoha ninja was condemning him, and the exposure of his arm had made him feel like a rat dragged out of the shadows and into broad daylight.

He was both panicked and consumed with hatred and rage.

"Everything I've done has been for Konoha! What right do you have to accuse me?! What right do you have to arrest me?!

"I've bled for Konoha! You..."

But faced with countless pairs of disgusted eyes, Danzo's heart trembled. It was over. Everything was over for him.

As despair threatened to overwhelm him, his eyes suddenly landed on his arm, with its many Sharingan.

Wait... there's still a chance! The Sharingan! That's right! I still have the Sharingan!

Instantly, Danzo's will to fight was reignited, and madness filled his eyes.

If he could escape and return to Konoha, he still had Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan hidden under his bandages.

Kotoamatsukami!

With this ultimate genjutsu, he could control Tsunade. He could still reclaim his position as Konoha's hero!

He could even use that eye to force Tsunade to hand over the Hokage title to him!

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