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Among those present, the most agitated was undoubtedly Uchiha Fugaku. The revelation was absurd, utterly ridiculous. Although the Uchiha clan was hailed as Konoha's premier ninja family, they knew their own situation well. The entire clan had only around sixty jonin, with barely over a thousand total shinobi. Compared to the Sarutobi clan, it was like comparing a small stream to an ocean.
The "premier family"? Clearly, that title belonged to the Sarutobis, not the Uchihas!
And as Kakashi had pointed out, no clan would register all their ninjas officially. After all, there were always tasks too delicate or unsavory to be carried out openly, requiring "black gloves."
Yet, the sheer size of the Sarutobi clan left everyone in stunned silence.
Under the weight of the gazes filled with mixed emotions, even Hiruzen Sarutobi, with his thick skin, felt uneasy.
After all, he knew better than anyone how the Sarutobi clan had grown.
Originally, the Sarutobis were just an ordinary ninja family specializing in ninjutsu, inferior even to the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. But during his tenure as Hokage, the clan had snowballed in power, consuming vast resources and receiving countless favors along the way.
But—
Hiruzen gritted his teeth against the discomfort, determined to protect both his family and himself. He absolutely could not allow Kakashi to ascend to the position of Hokage.
A man capable of exposing such secrets would surely settle old scores once in power.
Moreover, one of the scrolls contained records of plots against dissenting ninjas—including the case of Kakashi's father, the White Fang of Konoha. Hiruzen didn't believe for a second that Kakashi hadn't seen it.
This had escalated into a matter of avenging a father's death.
There was no possibility of reconciliation.
"Sigh, as you all know, my family has its issues. Though I am the Hokage, those beneath me have often used various pretexts to further their own interests. But blood is thicker than water—what could I do?"
At this moment, Hiruzen looked every bit like an elderly man helplessly caught in familial disputes, his acting skills impeccable, almost convincing.
Then, with a troubled expression, he turned his attention to the other scrolls.
"As for the rest… sigh.
All of this was Danzo's doing. He's never been able to let go of past grievances, and his methods have been extreme. I've tried to stop him, but… sigh."
(Far away in the ROOT base, Danzo sneezed violently: "Ah-choo!!!" -_- Who's talking about me?)
With this familiar rhetoric, Hiruzen successfully shifted the blame onto others, portraying himself as a helpless old man.
Kakashi noticed that some of the gathered ninjas actually showed signs of understanding and sympathy. Ridiculous.
At this moment, Hiruzen continued, "However, as Hokage, I cannot escape responsibility for the village's losses. From now on, I will no longer interfere in village affairs.
But, everyone! Hear my heartfelt plea: the Fifth Hokage cannot be handed to Kakashi so easily! Until we uncover the truth behind Kakashi kneeling before an unknown enemy, we cannot allow him to freely influence Konoha!"
Hiruzen poured every ounce of his decades-long acting experience into this performance, but to his dismay, not a single person in the room supported him.
What was going on? Wasn't he making concessions?
Just as Hiruzen began to doubt himself, a soft chuckle reached his ears from Kakashi.
"Kakashi, how dare you laugh in such a solemn and sacred setting?"
Hiruzen scolded Kakashi harshly, hoping it might restore some semblance of control.
"After all that talk, you're still fixated on this issue, aren't you? It seems I've done an excellent job as a tool these past years," Kakashi said mockingly.
His self-deprecating tone left the gathered ninjas feeling uneasy. Though they were shinobi, they were still human beings with flesh and blood.
At this moment, Kakashi raised his hand slightly, lifting the forehead protector that concealed his left eye. Then, he pulled down his mask, revealing the handsome face that had captivated countless young men and women.
This version of Kakashi was rarely seen, drawing everyone's gaze to his face.
It was no secret that Kakashi's injured left eye had been replaced with the Sharingan of Obito Uchiha, another hero of the Third Shinobi World War.
Ninjas skilled in intelligence quickly noticed something unusual—the scar was gone, though that was a simple feat for medical ninjas.
What truly shocked everyone was that Kakashi's left eye was now a normal black, matching his right eye.
Uchiha Fugaku stood up in utter astonishment.
As one of the three great ocular techniques passed down through the ninja world, the Sharingan had its unique qualities.
Though, admittedly, these qualities were often more of a curse than a blessing.
Non-Uchiha users of the Sharingan couldn't deactivate it, and it continuously drained chakra. This made it impractical for average ninjas with limited chakra reserves, while elite ninjas, who were strong enough, didn't need to rely on it.
This was why, despite the ninja world's obsession with stealing bloodline eyes, the Uchiha Sharingan had been largely overlooked.
Of course, if the Uchiha ever revealed their Izanagi technique, there would be no shortage of people lining up to trade for their "colored contacts."
This was why the Byakugan, which could be activated at will and offered better cost-effectiveness, was coveted by all the hidden villages.
Now, Kakashi's ability to freely activate and deactivate his Sharingan was a dangerous signal. If he were to reveal the secret technique allowing him to control it, the Uchiha clan would become the next Hyuga.
Though Fugaku knew Kakashi wouldn't do such a thing, he couldn't help but worry.
More likely, Fugaku thought, Kakashi had let go of his past obsessions and replaced his Sharingan with a normal eye.
But the next moment, Kakashi slapped Fugaku metaphorically in the face. His seemingly ordinary left eye transformed in an instant, turning red with three glowing tomoe, unmistakably announcing to everyone that it was still the eye of a hero.
Hiruzen, however, found it strange.
Why was Kakashi suddenly revealing his face after hiding it for over a decade? And while a Sharingan that could be freely activated and deactivated was impressive, what was there to boast about?
But the next moment, something terrifying happened.
Kakashi's Sharingan began spinning rapidly, then fused into a single shape—a shuriken-like pattern.
The informed ninjas in the room were left speechless.
"Mangekyō Sharingan!!!"
In an era where Uchiha Mangekyō wielders hid their abilities, Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan was nothing short of earth-shattering.
This was followed by an overwhelming surge of chakra pressure emanating from Kakashi.
At this moment, Kakashi raised both hands, and his body floated upward.
Looking down at Hiruzen and the others from above, he slowly spoke.
"Do you believe… in gods?"
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