-----------
This high quality machine translation is powered by: https:// geriatrictranslations.com/
Special Permission was given to upload the novel on WebNovel.
Geriatric Translations can be supported on patreon (https://www. patreon.com/geriatricvibes) where additional chapters can be enjoyed.
You can also join the Geriatric Translations Community on Discord to connect with other readers: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------
The next morning.
Uchiha Tōshirō, after completing his morning exercises, was picking and choosing at a family-owned grocery store.
Yesterday, he had enjoyed a sumptuous meal at Sister Mika's house.
But today, he was preparing for lunch and dinner, which couldn't help but remind him of the good old days when he was being fed. Indeed, being pampered and relying on others in his past life had its reasons.
"Aunt Yuriko! This pork isn't very fresh! Give me beef instead. Yes! Beef ribs, please, 10 pounds!"
"Tōshirō, I'm not exaggerating! The beef today was just slaughtered and delivered within two hours. If you miss today, you won't find such fresh ingredients again!"
"Oh! Then give me 20 pounds!"
"You have good taste! I'll give you this spinach for free! It comes to 3000 ryo, and I'll waive the change!"
To talk about the prices in the Ninja World, they are quite steep. Twenty pounds of beef cost nearly 3000 ryo. For comparison, a kunai at a ninja supply store costs 800 ryo, and a shuriken just 200 ryo.
"Aunt Yuriko is a savvy businesswoman, your business will surely thrive in the future!"
"Hahaha! You're too kind! I'll give you these scallions for free too!"
"Thank you!"
While chatting with Aunt Yuriko, the owner of the grocery store, he kept his ears open to the conversations of the adults outside on the street.
"Have you heard? I heard a ninja violated the village rules, leading to a mission failure and causing significant losses to the Land of Fire!"
A woman who had risen early to buy groceries whispered mysteriously to her companion.
"Really? If that's the case, the Hokage will surely punish him!"
"I heard it too! I heard it too! But I heard the ninja is Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang!"
Before the first woman could comment, a housewife buying fish nearby quickly interjected.
"White Fang! Impossible! Everyone says he's a hero of the village, having saved many comrades!"
"It's true! I've heard many people discussing this today."
At this point, the store owner couldn't help but chime in. He had heard many discussions about this in the morning. The general consensus was that Konoha's hero, Sakumo Hatake, known as the White Fang of Konoha, had failed a mission, causing significant losses to the Land of Fire.
[Is it really happening now? But the puppeteer behind the scenes is really...]
Tōshirō silently criticized.
In the Hokage's world, these natives who haven't been bombarded with information are quite naive. With the influence of the internet from his past life, such shallow public opinion manipulation is laughable.
For a ninja of Sakumo Hatake's level, the details of his missions would not be so easily leaked. Tōshirō, with two years of ninja school education, knew the intricacies of the ninja confidentiality system.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office in Konoha, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just arrived at work, received a report from one of his subordinates.
After reading through the document quickly, the Third Hokage frowned deeply, thought for a moment, and called for his personal ANBU.
"Go to Root! Bring Danzō Shimura, the Hokage's advisor, here!"
He issued the order calmly and then, without paying attention to the subordinate who had left, he took a deep puff of his pipe and began to think.
The report he had just read was from the department in the Hokage's office that monitors public opinion within the village.
They had noticed this unusual trend early in the morning. Although they didn't know who was behind it, they were sensitive enough to the situation and quickly wrote a report to submit to the Hokage.
The Third Hokage didn't have to wait long. In less than 20 minutes, the door to the Hokage's office was pushed open from the outside.
A middle-aged man in his early fifties walked in.
His hair was spiky, and his forehead was wrapped in white bandages that slanted down to cover his injured right eye. His left eye, sharp like a vulture's, stared intently at the Third Hokage and his seat.
"Danzō! What are you trying to do? Mobilizing public opinion to attack a meritorious upper-ninja in the village?"
Without waiting for the man to speak, the Third Hokage preemptively and sternly questioned him.
"Do you know how detrimental this will be to the village's hero?"
"Acting on your own! Do you still respect me as the Hokage?"
Before the man could even sit down, the Third Hokage's rapid-fire questions echoed, as if to express his anger.
"A hero of the village? The losses he caused to the village and the Land of Fire do not deserve the title of hero!"
"The true heroes of the village are those who silently sacrifice everything to protect peace and the village! Not him, Sakumo Hatake!"
Danzō Shimura, the leader of Root and the Hokage's advisor, who claimed to be the village's silent protector, did not back down. His harsh tone left the Third Hokage momentarily speechless.
[Don't you understand, Hiruzen? Pretty words alone cannot maintain peace in Konoha. Konoha's peace has always been maintained by the silent sacrifices of 'us'.]
Looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing the Hokage's hat and sitting behind the Hokage's desk, Danzō's thoughts churned.
"But that's not a reason for you to send people to secretly defame him. You should know that the reason his mission failed was to save his comrades!"
"Saving comrades, how laughable! As a ninja, completing the mission is the duty! He abandoned his duty to save so-called comrades! Isn't it inevitable that there will be sacrifices in the process of completing a mission?"
"If everyone follows his example, do you know what the consequences will be?"
"The completion rate of the village's missions will plummet! In the long run, the village will receive fewer and fewer commissions! Can you accept such consequences?"
Never did he expect his former comrade to deliver such a profound lecture. The Third Hokage was momentarily at a loss. Which is more important: the mission or the comrades? The Third Hokage was unsure.
"Hiruzen, Sakumo Hatake's way of the ninja is to save comrades. Over the years, his reputation has grown, even surpassing the Sannin!"
(End of Chapter)