Chapter 131: Hiruzen's Image is Destroyed!
Anko Mitarashi witnessed the entire confrontation between Uchiha Ikeizumi and Lord Hokage. She couldn't believe that Lord Hokage had fallen into a disadvantage. By the end, his face was so dark that he couldn't say a word.
Perhaps Lord Hokage wanted to stand on the same side as the Daimyō's eldest son to put pressure on Uchiha Ikeizumi.
He could have also used the "righteous" title to act against Uchiha Ikeizumi.
But Lord Hokage didn't expect the Daimyō's eldest son to be the first to surrender. This was because the eldest son wanted to live.
Wait… wait a minute!
As her thoughts reached this point, Anko couldn't help but fall into contemplation. She felt that the matter was not that simple. On the surface, Lord Hokage and Uchiha Ikeizumi seemed to be at odds, but was that really the case?
Did Uchiha Ikeizumi's killing of the Fire Daimyō in broad daylight have nothing to do with Lord Hokage?
Did Lord Hokage rush here with the Anbu to finish the job in case Uchiha Ikeizumi failed?
The Daimyō's eldest son was now enduring the pain of losing his father and firmly standing on the side of 'Absolute Justice.' He even shamelessly said one cowardly thing after another.
Was it because he sensed that the two were putting on a show?
Was this actually a power grab by Konoha against the Fire Daimyō?
Was Konoha no longer content with being a purely military organization?
Anko's eyes widened. "!!!"
All of the wild thoughts in her mind came together, causing her to look at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a strange expression. At this moment, Anko also suddenly realized why the Daimyō's eldest son's gaze toward Lord Hokage had been so strange. Wasn't it the same as her own gaze now?
The situation seemed to have fallen into an eerie silence. Ikeizumi wasn't the kind of person who would proactively break the silence. Lord Hokage might have been too embarrassed to do so. Should I try to help them?
With that thought, Anko cleared her throat. "The Land of Fire cannot be without a ruler for even a single day. The most important thing now, shouldn't it be to bury the former Daimyō as soon as possible and then elect a new one? Shouldn't we stop fussing about all this?"
The atmosphere was silent again for a few seconds. When no one responded to her, Anko's heart sank. Did I get the wrong idea?
And from the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed that Lord Hokage was staring at her with a look of utter disbelief. As for Uchiha Ikeizumi, he completely ignored her. She felt like the masked Anbu ninja were also looking at her, but she had no proof yet.
Meanwhile, the Daimyō's eldest son was looking at her with a panicked expression.
Anko's face fell. "..."
Oh no, I think I said the wrong thing!
"Yes!"
Just as she was extremely embarrassed and sweating profusely, she heard the Daimyō's eldest son force a smile and agree, "This ninja, my lord, is right. The most urgent matter for the Land of Fire right now... is indeed that."
Anko could feel that the Daimyō's eldest son's voice was trembling. Could it be that what she just said was interpreted as a threat from Konoha?
Hiss!
She saw that Lord Hokage's face looked as if the sky had fallen.
The Daimyō's eldest son continued, "I ask Lord Hokage of Konoha to stay in the capital for a few days to personally attend my father's funeral. And, for Lord Ikeizumi and Lord Hokage to recommend a candidate for the next Daimyō of the Land of Fire."
Hiruzen was speechless. "..."
This time, he really couldn't clear his name! Hiruzen couldn't imagine how the entire ninja world would see him once this news got out. The hatred for Ikeizumi's assassination of the Fire Daimyō would likely be shifted onto him, the Hokage of Konoha! Even the Daimyō's eldest son subconsciously believed that all of this had something to do with him and Hiruzen!
At that time, the target of the entire ninja world wouldn't be just Uchiha Ikeizumi, but also him, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
He, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would become the symbol of "disloyalty" and "injustice!"
All the nobles in the Land of Fire would look at him with a strange gaze. And when the news got back to Konoha Village, all the Konoha clans would think that their Hokage was cunning and that his ambitions were so great that Konoha could no longer contain them.
Hiruzen wished he could personally throw Anko into the Konoha prison and make her reflect for more than ten years! Why had he, in a moment of impulse, pardoned and released her?
Hiruzen regretted it.
"Lord Hokage?" Under the cautious urging of the Daimyō's eldest son, Hiruzen, whose eyes had lost their light, managed to force a smile from his twitching lips.
"...Okay."
His old face turned green and then red. In the end, he could only squeeze out a single, extremely reluctant word. After all, regardless of the reason, he, the Hokage of Konoha, had to attend the Daimyō's funeral.
It was just that this method of attending, where he was being misunderstood... would probably ruin his image that had been built up over many years!
It would make him forever inferior to Ikeizumi! Because Ikeizumi was open and honest, while he was the one who looked sneaky and treacherous.
"Based on the time, Hiruzen should have already arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire and may have already met with the Daimyō and the others."
At the same time, inside the Hokage Building.
Homura Mitokado stood with his hands behind his back, looking out the window at the scenery. "If Uchiha Ikeizumi really tries to assassinate the Daimyō, Hiruzen may have already fought him by now."
"As for the final result, we can only wait for the news to be sent back from Hiruzen. Now, with the long-distance communication tools, it's quite convenient to send messages."
"If I'm not mistaken, this communication tool was invented by Orochimaru before he defected from Konoha. At that time, he wanted to use this convenient little tool to gain the village's recognition and compete with Minato for the Hokage position."
As he spoke, Homura couldn't help but recall some of the events from that time. It made him feel that he was truly old.
Koharu Utatane scoffed softly. "Are you sure Hiruzen will fight that Uchiha Ikeizumi kid? Don't forget how he indulged that kid in Konoha."
"If it weren't for his indulgence, Uchiha Ikeizumi wouldn't have become so powerful that no one can control him."
Homura sighed. "At that time, Hiruzen wasn't so much indulging him as he was using him. At the very least, you can't deny that while Ikeizumi was in the village, the Uchiha clan's radical faction never had the guts to stage a coup."
"And not long after Ikeizumi left Konoha, Hiruzen became worried that the Uchiha clan's radical faction would cause trouble. He even worried that Itachi Uchiha would massacre the Uchiha clan."
At this point, Homura glanced at a corner of the room. A short Anbu ninja, who had been silent all along, was standing there. This person was none other than Itachi Uchiha!
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't take Itachi with him to the capital of the Land of Fire. Instead, he had Itachi temporarily serve as Homura's bodyguard. This was because Konoha needed Itachi's combat power to protect the village. It was also to have Homura keep an eye on Itachi.
However, Homura felt that there was another meaning to Hiruzen's decision—Hiruzen was worried that the mentally unstable Itachi might do something to the Daimyō if he went to the capital.
After all… according to Ikeizumi's prophecy, Itachi was so ruthless and extreme for the sake of Konoha that he dared to slaughter the entire Uchiha clan.
Who knew if he would do something even more shocking in the capital for the sake of Konoha? Homura felt that Hiruzen didn't want to take that gamble. He didn't dare to.
Homura shook off his wild thoughts and continued to speak to Koharu. "But once the matter involves the Daimyō, it's different. Hiruzen won't continue to 'indulge' Ikeizumi. All 'indulgence' has a bottom line and a limit."
"If Ikeizumi dares to attack the Fire Daimyō, it means that in Hiruzen's eyes, he has crossed the bottom line and exceeded the limit. I believe that Hiruzen won't fail to recognize the seriousness of the situation."
After hearing this, Koharu's expression softened slightly. She was also looking out the window, and she said coldly, "I hope that when he returns to the village, it will only be Hiruzen and the Konoha Anbu ninja."
One hour later.
Outside Konoha.
"Konoha… It's been a long time since I've been back after I decided not to get involved in ninja matters." When Tsunade looked up at the Konoha gate, her beautiful eyes held a mix of emotions. With her speed as one of the Legendary Sannin, she could have returned to Konoha in less than a day.
But she also had to bring seventy-nine young children with her, and she had to take care of their food and other needs along the way.
Even with Jiraiya helping her halfway, it still took them several days.
Jiraiya's face was a mess of exhaustion. At this moment, he was holding two young children in his left arm, three in his right, and had two more on his back.
"Finally... we're back…" Jiraiya almost burst into tears. He wished he had resisted his curiosity and not gone looking for Tsunade. Who would have thought that Tsunade would force him to be a laborer without giving him any room to refuse?
The entire journey had worn him out. Jiraiya felt that even if he had gone to fight Orochimaru, he wouldn't be as tired as he was now. Although these orphans from Tanzaku Gai were surprisingly well-behaved, they were still children.
"I never want to take care of brats again!" The fact that Jiraiya would let out such a wail showed how much he had suffered.
Tsunade ignored Jiraiya's cries and went straight to the Hokage Building. She was surprised to learn that the Third Hokage wasn't in Konoha.
"He went to the capital of the Land of Fire at the Daimyō's invitation?" Tsunade frowned. Just as she was about to say something, she ran into Koharu, who was walking out of the Hokage's Office.
After so much time, Koharu's face had become much older. Tsunade almost didn't recognize her. But Koharu recognized Tsunade.
"Tsunade? Oh, right… I remember now. Your disciple ran back to Konoha in advance and told us that you would be back soon with seventy-nine orphans from Tanzaku Gai. The orphans she mentioned should be outside the building, right?"
"Don't worry, Konoha won't mistreat these poor war orphans, especially since they've suffered so much in Tanzaku Gai. The Konoha orphanage will take good care of them."
As she spoke, Koharu's gaze shifted to Jiraiya, who was next to Tsunade. "But your disciple never mentioned that Jiraiya would also be returning."
Tsunade casually replied, "He shamelessly followed me halfway through."
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "???"
Before Jiraiya could retort, Tsunade asked directly, "The old man wasn't invited by the Fire Daimyō to go to the capital. Although I don't have proof, my gut feeling tells me that the matter isn't that simple, right?"
Koharu was silent for a moment. She didn't expect Tsunade to bring up this topic. But she didn't explain much and simply replied, "Tsunade, you've already decided not to get involved in ninja matters."
Seeing the strange look on Koharu's face, Jiraiya squinted his eyes. "To be honest, I'm also quite curious. It shouldn't be a problem to tell me, should it, Elder Koharu?"
"...It's about Uchiha Ikeizumi."
Koharu's next words were shocking. "Hiruzen suspects that Uchiha Ikeizumi is trying to assassinate the Fire Daimyō. I think you can guess what Hiruzen is going to do, right?"
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "!!!"
Tsunade's eyes widened as well. "!!!"
"Assassinate the Daimyō? Are you kidding me?" Tsunade mumbled, her brows furrowed. "That Uchiha kid wouldn't assassinate the Daimyō."
Koharu sneered, feeling that Tsunade was looking at Uchiha Ikeizumi through rose-colored glasses. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Tsunade continue. "If he really wanted to kill the Daimyō, he would do it in broad daylight."
"No, that's not right…"
Tsunade rubbed her chin and mumbled to herself, "If he really wanted to kill the Daimyō, he wouldn't just kill the Fire Daimyō. He would probably... get a lot of people in the capital of the Land of Fire to suffer."
"That kid hates villains who commit evil deeds. In his eyes, no matter how special a person's status is, as long as they commit evil, they are a villain, and they deserve to be judged by justice."
Tsunade clenched her fist and slapped it into her palm. "He'd make the place a bloodbath! The capital of the Land of Fire wouldn't be any better than Tanzaku Gai!"
Koharu was speechless. "..."
No. What's with that somewhat excited expression of yours?
Don't you feel the same kind of anger as me when you realize that Uchiha Ikeizumi would do such a terrible thing?
Koharu realized that Tsunade's way of thinking was completely different. But on second thought, would a person with a normal way of thinking, as one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, be so irresponsible? Would she leave Konoha for so many years and be addicted to gambling?
With this thought, Koharu's impression of Tsunade worsened. She said blankly, "Once Uchiha Ikeizumi does those things, Hiruzen will keep him in the capital of the Land of Fire forever. This is because his actions have touched everyone's bottom line."
"Nobles and Daimyō can never be touched!"
Inside the Uchiha clan compound.
The tense situation had been in a standoff for a full hour. The expressions on the faces of Setsuna Uchiha and the other hardline elders were so grim that they seemed to be dripping with water. The ruthless gazes of each of them were fixed on Fugaku Uchiha and the two moderate Uchiha elders he had brought with him.
It was obvious that a large group of young Uchihas were gathered outside the room, and they were divided into two different factions. Although the Uchiha clan's hardliners were currently in the majority, if a physical conflict were to break out, it would only benefit Konoha's higher-ups.
Even if Setsuna was a radical, he knew that a physical conflict with Fugaku would only result in a mutual loss—a zero-sum game.
He would lose. Fugaku would lose. Konoha would win.
This was the outcome that Setsuna found the most unacceptable. That's why he had been in a standoff for a full hour without giving any commands, and he just sat there motionlessly.
"Fugaku, are you guys… going to wait here for the Third Hokage to get back to Konoha?" Setsuna was an impatient person. After enduring it for an hour, he finally broke the silence. "You are standing against the Uchiha clan, aren't you? As Uchihas, your cowardly actions are an absolute disgrace to the Uchiha clan!"
"The history of the Uchiha clan will remember you. You will be nailed to the pillar of shame in Uchiha history!"
Every word Setsuna said was as if he was squeezing them out through his teeth. It showed how much anger was about to erupt from him.
With a grim expression, Fugaku said, "Elder Setsuna, the one who should be nailed to the pillar of shame is you. Your actions will not bring any benefits to the Uchiha clan. They will only push the Uchiha into a deeper abyss."
"You have never considered the consequences your actions would bring to the Uchiha; you have never considered the impact they would have. Your actions are only for a temporary rush."
"And you… you don't even know how much power Konoha has. Your arrogance and your conceit will only get every member of the Uchiha clan killed."
Setsuna was so angry at Fugaku's words that he was about to lose it. He gripped his knee tightly with his withered hand and gritted his teeth. "I will get everyone in the Uchiha clan killed? Fugaku! You should be saying that to your eldest son, shouldn't you?!"
"You want to convince me? Fine! If you, Fugaku Uchiha, are truly thinking for the Uchiha clan, then go kill your eldest son now, and I will believe you!"
"If you can't do that, then you are nothing but a dog of the Hokage!"
He stared at Fugaku. "I will never allow a dog of the Hokage to be the leader of the Uchiha clan!"
"Fugaku! You don't deserve to be in this position! I, as an elder of the ninja clan, will hold a new election for the leader!"
Setsuna, whose emotions were running high, had completely turned his back on them. The other hardline elders next to him all agreed.
An elder of the hardline faction said, "Fugaku, according to the clan rules that have been passed down for many years in the Uchiha clan, if three or more elders of the clan believe that the current leader is not worthy, they have the right to elect a new leader."
Another hardline elder said, "Fugaku, your cowardly actions have completely disappointed us. If that's the case, then let's follow the clan rules and elect a new leader."
"Don't worry, the clan rules don't require the expulsion of an unworthy leader. You, who have served as the leader, can also participate in the election."
"As for whether you can continue to be the leader, that will depend on your popularity within the Uchiha clan."
After saying that, the elder put his hands into his sleeves. He looked calm and didn't want to say anything more.
This time, it was Fugaku's turn to have a sour expression.
.....
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