Ryosuke stopped walking.
He turned around and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
This was a very strange scene.
Just now, Danzo had died right in front of them.
Whether it was Ryosuke, who had avenged a "deep blood feud," or Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had just witnessed the death of an old friend, there wasn't a shred of emotion in either of their eyes.
No satisfaction, no regret, and not even a trace of hatred.
The two of them looked at each other calmly, like strangers meeting for the first time, neither able to read the other's thoughts.
"Old man, are you trying to make me stay?" Ryosuke asked.
"You killed someone, and want to just walk away?"
Ryosuke pointed to the ground beneath his feet, "Danzo and Itachi conspired together to massacre the Uchiha clan. A blood debt must be paid in blood. That's not wrong, right?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said calmly, "It's not."
"This time, I didn't come here intending to kill him. Danzo used genjutsu on me first. When the negotiation failed, he tried to kill me. He failed, and ended up killed by me. That's not a problem, right?"
"Also not."
"Since there's no problem..."
Ryosuke tilted his head slightly, "Then, Hokage old man, what do you mean by this?"
"Danzo killed countless people. To repay with his life is fair. Ryosuke, I understand you, but he wasn't just Danzo. He was one of Konoha's high-level officials. You killed him in front of me. That means I must stop you. That's the Hokage's job."
Sarutobi Hiruzen removed the Hokage robe, revealing a tight-fitting combat outfit underneath. He said solemnly, "I need to give the village an explanation."
"Lord Third!"
Jiraiya stepped forward to stop Hiruzen, but suddenly, he found he couldn't move. Countless raindrops had adhered to his body like steel nails, freezing him in place.
It wasn't just Jiraiya, everyone present had been nailed to their spots by the storm. They couldn't even lift a single finger.
Only now did Sarutobi Hiruzen truly realize what kind of power it was that killed that cunning Danzo.
Ryosuke stepped forward, walking one step at a time toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Star Platinum appeared.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened. He formed a one-handed seal, preparing to unleash a jutsu.
Jiraiya had seen Star Platinum's terror before, he panicked. Ignoring the raindrops piercing his body, he tried to rush forward to stop the fight.
On the other side, Might Guy saw what was happening. He suddenly dropped into a horse stance. Torrents of energy surged through his body, clearly, he was ready to open the "Gates" and risk his life to stop Ryosuke.
Just as the tension was like a taut string about to snap and erupt into a bloody battle, Ryosuke spoke, "Old man, do you have a candidate for the next Hokage?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned for half a second. He didn't reply.
Everyone stared blankly at Ryosuke.
He picked up the Hokage robe that Sarutobi had tossed to the ground and draped it back over him.
"If you don't, then take care of your body."
Ryosuke glanced at Danzo's corpse.
"Konoha does indeed have disgusting darkness, but..."
He looked toward Jiraiya, Kakashi, and then at the prosperous village.
There, many ordinary people lived. On their faces were rare, genuine smiles not often seen in this world.
"And also the light… that you need to protect."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand stopped forming seals.
"As for the 'explanation' you mentioned..."
Ryosuke raised a finger toward the sky. Within a radius of several kilometers, Nature Power surged forth, gathering into a violent wind mixed with Ripple lightning that shot into the clouds.
Within the dark clouds, streaks of golden thunder dragons flashed faintly.
Ryosuke waved his finger down.
BOOM!
Thunder struck down. The roar shook the eardrums of everyone present. Their vision went blurry. Falling alongside the thunder dragons was an even more terrifying storm than before.
Nothing could be seen.
Nothing could be heard.
Even the sound of their own shouts was drowned out by the overwhelming downpour.
Five seconds later, the storm gradually lessened.
Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly opened his eyes, and saw that the Uchiha ruins had turned into rubble…
No, it couldn't even be called rubble.
From bricks and tiles to tables and furniture, everything had been crushed under the rain into fragments finer than a fingernail, covering the ground.
What a terrifying destructive force. Even more terrifying, not a single person had been harmed in this wave of rain.
The raindrops had avoided every living being.
This level of absolute control… was far scarier than destructive power.
Sarutobi Hiruzen now understood, if Ryosuke wanted to, he could've killed everyone present just now.
Ryosuke patted Sarutobi's shoulder, "...That's the explanation I give you."
With those words, he didn't stay any longer. He turned and walked away.
Asuma bit down on a cigarette, tried to light it, only to realize it was soaked. He simply left it in his mouth, smelling the tobacco as he raised his hand and pointed at Ryosuke's departing figure, saying to Kurenai beside him, "I really wish I had a chance to drink with him again."
"He's the enemy," Kurenai said.
"Is he really?"
Kurenai opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
'Yeah… was Ryosuke really the enemy?'
All four of them had witnessed everything. If Ryosuke hadn't had enough power and caution, he might've already become a puppet under Kotoamatsukami's control, or died under the Root's combined jutsu.
In the end, Ryosuke only killed Danzo, and even that was a necessary act. He'd fulfilled his moral obligation.
"Even so…"
Kurenai elbowed Asuma. "You're in way too good of a mood, aren't you?"
"Ahahaha, am I?"
Asuma really was in a great mood. In his youth, he and his father, Sarutobi Hiruzen, often disagreed, mostly because of how Danzo was handled.
Now Danzo was dead. He almost wanted to sit cross-legged and beat a drum to celebrate.
Asuma glanced at Danzo's corpse, then tilted his chin toward his old man and whispered, "Look at the old man soaked in rain, still wearing that Hokage robe."
"Doesn't he look just like a wet monkey?"
———
The rain lasted all night.
When the sky finally cleared again, a warm sun appeared on the horizon.
Konan turned her head to look at the direction of Konoha, and softly said, "So this is Konoha… this is the Third Hokage… just like that. In the end, still too slow."
Sasuke didn't understand.
"What do you mean, too slow?"
'Shouldn't you say "strong" or "weak"? What's it got to do with "fast" or "slow"?'
Konan said, "Last time, during the Uchiha massacre, if Sarutobi Hiruzen had been faster, more decisive, the tragedy could've been stopped."
"This time, if Sarutobi had arrived on the scene and immediately ordered the people of Konoha to strike Ryosuke together, maybe he could've saved Danzo's life."
"After all..."
She glanced at Ryosuke's back. "That guy who acts all fierce isn't likely to kill people like Kakashi and Jiraiya who he has some feelings for."
"Slow to save people, slow to kill people, always hesitating. A person like that being Hokage… well, Konoha has a strong foundation. If it were a smaller village, it would've been devoured long ago."
There was a time when Konan studied ninjutsu under Jiraiya. Back then, she deeply envied those who lived in Konoha, thought the air in Konoha was sweet, the moon rounder.
But now it seemed, the whole world was the same mess. Only Pain's plan could rewrite it, Konan stopped her thoughts and looked at Ryosuke walking ahead.
"No… he seems a bit different."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/XenosX
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰