Almost at the same time, the Third Hokage came to the same realization as Shikaku.
Shinnosuke wasn't just dead—his death couldn't even be made public.
Except for those present, no one else could know that Shinnosuke Sarutobi had died.
And Shinnosuke wasn't just any shinobi without official duties or significance.
He was the Commander of the Anbu.
If someone with that title were to suddenly vanish into thin air, it would create mass panic.
Especially when you added the fact that many Anbu members who had accompanied him were now gone as well.
The Anbu of Konoha consisted of four teams. Two of those teams were entirely under the control of the Sarutobi clan.
To completely eliminate Naraku, the Third Hokage had deployed nearly the entire manpower of those two teams.
But now—Shinnosuke Sarutobi and nearly all the Anbu of those units were gone.
An entire half of Anbu had been wiped out.
As that horrifying reality sank in, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the world darken around him, a crushing pressure descending from all sides.
What would happen when the remaining Anbu members returned, only to discover that half of their comrades—and their commander—had mysteriously vanished?
Would they come to him, demanding explanations?
And what excuse could he possibly offer?
There was no explanation.
No story he could spin that would justify why the Commander of the Anbu and nearly half of two full Anbu squads were now gone.
"You... you... you..." the Third Hokage stammered, pointing a trembling finger at Naraku, rage and despair twisting in his chest.
The loss today nearly made him cough blood.
"Hokage-sama, there's no need to get so worked up," Naraku said gently, as though offering comfort.
"It was just a group of spies who had infiltrated the village. And those spies were eliminated."
The clan patriarchs exchanged uneasy glances.
This Naraku… was bold. Almost aggressive.
But then they recalled everything he'd gone through over the past few days, and their judgments softened.
First, he had saved the Hyuga Patriarch's daughter—an act that should have earned him great merit.
Instead, because of the Hidden Cloud's baseless demands and the Third Hokage's weakness, Naraku had nearly been sacrificed to placate Kumo.
Then, there were two assassination attempts—one yesterday, one today.
If any of them had been forced into a similar situation, they likely would have fled the village—or turned traitor—by now.
"Those two really went too far…" someone thought silently.
Was it Naraku who killed the Hokage's son?
Or was it the Third Hokage, who had sent two entire teams to eliminate Naraku?
Either way, these two were now irreconcilable.
This old man Hiruzen should have stepped down long ago! someone muttered internally.
After the Third Shinobi War, he'd resigned once. Many had blamed him even then.
But ever since returning to power, the discontent had only grown.
And now, if someone attacked the Third Hokage, most wouldn't raise a hand to help. In fact, they might even pretend to be too busy to interfere.
They wouldn't dare confront the Hokage directly, but if someone else stepped up to lead the charge, many wouldn't mind seeing him fall.
"Let's end this discussion for today," the Third Hokage said weakly, his voice pale and hollow.
He could feel it—this subtle distance from the clan heads, an invisible wall growing between them and him.
"Everyone, return. There's nothing more to be done here. The remaining Anbu will clean up the mess."
He waved his hand, ready to leave.
"Hokage-sama, please wait a moment," Naraku said suddenly.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. "What more do you want?"
Naraku smiled brightly. "As far as I remember, there's a regulation in the village. Those who kill or capture spies from enemy villages are eligible for rewards, correct?"
"..."
"And this time, Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi, and I eliminated more than a hundred such spies outside the village."
"According to village rules, that should qualify us for some equipment… or perhaps other rewards?"
Everyone went stiff.
The patriarchs felt their worldview cracking apart.
Shikaku was stunned speechless.
Not only had Naraku just insulted the Hokage…
He was now asking for a reward.
A reward!
For what?
For killing the Third Hokage's son!
For destroying half the Anbu!
How was he so bold?
Did he not care at all who the Hokage was?
Shisui and Itachi looked at each other, eyes filled with disbelief.
Naraku wasn't just fearless—he was making a direct request to study techniques from the Forbidden Scroll of Seals.
The scroll was Konoha's most treasured secret, dating back to the First Hokage himself.
And Naraku had just asked for access… plainly, publicly.
And yet… his logic was solid.
The merits required to access the scroll were steep.
But the destruction of over a hundred "enemy spies"? That was an extraordinary achievement.
If these ninjas truly had been spies, the damage they might have inflicted was immeasurable.
Of course, everyone knew the truth.
Those corpses weren't foreign spies.
Among them lay the Third Hokage's own son.
But that didn't matter.
At least officially, they had to pretend these were enemy agents.
Especially the Third Hokage.
To deny it now would expose the entire cover-up.
"Pfft—!"
Hiruzen couldn't hold it in any longer.
He spat a mouthful of blood.
This damn brat!
He not only killed his son… but then dared to call it meritorious?
And now he wanted a reward for it?!
Yet… he had no way to refuse.
Unless he was willing to admit that these were not spies at all.
That this had been a mission of internal assassination.
And that… he could never say aloud.