Chapter 113: The Twilight of the Hokage, the Beginning of a New Era
Inside the Hokage Office, Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his fist on the desk. "Outrageous! Outrageous!!!"
The expensive Hokage desk groaned under the pressure, and the stack of reports about the leaked identity of the "Fourth Hokage's Orphan" scattered across the floor. Coupled with various scandals, they were like resounding slaps, harshly striking Hiruzen's old face.
"I did this to protect Naruto!" Hiruzen panted, his eyes bloodshot. "Naruto is the descendant of a hero, the son of the Fourth Hokage! Once his identity is exposed, how much covetousness will it attract? Kumogakure, Iwagakure, those Villages that suffered losses in the Third Great Shinobi War, will they let him go? I concealed his identity and let him grow up like an ordinary child. Was that wrong? And Sakumo… Back then, with the intelligence leak and the failed mission, sacrificing his reputation to preserve the Village's interests was the optimal choice at the time! How much pressure did I bear, how much infamy did I carry? Who knows! I am the Hokage! Everything I do is for Konoha!"
Mitokado Homura stood by, his face grim. He had heard these words countless times.
"Hiruzen, now is not the time to say these things," Homura said. "The person spreading the news cannot be caught. We are now, like Hatake Sakumo back then, being roasted over a fire by the entire Village's public opinion."
Hiruzen felt a headache. Hatake Sakumo. Yes, he finally understood. That feeling of powerlessness, being condemned by thousands and unable to defend oneself. Back then, he sat high in the Hokage position, coldly watching the blade named "public opinion" force the White Fang to his death. Now, this blade was pointed at him.
"It must be Uchiha Akira. Besides him, no one has this ability, nor this motive. He wants to… attack the heart!"
Homura fell silent. Attack the heart. First, use absolute force to shatter the Third Hokage's authority as the "Strongest Hokage." Then, destroy all of the Third Hokage's prestige. Killing and attacking the heart. What a ruthless method.
In front of the Konoha Memorial Stone, Kakashi stood alone. He had been standing for a long time. The wind blew through his silver hair, and it also blew through his heart, which had long been numb. His father's name was on that cold stone tablet: Hatake Sakumo. This name was once his pride, but later, it became a shame he dared not mention.
"Your father's blade was fast, but his heart wasn't hard enough." Uchiha Akira stood behind Kakashi, his gaze also falling on the memorial stone. "He died from the Village's public opinion, died from the accusations of his comrades. Ultimately, he died from his own ridiculous kindness, wanting to protect everything."
"Clan Head Akira, what are you doing here?" Kakashi looked at Akira, his face alert.
"Kakashi Hatake! Sometimes, don't you feel too pathetic? You dare not investigate your father's cause of death, and you turn a blind eye to your teacher's orphan being bullied. Kakashi, you are just a coward living in the past."
"I…" Kakashi's body trembled slightly. He wanted to retort but found that he couldn't utter a single word. Yes, what had he done? He had done nothing. He just, day after day, was late, read Icha Icha Paradise, and used a cynical attitude to cover up the emptiness and confusion in his heart.
"Your father abandoned the mission to protect his comrades. You watched with your own eyes as the son of the Fourth Hokage, the child you were supposed to protect, lived like a stray dog. Kakashi, what exactly are you protecting?"
Kakashi's breathing became incredibly rapid. Obito… Rin… Teacher… Father… Faces flashed through his mind.
Uchiha Akira slowly crouched down, meeting Kakashi's gaze. "Do you want to seek justice for your father? Do you want those who truly killed him to pay the price?"
Kakashi suddenly looked up. Akira reached out and gently patted his shoulder. "I hope at the Jōnin meeting a few days later, you can make the most correct choice!"
After speaking, Akira stood up and turned to leave. The wind was still blowing. Kakashi knelt in place, motionless. After a long time, he slowly reached out and took off the mask on his face. 2 lines of clear tears streamed down his handsome yet haggard face, which had been hidden for many years.
Kakashi stood up, walked to the memorial stone, and gently brushed away the dust from his father's name with his hand. "Father… I'm sorry. I think… I've been wrong for a long time." His eyes gradually became firm.
The Nara Clan territory. In the study, the lights were bright.
Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Akimichi Chōza, the 3 Clan Heads, gathered again. The atmosphere was even more solemn than last time.
"Shikaku, are you sure you want to do this?" Chōza's face no longer held its usual good-naturedness, replaced by deep worry. "This is no longer about taking sides. This is flipping the table. Once we fail, our Ino-Shika-Chō trio will be doomed."
Yamanaka Inoichi also frowned tightly. "Everyone knows that the Jōnin meeting called by Uchiha Akira is a prepared coup. The Third Hokage will not sit idly by. He still has the Anbu, and those old Jōnin loyal to him. At that time, the meeting place might very well turn into a battlefield."
Shikaku Nara picked up his teacup and took a small sip. "Battlefield? No." He shook his head. He put down the teacup with a soft "tap."
"Do you really think anyone in Konoha can withstand Uchiha Akira's Susanoo? Akira's power is enough to crush anyone in Konoha right now, including the Third Hokage, and even if all of Konoha attacked together, they might not be able to stop him."
Shikaku leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling. "But have you ever thought about why he's making things so complicated? First, he took Hyūga Hinata as his disciple, drawing in the Hyūga Clan. Then, he spread those rumors unfavorable to the Third Hokage, tarnishing his reputation. Now, he's going to hold a Jōnin meeting to publicly dismiss him in front of all the Jōnin. He could clearly just burst into the Hokage Office and force the Third Hokage to step down with his fists, so why doesn't he do that?"
Inoichi and Chōza both fell into deep thought. Yes, why?
"Because what he wants is not just that position," Shikaku's voice became somewhat distant. "What he wants is the hearts of the people. What he wants is legitimacy. He wants everyone to see that it wasn't Uchiha Akira who seized the Hokage position by force, but that Sarutobi Hiruzen was unworthy and abandoned by the entire Village. He's paving the way for his future unification of the Shinobi World…"
"So, do we have any other choice?" Shikaku spread his hands. "This kind of multiple-choice question doesn't even need to be answered, does it?"
Chōza slapped his thigh heavily. "Let's do it! Anyway, I've long disliked that old man!"
Inoichi also nodded. "My Yamanaka Clan seconds the motion."
Shikaku smiled. "That's good. Just wait and watch the show."
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