Chapter 114: A one-sided situation, the removal of the Third Hokage
Hokage Tower, top-floor conference room. The atmosphere was heavy.
On both sides of the long conference table sat Jōnin from Konoha Village, each of them a prominent figure. Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in the main seat, with Homura Mitokado beside him, the 2 elders forming the last line of defense of the old era. On the other side was Uchiha Akira.
Once everyone had arrived, Akira stood up and said, "I invited you all here today for only 1 thing. To dismiss the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi."
Everyone in the room was stunned. Even though everyone had anticipated it, when the words were spoken so directly, the impact still made the Jōnin present hold their breath.
"Uchiha Akira! How dare you!" Homura Mitokado slammed the table and stood up, furious. "This is Konoha's Jōnin meeting! Not your Uchiha ancestral hall!"
Akira ignored Homura, his gaze fixed on Hiruzen's shocked and angry face. "Third Hokage, you are old. Your ideals, your methods, they can no longer keep up with this era."
"You!" Hiruzen trembled with rage.
Akira snapped his fingers. Uchiha Kenji stepped forward from behind him, placing a stack of documents gently in the center of the conference table.
"First, Orochimaru," Akira began. "Konoha's S-rank rogue shinobi, performing forbidden human experiments, how many villagers and shinobi he has harmed, I believe everyone here knows better than I do. Hokage-sama, you let him go."
"That… that was for…"
"For your ridiculous master-disciple bond?" Akira interrupted Hiruzen. "Or is it that your so-called Will of Fire can override the Village's laws and the lives of its villagers? Second, the Nine-Tails Attack. The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, in his prime, at the peak of his strength. Facing the Nine-Tails, why did he use the mutual destruction Reaper Death Seal? And not you, Third Hokage. Is this what you call the Will of Fire? Sacrificing the young Fourth to let the old Third continue to rule!"
"Nonsense!" Hiruzen stood up abruptly, spitting. "Everything I did was for the Village!"
"For the Village?" Akira smiled. "Then, is abusing the hero's descendant also for the Village?"
Kenji produced another document. "Uzumaki Naruto, the Fourth Hokage's orphan. This is his living record and financial statement for the past few years. Living in the shabbiest apartment, eating expired food, receiving the lowest orphan's allowance. The entire Village saw him as a demon fox, bullying him, isolating him. And you, as the Hokage who knew everything, what did you do? Sarutobi Hiruzen, you can't even protect a child; what right do you have to talk about protecting the entire Village!"
Hiruzen's mouth hung open, but he couldn't utter any strong rebuttal. Because what Uchiha Akira said was all true.
Just then, "I, Hyūga Hiashi, on behalf of the Hyūga Clan, support Clan Head Akira's proposal." The Clan Head of the Hyūga Clan slowly stood up. He bowed slightly to Uchiha Akira. "The Hyūga Clan is willing to follow the strong and create a new future for Konoha."
"Hiashi! You..."
However, before he finished speaking, a lazy voice rang out. "Ah… how troublesome." Nara Shikaku yawned and also stood up. "However, what Clan Head Akira said makes a lot of sense. From a risk assessment perspective, maintaining the status quo, Konoha's future is worrying."
Beside him, Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Chōza stood up simultaneously. "The Ino-Shika-Chō trio seconds the motion."
If the Hyūga's stance was the first blow, then the Ino-Shika-Chō's defection was the final straw that broke the camel's back. The entire conference room fell into a deathly silence. Homura Mitokado's face, flushed with anger, now drained of all color. He looked at Shikaku Nara, at Inoichi Yamanaka, at Akimichi Chōza. These were the pillars of Konoha. They were the most trusted partners and juniors of their generation. Now, they all stood on the opposite side.
"You..." Homura roared. "You are betraying Konoha!"
"No." A coarse female voice broke the suffocating silence. The acting Clan Head of the Inuzuka Clan, Inuzuka Tsume. "We are choosing Konoha's future. My Inuzuka Clan doesn't understand grand principles. We only believe in 1 principle: The strong rule. Third Hokage-sama, you are no longer the alpha wolf who can lead us to tear apart our enemies. And Clan Head Akira…" Her gaze turned to Uchiha Akira, with undisguised reverence. "He has that right. My Inuzuka Clan supports Clan Head Akira's proposal."
Another one. Hiruzen Sarutobi's body swayed. He felt his world collapsing piece by piece.
"Logically, this is the optimal solution," a voice devoid of emotion sounded. The Clan Head of the Aburame Clan, Aburame Shibi, pushed up his sunglasses and also stood up. "Choosing Clan Head Akira, Konoha will usher in integration and rebirth; although accompanied by pain, the probability of moving towards prosperity is 78.5%. Based on this, my Aburame Clan makes the most reasonable judgment. We second the motion."
Hiruzen's gaze instinctively searched through the crowd. He wanted to find a face that supported him. Just 1 would be enough. However, all he saw was evasion, fear, and indifference. His gaze finally fell on the silver-haired man: Kakashi Hatake. Minato's disciple. His most promising, next-generation pillar.
Kakashi. What about you? Will you betray me too?
As if sensing his gaze, Kakashi slowly raised his head. His eyes no longer held their usual laziness and nonchalance. Instead, there was an unprecedented resolve.
Kakashi stood up. Everyone in the conference room instantly focused their gaze on him.
"I, Kakashi Hatake, as an ordinary Konoha Jōnin, would like to say a few words," his voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "My father, Hatake Sakumo, was once a hero of Konoha. He abandoned a mission to protect his comrades but was driven to a dead end by the Village's public opinion. I always thought it was my father's own choice. But now, I understand. The Will of Fire should be a flame that burns itself to illuminate the Village, and not an excuse to casually sacrifice comrades, or even the honor of a hero, in order to maintain the so-called greater good. Therefore," Kakashi took a deep breath. "I support Clan Head Akira's proposal. Konoha needs a flame that can truly bring warmth."
It's over. Everything is over. Kakashi's stance was like pushing over the first domino.
"I… I support it too!"
"That's right! How can the Fourth's son live like that!"
"And Orochimaru! Letting that scum go, Third Hokage-sama is largely to blame!"
"I second the motion!"
"Second!"
One Jōnin after another stood up. Hiruzen Sarutobi felt all the strength drain from his body. He slumped back into his chair, dejected. The tide had turned.
Finally, Uchiha Akira slowly spoke.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen. The era has abandoned you."
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