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"Secondly, the Inuzuka Clan Head, serving as the breakthrough point, will 'confess' numerous 'evidence' that was previously kept confidential in archives and only held by Root and others, without even his own knowledge."
"At the same time, the Ninja Clan Leaders, feeling personally threatened, will finally take action."
"However, with the situation unclear, they will absolutely not intervene on either side first. Instead, they will express their dissatisfaction with the 'Inuzuka Case' to Lord Third through channels like the Jonin Meeting and high-level meetings."
"Thus, Lord Third will once again throw the conflict back onto Lady Tsunade's shoulders."
Recalling the young man's words from a few days prior, Tsunade clasped her hands, seated at one of the head seats of the long table, silently and indifferently watching the clamoring Ninja Clan Heads in the conference room.
"Things that haven't been done simply haven't been done!"
"How can a Clan Head be imprisoned without investigation?"
"If rumors spread in the Village again next time, will the Uchiha Clan Head and Hyuga Clan Head also be arrested by Lord Third with just a word?"
"That's right! This matter is truly going too far!"
All the Clan Heads from the Ninja Clans were indignantly shouting at this moment.
Tsunade watched this scene coldly.
Although everyone present clearly understood that everything happening now was merely a transfer of conflict orchestrated by the Council Elders.
Yet, they acted as if they hadn't realized anything, all shouting and demanding that her beloved teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, take responsibility and clear Inuzuka Motoyasu's name for the Village.
Not a single person tried to direct the blame towards a specific name.
There was no other reason.
It was simply that the current Hokage Advisor Group held too much power.
If a comparison had to be made, the Council Elders, though named Elders, were effectively the Cabinet.
Even Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to have decisions voted on within this small Cabinet to implement them.
While Konoha's Ninja Clans were prominent families, they could only barely be considered local forces, and they were scattered and disorganized. Except for issues concerning bloodline limits and secret techniques, they couldn't form a united front.
Even the strongest among them, the Uchiha Clan, was merely a slightly larger prey in front of the Hokage system, posing no real threat.
The only one capable of directly confronting them was Tsunade, who held the 'righteous' title.
Precisely because of this, the Ninja Clan Heads' current actions, while seemingly aggressive, actually dared not get involved.
In fact, weren't these current complaints also a way to demonstrate their neutral stance between her and the Council Elders, thereby returning the most important 'power of judgment' to Lord Third's hands?
At that time, wouldn't Lord Third only need to say 'public opinion is surging' to have a sufficient and easy reason to force her to cancel this proposal?
"Don't look at what they say, but what they do."
Tsunade lowered her head, looking at the vertically floating tea stem in her teacup on the table, and the melancholic reflection on the water's surface, suddenly feeling a bit like laughing.
This kind of dreadful place was truly uninteresting to stay in.
If it weren't for that brat.
Just as the clamor in the room was incessant, and everyone was collectively demanding an explanation from Lord Third.
Shimura Danzo's single eye suddenly swept towards Tsunade across the long table, and he spoke coldly:
"Jonin Tsunade, as the proposer of the 'Special Wartime Investigation Regulations.'"
"Now, do you have nothing to say?"
He was the one who ordered the arrests, he was the one who prematurely released public opinion to distort the regulations, and he was still the one who unreasonably confined a Ninja Clan Head in the interrogation room.
However, at this very moment, Shimura Danzo seemed to be merely a professional 'Hokage Advisor,' finding Tsunade's 'irresponsible' approach unacceptable and righteously stating his opinion.
Almost the instant he spoke, the clamor that had filled the entire conference room suddenly vanished without a trace.
Everyone silently watched the two individuals seated opposite each other at the long table.
"Opinion? What opinion?"
Tsunade scoffed: "Are you referring to my proposal to initiate an economic inquiry into the 'Advisor Group'?"
She intentionally emphasized those three words.
However, everyone present seemed to have gone deaf for a second, as if by unspoken agreement, hearing nothing at all.
Tsunade ignored them and turned to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was seated in the very center.
"Lord Third, the investigation of corruption cases concerns the entire Village."
"If no one dares to set an example, who will be able to thoroughly dig out those dirty things?"
Shimura Danzo's eye twitched slightly.
After all, he was the dirtiest one among everyone present.
But...
This foolish woman, Tsunade, still didn't understand Hiruzen enough.
"I believe that in the face of war, all matters concerning the rear should be temporarily postponed for the best." Sarutobi Hiruzen met his disciple's gaze, his voice unwavering, his expression solemn.
"Tsunade, the pressure on the front lines is immense."
...
Her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath.
Tsunade herself didn't know how much willpower it took to suppress the anger and disappointment that welled up from the depths of her heart.
"Is that so."
She stood up under everyone's gaze, looking deeply at Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Before leaving, Tsunade's voice suddenly turned cold, stating calmly:
"Lord Third, you will regret this."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned by her words, feeling as though he had heard this familiar line somewhere before, and a strange unease filled his heart.
Shimura Danzo, however, couldn't help but smile.
Tch, a loser.
Bang.
The door closed.
Tsunade strode out of the office, her mind still replaying Sawara Kiri's words from that time.
"If Lady Tsunade continues to be as stubborn as before, then Shimura Danzo and Lord Third will, for the sake of stability on the front lines, take turns using the same trick as last time."
"Until the Ninja Clans, unable to bear it, gradually lean towards the Council Elders' side under constant pressure, express their stance at the Jonin Meeting, and pressure you, ultimately, in a fair and open manner, abolish your proposal with an overwhelming majority in the voting process."
"This is the simplest and most effective method."
"However, now, because of my appearance, the situation has changed."
Even now, Tsunade remembered the cunning and intelligent smile on Sawara Kiri's face, like a small fox, when he said these words.
"Do you know about the elephant in the room?"
"In an already cramped room, there is a problem so huge it cannot be ignored, yet everyone, for various reasons, forms an unusual tacit understanding, choosing to deliberately avoid and ignore this phenomenon."
At that time, Sawara Kiri's voice was almost like the devil's whisper.
"If you are still the high and mighty Princess Tsunade, then you can certainly continue to follow this 'tacit understanding'."
"But if you want to break the current rigid situation and escape this room—then this 'elephant' curled up in the room, quiet and wronged, will become your most powerful ally."
As if sensing the thoughts from afar, Sawara Kiri subconsciously turned his head in the direction of the Hokage Building.
However, before he could fully collect himself, he heard the aunt from the nearby Orphanage warmly call out to him: "Sawara-kun, the previous performance is over, it's your turn now."
Only then did he turn his head, politely and gently thanking the aunt, and then strode towards the stage.
On this simply constructed stage, there had just been a large chorus of orphans, a Manzai comedy duo invited from a theater, an acrobatics troupe from outside, and even a dance performance temporarily rehearsed by a few young girls.
However, the applause from the audience was always sparse, seemingly lacking interest.
Sawara Kiri stood on the stage, looking at the audience below.
Most of them were missing an arm or both legs, able to move only with wheelchairs or crutches, and some were entirely wrapped in bandages—that was because they had been disfigured in the war.
Clearly, they were all Ninja who had been disabled by the war.
Because several disabled care homes and orphanages in Konoha had been notified three days in advance, today, this spacious area located below the Hokage Rock, at the edge of the entire Village, gathered nearly half of Konoha's injured and disabled Ninja and orphans, numbering several thousand—such a massive gathering of people, if not for the guarantee of Lady Tsunade and Hatake Sakumo, it probably wouldn't even have been possible to hold.
However, even though they were present, these people still looked indifferent and moved with difficulty.
Both physically and mentally, they endured unparalleled pain. The stark contrast between their strong physiques as Ninja and their current impoverished plight was like heaven and earth.
Konoha Village's tight budget and limited manpower meant that most of them, after giving everything for the Village, still had to endure hunger.
Some of them had even parted ways with their own properties and relatives due to various reasons—in already difficult times, few people were willing to shoulder a heavy family burden for no reason; this was a choice of human nature.
Under this heavy suffering, it seemed that nothing could stir the interest of these once most passionate people.
Sawara Kiri silently took all of this in.
Slowly, he revealed a perfectly solemn expression and solemnly walked onto the stage.
As his performance began, Tsunade, who had just left the Hokage Building, also happened to arrive at the edge of the venue.
From a distance, she could already hear Sawara Kiri's solemn and steady, yet emotionally charged voice, resounding from afar:
"Forty years ago, a great Konoha Ninja signed the 'Konoha Establishment Contract.' Today, we gather under the witness of his Hokage Rock."
"That great Ninja once said: He hoped that after Konoha was established, there would be no more sacrifices, and no more children would die."
"This solemn declaration, like the light of a lighthouse, brought hope to millions of Sengoku people suffering in the unrighteous fires that ravaged lives. Its arrival was like a joyful dawn, ending the long night of Sengoku slaughter and bringing more than a decade of peace to Konoha Village."
"However, today, forty years later, we must face the tragic reality that Konoha's people and children are still fighting enemies on the battlefield..."
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