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In a corner unnoticed by anyone,
the most tender and fragile branch of Konoha silently ignited itself, releasing a faint spark in the long night.
This subtle light and heat continuously burned along the branches and leaves, heading towards the oldest and most decayed trunk and roots of this giant tree.
Throughout this entire month,
on the surface, the confrontation between the Advisor Group and the Senju Clan continued.
However, the alliance of the Ninja clans was not entirely useless.
After Clan Head Inuzuka Gentai was proven innocent and released back to his clan's territory, public opinion within the Village no longer targeted the obvious clan heads but shifted towards the industries that various Ninja clans regarded as their cash cows.
Deer antler, medicinal gardens, food streets, forestry, insect feed, steel industry, military weapons…
The various industries originally firmly controlled by the Ninja clans and considered their lifelines all suffered losses of varying degrees in this invisible struggle.
These seemingly minor losses accumulated over a month, resulting in a terrifying figure.
However, even more terrifying than the monetary losses was the accumulation of resentment deep within people's hearts.
Neither Shimura Danzo nor Sarutobi Hiruzen realized that their current focus was being intentionally or unintentionally diverted by certain individuals from the powerful Ninja clan leaders to the more vulnerable and less vocal commoners.
The strength of the elephant was accumulating little by little.
"Clang."
The tottering door frame finally crashed onto the scorched ground.
The twelve-year-old child stared blankly at his family's blacksmith shop, which had been burned to a desolate wasteland.
The Kunai and other various weapons displayed in the warehouse and on the shelves were all swept away under the guise of an inspection. His father, once a Ninja who became disabled, was beaten to the ground simply for resisting during the search, and before they left, the shop was hit by a Fire Release.
All that was left for them was a 'search warrant' that had just been signed.
They probably didn't even know where this order came from.
Although there were no casualties, this blacksmith shop, which had been operating since his birth, had finally met its end.
His father slumped to the ground, his face full of despair. His leg, supported by a wooden stick, was caught in a crack in the stone, and he clutched the nameplate bearing the 'Haruno' surname.
Their Haruno Clan was just a small Ninja clan, struggling through generations and never daring to provoke others in the Village.
How did they end up like this?
"Bastards!"
Haruno Genji slammed the ground fiercely, but he didn't even have the strength to support himself. A Ninja who had never uttered a sound even with a blade to his throat, now couldn't stop the tears from flowing:
"What the (Konoha expletive)! How did the Village become like this?!"
"Father, Father…" Haruno Megumi also had red eyes, clenching his fists tightly, his voice choked with sobs, "Let's go to the Hokage Building and report them! Our home, our home has been burned to the ground by them!"
Haruno Genji sat on the ground, his face stiff, silent for a long time.
Go to the Village?
If going to the Village was useful, why did he only receive one-third of the compensation after losing a leg on the battlefield?
If going to the Village was useful, why did his wife run off with a foreign merchant when he was on the battlefield, and the 'Ninja Marriage Law' didn't impose any punishment, instead allowing her to take nearly half of their property after the divorce?
If going to the Village was useful, how dare those Anbu-dressed guys…
"Thump."
Another punch slammed heavily onto the ground.
Haruno Genji looked at the surrounding shops with their tightly shut doors and let out a long sigh.
Finally, he struggled to support himself against the still-standing wall, placing a hand on his son's shoulder, his expression resolute: "Let's go to the Disabled Ninja Association."
Haruno Megumi was startled by this.
Although he was still young, because he ran around a lot, he occasionally heard his friends in the Village talk about this organization that had recently been giving speeches everywhere. It was mostly made up of injured and disabled middle-aged Ninja, and they talked about things that children like him couldn't understand.
Haruno Genji, however, understood perfectly.
But, for people like them, with families, who would casually associate with those 'idle', 'ungrateful', and 'very dangerous' individuals?
What if they did something dangerous one day? He himself would be fine, but what about his son? He still had to get into the Hokage Building's official ranks in the future!
Haruno Genji used to think this way, and he also looked down on those who blamed the Village for every problem they encountered—he was a man who could always stand on his own two feet, no matter what difficulties he faced.
Until, those sparks scattered by certain individuals accidentally landed on his own home.
In fact, if one looked down the entire street, only their house was burned, so it didn't seem to have that much impact.
However, a speck of dust from the era, falling on an individual, becomes an unbearable weight on their life.
Even before setting out, Haruno Genji still felt anxious.
What attitude would those dangerous commoners, whom he looked down upon, have towards him, a man with a family, from a Ninja clan, and with little property?
He couldn't even say for sure himself.
But, driven by an inexplicable surge of determination, he still thought:
'Let's go and see.'
The unfortunate always gather with other unfortunate people.
The nearest outpost to their home was a small shogi parlor, which also sold some tea and snacks, but recently, with the Village's economic downturn, fewer people came for tea and shogi.
It had been deserted for a long time since the war began.
However, when the Haruno father and son entered the shogi parlor, it was bustling with activity.
A man, also disabled and missing an arm, stood on a shogi table, shouting loudly to the crowd below:
"Today! We stand here, on the land of Konoha! The land our ancestors watered with blood and dignity!"
"On the mountains behind me, the statue of Lord Hashirama Senju is carved!"
"He is the light of the whole world!"
"He said that Konoha should care for its elderly, raise its young, and children should not go to war!"
"But now? I, you, us! All of us! We lost our limbs on the battlefield, our children lost their lives on the battlefield, and after the war, we lost our dignity—to this day, how many of us commoners have received a medal, a commendation, or even a single penny of post-war pension?!"
"Some of you might say: Mr. Iida, I don't care about honor. As long as the Village can give a loaf of bread to someone like me, who lost an arm on the battlefield, I would already be very grateful."
"Yes, you are right, the problem of survival is too important! But I want to tell you, there are things more important than life in this world: that is dignity! That is rules!"
"The First Hokage established the Village, the Second Hokage set the laws—those who contribute to the Village should be supported by the Village. This is a rule that anyone who becomes Hokage should abide by!"
"What we need is not just a loaf of bread, but a living space constructed by rules! A living space belonging to those who sacrificed for Konoha!"
"This living space is not achieved through prayer and charity! But through iron and blood!"
Haruno Genji listened blankly. These speeches, which had once sounded like chaotic bird calls when he was well-fed and content, had never moved his heart as they did today.
And it wasn't just him.
Everyone present, every person who had voluntarily walked into this shogi parlor, listened in silence.
Only when they truly became victims did Haruno Genji truly realize how fervent the flame deep within their hearts was.
Ida Masashi, standing on the shogi table, was also responding to this fervent heart and fiery gaze with a soaring voice.
Just as he had done a month ago, when he stood in the open space beneath the Hokage Rock, listening to that person, Lord Sawara Kiri, giving a speech on the stage.
He firmly believed, just as Sawara Kiri had said!
Only Lady Tsunade, with her Senju bloodline, could bring them a fairer Konoha!
However, before the speech could continue for long, a sudden commotion erupted outside.
"Disperse! Disperse!"
"Everyone inside, come out!"
The cramped shogi parlor immediately descended into chaos.
Everyone realized that the Uchiha Police Force had arrived.
However, Haruno Genji personally saw a small group of disabled Ninja, led by Ida Masashi and others, calmly descend from the shogi table, supporting each other as they walked to the entrance, surrounded by the crowd.
As soon as they stepped out, they were roughly pushed to the ground by the Uchiha and shackled.
It looked very undignified.
However, in the eyes of victims like Haruno Genji, the moment they were shackled, they seemed to emit an extraordinary light, unique to pioneers.
Haruno Genji suddenly turned his head instinctively, looking at the people clustered in the shogi parlor.
Among them were commoners, small Ninja clans with unfamiliar clan crests embroidered on their clothes, and some who were physically disabled or poorly dressed.
These people were forced to walk out of the shogi parlor, but each of them held their heads high, staring intently at the Uchiha Police Force Ninja sent to arrest them.
Everyone's eyes seemed to hold fire.
Haruno Genji lowered his head, looking at his son, who followed him step by step, and then at his own scorched clothing hem.
At some point, a shogi tile, a red dragon with a chipped corner, appeared in his hand.
He couldn't even explain what caused him, a man who had been honest his whole life, to suddenly erupt with such courage.
Haruno Genji stood in the crowd, suddenly raising his head and shouting angrily:
"To hell with this (Konoha expletive)!"
With a whoosh, the shogi piece, like a shuriken, struck the back of an Uchiha in the front row with a thud.
This small action immediately ignited the dynamite named 'crowd', causing a clamor to erupt. The courage of these people seemed to be sparked and ignited together.
In front of the shogi parlor, various stones, shogi pieces, wooden chopsticks, and table legs flew everywhere. Some even more impulsive individuals crashed into the group of arrested people including Ida Masashi.
The Uchiha Police Force members present were all stunned.
But everyone didn't stop, as if they had received some signal in this concerted bravery, howling and swarming towards the only six Uchiha Police Force members outside, a chaotic cacophony of wails and howls.
However, reality didn't have that much concerted effort, and Ninja were still Ninja; any one of them could take down dozens of them. Many more people were actually using this opportunity to constantly run out, to places where these Uchiha couldn't catch them, and then dive into alleyways.
Soon, Haruno Genji and about twenty other instigators were pinned to the ground.
As for those seemingly cowardly individuals, they flowed silently in all directions like even hotter sparks.
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