"You… what did you just say?!"
"Uh… I just wanted to say I'm sorry…"
"…"
The Konoha shinobi stood frozen, stunned speechless. Just a moment ago, they had been staring down the edge of death, wrapped in a tidal wave of deadly cherry blossoms. And now? It was all gone, vanished in an instant, as if none of it had happened.
After all that chaos… after a battle that was nothing short of a life-or-death war…
Was this really going to end with a casual "sorry"?
"You've gotta be kidding me…"Tsume muttered, eyes blank.
Aburame Shibi stood up slowly. Adjusting his sunglasses with two fingers, he said flatly,
"That wasn't even remotely funny."
Kakashi, still collapsed on the ground from overusing his Mangekyō, didn't even have the strength to stand, let alone respond.
Faced with Kirito's oddly sincere, yet ridiculous apology, even he found himself at a loss for words.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Nara Shikaku spoke up.
"Ah, I see now. A power rampage, huh? That explains a lot. Still, you gave us quite the headache," he said, rubbing his temples.
"But… if it wasn't intentional, I guess we can't exactly blame you."
"What?!" Tsume's eyes snapped toward him.
"Shikaku, have you lost it?!"
"We're the adults here. Let's show a little maturity," Shikaku said evenly. Then he shot a glance toward Inoichi.
"Right, Inoichi?"
Caught off guard, Inoichi blinked. He didn't fully understand Shikaku's angle, but trusting his friend's judgment, and his reputation as Konoha's sharpest strategist, he forced a smile.
"Ah… yes. Clan Head Hiashi, Kirito is one of yours. What say you?"
Hiashi stood in silence, his gaze fixed on Kirito. As the head of Konoha's most powerful clan, he saw more than most.
He understood perfectly what Shikaku was trying to do.
The village had just survived a devastating assault from Orochimaru and the Sand, with the Third Hokage dead and countless shinobi lost. Konoha was weak. Exposed. Its enemies were surely watching, ready to pounce.
And now this… Kirito, a Hyuga clan member, had just wrecked half the village and incapacitated multiple high-ranking shinobi. If even one elder had died, this would've been irredeemable.
But miraculously, no one had.
And that changed everything.
News of today's events would no doubt spread fast, spy networks from every hidden village would carry the story back home. The shame of it all: the great Hidden Leaf unable to stop one rogue prodigy. But looked at another way…
It also proved that Kirito was Konoha's brightest star.
His power rivaled, no, surpassed, its top jōnin. Maybe even its old generation.
And in a time like this, when Konoha needed a pillar to rely on…
They couldn't afford to make Kirito their enemy.
Even if the higher-ups demanded punishment, who in Konoha had the strength left to carry it out?
Disciplining this "little monster"?
More likely, they'd get themselves crushed in the attempt.
Hiashi folded his arms. "I have no objections. You all do as you see fit."
The jōnin present exchanged looks. None of them were fools.
After a long silence, they understood exactly what Shikaku was hinting at.
"...So we're just letting it go?" Asuma muttered bitterly.
"Let it go," came another voice. Akimichi Chōza was slowly sitting upright, his limbs still numb from his medicine's aftereffects. "Shikaku wasn't wrong. It's not like the kid meant for any of this to happen."
Kakashi, after a long rest, finally pulled himself together. He reached up to lower his headband back over his burning eye, his voice weary but calm.
"I agree with Shikaku."
"Same here." Guy, still lying on the ground, gave a weak wave.
"If Kakashi's fine with it, I won't argue."
"Tch… you're all so annoying." Tsume crossed her arms with a scowl. "I don't know what schemes you people are cooking up, but whatever. Do what you want. I don't care anymore."
"That power rampage," Shibi interjected, "was likely influenced by someone else, wasn't it?"
The room fell quiet again.
They all knew what he meant now.
Danzo.
They hadn't understood before why Danzo had his sights set on Kirito. But after witnessing what he was capable of… the reason was obvious.
"Yeah… that guy probably did something reckless," Inoichi added. This time, it wasn't to cover for Kirito. His own clan member, Yamanaka Fū, had been manipulated by Danzo using forbidden methods.
It wasn't hard to imagine Danzo trying the same on Kirito, only to get utterly wrecked for his efforts.
And if anything, Danzo's actions had become increasingly unpopular among Konoha's major clans.
Yet the village, crippled and weakened, still relied on his existence.
A bitter contradiction.
"...I've got no objections," Asuma finally muttered. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it with a flick of his lighter, and began to smoke with a long sigh.
With everyone's stance now made clear, Shikaku quietly exhaled in relief.
"Alright then. Let's consider this matter- "
"I object."
The voice came from Kirito.
Everyone turned.
<><>---------------------------------------
Every 200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapters
45 Advanced Chapters on p(a)treon
p(a)treon.com/Aaltairr
Add to Collection!
🚨 TL/N 💥
Hello guys Fanfic recommendation!
Check out my other work:
💥> Naruto: Mind Control (Highly Recommended)
💥> Bleach: Sephiroth Template
If you like smart and strong MC, this fanfic is for you.
It's Peak.
Give it a chance and you won't be disappointed