"That's right. Just now, Sarutobi Asuma twisted black and white, calling our Uchiha clan a red-eyed clan. He admitted that the Uchiha suffered heavy casualties and made great contributions—yet claimed those achievements were nothing more than killing the wounded and stealing credit!"
Uchiha Ryu paused.
"Hmph."
He sneered coldly.
Staring at Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose expression was growing increasingly ugly, Ryu continued in a sharp voice:
"Comparing warriors who fought with their lives to the sick…Comparing merits earned at the cost of blood to theft…"
"Why shouldn't I slap him?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened further with every word.
"Asuma," Hiruzen asked, suppressing his anger,"Is what Uchiha Ryu said true?"
He forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"F-Father… Hokage," Sarutobi Asuma said resentfully,"What Uchiha Ryu said is wrong. I never insulted the Uchiha clan!"
At this moment, Asuma truly believed he was not in the wrong.
While stationed in the logistics division, a wounded Sarutobi clan member had retreated from the Land of Water battlefield.
That man had told him how evil and shameless the Uchiha supposedly were.
Out of ten statements, nine were false.
But Asuma had latched onto the single fragment that sounded true—and ignored the rest.
From then on, he treated those words as truth.
That was how today's mockery of the Uchiha clan had come to be.
"Shut up!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped harshly, not caring that Asuma was his son.
Words like these might have been tolerated within the clan—
But they had been spoken in front of the entire village.
Once said publicly, resentment was inevitable.
At that moment, villagers who had not witnessed the earlier events, after hearing Asuma's denial, had their expressions instantly darken.
Even if they disliked the Uchiha clan's usual arrogance—
No one could deny that the Uchiha had fought desperately for Konoha.
And now, they were being slandered by the Hokage's son.
The bitterness in their hearts was unavoidable.
"Uchiha Ryu," Sarutobi Hiruzen said grimly,"If Sarutobi Asuma truly did what you said, then you were right."
Though his expression was unpleasant, he forced himself to remain calm.
Before Ryu could respond—
Sarutobi Asuma suddenly spoke again.
"Hokage! I didn't insult the Uchiha clan, and I didn't insult their military achievements!"
Asuma had suddenly thought of a way out.
Earlier, many people nearby had spoken with him.
Now, with even more people present who didn't know the truth—
As long as those witnesses concealed what had happened, just like before—
Uchiha Ryu's words could be overturned.
Those who had seen the entire scene turned pale at Asuma's shameless denial.
"Everyone," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, frowning,"Is what Sarutobi Asuma said incorrect?"
At that moment, the sharp-faced man with narrow cheeks spoke again.
"Hokage-sama, I can guarantee that Sarutobi Asuma did not insult the Uchiha clan just now."
The people who knew the truth felt deeply uncomfortable.
But no one dared to be the first to openly offend the Hokage.
No one wanted to be that person.
"Yes! Hokage-sama, Asuma Sarutobi didn't insult the Uchiha clan at all!"
"That's right! What Asuma said is true!"
One voice followed another.
More and more people stepped forward to defend Sarutobi Asuma.
Those who knew the truth looked around in disbelief.
They couldn't understand how these people could coordinate so seamlessly.
"It's not like that! That's not true, Hokage-sama!"
Suddenly, a bowl-cut boy in green leapt out of the crowd.
"Hokage-sama!"
Might Guy ran up to the Third Hokage, panting heavily.
"Might Guy," Sarutobi Hiruzen said stiffly,"If you have something to say, say it."
He already sensed the situation slipping beyond his control.
"Hokage!" Might Guy said urgently."I saw everything clearly just now!"
"Sarutobi Asuma did insult the Uchiha warriors! He called them red-eyed devils and said their military achievements were just picking up leftovers!"
"That's not what they're saying now!"
Might Guy spoke rapidly and sincerely.
Back at the Ninja Academy, he had received much help from Uchiha Ryu.
His father had died fighting the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.
Before his death, his father had told him clearly—
The Uchiha were trustworthy comrades who had saved him multiple times.
Whether emotionally or logically, Might Guy felt he had to speak up.
"Sarutobi Asuma," Hiruzen demanded angrily,"Is there any truth to what Might Guy said?"
Hiruzen wasn't angry because Asuma had done this—
He was angry because it had been exposed publicly.
"Might Guy, you're talking nonsense!"Asuma shouted, his face twisted."I never insulted the Uchiha clan!"
"Yes, I saw it too!"
"I saw it as well!"
"Hokage-sama, what Might Guy said is true!"
"Asuma Sarutobi's ability to twist right and wrong is terrifying!"
Once the first person spoke up—
Others who had been holding back no longer felt afraid.
The dam burst.
"Hmph."
Uchiha Ryu sneered.
"A man who was nearly useless on the battlefield dares to insult the Uchiha—a clan whose casualties in the Land of Water reached eighty percent."
"And he dares to call their blood-earned achievements 'theft'?"
"Hokage-sama," Ryu said coldly,"I hope you can give me a reasonable explanation."
He stared at Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose face had become extremely ugly.
At this point, even those who initially knew nothing had their expressions change dramatically.
They hadn't expected Sarutobi Asuma to be so audacious—
To insult warriors who fought and bled on the battlefield.
Even worse—
So many people had helped cover for him.
The thought sent chills down their spines.
If they were ever to fight for Konoha in the future—
And were treated the same way—
They didn't dare imagine it.
"How dare Sarutobi Asuma insult frontline warriors!"
"Hokage-sama, you must give us an explanation!"
"Yes! Why can someone who never shed a drop of blood on the battlefield insult warriors at will?!"
"We demand an explanation!"
"Explain!"
One voice after another rose in anger.
Clans that had long been quietly suppressed by the Sarutobi faction seized the moment—
And openly pressured the Hokage for the first time.