Then came even more disturbing news.
It was reported that when the ANBU attempted to handle matters related to Sakura Haruno's defection, they were met with fierce resistance from an unknown force—and suffered heavy casualties.
Even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had lost an arm during the incident.
For a Kage-level shinobi to suffer such grievous injury, and for elite ANBU forces to be decimated—this was a major event, one capable of shaking the very foundation of the village.
Yet what unsettled Neji most was this:
After such a serious attack and loss, Konoha's higher-ups did not immediately organize a large-scale pursuit. Nor did they issue any strong public statements or carry out visible retaliatory measures.
The entire matter seemed to have been quietly suppressed by an invisible hand, stirring only undercurrents of speculation within internal circles.
Now a Jōnin qualified to attend certain high-level meetings and intelligence briefings, Neji keenly sensed the abnormality.
This did not align with Konoha's usual conduct—nor with how a shinobi village would typically respond to such blatant provocation.
He sought out the Hyūga Clan head, his uncle Hyūga Hiashi, in search of answers.
After dismissing the attendants, Hiashi spoke in a low voice within the Main House chamber. Facing his nephew—now a dependable Jōnin—he did not conceal the truth.
"Neji, with your current position and strength, there are matters you ought to know."
He paused, his gaze seeming to pierce through walls toward the swirling vortex at Konoha's center of power.
"Konoha's leadership… runs deep with hidden currents. Some matters, some individuals—regardless of what appears on the surface—are not things the Hyūga Clan should involve itself in lightly. Nor should we take the initiative to step into them."
Neji frowned.
"HiashiLord… you mean this incident—Sakura's defection, the Third Hokage's injury, the ANBU losses—there's more behind it? Perhaps even… internal conflict among the leadership?"
He did not finish the sentence, but the implication was clear.
Hiashi looked at him deeply. He did not confirm it outright—but the unspoken acknowledgment in his eyes was answer enough.
"A few years ago, during Orochimaru's invasion…" Hiashi said quietly. "With your intelligence, you must have noticed something afterward."
Neji's heart tightened. He nodded.
That strange situation—where the Hokage received no immediate reinforcement, yet the final losses were somehow contained—had indeed felt… orchestrated.
"Yes…" Hiashi sighed, fatigue and concern evident in his voice. "Konoha may appear calm on the surface, but beneath it, conflicts have accumulated for years. It is like a barrel packed with gunpowder."
"The Third Hokage's injury… may well be the spark to the fuse. Whoever moves first risks being blown to pieces. What the Hyūga must do is steady ourselves and observe."
Neji understood the clan's caution.
As a Hyūga Jōnin, he had to consider the clan's interests and stability.
He chose to follow Hiashi's counsel and refrain from stepping into these troubled waters.
But even if one wished for stillness, the winds would not cease.
Just two days later, an even more explosive piece of news swept through Konoha like a hurricane—igniting the "powder keg" completely.
Hatake Kakashi—elite Jōnin of Konoha, the Copy Ninja, disciple of the Fourth Hokage, and leader of Team Seven—formally submitted a proposal in the Jōnin Assembly:
To remove the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, from office.
And alongside him, to dismiss the three senior advisors closely tied to his administration.
According to Konoha's regulations, such a motion required a vote from the Jōnin Assembly. The process was extraordinarily difficult—and had never occurred before.
But the mere act of Kakashi initiating the proposal was earth-shattering.
From clan heads and senior advisors to Chūnin, Genin, and even civilians—Konoha was thrown into shock and disbelief.
"Remove the Hokage?! Has Kakashi lost his mind?!"
"No Hokage has ever been forced out! If this succeeds…"
"If Kakashi actually pulls this off… he'll become the first person in shinobi history to remove a Kage through formal procedure! Truly unprecedented!"
"This is madness! He's flipping the table entirely!"
"Looks like Kakashi is extremely dissatisfied with how the Third handled the Sakura incident. This is basically a political coup!"
"Konoha… is really about to change…"
Supporters and opponents quickly took sides. Debates, lobbying, quiet negotiations, and power struggles erupted both inside and outside the Jōnin Assembly.
"Kakashi!"
Might Guy shouted in disbelief, slapping Kakashi hard on the back. His rugged face was filled with shock—and oddly enough, a hint of excitement.
"I never would've guessed! I thought all your youthful energy was spent reading those little orange books!"
"But the future you actually has such blazing youth and boldness! Removing the Hokage outright! So passionate! As expected of my eternal rival!"
Kakashi coughed from the force of the blow and shoved Guy's hand away irritably—but his gaze never left the sky projection.
His usual lazy eye now held unusual focus… even sharpness.
Was it because of… Sakura?
The thought lingered in his mind.
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was equally strange.
Tsunade folded her arms, watching the projection of Kakashi's stunning proposal. She then glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose face shifted between shades of green and white.
Her lips twitched before she let out a helpless sigh.
"So… in the future, I become Hokage just like that?"
There was little joy in her tone. Instead, it carried the weary frustration of someone inheriting a disaster.
Ascending to power by removing the previous Hokage was no pleasant beginning. It would mean facing doubt, backlash from lingering loyalists, and cleaning up the predecessor's mess.
Jiraiya gave an awkward laugh and patted Hiruzen's shoulder in an attempt to ease the tension.
"Well, old man… look at it this way. Maybe it's not so bad! At least this time you stepped down early and handed things to Tsunade. Better than being voted out by Kakashi and a group of Jōnin later—that'd be embarrassing! This way, you leave with some dignity, right?"
That did not help.
Hiruzen's face darkened like the bottom of a kettle.
"What dignity do I have left?" he said through clenched teeth. "It's already been thrown before the entire world."
Wasn't it true?
The sky projection had first shown him betrayed and besieged by Orochimaru, left without reinforcement.
Now it revealed a future where his governance led to fractured loyalty—and even formal removal from office.
His dignity had long since crumbled.
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