Chapter 119: An Accusation from Kakashi Hatake
"Kakashi!"
Might Guy roared like a tiger, rushed a few steps to Kakashi Hatake's side, held him gently in his arms, and reached out to press down on the massive wound on his chest.
Although Kakashi Hatake had missed much of the drama earlier, he had not arrived too late, and the horrific injuries on his body instantly drew the attention of everyone present.
Konoha Ninja who knew medical Ninjutsu rushed over to examine Kakashi Hatake's injuries. A pale green light immediately began to emanate from their Mystical Palm Technique, as they worked to stop the bleeding and treat his wounds.
With everyone performing their duties, Kakashi Hatake's injuries were stabilized; they not only stopped worsening but also prevented him from falling into the dangerous state of hemorrhagic shock.
"What exactly is going on?"
Jiraiya, who was being symbolically restrained by Ibiki Morino, looked grim. Although he desperately wanted to step forward to check on Kakashi Hatake's condition, he was forced to stand anxiously in place, blocked by two Root Ninja.
"Danzo Shimura has kidnapped Naruto!" Kakashi Hatake did not explain the cause of his injuries, going straight to the point. "And he is colluding with outsiders to murder the Hokage-sama!"
As soon as Kakashi Hatake spoke, the Konoha Ninja present became vigilant once again, quickly dividing into three camps: the Danzo faction, the neutral faction, and the Hokage faction.
The neutral faction goes without saying; the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans were their representatives. They only took orders from the reigning Hokage. During this period, after Hiruzen Sarutobi had died and the Fifth Hokage had not yet taken office, they would simply sit on the sidelines.
This was a form of political wisdom for self-preservation, and it was also the winning strategy that the Ino–Shika–Chō trio relied upon to survive and secure their place in Konoha.
While this might not maximize the interests of the three clans, it was the key reason why the Ino–Shika–Chō trio could remain valued regardless of the circumstances or who ended up in power in Konoha after the series of political struggles concluded.
By not competing, they often ended up being the winners in the end...
The Danzo faction, of course, consisted of the Root Ninja led by Danzo, most of the Ninjas from the Shimura clan, and individuals from various clans who had been brainwashed by Danzo early on, or who had worked with Danzo Shimura from the beginning.
Those who had worked with Danzo Shimura in the past naturally included the two current KonohaAdvisors: Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
These two were old foxes. After Hiruzen Sarutobidied, they decisively sided with Danzo Shimurabecause they knew that whoever succeeded as the Fifth Hokage, aside from Danzo Shimura, would not continue to recognize their positions as KonohaAdvisors.
Although Danzo Shimura would still limit their power after taking office, this was within their acceptable range compared to losing the power in their hands entirely.
They knew better than anyone how to make that choice!
The remaining Hokage faction was easier to understand. These were the Ninjas whom Hiruzen Sarutobi had cultivated long ago, thanks to his contributions during his tenure as the Third Hokage, his time as the principal of the Ninja Academy, and, naturally, his continued governance after the Fourth's sacrifice.
The Hokage faction had the largest base. Its top combat power included Jiraiya, followed by Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Ibiki Morino, Anko Mitarashi, and others. As for the Chunin further down the ranks, they were as numerous as ox hair.
After all, these Chunin had grown up hearing about the Will of Fire since they were children, and the team leaders assigned to them after graduation were mostly supporters of Hiruzen Sarutobi. Therefore, the combined power of the numerous Chunin could absolutely not be underestimated.
Ultimately, Chunin were the cornerstone of a large hidden village; they were the ones who charged into battle, conquered territory, and were driven by hot-blooded impulses.
It was not difficult to see that the Danzo faction, led by Danzo Shimura, was relatively small in number but held most of the power in Konoha.
After Hiruzen Sarutobi died, the Hokage faction, led by Jiraiya, had the largest number of people and held certain important positions in Konoha; furthermore, their blood had not yet run cold, and they were full of fighting spirit.
It must be said that although Hiruzen Sarutobi had done many confusing and wrong things in his old age, one could not deny that the fire he left for Konoha was indeed full of fighting spirit, and every one of them was a guy who could risk his life for Konoha.
Although his reputation was mixed, after Orochimaru intervened and gave Hiruzen Sarutobia heroic death, Hiruzen Sarutobi's faults were buried, replaced by his past highlights.
It must be said that although Orochimaru was cold-blooded, he also had a "gentleness" that distinguished him from others. Although he still looked cruel, this was the charm unique to Orochimaru—a touch of madness mixed with an occasional insight into human nature and an unburdened detachment. This was also the reason why Orochimaru, as a Rogue Ninja, had single-handedly created the medium-sized Otogakure and had numerous loyal Ninjas under his command.
However, the consequences of this factionalism were quite serious, because the struggle for power was always bloody, and two factions that were so evenly matched and each had their own strengths fighting for power would definitely cause terrifying internal friction for Konoha!
It was precisely because Jiraiya saw this that he helplessly chose to surrender, hoping to ease the tension between the two factions and seek other solutions after Konoha's internal and external situations stabilized.
But the injured Kakashi Hatake dropped such a bombshell that, while disrupting Jiraiya's plan, it also immediately stirred up the emotions of the Hokage faction, who all turned to glare angrily at Danzo Shimura.
"Hmph! Accusing me requires evidence. I have worked hard and contributed greatly to Konoha for many years; I cannot be dragged down by a few fabricated charges from you!"
Double standards had long since become Danzo Shimura's weapon, and it was not surprising that he could say such things. The crowd automatically ignored Danzo Shimura's rhetoric, and while trying their best to control Kakashi Hatake's injuries, they once again cast their gaze upon Kakashi Hatake.
"Naruto was kidnapped by that Root Ninja!" Kakashi Hatake pointed at Uzumaki Kenshin. "When I pursued him to the Root base, I encountered 'Heaven.' When he burned the Konoha barrier structure map, I risked my life to take this from his hands!"
Danzo Shimura secretly thought it was bad, but he still pretended to be calm. "Nonsense! 'Heaven's' strength is known to all. How could he let you escape from his hands!"
In fact, Naruto's main body had not originally intended to let Kakashi Hatake go, because the truth spoken from someone else's mouth was far less credible than what one investigated oneself.
If Kakashi Hatake had died in the Root base and been accidentally discovered, with evidence on his body of Danzo Shimura colluding with outsiders to frame Hiruzen Sarutobi...
In that case, Danzo Shimura would have had one foot trapped in the curtain-call ceremony that Naruto had carefully prepared for him.
But at the critical moment when Kakashi Hatakewas about to step into death, his left Sharingansuddenly transformed into a Mangekyo, and the spatial fluctuations that erupted from it were so familiar to Naruto!
There are thousands of Mangekyo SharinganDōjutsu, and identical Dōjutsu are few and far between. The only Dōjutsu that has produced space-time Ninjutsu so far is the mysterious person who caused the Nine-Tails Attack and claimed to be Uchiha Madara. He is one-eyed, and the eye he reveals is precisely his right eye.
If Naruto didn't think too much about it, that would truly be the impossible part!