[Cane: snapped. I too wish to pledge my loyalty to Hanabi-sama!]
[Dedicate Your Heart! For Hanabi-sama!]
[Loyalty! Loyalty! Hanabi kaka, there's only one sun in Konoha!]
[So did Kabuto actually defect or not?]
[He did, but he didn't, but also kinda did]
[This guy genuinely has a million hidden agendas]
[So Hanabi still had cards to play after all]
[Still hiding, still hiding]
[What does Kabuto mean? Hikari can solo Orochimaru?]
[Grass (a type of exclamation), so this is what true Kage-level looks like?]
[Did you not see Hikari's face the entire time? Calm as a cucumber, just watching the show]
By this point, the Third Hokage had already changed back into his Hokage robes.
"Hanabi, how much do you know about Orochimaru?" The Third walked toward Hanabi.
"Are you asking about Orochimaru himself, or about those who've been cooperating with Orochimaru?"
Hanabi smiled.
"Sigh. That man, Danzo…"
There was no evidence yet, but in the Third's mind, a definitive "suspect" had already taken shape.
"If there's anything you'd like to ask, Kabuto-senpai can answer some of your questions." Hanabi said.
"Oh, spare me. If I'm going to be interrogated by the esteemed Hokage-sama, even I won't hold up." Kabuto had no sense of loyalty toward Konoha.
Whatever attachment he'd once had evaporated the day Yakushi Nonō died.
He'd pledged himself to Hanabi—not to Konoha.
Konoha could go screw itself.
"Well, since he's sworn allegiance to you now, I won't press the matter."
[I think he just wimped out, honestly]
[No kidding—the ANBU are all under her control, and it's Kabuto, Hanabi, and Hikari, three against one. You'd have to be an idiot not to back down]
[And he can pin it all on Orochimaru lmao]
[Can we stop with the conspiracy theories, please]
"But Hanabi—what exactly are you trying to do?"
The Third wanted to do something, but there was nothing he could do.
"The Warring States Period ended decades ago," Hanabi said. "Every era has its own work to be done. The conceit that any single solution can last forever is nothing but arrogance. Humanity can only move forward through constant development."
"Nothing is unchangeable. Just as the Hidden Village system ended the Warring States, now the Hidden Villages themselves have become the source of new contradictions. If something emerges in the future to replace the villages, it will inevitably give rise to entirely new contradictions of its own."
"Perhaps one day, even the concept of 'ninja' itself will become nothing more than a symbol in a history book."
"And amidst all of it, our minds and our ideals must align with the social contradictions of the present age and the path forward."
"So what I'm saying is this—even the Hidden Villages will become obsolete someday. But the new leaves of Konoha will always sprout anew after the flames. Ninja will always have their own road to walk."
This was, of course, complete nonsense.
The name "Konoha" was something Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha came up with on a whim.
As for the Will of Fire that supposedly embodied it… well, that might genuinely have been the Third Hokage's doing.
"You intend to lead the ninja into the future?" The Third understood. "That's no easy road."
"No. I just want to witness the radiant blossoms born from the starlight of humanity."
The conversation was cut short.
Because just then, Kakashi and Guy arrived, having dealt with the Sound ninja.
"Third Hokage-sama!"
The Third put on his conical hat. "I'm fine now. The attacker wasn't the Kazekage—it was Orochimaru in disguise. What's the status on the Sand ninja's side?"
"The Sand ninja are staying neutral. ANBU are monitoring them. Before the attack began, all the spectators were put to sleep by Genjutsu." After reporting, Kakashi leaned in close to the Third. "But it seems the Sand ninja did something to the officials from the Land of Wind."
"Mm, don't worry about that," the Third said. "Go tell the Sand ninja that the Kazekage-sama was most likely killed before ever arriving in Konoha—the culprit was Orochimaru. The Kazekage's face was peeled off using Orochimaru's Vanishing Facial Copy Jutsu."
No face left—the man was dead as dead could be.
"Since the Daimyō still don't know what happened, we'll handle this quietly. Let's say… due to the clash between Jinchūriki exceeding Chūnin Exam standards, and to mitigate potential risks, the Chūnin Exams have been suspended."
When it came to glossing over crises, the Third really did have a knack for it.
"How's the village?" the Third asked.
"Hai." An ANBU stepped forward. "The Sound ninja's attack caused some chaos. Additionally, we discovered a large number of unconscious Sand ninja outside Konoha, all apparently under Genjutsu. They also seem unable to use Chakra."
—That had to be the Sharingan.
The Third glanced at Uchiha Hikari, who was yawning off to the side.
The Uchiha clan had been wiped out, but if their bloodline hadn't been limited to Konoha—if there were survivors scattered across the Land of Lightning and elsewhere—it was certainly possible.
"Detain all those Sand ninja."
The Sand ninja had, in fact, participated in the rebellion.
But before that rebellion could take root, someone had strangled it in its cradle.
"What about Naruto and the Sand's Jinchūriki?"
The Third asked.
"They're fine. If anything, they might've become friends while they were fighting." Hanabi spoke up.
"What are the losses for Konoha?" the Third followed up.
"Quite a few buildings are damaged. Most civilians completed their evacuation. As for casualties… several people are seriously wounded, but no fatalities have been found so far."
Just as Hanabi had said—there were no deaths.
"Doesn't seem like empty talk after all." The Third looked at Kakashi, then turned to the ANBU beside him. "Alright. Next, I'll need to hold a small meeting with the Sand ninja. Have them send someone with authority."
After a series of arrangements, the whole affair was finally winding down.
Kakashi and the others went off to carry out the Third's orders.
Hanabi's group, on the other hand, had nothing left to do for the moment—and were still hanging around on the rooftop.
"There's something I've been wanting to ask," Kabuto said. "If you truly want to lead the ninja's path forward, the smartest move would've been to let Orochimaru-sama and the Third Hokage fight it out, wouldn't it? And by suppressing the Sand's rebellion, you could've put Sunagakure at a disadvantage in future negotiations—even swallowed them whole and made them a vassal state. So why step in?"
"Kabuto-senpai. Did you know? When the Byakugan evolves to its ultimate form, it can even see through the past and future. Human tragedy always repeats. And human futures, too, keep cycling through the same tragedies."
"And as it happens, the thing I hate most is tragedy."
In reality, these were two completely unrelated statements, but Hanabi had used a narrative sleight-of-hand to make them sound like one.
"What I want to do is decided by me and me alone."
"And equally, every single person deserves the chance to live a good life."
Of course, the real takeaway was that playing the high-minded visionary to rack up style points was genuinely effective.
Hanabi's fans had long since blown past a hundred thousand—she was closing in on a hundred and twenty thousand.
That was the real prize.
But Hanabi hadn't lied, either.
She truly did hate real tragedy.
Because real tragedy held no joy whatsoever.
Of course, if it was fake medicine—well, that just meant… increase the dosage!