Chapter 72 (Patreon)

The crowd grew larger and larger.

After all, this was no small matter.

Every clan in Konoha was involved, along with the village’s civilian shinobi.

And above all else, the one who had led the mission was the Third Hokage himself.

Among the gathering crowd were several familiar faces.

Hyūga Hiashi and Hyūga Hizashi had also arrived.

Hizashi finished reading the detailed mission report, then lowered his voice.

“Nii-san, it’s true. The clan members who returned yesterday said the same thing.”

Hiashi let out a heavy sigh.

“What Sandaime-sama did is truly disappointing.”

“I honestly don’t understand what he was thinking yesterday,” Hizashi said, shaking his head.

After a brief silence, Hiashi suddenly asked, “Hizashi, what do you think of Yujiro?”

“Strong,” Hizashi answered without hesitation. “Extremely strong.”

His mind went back to the battlefield not long ago, to the sight of Yujiro standing there.

“And it isn’t only his strength that’s frightening. He carries himself freely. He gets along well with those his age, and he doesn’t look down on others just because he’s powerful.”

Hizashi’s expression became more serious.

“The Konoha shinobi who fought on that battlefield all respected Yujiro from the bottom of their hearts.”

Hiashi nodded slowly.

“I trust your judgment. It seems Konoha is about to change.”

“Yes.” Hizashi sighed as well. “From here on, I’m afraid the village will undergo an earth-shaking transformation.”

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the crowd, Uchiha Fugaku was standing quietly with several elite shinobi from the Uchiha clan at his side.

During this period, Fugaku had not been idle.

He had begun consolidating the clan.

The arrogant elders of the Uchiha clan had already been suppressed by him.

Not only that, their authority had been stripped away as well.

The current Uchiha clan was no longer scattered.

It had become unified.

And Fugaku stood at the very center of that power.

“The Third Hokage has been making people unhappy for a long time,” Fugaku said with a faint smile. “I didn’t expect him to fall into this position so quickly.”

Then he chuckled softly.

“To borrow Yujiro’s words, this is what it means to seek death.”

“Yes, Clan Head,” the Uchiha shinobi behind him replied respectfully.

The internal atmosphere of the Uchiha clan had changed greatly during this time.

Likewise, Fugaku’s authority had grown day by day.

By now, his prestige within the clan had reached its peak.

“Haha. Let’s keep watching,” Fugaku said, his smile deepening.

His clan was not the only one here to watch the spectacle.

There were many people in the crowd whom Fugaku recognized.

Nara Shikaku of the Nara clan.

Yamanaka Inoichi of the Yamanaka clan.

Akimichi Chōza of the Akimichi clan.

And the head of the Aburame clan, Aburame Shibi.

Looking at those people, then listening to the doubts and discussions rising from every direction, a sudden thought crossed Fugaku’s mind.

After this incident, wouldn’t the major clans and the village become closer instead?

The moment that idea appeared, Fugaku’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Then he gave a quiet nod.

As expected, Yujiro could not be judged by ordinary standards.

The anger in the crowd had already found its outlet.

And that outlet was Sarutobi Hiruzen.

“Was the Third Hokage really the leader of a team so badly injured?”

“If that was true, then why did he look so energetic before? He even used large-scale ninjutsu!”

“Have you forgotten? Orochimaru is the Third Hokage’s disciple!”

“So what? Does being the Third Hokage’s disciple mean he can kill our comrades however he likes?”

“The evidence of Orochimaru’s crimes is written clearly on the report! Human experimentation! Experiments on living people!”

“Beast!”

“Look here! Several months ago, the Third Hokage had already accepted the mission to arrest Orochimaru!”

“He was protecting his own disciple!”

“Tch! And he still calls himself the Third Hokage?”

“This is too chilling…”

Public opinion had already taken shape.

At that moment, Yujiro stood quietly atop the Hokage Tower, looking down at the crowd below. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Don’t you love building that image of a good and virtuous man?

Don’t you love washing away every stain on your body?

Unfortunately, the blood used to clean you was the blood of your own comrades.

Yujiro lowered his gaze sharply toward a corner of the crowd.

There.

A person stood wrapped tightly in a black cloak.

But that person could not escape Yujiro’s senses.

Sarutobi Hiruzen.

That old thing was here too.

At that same moment, in an inconspicuous corner below, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood with only his eyes exposed.

His body had already begun trembling uncontrollably an hour ago.

He was shaking from pure anger.

Yet he did not dare step forward to refute anything.

Because everything written in the mission report was true.

There were five hundred elite ANBU as witnesses. What could he possibly say in front of them?

And in the end, he had indeed let Orochimaru go.

During the final pursuit, he had not pursued him at all.

He had only watched Orochimaru leave.

He had even knocked out two Konoha patrol shinobi.

In the next instant, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a chill run through his entire body.

He sensed an extremely sharp gaze fixed on him.

Following that gaze, Hiruzen immediately raised his head.

And then he saw Yujiro standing at the top of the Hokage Tower, smiling down at him.

A dark premonition surged in Sarutobi Hiruzen’s heart.

At the top of the Hokage Tower, Yujiro suddenly raised his right hand and pointed toward Sarutobi Hiruzen’s location.

Hiruzen’s eyes widened.

Before he could react, two masked ANBU appeared beside him.

“Eh?!”

“Isn’t this Sandaime-sama?”

“Why are you free enough to come read the notice today?”

“Everyone, make way! Come on, come on! Lord Third Hokage is here!”

“Make way for Sandaime-sama!”

The two ANBU raised their voices loudly.

Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face changed beneath the cloth when he heard them shouting like that.

“You two ANBU must be mistaken. I am not the Third Hokage.”

“Mistaken?” The two ANBU looked at each other, then grinned beneath their masks.

“How could that be? Yesterday, Sandaime-sama led us in such a grand operation to capture Orochimaru. I still remember it clearly.”

“Exactly. From the moment you appeared, I sensed the aura of a superior from you.”

One of the ANBU deliberately raised his voice even further.

“That kind of presence can only belong to Sarutobi Hiruzen-sama, the Third Hokage, who led five hundred elite ANBU on a mission!”

By the end, the ANBU’s voice had grown loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

The surrounding shinobi and civilians began gathering toward them.

“ANBU-sama, could you have made a mistake?” someone asked.

“After all, he’s still the former Hokage. How could he be dressed like this?”

“Yes, yes. ANBU-sama, maybe you really mistook him for someone else,” another person quickly agreed.

“Oh, so we mistook him?” The ANBU with the black wolf mask nodded, then smiled.

“In that case, what is your name? Where do you live? What is your position in the village?”

He took one step closer.

“And why are you wrapped up so tightly? Hm? Why aren’t you answering?”

The ANBU’s voice suddenly sharpened.

“Your eyes are avoiding mine. Who are you? Could you be a spy sent by an enemy nation?”

“You… you’re talking nonsense!” Sarutobi Hiruzen glared at the ANBU in the black wolf mask, his hands trembling with rage.

“I am not talking nonsense,” the black wolf-masked ANBU replied calmly. “These are all routine ANBU inspection questions.”

Then his tone grew colder.

“Hurry up and remove the black cloth covering your face.”

“I now have serious reason to suspect that you are a spy from an enemy nation who has infiltrated Konoha.”

“Absurd! How could I be a spy from an enemy nation?” Sarutobi Hiruzen snapped.

“Then why are you arguing with me?” the ANBU sneered. “Do you think you are the Third Hokage?”

He paused for a moment.

“I’ll give you three seconds. If you refuse to cooperate, I will arrest you according to Konoha’s regulations.”

“You… you…!” Sarutobi Hiruzen was so angry he almost coughed up blood.

But he still did not dare reveal his identity.

If he exposed himself here, it would truly be worse than death.

“One.”

The ANBU began counting calmly.

“If you are not a spy, then take off the black cloth covering your face!”

“That’s right! Looking at him like this, he really does seem suspicious!”

“He must be a spy!”

“No! I am not a spy!” Sarutobi Hiruzen was on the verge of collapse. He looked at the surrounding crowd and shouted back.

“If you aren’t a spy, then what are you afraid of?” someone immediately retorted.

“Two.”

The ANBU continued counting.

Sweat poured down Sarutobi Hiruzen’s forehead.

He was trapped.

He could neither advance nor retreat.

Reveal his identity and clear himself of suspicion?

If he did that, then the fact that he, the Third Hokage, had become the target of everyone’s anger would be exposed before the entire village.

Run away?

There were too many shinobi around.

Among them were even masters from Konoha’s major clans.

Did he dare run under these circumstances?

If he ran, they would definitely capture him.

And once they captured him, his identity would be exposed all the same.

The thought alone made Sarutobi Hiruzen shudder.

That would truly be worse than death.

“Three.”

The ANBU’s final count fell.

At that moment, every shinobi and civilian nearby focused their attention on Sarutobi Hiruzen.

His forehead was already drenched in sweat.

No.

He could not be exposed.

He had to escape.

Sarutobi Hiruzen made his decision.

He had to leave this place immediately.

“Earth Release—”

Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen began forming hand seals, a strange crimson light flashed from the eyes of the other ANBU.

The Sharingan.

In an instant, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s hand seals stopped.

His body froze as he fell under the genjutsu.

The ANBU in the black wolf mask stepped forward and said loudly, “Since everyone is here, please serve as witnesses.”

After saying that, he reached out.

With one swift motion, he tore away the cloth hiding Sarutobi Hiruzen’s face.

And the face of the Third Hokage was exposed before the entire crowd.