Only I can make Konoha Village great again.

When Hiruzen Sarutobi was in his thirties and had just taken over, he lived a life of constant anxiety and fear amidst the doubts of the various ninja clans, factions, and the Fire Daimyo, trying to avoid being manipulated by others for the sake of the "big picture."

Now that he has been Hokage for twenty years, he has not only learned to prioritize the big picture and force others to compromise, but he has also become accustomed to it and regard it as the truth.

When the Hiyori clan suddenly disregarded the bigger picture—no, they actually considered themselves part of the bigger picture—they naturally became assertive.

Hyuga no longer considered the Third Hokage's "big picture" and ignored his pressure, directly revealing the whole truth to the public. As a result, Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned and didn't know how to deal with it.

boom!

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacups and documents to vibrate.

"Hiashi Hyuga! How dare you!"

"Aren't you afraid of destroying Konoha, afraid of triggering a full-scale war between Konoha and Kumogakure?"

Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado looked grim; the Hyuga clan's counterattack left them bewildered.

But as advisors to the Hokage, they must offer their own suggestions.

Koharu Utatane said, "Lord Sandai, now is not the time to be angry."

"The Hyuga clan has gone mad. They've revealed the truth and captured Root ninjas. There's no way to suppress them with a gag order anymore."

"Now, you need a 'sinner' to allow the villagers and ninjas to vent their anger and prevent internal strife."

Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement, saying, "Hiruzen, Koharu's method may not be good, but it is the most direct and effective way to appease the villagers and ninjas."

"Perhaps we can punish the Root members who spread the rumors and make Danzo apologize to Hyuga Hiashi to quell public anger."

"Apologize?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was tempted, but quickly shook his head with a wry smile and said helplessly, "Danzo will never agree."

The three fell silent. They were all Danzo's classmates and naturally knew Shimura Danzo.

That guy is ambitious, ruthless, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

The root is the sharpest blade in his hand, and also the most solid sphere of influence.

When Shimura Danzo casually sacrificed Root ninjas, he never felt any remorse, but if anyone tried to harm Root in the slightest, it would trigger a mad dog-like counterattack from him.

The Hyuga ninjas have captured the Root ninjas, and Danzo will absolutely not let it go, much less agree to punish the Root members, let alone personally apologize to Hyuga Hiashi.

He'd rather die!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was unwilling to apologize because Danzo was one of his men.

If Danzo apologizes to Hyuga, wouldn't that be the same as the Hokage admitting he was wrong?

Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that admitting his mistakes would inevitably damage the Hokage's authority and prestige, so how could he then give orders to the Konoha ninja?

How can we lead Konoha Village to glory?

Suddenly, the office door was flung open, and Danzo Shimura stormed in.

His face was dark, his eyes were cold, and his demeanor was sinister. He walked up to the Third Hokage and said directly, "Third Hokage, please immediately order Hiashi Hyuga to stop his nonsense, release the Root ninjas, and destroy all the posters."

"Otherwise, the roots will have to act on their own!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly looked up at Danzo: "Danzo, you actually think I can still hide this?"

"The Hyuga clan has captured a Root ninja and possesses irrefutable evidence of your spreading rumors. Almost everyone in Konoha knows what happened..."

Danzo interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi with a cold laugh.

"Hiruzen, you're too weak!"

"cover?"

"There's absolutely no need to cover it up!"

"The 'truth' that the Hyuga clan revealed without their consent is false! They incited the villagers and ninjas, disrupting the order of Konoha Village; this is treason! It's utterly rebellious!"

"If the Hyuga clan refuses to obey the Hokage's orders, they are traitors!!"

"As for those so-called Root ninjas, they were imposters created by the Hyuga clan. What do they have to do with Root?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed angrily: "Hahaha..."

"Danzo, are you out of your mind? So many people saw it, and you actually think that if I just say they're spreading rumors, everyone will believe me..."

"Oh, thank you for your trust in me!"

"To forcibly slander the Hyuga clan without control over the information will only damage our reputation. Your proposal is a mistake that undermines Konoha's unity, incites internal strife, and plunges Konoha into an even greater crisis!"

Danzo chuckled, his eyes filled with a cunning and calculating light, yet he couldn't figure anything out.

"How could there be a crisis?"

"As long as we forcefully suppress the Hyuga clan, we can comprehensively strengthen our power. What is a mere crisis compared to that?"

"We successfully eliminated the influence of the Senju clan and focused all our efforts on suppressing the Uchiha clan, but we overlooked the Hyuga clan, which was embroiled in internal strife, thus giving them the opportunity to launch a strong counterattack."

"It's time to teach the Hyuga clan a lesson, to let them know that the Hokage calls the shots in Konoha, and no ninja clan can stand up to them!"

"Possessing the Byakugan bloodline limit, adhering to their traditions, and refusing to offer the 'Caged Bird Seal' to the higher-ups, the Hyuga clan should have been suppressed long ago!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi trembled with rage at Danzo's stupidity: "You're utterly unreasonable!"

"Danzo, all you care about is power, only your Root organization. You have no regard for Konoha, no regard for the ninjas and villagers of Konoha!"

"The Hyuga clan is a prestigious family in Konoha, a vital force protecting the village. Blindly and recklessly suppressing them will only cause us to lose the support of the people and fall into a desperate situation of being abandoned by everyone!"

Danzo scoffed, "In the ninja world, only those with power, determination, and the courage to kill can seize power and control everything!"

"What we call human nature is nothing more than a tool driven by power."

"You're too indecisive and too concerned about your reputation, which is why you're being led by the nose by Hiashi Hyuga and putting us in such an awkward situation!"

He stepped forward, his eyes coldly fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi: "I'll say it one last time: immediately order Hiashi Hyuga to cease his counterattack, release my Root members, and destroy all the large-character posters!"

"Otherwise, I will order Root to take action and forcibly suppress the Hyuga clan, even if it causes internal strife!"

A threat, a blatant threat!

Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped arguing and instead waved his hand coldly: "Someone, bring a chair for Danzo Shimura. He is not allowed to leave the Hokage's office for the next three days."

Danzo Shimura: "Hiruzen, what do you mean?"

"Are you going to put me under house arrest?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi directly admitted, "That's right, I'm putting you under house arrest."

"If you disagree, I will order your arrest and imprisonment, and at the same time, have the Dark Side thoroughly investigate the root of the organization and dismantle the so-called 'Dark Side Training Institute'!"

This time, it was Shimura Danzo's turn to tremble all over, but he ultimately didn't dare to risk Root and obediently sat down on the stool brought by the Anbu ninja.

He said through gritted teeth, "Hiruzen, you'll regret this..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sneered, "Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

"Don't even think about slamming my door today!!"