Naruto: In Konoha Village, I awakened Wood Release at the start.

Konoha Village.

The next two days.

The situation in Konoha Village has changed.

The gates of the Senju clan's newly rebuilt stronghold were wide open.

What was once a desolate ruin has now become the most bustling center in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

The door is like a city.

Bustling with traffic.

Using these eight words to describe the current Thousand Hands headquarters is not an exaggeration at all.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated.

A large group of people dressed in loose kimonos appeared on the street.

The man in the lead had pure white eyes, without any other color.

He is none other than the current head of the Hyuga clan, Hyuga Hiashi.

Behind him, his clansmen carried several heavy mahogany boxes.

There was no attempt to conceal anything.

Hiashi Hyuga swaggered through the busiest commercial street.

His steps were extremely steady.

But beneath that unassuming face lies a wildly beating heart.

As a man with the Byakugan, he had seen through far too many of the dirty tricks of Konoha's higher-ups.

In the past, he could only choose to endure it.

Because humans can rival the political skills and Anbu influence of the Third Hokage.

But now it's different.

Chiba is back.

That monstrous genius, like a god, shattered the power shackles that Hiruzen Sarutobi had painstakingly built.

soon.

Hiashi Hyuga walked to the gate of the Senju headquarters.

He looked up at the huge wooden plaque.

The mere traces of Wood Release chakra on it caused a faint stinging sensation in his Byakugan.

"Is this the power of Wood Release...?"

Hiashi Hyuga murmured to himself.

Following closely behind Hinata.

They are small to medium-sized ninja clans such as Inuzuka and Shiranui.

They were like sharks that had smelled blood, all crowding into the Senju Ichiju camp.

……

Hokage Building.

In that spacious office on the top floor.

The atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

The pungent smell of dry tobacco filled almost every corner.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window.

His aged body seemed to have lost all its strength, his shoulders slumping limply.

In front of him was a crystal ball.

on the screen.

It was outside the Senju clan's territory that the scene of enthusiastic visits unfolded.

Hiashi Hyuga's smiling face.

The respect shown by the leaders of each ninja clan.

These images were like resounding slaps to Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face.

Click click.

A crisp sound of bones grinding together rang out.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand veins bulged, almost crushing the wooden handle of the pipe.

anger.

suffocated.

There was also a hint of fear that he was trying hard to hide.

On what grounds?

He served as Hokage for so many years, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to Konoha.

These ninja clans, while respectful towards him, always maintained a sense of distance.

Chiba has only been back for a few days?

These fickle people have all gone overboard!

Hiruzen Sarutobi really wanted to give the order.

He wanted to send his secret agents to block the streets and arrest all the clan chiefs who came to visit.

But he dared not.

He couldn't find a single suitable reason.

Chiba is a descendant of the Senju clan.

Konoha was founded by the Senju and Uchiha clans.

Now that the owner has returned home, it is perfectly reasonable and justifiable for other families to come and offer their congratulations.

not to mention.

Danzo's arm, inlaid with Sharingan eyes, completely stripped away the last layer of skin from Konoha's higher-ups.

It's not a good time to provoke Chiba.

What if that unreasonable madman awakens that hundreds-of-meters-tall wooden figure again?

A slap came down.

This Hokage Building, which symbolizes supreme power, will instantly turn into a pile of rotten wood.

"I... will endure it!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth.

He swallowed back his anger.

Unfortunately.

He wanted to settle things peacefully.

The situation outside, however, gave him no chance to catch his breath.

……

Konoha's bustling commercial street.

Koharu and Homura were dressed in inconspicuous casual clothes.

They wore straw hats that covered most of their faces.

The two originally intended to travel incognito and find out what the common people at the bottom of society had to say.

But the further they walked, the more terrified they became, and their hands and feet grew cold.

In a dark alley next to Ichiraku Ramen.

Several Chunin who had just finished a C-rank mission were leaning against the wall smoking.

Their voices were kept very low, but just enough to reach the ears of passersby.

"Hey, have you guys heard?"

"That Elder Shimura from the Root branch is completely dead."

"Tch, they should have died long ago!"

"I heard he secretly kidnapped orphans from the village to conduct human experiments!"

"That's not all!"

"Lord Senju tore off his hand in public; it was covered in Uchiha clan eyes!"

"That's disgusting..."

"He wouldn't even spare the corpses of his comrades for power."

One of the young Chunin took a deep drag on his cigarette.

He exhaled thick smoke rings and could speak in a low voice.

"You say..."

"Such a large-scale experiment on living people."

"Third Hokage, do you really know absolutely nothing?"

In an instant.

The alleyway fell silent for a few seconds.

This was followed by an even more heated discussion.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"The roots are right beneath Konoha's soil, how could the Third Hokage not have noticed at all?"

"that is!"

"I suspect the Hokage is just indulging them!"

"The Will of Fire? It's all just a slogan to lure us into going to our deaths on the battlefield!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

"Are you really courting death?"

"Watch out, the secret service might arrest you and take you to the interrogation room!"

"What's there to be afraid of!"

"Now Lord Senju is here!"

"Lord Senju is a true descendant of the Senju clan; he will definitely stand up for us!"

"..."

On the street outside the alley.

Xiaochun's legs suddenly went weak when she turned to the next room.

If it weren't for Mitokado En, who was standing nearby and quickly steadied her, she would have been saved.

She almost collapsed on the stone pavement.

Mitokazuchi also experienced stiffness throughout his body.

Fear, like a venomous snake, coiled around his heart.

How could this happen?

This group of lowly people who usually only know how to work, collect money, and shout slogans.

When did you become so smart?

In the past, whenever these advisors went out, which commoner wouldn't bow respectfully?

But now.

Walking on the street.

Mitokado Yan always felt that the old ladies selling vegetables and the old men forging iron looked at them with hidden knives in their eyes.

That's a warning.

It was a deep-seated suspicion.

Even an undisguised disgust!

In the face of absolute truth.

Their painstakingly cultivated Will of Fire was as fragile as a piece of toilet paper soaked in water.

It only took one day.

Chiba then smashed their high and mighty idol to pieces.

The collapse of faith is ten times more violent than a landslide.

"Walk!"

"Hurry up!"

Mitokado Yan's voice trembled.

He grabbed Koharu's arm and ran wildly toward the Hokage Building.

along the way.

They heard countless similar sounds.

Some were discussing Danzo's disgusting methods.

Some are questioning where the funds went from the higher-ups.

Some people even started dredging up old grievances, bringing up the story of White Fang's suicide years ago.

It's all over.

The authority of Konoha's top brass is collapsing at a visible speed!

boom!

The door to the Hokage's office was violently kicked open.

The heavy solid wood door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

"presumptuous!"

"You don't even knock on the door..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi shuddered in shock.

He almost dropped the pipe he had just lit onto the carpet.

He instinctively wanted to scold him.

But upon recognizing the person, the voice abruptly ceased.

Koharu, still wearing her straw hat, was panting heavily.

Her face was creased with wrinkles, and she looked extremely disheveled.

Mitokado Yan, standing to the side, was in no better shape, his face full of anxiety.