As a member of the Hokage, one dares not be a loyal subject of Konoha

Chapter 99: The So-Called Peace, Explanation and Truth.

The Land of Fire.

Leaf.

The familiar central square.

Here, the Nine-Tails once ran rampant and slaughtered, and Sarutobi almost took the blame for the Nine-Tails' rampage.

But today, the atmosphere here is completely different from the somber mood of before.

With the Fire Country Daimyo, the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, and the Raikage of Kumogakure simultaneously announcing their willingness to form an alliance treaty, the war sparked by the Nine-Tails' rampage was truly brought to an end.

People spread the news, mourning their former companions, and wept bitterly in the mortuary.

They freely vented their emotions and enjoyed the hard-won era of peace.

Even if they were enemies just a few days ago, today, for this very moment, they would nod and greet each other, hiding their hatred and not disrupting this false peace.

Today is an incredibly important day for Konoha and for the three great nations.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire personally presided over a celebration to commemorate the arrival of the delegations from Kumogakure and Iwagakure and to celebrate the conclusion of the peace treaty.

"Why haven't you started yet?"

The central square had been transformed to suit the celebration, and in the VIP section, the Fire Country Daimyo, with a hint of impatience on his face, urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to hurry up.

Yuan Shixiu was actually not interested in these nighttime celebrations; he would rather spend that time discussing procreation with his concubines.

If Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't mentioned this festival, he might have had the chance to reprimand and punish the disrespectful person in person, and the daimyo wouldn't have bothered to attend.

This is a celebration where the defeated nation curries favor with the victorious nation!

The Hokage doesn't care about being embarrassed; he still has a sense of shame.

Besides, he is a famous figure, and those who should be associated with him are also famous figures, not shadows. Attending such a celebration would be somewhat beneath his dignity.

"Almost there, we should be there soon."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled ingratiatingly, then glanced subtly at Danzo on the other side, a questioning look in his eyes.

Seeing his old buddy nod slightly, Sarutobi finally breathed a sigh of relief and spoke again:

"I never expected that the Raikage and Tsuchikage would be so sincere as to personally go and invite the Hyuga and Uchiha clans. I originally thought that the Tsuchikage and Raikage had developed a grudge due to the repeated clashes on the battlefield, but now it seems that I was just being petty and judging them by my own standards."

You're just spouting nonsense.

Yuan Shixiu glanced at Sarutobi with disdain, after all, in his opinion, the so-called invitation he made himself was just a pretentious act.

When it comes to national interests, all personal grudges must be set aside.

The daimyo didn't believe the Raikage and Tsuchikage were that magnanimous; at most, they had been warned by their respective daimyo.

Ultimately, whether it's him or the daimyo of other countries, they all simply treat the ninja villages as their war machines, as sharp knives in their hands.

Whether or not the knife needs sharpening is up to you.

To be honest, Konoha's actions over the years have been quite disappointing to him, and it seems he needs to issue a warning.

After a moment of contemplation, Da Ming was about to speak when the earth trembled, and he instinctively crawled into the table.

Boom!

Rumble!

Fortunately, the shaking of the ground came and went quickly, and it stopped not long afterward. The daimyo under the table was then helped up by Sarutobi.

The trembling ended.

The surroundings were noisy as everyone discussed the Konoha Years. For the past year, they had been experiencing inexplicable earthquakes, and strangely, each one ended very quickly.

Only the powerful Jonin couldn't help but look towards the outskirts of Konoha.

That's the direction of the Hyuga clan!

Could it be that Chief Richeng is leading his people in researching new techniques again?

This is absolutely outrageous!

Today is the Three Kingdoms celebration, what should we do if such a big commotion disrupts the order of the celebration?

Moreover, as a member of Konoha, it's one thing for the Raikage to personally invite him to the festival instead of attending, but he even used a powerful technique to flaunt his strength and provoke the other party.

What is Hinata Hima about to do?

He's a little bit immature!

Even if the Hyuga clan are heroes of Konoha, they shouldn't be so high-profile.

I still remember the time when the Hyuga clan chief researched a new technique that blew up the Third Hokage's face. There were no outsiders in the village that time, so it didn't matter. Anyway, they were also very unhappy with the Third Hokage's face. But now it's a time for peace talks, and everything should be based on peace talks. Can't the Hyuga clan just shut up?

Sometimes a good person is condemned by everyone for doing a bad thing, while a bad person is praised for doing a good thing.

This world is inherently sick.

They had long forgotten the role of the Hyuga clan on the battlefield, forgotten that if it weren't for them, Konoha would have lost even more people, and that the war wouldn't have ended so quickly if their fighting strength hadn't remained.

All they saw was Hinata Hijiro's arrogance and rudeness after the delegation arrived.

"This is a sure thing."

After the earthquake subsided, Danzo and Sarutobi, who had confirmed that the commotion originated from the Hyuga region, exchanged a glance and smiled.

They knew more or less about the Raikage and Tsuchikage's plans.

Those who covet Konoha's twin eyes will naturally try every means to get what they want, but given Hyuga Hiroshi's temperament, it's impossible for him to let his clansmen get into trouble under his nose.

In other words, conflict is inevitable!

And judging from the commotion, it's likely that Hinata Hiroshi killed someone in a fit of anger!

This is a good thing!

In just a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi regained his spirits.

He looked down at the villagers gathered for the celebration, their expressions somewhat bewildered, and at the leaders of the various ninja clans, who clenched their fists as if gripping the weapon called morality!

He once used this weapon to destroy the famous Konoha White Fang, but he almost injured himself because the weapon was too sharp. After regaining his position, he almost threw away the weapon, but instead, Fugaku Uchiha picked it up and slashed him.

If the Raikage hadn't suddenly declared war, he wouldn't have known how to handle the situation!

But this time, he must hold on tightly to this weapon called moral blackmail!

Gazing at the approaching converging procession in the distance, at the starkly different expressions of Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Himasa, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression grew increasingly cold.

He is now very confident.

The Hyuga and Uchiha clans are indeed very strong; Hyuga Hiroshi even boasted that he could lead his own people to continue the war.

Ultimately, their tough stance is based on one fundamental principle.

That is because there is a village called Konoha behind them, and they can never escape the label of Konoha and establish their own independent entity!

To leave? Or not to join?

Hehe, the fate of the Uzumaki clan and Uzumaki Village is a ready example.

When Hyuga agreed to join Konoha during the Warring States period, wasn't it precisely to seek protection and a safe haven?

The same thing is true now.

Sarutobi believed that no matter how high-profile the Hyuga clan was, or how arrogant the Uchiha clan was, they could not escape the circle of Konoha. Once they lost Konoha as their sanctuary, they would suffer the same fate as the Uzumaki clan, being attacked by all sides and then divided up.

Back then, he and Danzo stood by and watched the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools with indifference, and even secretly fueled the flames. Wasn't it just to show the Konoha ninja clans what would happen to a ninja clan without the protection of a great power?

Moreover, even if that incident hadn't happened, Madara Uchiha's level of influence didn't allow him to take the Uchiha clan away, so it's even less likely that the Uchiha clan would leave Konoha now.

Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that when he used moral authority, with the daimyo present, and with the added implication that the other party also didn't want to lose their identity as a Konoha ninja, he could subtly warn them.

This wave is stable!

When Hiruzen Sarutobi and Fugaku Uchiha arrived with their clan elders, and saw the Tsuchikage and Raikage nod slightly, he knew that his chance to make a move had arrived.

The miracle he had been waiting for seemed to have finally happened!

Sarutobi believed that after this suppression, the Uchiha and Hyuga clans would be much quieter, and if there were no obstacles from these two clans, he would have much more room to maneuver in his bid for Hokage!

"cough."

Composing himself, Sarutobi stood up and walked towards the Tsuchikage and Raikage. Although he knew what was going on, he still had to follow the proper procedures.

As the two groups approached, the expressions of the surrounding ninjas and villagers instantly changed.

Without him.

With a wave of his hand, the Tsuchikage sent a stretcher carried by guards slowly into the arena. To everyone's surprise, the stretcher contained a partially charred corpse. The stench emanating from the corpse was so strong that it made people want to vomit.

Amaterasu's fire will not go out until the target is completely burned away.

But just because it doesn't extinguish doesn't mean it can't be sealed.

As early as when he learned that one of his eye techniques was Amaterasu, Fugaku had specifically studied sealing techniques related to it. However, his purpose in studying it was to make secondary use of it, such as releasing the black flames sealed within during battle to catch the enemy off guard.

The Fire Sealing Seal is one of them.

After all, it would be impolite to continue burning the corpses of his subordinates in front of the Tsuchikage, so the black flames have now been sealed inside the scroll.

When Onoki had his men carry the body onto the field, the atmosphere in the central square became tense.

Multiple corpses were found, some even bearing headbands worn by Iwagakure ninjas.

The Tsuchikage's gloomy face, the sweat on Fugaku's forehead, and the furrowed brows of the Uchiha elders behind him...

problem occurs!

The atmosphere on the field was solemn.

Countless people began to imagine one dramatic scene after another, while their eyes would occasionally turn to the people on stage.

But it's not over.

When the Raikage, his face contorted, ordered his men to carry up several completely smashed carcasses on stretchers, place several headbands of Kumogakure ninjas on top of them, and put them in the central square, someone finally couldn't help but vomit.

In all honesty, the villagers and ninjas of Konoha, who have suffered so many calamities, are basically immune to the sight of corpses.

But having this thing displayed up there, and being able to look at it up close, is something that people with low tolerance for psychological stress really can't accept.

"The Richeng brothers are really ruthless."

After glancing at it, Fugaku couldn't help but shudder; even he felt somewhat uncomfortable seeing this scene.

"Clan leader, you should think about how to deal with the delegation or the Hokage later."

The conservative elder behind him asked with a worried expression.

"Deal with it? Shouldn't the Tsuchikage be the one to explain things to the Uchiha? This was their problem to begin with; we were acting in self-defense!"

Elder Liehuo, a radical, said unhappily.

He already knew the reason for this before he came. All he could say was that Itachi Uchiha's move was brilliant. Anyone who coveted the bloodline of the Uchiha clan had already met their doom!

"You're so fucking smart."

The conservative elder cursed under his breath. Although he was annoyed by the other party's tone, he had to tell Elder Liehuo about the seriousness of the matter.

"The current situation is that even a dog from Konoha would know there's something wrong here, but the fact is that it's the people from Iwagakure who are dying. If they use this as a threat to start a war, do you think the Daimyo and Hokage would protect the Uchiha clan?"

This is indeed a problem.

Elder Liehuo's expression changed, and he frowned, finally realizing the seriousness of the problem.

This is also why the elders of the Uchiha clan rushed over; they had to keep an eye on their clan leader and prevent him from making the wrong decision.

This is a traditional virtue of the Uchiha clan, just as when Madara Uchiha wanted to take them away, it was the elders who stood up to oppose it.

At this moment, the Uchiha clan's failure to consolidate its power of discourse became glaringly obvious.

However, compared to the Uchiha side...

The area around Hyuga Hijin, who was leisurely arriving with a squad of guards following behind the Raikage, was much quieter. The clan elders had long ago sent Hyuga to the moon to retire, and while ensuring his safety, he could also return to the ninja world for a stroll. But today, they had to stay put.

Unlike Fugaku, who was forced to come to the plaza to face punishment, Hyuga Hisei didn't even bother with the Raikage, who was about to spout nonsense, after killing someone. He simply told the Raikage to collect the body and then led his team over.

After all, most of Konoha's people are gathered here now, and he can carefully observe everyone's expressions. This is the answer sheet that everyone has prepared for him, and now the crucial moment has arrived.

"Tsuchikage, Raikage, what is the meaning of this?"

at last.

Sarutobi, who was ready, jogged over from the VIP seats at the top with Danzo, then looked at the corpse next to him in shock and asked.

"The Hokage has the nerve to ask me what I mean?"

Tsuchikage sneered and pointed to the charred corpse on the stretcher beside him.

"I came to Konoha with sincerity, hoping to negotiate peace, but how has Konoha treated me? Is this the attitude of the Third Hokage?!"

The aura of a long-time leader erupted, and Onoki stared sternly at the Hokage, instantly bringing immense pressure to Sarutobi.

Onoki's acting was so convincing that he was almost ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

"I sent someone to invite Fugaku Uchiha to the celebration, as a gesture of respect to the Uchiha and Konoha! I wanted to resolve the hatred from the battlefield! But what have you seen now? The Uchiha clan has actually killed them!"

"Is this Konoha's attitude towards peace talks!?"

His words were sharp and to the point, explaining the events in almost no way wasted, and Onoki's angry shouts echoed throughout the square.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still, and after a brief silence, a clamor erupted across the square!

At the same time, the Uchiha clan members began to argue their case.

"You're talking nonsense! It's clearly your Iwagakure village that's plotting something, trying to kidnap our clan leader's son!"

"It's all a frame-up!"

"Iwagakure came prepared; they have no intention of ending the war!"

"."

Unfortunately, their voices, as they presented the facts, were completely drowned out by the surrounding noise. With the peace celebration going awry, no one cared about the Uchiha's plight.

All they knew was that if this matter wasn't handled properly, the hard-won peace might just vanish.

"I feel the same way."

But this is clearly just the beginning.

When Lei Ying pushed his wheelchair to the front of the group with a loud, booming voice, and pointed to the pile of flesh on the ground, anger appeared on his face.

"The Hidden Cloud Village ninja died on the Hyuga clan's territory and were even whipped here. Konoha must give me an explanation!"

This statement came out.

The uproar grew even louder!

This line, which is comparable to "I'm the same," once again dropped a bombshell on the people in the square.

Hyuga also killed the people from Kumogakure who had invited them to the festival.

What's wrong with Konoha's twin pupils today?

Why have the clan leaders become so temperamental?!

Someone invited you to a celebration, and you were angry and didn't want to go, but why did you have to beat them to death?

This is what most people think.

But that was only the majority. There were many intelligent people in Konoha, and when the Raikage spoke up, they already realized something was wrong.

This was an organized and premeditated scheme targeting the Twin Eyes of Konoha; it was a setup orchestrated by someone!

"That's outrageous! Even a dog could tell something was wrong!"

In the distance, Asma, who had also come to participate in the celebration, angrily clenched his fist.

Beside him, Uchiha Shisui also realized the problem and was sweating profusely. He wished he could control everyone with Kotoamatsukami since it had no cooldown limit, so that the celebration could continue properly.

But now, even if he were asked to control others, he wouldn't know who to control to solve the problem effectively.

"Indeed, I can tell something's wrong."

Beside Shisui, Pakkun, the ninja dog in Kakashi's arms, nodded with a look of affirmation. As a dog, its intelligence was not low.

"If even a dog can tell, then my dad should be able to tell too."

Asuma frowned and glanced with some concern at Itachi, who was silently following beside Fugaku.

"If the Hokage can see through it, he'll probably retaliate forcefully, right?"

Shisui also breathed a sigh of relief. He was kind, but he was never kind to his enemies.

Unlike Sarutobi, Uchiha Shisui always knew who was on his side, but his foolishness lay in believing in the so-called Hokage and the higher-ups of Konoha.

In his view, this obvious scheme targeting the Hyuga and Uchiha clans could be resolved if the Hokage took a hard line, responded sharply to the Tsuchikage and Raikage, and even threatened war to force them to apologize to the Hyuga and Uchiha clans.

As for the war that followed?

snort!

Just fight!

The Uchiha clan is never afraid of external enemies; it is others who are afraid of the Uchiha clan!

In addition, Chief Richeng had long ago stated that he was not satisfied with being on the losing side and was willing to lead his people to the battlefield if possible.

See it.

This is the most sensible reaction a normal person would have after seeing through the situation!

But more often than not, in this world, truly normal people are influenced by abnormal people, and they think that the abnormal ones are the normal ones.

Those abnormal people, on the contrary, felt that the Uchiha and Hyuga clans who committed the murders were very problematic. This was a typical victim-blaming theory, which made them expect the Hyuga and Uchiha clans to apologize to the victorious country as soon as possible, and to meet the other party's conditions as much as possible to quell their anger and sign a peace treaty.

After all, in their eyes, peace treaties are more important than anything else. It's as if once that piece of paper is signed, others will definitely abide by it, and no matter what happens in the future, they will never invade.

And these abnormal people think they are the normal ones.

What's even more frightening is that the Hokage, on whom Uchiha Shisui placed such high hopes, never showed any toughness when dealing with external affairs!

The ending could only be the opposite of what Shisui had envisioned.

Therefore.

"Clan Chief Hijiri, Clan Chief Fugaku!"

With a single, sweeping gesture that silenced the surrounding noise, Sarutobi looked at the two clan leaders with a solemn and resolute expression.

"You both heard what the Tsuchikage and Raikage said, is that true? Is there anything to add?"

Good news: They've taken a tougher stance!

Bad news: But internally.

"Lord Hokage, although Itachi did kill the person, there were reasons behind it."

With a forced smile and a frustrated expression, Fugaku explained in a low voice under the sharp gazes of the clan elders.

"That's enough, as long as we've confirmed that you were the ones who killed them!"

Sarutobi's face was full of anger.

"Even if the delegation was at fault, arresting them would suffice. As members of the security force, aren't the Uchiha clan adept at this tactic when dealing with civilians? Why take lives?"

This punch is designed to stir up the atmosphere among the surrounding villagers. It uses the Uchiha Guard's frequent displays of arrogance as a starting point to make the civilians, who are influenced by his charisma, empathize with him!

What appears weak and powerless is actually a deadly weapon hidden within. Only a genius with a mastery of internal martial arts can successfully unleash such a powerful killing move.

As a master of internal martial arts, Hiruzen Sarutobi wielded his techniques with unparalleled ease.

In one sentence, he single-handedly set the tone for the surrounding area, and even nearly made Brother Fugaku vomit blood.

How can this be linked to law enforcement by the police?

To be honest, the so-called guard team is just a group that manages the village and cracks down on lawbreakers. Do you expect them to treat lawbreakers kindly?

Isn't that utter nonsense?

Although this department offends many people, it is also genuinely useful.

Sarutobi's words were completely unreasonable, and he punched Fugaku, leaving him severely injured.

But after that one strike, he wasn't satisfied and turned to look at Hinata Himeko.

"Clan Chief Richeng, do you have anything to add?"

He once again attempted to use the power of morality.

Unfortunately, Hinata Hiromasa lacked morals and could not be successfully manipulated. After hearing Sarutobi's words, he simply raised his middle finger and sneered.

Are you deaf or blind?

After cursing, the honeyed-tongued clan chief Richeng stepped forward and stared down at the other person.

"That's true, after all, the old village chief is really old."

"Even if you have dementia, don't tell me you didn't understand what this situation meant. But I must say, the way you spoke just now made people think you weren't the Hokage, but the Tsuchikage or the Raikage."

The disrespectful tone stunned even the daimyo of the Land of Fire and the two other village lords.

They never expected Hyuga Hiroki to be so forceful, readily discrediting their own Kage and seemingly trying to tear away the veil covering this sordid deal.

Yes, now that things have come to this point, it's not hard to see that this is a conspiracy with a little analysis.

But in order to maintain the peace talks and this false peace, even if a wise person sees through it, they will not expose it.

According to their original script, it was highly likely that with the Hokage's tacit approval, conditions would be added to the peace treaty, such as handing over the murderers from both clans. However, the two clans would not agree to enter a new tug-of-war. In the end, under pressure from the Daimyo, the Hokage, and those around them, the Hyuga and Uchiha clans would be forced to offer up their Byakugan and Sharingan.

Although this outcome was frustrating for both races, it was the proper procedure, essentially incorporating bloodline limits into the peace negotiation terms, treating it as a business deal.

The only loss was the dignity of both races, but the good news is that the peace talks were successful and Konoha ushered in peace. Was it really a loss?

They just want both substance and appearance.

But Hinata Hijiro didn't want to do that. How could he see the true face of this village without revealing the bloody truth? How could he observe everyone's reactions and then make the right judgment?

So

Let's see the truth.

Chief Nichisei snapped his fingers lightly, and the new concept camera developed by Orochimaru, called the "Dark Eye," emitted a faint light, projecting a shadow into the dark night sky.

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(End of this chapter)