Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 414 Filial Piety and Righteousness: Hiruzen Sarutobi Exits the Stage

Seeing that Aokiji's reaction from surprise to calm took less than a second, Fugaku looked surprised and said, "You don't seem surprised at all."

"No, it's just that I know panicking won't help."

Aokiji smiled and shook his head: "I am now the head of the Uchiha clan. If even I panic at this critical moment, what will the people below think?"

Fugaku said admiringly, "You're increasingly showing the demeanor of the Uchiha clan leader."

Aokiji smiled. "Let's go to the hospital."

Fugaku looked surprised: "Why go to the hospital?"

"Having lost his eye, Kakashi should be in the hospital recovering."

"This isn't appropriate. The village is now highly suspicious of us."

"That's precisely why we need to go; otherwise, wouldn't it make us look guilty?"

Fugaku found this reasonable and stopped trying to persuade him. He followed Aokiji to the hospital, found out Kakashi's room number, and entered the room.

Kakashi, who was lying in the hospital bed, heard the door open, glanced to the side, saw who it was, and tried to get up.

Aokiji raised his hand to interrupt: "You can just lie there. I'll just say a few words and then I'll leave."

"What are you saying?"

Aokiji said calmly, "I didn't have anyone gouge out your eyes. If I really wanted to gouge out your eyes, I wouldn't be stupid enough to expose my Sharingan."

Kakashi smiled wryly and said, "I know..."

"Secondly, regarding the Sharingan you lost, I can get one from the clan for you, if you want it."

Upon hearing this, Kakashi looked surprised, but quickly regained his composure and said with a wry smile, "Never mind, this eye has special significance for me; no other eye can replace it."

"Since you don't want to bother with it..."

Aokiji turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Leaving the hospital, with no enemies around, Fugaku, who was following behind Aokiji, reported on recent events: "Recently, the Hokage has been planning to relocate us back to the village center. What do you think?"

Aokiji said "Oh": "Ignore it. At this point, we're still doing drills. How boring."

Fugaku continued his report: "There's one more thing. The Third Hokage is planning to abdicate and is currently soliciting public opinion. Should our Uchiha clan participate?"

"The judges and referees are all their people, what are we even participating for?" Aokiji grinned. "To show our support?"

Fugaku chuckled self-deprecatingly, "That's true."

Aokiji paused, then said in a deep voice, "I've made all the preparations here. Inform your clansmen to get ready."

Fugaku asked in surprise, "Is it finally going to begin?"

"Yes, it's time to put an end to this."

Aokiji looked up at the white clouds in the sky and slowly closed his eyes.

……

……

one night.

Inside a house in the heart of Konoha.

On a square table, there were several small dishes and a few bottles of wine.

Asuma and Hiruzen Sarutobi sat facing each other.

Dressed in casual clothes, Hiruzen Sarutobi said with some emotion, "How long has it been since my son and I sat down to eat together so peacefully?"

Asma, with an air of nonchalance, said, "Five years or six years? I can't remember exactly, but it should be after Mom died."

"I'm sorry about what happened at Lake Biwa."

You don't need to apologize to me.

"You're still upset about me implanting the Six-Tails into your body, aren't you?"

"You're the Hokage, how could I dare?"

"I did this for the village."

"No, you're doing it for yourself, for the power you hold in your hands."

"..."

"Alright, enough nonsense, or I won't even eat this meal."

"well……"

Asuma watched Hiruzen Sarutobi eat some food and drink some wine, then stood up. Under the other's puzzled gaze, he picked up the Hokage's hat, wrapped it around Hiruzen's back, and put it on his head. His voice was low as he asked, "Father, is this hat really that important?"

"..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi moved his lips, about to speak, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through his chest. His eyes widened, and he looked down in astonishment, his chest stained red and emitting a strong smell of blood.

This is the taste of blood, his blood.

"This is……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly stood up from his chair, staggered forward a few steps, turned around, and his face was filled with disbelief: "W-why...?"

If it was a sneak attack, even if it was his unsuspecting son, he wouldn't have been unable to react in time. So there's only one possibility.

The food was poisoned, and the weapon that pierced his chest was also poisoned. He was now completely powerless and unable to use any chakra.

Asuma closed his eyes: "This is for the greater good..."

"Great righteousness? What great righteousness?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't understand a word his son was saying.

"...I think I should say that."

Suddenly, a third party's voice rang out leisurely in the room, tinged with smugness.

"Cough cough..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed up large mouthfuls of blood, his face turning deathly pale.

A figure walked slowly toward him with his hands in his pockets. He had white hair and red eyes, and a mocking smile played on his lips.

"It's you..."

Aokiji smirked: "That's right, it is I, Uchiha Aokiji."

Why?

"Why?" Aokiji's smile turned cold as he pointed at Hiruzen Sarutobi's nose, scoffing, "Old man, stop playing dumb with me. You killed Tsunade back then, and you still have the nerve to ask me why?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's aura was rapidly weakening; he realized he wouldn't survive the night: "Cough cough, I didn't intend to kill Tsunade..."

"Shut up, how dare you address Tsunade by her first name?"

Aokiji snapped, "Without your constant indulgence, how could things have gotten to that point? Stop pretending to be innocent; it's disgusting."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless. He looked at his son with a strange sadness in his eyes. He never imagined that his closest son would betray him and even stand on the opposite side to plot against him.

"Tsk tsk... How pitiful. The Hokage, a man of such stature, has such a pathetic side. Hmph, hahaha..."

Aokiji mocked relentlessly, the thrill of his revenge causing his shoulders to tremble uncontrollably, and even his facial expression to contort.

Hiruzen Sarutobi: ...

"Alright, seeing how pitiful you are, I'll take pity on you and give you a heads-up," Aokiji said with a wicked grin. "Being betrayed by the person closest to you, doesn't that sound familiar?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils dilated in astonishment. "Could it be...?" he exclaimed.

"Hmph, the old man's mind works pretty fast."

Aokiji clapped his hands, the sound echoing, and the next second, a figure stood respectfully beside him, holding a box in his hands.

Then, at Aokiji's signal, he slowly opened the box, inside which was a bloody human head.

Aokiji grabbed his hair and stretched out his arms so that people could see him more clearly.

Do you recognize this person?

Hiruzen Sarutobi was speechless. The head inside was that of a spy he had planted in the Uchiha clan. He didn't know if it was a bull's head or a horse's head, but judging from the situation, both of them should have been killed.

"Hehehe... You're still too green to fight me." Aokiji chuckled as he put the head back in the box.

A very ominous feeling welled up inside Hiruzen Sarutobi: "What do you want to do?"

"What are you doing?" Aokiji responded with an "oh," and proudly wagged his finger.

"That's a good question. Hmm... I'm going to use everything that your higher-ups planned to do to us Uchiha on your higher-ups. I think this tactic of learning on the spot will work pretty well."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face turned deathly pale, his voice pleading, "No, you can't do this. You'll plunge the village into danger. If you have a problem, come at me. Don't hurt them."

"Even now, you still care about the village. I'm truly touched." Aokiji sneered, "If you beg me, I might consider it."

"..."

Aokiji chuckled, "Just kidding, there's no such thing."

Hiruzen Sarutobi had never felt such despair, his body as cold as if he had fallen into an ice cave: "Asuma, why?"

Aokiji smiled pityingly and shook his head; as if a teacher lamenting that his student was slow to understand:

"Don't you understand? Asuma is doing this for the greater good. He knows that there's no chance of victory for you high-ranking members against the Uchiha. That's why he's firmly on my side, even at the cost of family ties."

"Yeah, just like Itachi back then, except this time, you higher-ups are the ones who have to sacrifice everything for the greater good. How ironic, isn't it?"

"No, this is impossible—!" Hiruzen Sarutobi screamed like a madman, unable to believe that his son would do such a thing: "You must have used illusion magic to control the illusion."

Illusion?

Suddenly, it was as if he understood something: "I understand, I understand, so that's what it was..."

Before he could finish speaking, a dagger pierced his throat, blood gushing out. Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes bulged out like goldfish eyes, his face ashen as he stared at his son.

Aokiji said expressionlessly, "Go in peace. I will take good care of the village for you, and use it as a stepping stone to conquer the Land of Fire. Konoha will reach unprecedented heights under my leadership."

Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer hear Aokiji's boastful words; he had already fallen into a pool of blood, his dead face staring upwards at Aokiji.

Aokiji scoffed and turned to leave: "Remember to leave the murder weapon at the scene and leave fingerprint evidence."

After saying that, he swaggered out of the mansion and returned to his companions.

"How is it?" Fugaku asked.

Aokiji looked at Hiashi Hyuga beside Fugaku: "What, didn't he tell you?"

Without the Byakugan's X-ray vision, he wouldn't have been able to appear at the perfect moment to relentlessly mock Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Facing Aokiji's gaze, Hyuga felt a chill run down his spine, his eyes filled with deep fear. Aokiji's methods far exceeded his imagination; he could actually manipulate Asuma to kill his own father.

He moved his lips, about to speak, when Inahime beside him snatched the word away, her tone filled with excitement and admiration: "Needless to say? With Lord Aokiji involved, of course the Hokage was taken down."

Fugaku sighed, "What does it feel like to kill the Hokage?"

Aokiji shrugged: "Things are going so smoothly it's getting boring."

With that, Aokiji smirked, "I hope Danzo will bring me some pleasure next..."

(End of this chapter)