Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 417 The Next Day

"Something terrible has happened, Hokage!"

Nara Shikaku rudely pushed open the door, his face ashen, his eyes bulging like goldfish eyes, utterly terrified.

Normally, as the leader of a Jonin squad, he would not be afraid even when facing a massive army, but what he discovered this morning made it difficult for him to remain calm.

Overnight, many deaths occurred in the village, all of them tragically killed in their homes, including many highly skilled ninjas.

The death toll kept rising as he arrived.

"H-Hokage-sama...?"

The office was empty; the Third Hokage, who usually worked there early in the morning, was nowhere to be seen.

Damn it, at this crucial moment.

Lu Jiu cursed under his breath, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

Could it be that the Hokage has already been informed by the Anbu and rushed to the scene immediately?

Shikaku thought it was possible, so he immediately went to the office building, found the registration staff, and asked, "Have you seen the Third Hokage?"

The registration staff shook their heads, puzzled, and said, "Usually the Hokage arrives very early, but for some reason, he hasn't even shown up yet today."

"What did you say?!"

Shikaku's pupils dilated; not a single person had come.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, and his heart skipped a beat.

Seeing him lost in thought, the registration staff couldn't help but ask, "Lord Shikaku..."

Shikaku didn't respond and rushed to the Hokage's residence, hoping that nothing bad had happened to the Hokage.

When he arrived at the Hokage's residence and opened the door, he saw a group of people surrounding a corpse, their faces grim and silent. The corpse was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. The body was stiff and had lividity on its face, suggesting that the Third Hokage had been dead for several hours.

Ultimately, things took the worst possible turn.

Those inside the house noticed Shikamaru's arrival and all turned to look at him.

He was the leader of the Jonin class and also the wisest person in the village; everyone relied on him to make decisions.

Shikaku closed his eyes, took a deep breath, slowly opened them, and took a step with difficulty: "What's going on?"

Inside the room, a masked ninja spoke in a deep voice: "When we arrived, the Hokage was already..."

Shika looked around the room and noticed that the food on the table was not finished. The two chairs were arranged so that it was clear that not one person was eating. In addition, there were no signs of a struggle, so some evidence could be inferred.

Someone asked, "So, what did you find?"

Shikaku nodded: "Last night, was anyone having dinner with the Hokage?"

After hearing what he said, everyone pondered for a while: "I suppose the only one who can have dinner with the Hokage is that guy."

Asuma's identity is special, so he still speaks with some restraint.

Shikaku let out a breath: "Go and find him immediately."

"Yes."

After issuing the order, Shikaku said solemnly, "The matter of the Third Hokage's death must not be leaked, at least not before a new Hokage is chosen."

After saying that, he called a few people together and prepared to inform the other senior executives.

Seeing everyone looking at each other blankly and still standing there, Shikaku frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

One of them gritted his teeth and said, "Lord Xiaochun, Lord Menyan has also..."

"How is this possible..."

Shikaku's pupils dilated instantly, his face showing astonishment.

This is absolutely terrifying. How could anyone kill all these people overnight without making a sound?

You should know that these people are all quite strong.

"..."

Where is Lord Danzo?

"There's still no news from Lord Danzo... but I'm afraid it's probably true..."

Danzo's usual activity range is difficult to define, making him quite troublesome to locate.

Although the reply is not yet clear, three of the four high-ranking officials of Konoha are already dead, and the remaining people will subconsciously think in that direction.

Upon hearing this horrifying news, Shikaku's breathing trembled.

At this moment, another person needs to arrive here.

All eyes turned to the man, who had white hair and a tall stature. He was staring wide-eyed at the corpse on the ground with a look of terror on his face, and a weak voice escaped from his open mouth: "Old man..."

Everyone sighed, "Lord Jiraiya..."

"What on earth is going on?!"

Jiraiya cried out in shock. When he received the news, he initially thought he had misheard, but when he actually arrived, the harsh reality dealt him a heavy blow.

Shikaku briefly explained the outcome to him.

Jiraiya felt a deep silence in his chest, even the breath he inhaled felt as heavy as lead.

He thought of someone.

Only that person has the ability and the motivation.

He knows more about the village's interior than the locals, so he'll think in that direction.

Jiraiya's face darkened, he clenched his fists, and turned around without saying a word.

Seeing that Jiraiya was about to leave, everyone quickly called out, "Lord Jiraiya, where are you going?"

Jiraiya didn't respond and stormed out.

"Lord Shikaku, what's going on with Lord Jiraiya...?" someone asked, glancing sideways.

Shikaku closed his eyes and shook his head: "Let him go. The most important thing now is to gather representatives from all the major clans and elect a new Hokage."

……

……

Jiraiya charged forward headlong, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the Uchiha clan's territory, located in a remote part of the village.

Upon arriving here, he immediately raised his voice and shouted:

"Aokiji, Uchiha Aokiji, get the hell out here."

"I know you're here."

His voice was irritable, interspersed with profanities, and his shouts quickly attracted the attention of the Uchiha clan members. Aokiji held immense prestige within the clan, and Jiraiya's insolent words displeased them.

"Lord Jiraiya, your behavior is an insult to our clan leader. We can't pretend we didn't see it."

"What do you want?"

"Apologize."

Jiraiya was furious and lacked his usual easygoing demeanor: "What do you want if I don't apologize?"

The Uchiha members responded with three-tomoe glints in their eyes.

Last night, they followed Lord Aokiji and killed countless people. Their previously suppressed fighting instincts were finally unleashed, and they would no longer be as restrained as before.

Just as neither side was willing to back down, a leisurely voice rang out, interrupting the tense situation.

"stop."

Upon seeing the approaching people, the Uchiha members automatically parted to the sides, creating a path for them to pass through.

Jiraiya's face was ashen: "Aokiji..."

"Jiraiya is my family, my brother, how could you lay a hand on him?"

Upon hearing Aokiji's reprimand, the previously aggressive Uchiha members immediately changed their attitude, lowering their voices and saying humbly, "I'm sorry, Lord Aokiji..."

Aokiji raised his hand, indicating that this was how it should be.

Then, his gaze swept over Jiraiya, and he said mockingly, "What brings you, the esteemed disciple of the Hokage, to my dilapidated temple today?"

"Aokiji..."

Jiraiya's low growl sounded as if he wanted to grind the name to pieces.

Aokiji looked puzzled: "What's wrong? Why are you looking so fierce? Why were you joking...?"

Jiraiya shouted sharply, "Aokiji—!"

Aokiji raised his hands, adopting a defeated posture: "Okay, okay, I apologize. I shouldn't have made fun of you."

Jiraiya said grimly, "You should know that I wasn't referring to that."

As their conversation deepened, more and more Uchiha clan members unknowingly gathered around them.

Fugaku gave a look to the people around him, and they all understood and left on their own, also sending away the clansmen who were unaware of the truth, leaving the two of them alone.

Fugaku gave the two of them a deep look before leaving.

Walking along the road, Itachi couldn't help but ask, "Father, Uncle Aokiji, he..."

Fugaku lamented, "These former friends will probably become irreconcilable enemies after this."

On the other side, with all the bystanders gone, Jiraiya had no more reservations and went straight to the point: "Aokiji, I'm asking you a question, so tell me the truth."

What's meant to happen will happen eventually. Aokiji was prepared. He let out a breath and said with relief, "Okay, go ahead and ask."

Jiraiya took a deep breath and asked, "Did you kill Minato back then?"

"who?"

"The Fourth Hokage, my student."

Aokiji was stunned upon hearing this: "What are you talking about?"

(End of this chapter)