They're promoting the "Konoha threat" theory, and spouting nonsense about the Hidden

Chapter 222 How could a woman use her innocence to frame you! (Part 2)

What?

That person was actually the Hokage?

When they realized the true identity of the person who used power to oppress others that Nao Hatake had mentioned, everyone present, whether on or off the stage, near or far, stared at it all in disbelief, unable to believe it was real.

What a joke! That was the Third Hokage, the man known as the "Strongest Hokage in History," the man who led Konoha through two Shinobi World Wars. How could he possibly use his power to oppress a widow?

And she's the wife of the famous "Konoha White Fang"?

At the funeral, some of Hiruzen Sarutobi's fans immediately tried to stand up and refute him, but then they all thought of the same thing.

That is, our Hokage, his reputation for being a lecher seems to have been around for a long time, right?

Under Nao Hatake's vehement accusations, a group of people couldn't help but recall the scandalous news about Hiruzen Sarutobi over the past few years.

Since the publication of a series of underground novels such as "Koharu Utatane's Stockings", "The Tale of a Rooted Ninja" and "My Days as Hokage in Konoha" six years ago, the works of the well-known author "Rainy Night with an Umbrella but No Sword" have swept through the entire ninja world like autumn leaves in the wind.

The reason this series of novels is famous is not only because the author used a series of ninjutsu techniques that ordinary people could not even imagine, but more importantly because the male protagonist of these novels is, without exception, the Third Hokage of Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Konoha naturally wants to crack down on these pornographic books that "spread rumors" about their great leader, but as everyone knows, the more strictly the authorities prohibit and suppress these things, the more active they become in the market.

Since these erotic books had no other immediate purpose besides damaging Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation, Konoha eventually had no choice but to officially ban their circulation while secretly letting them run rampant.

Because of the imaginative ideas, whimsical poses and actions in this series of novels, these books were even regarded as the ultimate bedroom treasures by some ninja clans and nobles. They would read every single book in the series and play the cosplay with the characters day and night.

As these novels swept the ninja world, the effects of the crystal ball in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand spread like wildfire. While greatly impacting the hot spring industry in Konoha, it also confirmed to everyone in the ninja world that Hiruzen Sarutobi was indeed a lecherous old man.

So when the fans of Hiruzen Sarutobi present were about to refute him, they immediately thought of this point.

Hmm, the Third Hokage wouldn't do that... right?

Those people's gazes fell on Hatake Nao once again, noticing the young widow's pitiful expression as she sobbed uncontrollably. They looked at her slender neck, encased in a milky-white pearl necklace, and scrutinized her voluptuous figure, tightly bound by a black dress, and the black stockings that revealed one of her calves.

Although I really don't want to believe it, it seems, maybe, possibly, probably, if it were Hiruzen Sarutobi, he really might do such a thing?

Thinking this, the group involuntarily lowered their heads.

After all, the charm of a pitiful young widow who had just lost her husband was unparalleled for an old pervert like Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Hokage arrives at the Hatake residence to comfort the widow who has just lost her husband. Seeing the widow in mourning clothes, he experiences forbidden pleasure. Under the gaze of Hatake Sakumo, he can't help but use his power to intimidate her. Considering Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation, this seems quite reasonable.

Not only the audience below the stage, but even some of the ninja clan leaders sitting on the stage couldn't help but look at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting there at a loss, with strange eyes.

Clearly, thanks to Hozuki Shingetsu's subtle and gradual efforts over six years, the reputation of this Hokage has become deeply ingrained in people's minds. Even some of the clan leaders have come to believe Hatake Nao's words.

Putting aside the question of whether your status as Hokage and the wife of a Konoha hero are appropriate, let's just consider the bigger picture. You went ahead and played around, but you didn't even clean up the mess afterwards, letting people talk about it in public. Hiruzen Sarutobi, you're really something!

"You're talking nonsense!"

Just then, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been sitting there in a daze, finally snapped out of it as he felt the increasingly piercing gaze. He immediately stood up, glared angrily at Nao Hatake, and began to loudly exonerate himself.

Although he didn't understand why Nao Hatake would slander him, Hiruzen Sarutobi's years of political experience made him keenly aware that this was a trap set against him!

Moreover, it's a dead end where the slightest misstep could lead to utter disgrace!

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly thought of his enemies, pondering who might use such ruthless methods.

The first one that comes to mind is definitely Hozuki Shingetsu.

He has seen far too many instances of this method of using rumors and public opinion to frame others over the past few years; it is practically Hozuki Shingetsu's signature tactic.

Therefore, at that moment, the first thing that came to his mind was Hozuki Shingetsu.

However, he quickly dismissed the idea.

Since Hozuki Shingetsu is an outsider, even if he uses this kind of public opinion attack, he can only attack him through external public opinion.

As a member of Kirigakure, there was no way he could turn Hatake Nao, the widow of a hero recently recognized by Konoha, against his will. Hiruzen Sarutobi was confident of this.

Otherwise, if Hozuki Shingetsu had that ability, he would have infiltrated Konoha long ago, turning the entire village into a sieve. What would Hiruzen Sarutobi be good for as Hokage?

The second candidate was Danzo Shimura.

After all, if we're talking about who in Konoha has mastered this technique the best, it has to be this "Dark Ninja".

Moreover, considering his motivation, he is also highly likely to be involved.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze involuntarily swept over his old teammate sitting next to him, glancing at his astonished expression.

Then, incidentally, he noticed Uchiha Homura sitting not far away.

"kaleidoscope!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back as he realized a possibility.

In terms of motivation, the Uchiha clan seems to be a strong possibility, since their desire for the Hokage position has never been concealed.

Furthermore, due to the previous Kaleidoscope incident, the relationship between the village and them had become very strained. Under these circumstances, they were worried that Hiruzen Sarutobi would break his promise, so it was quite possible that they would strike first!

Furthermore, it cannot be ruled out that Nao Hatake's current actions are being controlled by illusion magic!

Although he didn't notice the genjutsu marks on Nao Hatake when he was next to her, what if the genjutsu was cast by the Mangekyou Sharingan?

That's a Mangekyou Sharingan that could fight the First Hokage's Wood Release for three hundred rounds! (Sarutobi didn't know about the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan)

If the illusion released by the kaleidoscope is not something he can detect, isn't that normal?

As he recounted the details, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank, and a bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

Compared to the Uchiha, he would even prefer that the mastermind behind this was Danzo Shimura!

"Outrageous! How could I, the Hokage, possibly do such a thing to the widow of a village hero!"

While refuting the argument, Hiruzen Sarutobi's brain raced, trying to figure out how to resolve the situation.

His years of political experience taught him that this situation required swift action, so the best solution was to control Nao Hatake first, regardless of anything else!

But by controlling Hatake Nao in front of everyone, wouldn't that confirm his "crime"?

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated, Nao Hatake on the other side also made a new move.

"I know, I know Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Hokage, and I know that my actions have undoubtedly caused great trouble for the village... but I must stand up and expose the crimes of this devil."

Nao Hatake gripped the megaphone tightly with both hands, as if she were grasping her own destiny.

"I don't care if I suffer this humiliation alone, but I can't let my deceased husband suffer this humiliation in the afterlife... This bastard even gloated while humiliating me, saying that he manipulated the public opinion when Sakumo died because Sakumo's prestige threatened his position..."

? !

Upon hearing this, the audience erupted in uproar.

If what happened just now could barely be considered a matter of the Hokage's personal conduct, then what Nao Hatake has just revealed is now an outright and serious crisis of trust within the village!

"But I know, I know I am just a weak woman, powerless to seek justice, especially since he has people watching me all around me. So I can only ask for everyone's help in this situation to punish this person..."

"That's enough!"

"Stop talking nonsense here!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly made a hand gesture, and several ANBU members instantly appeared around him, rushing towards Nao Hatake.

Now, he's not only burdened with the accusation of defaming a hero's widow, but also smeared with the mud of jealousy and envy.

Although this can't be considered sewage, if he doesn't control Hatake Nao, he doesn't know what other shocking things she might say next.

"Wait, Hiruzen!"

Danzo Shimura stepped forward, tapped his cane, and several Root members appeared, blocking the path of the Anbu members.

They've gone to great lengths to set this up, and before the climax has even arrived, how could they possibly let Hiruzen Sarutobi control Nao Hatake?

"Danzo, what do you mean?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared intently at Danzo Shimura with a sinister gaze. At this moment, he no longer possessed the gentleness of a "leaf bathed in sunlight," and his entire being exuded a chilling aura.

"This situation is no longer just about you."

Unfazed by Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze, Danzo Shimura declared with righteous indignation, "Whether this is true or not, it happened at a solemn funeral for a hero, witnessed by most of the village, and the parties involved are the current Hokage and the wife of the funeral's protagonist… All these factors combined mean that if this matter is not handled fairly and a consensus-based investigation is not reached, the village's prestige will suffer a devastating blow!"

"Therefore, Hiruzen, you absolutely cannot control Nao Hatake at this moment, otherwise we really won't be able to explain ourselves!"

Perhaps moved by Danzo Shimura's use of "we," Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado also stood up to support Danzo's decision.

For them, if this matter is false, that would be best; they could simply deal with Nao Hatake. Even if it is true, the result would only be Hiruzen Sarutobi stepping down, which wouldn't cause them any significant loss.

After all, whoever becomes Hokage will need them as advisors.

However, if Hiruzen Sarutobi's control over Nao Hatake leads to a significant drop in the village's prestige, then their status will also be shaken.

"You guys..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly realized what these people were planning and was filled with rage.

Those of us who are not involved in this matter can naturally remain calm, but he is different!

If this isn't dealt with quickly, his time as Hokage will be over!

Just then, a sound, seemingly from nowhere, echoed clearly across the land.

"How could a woman possibly use her innocence to slander someone? If you didn't do it, why would she have the nerve to wrongly accuse a Hokage?"

The sound appeared strangely, its origin unknown, yet it resonated clearly in everyone's ears.

As a result, the way everyone looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi finally started to change.

Yes!

If you hadn't actually done it, how could someone like Nao Hatake, with her status, possibly use her own innocence to smear you at her deceased husband's funeral?

Sarutobi Tsuneo, you still say you haven't done it?

This statement was like a signal, causing everyone to question Hiruzen Sarutobi, while also making Nao Hatake determined to do something.

In the blink of an eye, her right hand pulled out a kunai from the high, firm area bound by her black dress and held it across her milky-white neck.

"...I know some of you here probably don't believe me yet, and think I'm slandering this demon...So, I will prove my words and actions with my own actions!"

Nao Hatake's choked voice echoed through the venue through the loudspeaker, attracting everyone's attention.

not good!

The moment Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the kunai in Nao Hatake's hand, his scalp tingled. He realized what Nao Hatake was about to do, and he knew all too well that if Nao Hatake really did that, then he, as Hokage, would undoubtedly be ruined and never be able to recover!

So he immediately decided to disregard all opinions and take the first step to personally snatch the kunai from Nao Hatake's hand!

Not only him, but everyone present changed their expressions the moment they saw the kunai. They immediately thought of moving to stop Hatake Nao's actions. Even Jiraiya, who was far away outside the venue, couldn't help but circulate his chakra, about to use the Body Flicker Technique to save her.

Unfortunately, Nao Hatake was, after all, a Chunin, and given the distance between her and the others, under Danzo's threat, in order to protect her son, Nao Hatake ultimately acted faster than them.

"Goodbye... Kakashi, take care of yourself..."

呲!

After leaving those last words, Nao Hatake twirled her kunai and instantly slashed her snow-white neck, gushing out bright red blood that stained her black dress.

"No!"

The glaring blood not only stained her clothes, but also turned Kakashi's eyes red as he arrived at the scene.

Pfft!

With nowhere to support her body, Nao Hatake's corpse fell from the high platform and crashed heavily to the ground.

jingle!

The milky-white pearl necklace on her body fluttered in all directions under the influence of gravity, like silvery-white teardrops hitting the ground and sliding down in front of Kakashi.

On the stage, the enormous portrait of Hatake Sakumo silently watched all of this, a few drops of blood that had splattered from Hatake Nao's neck landing on it and slowly sliding down Hatake Sakumo's eye.

(End of this chapter)