To pay off the debt, become Hokage!

Orochimaru raised a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth and said, "In fact, someone has already withdrawn the co-signature and is not going to cause trouble for that person."

"Trouble?" Tsunade repeated, veins throbbing on her forehead. "Harming a companion is undoubtedly an act of treason! If you do something wrong, you must accept the punishment. How can this be considered trouble?"

"Konoha's laws do not allow a traitorous ninja to go unpunished!"

Tsunade crossed her arms and sneered, "It's all the old man's fault. He insisted on holding a Jonin meeting after the war to make a judgment. Now that the matter has not been resolved, the old dog has started to target us."

Uchiha Shigeka said: "Master, he knows about this, his reaction..."

"Teacher, he didn't react." Orochimaru said calmly, "He chose to remain silent and watch."

Tsunade suddenly stood up, looking angry.

"I'm going to talk to the old man. Now that Danzo is back, let's catch him and sentence him now!"

"Tsunade, you can't go." Orochimaru said, "If you push too hard, that person will target you more fiercely. Be careful that he may become desperate and end up in a desperate situation."

Tsunade stopped, turned around, and snorted coldly: "Then let him come. I want to see how he will become desperate and how he will fight to the death."

"What if that person wants to target Sheng Shu?"

"He dares!!"

Facing Tsunade's anger, Orochimaru said calmly: "What is that man afraid of? Don't forget, he is a man who will attack his companions."

boom!

Tsunade slammed the table and shouted angrily: "If Danzo really dares to attack Nawaki, I will kill him even if it costs my life!"

"Tsunade-sensei, calm down."

Uchiha Shigeka placed his right hand on Tsunade's back, and an emerald green light emerged, calming and regulating her rapid breathing.

"Orochimaru-senpai, can you contact Danzo?"

Uchiha Shigeka said: "I can't let the people who signed the petition for us be threatened or targeted. We can talk face to face."

"Danzo is a good friend of Master. He and Master ended the First Ninja World War together. As the root that supports Konoha's prosperity, Danzo has made great contributions to Konoha."

Uchiha Shigeka sighed, "I really don't want to see a former hero harm his companions and end up being sentenced to death as a traitor."

"Zhonghua, you!?"

Tsunade looked at Uchiha Shigeka in astonishment.

Uchiha Shigeka said helplessly: "Tsunade-sensei, Hokage-sama's attitude says it all. We can't get the results we want."

“…Zhonghua, are you disappointed?”

Uchiha Shigeka remained silent.

"Shigeka-kun, that person is very cautious and will not show up easily. Even I rarely see him." Orochimaru said, "It is not easy to meet and talk with that person."

"Shigeka-kun, if you really want to have a talk with that person, the root cause should still be on the teacher. He has to obey the Hokage's orders."

Uchiha Shigeka took a deep breath, nodded and said, "I understand."

......

"Sorry, Chonghua."

Sarutobi Hiruzen said to Uchiha Shigeka with an apologetic look on his face: "I didn't expect the public opinion against Sakumo in the village to ferment into what it is now."

"Sakumo did nothing wrong. It was my order to have him deal with the traitors who betrayed Konoha. If the village wants to blame the failure on the front line, it is my fault as the Hokage."

Uchiha Shigeka's heart moved.

It seems that Orochimaru did not tell Sarutobi Hiruzen about their conversation.

Uchiha Shigeka's mind was full of thoughts, but he didn't show it on his face. He said calmly, "Hokage-sama, the question now is not who is right or wrong, but to find out who is behind the targeting of Sakumo-senpai."

Uchiha Shigeka said in a deep voice: "After investigation by the police force and the interrogation department, this is not a simple case of misunderstanding and spreading rumors by the public, but a complete conspiracy!"

......

Chapter 212: Sarutobi Hiruzen: Enough, Shigeka!

"Oh? So there are still some unknown situations here."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Uchiha Shigeka calmly and asked, "Shigeka, have you found out who is behind this?"

Uchiha Shigeka nodded: "We don't know the specific mastermind behind this yet, but we have found some clues and have a clue."

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a few steps closer to Uchiha Shigeka and continued to ask, "Where are you pointing to?"

Uchiha Shigeka's eyes flickered.

He didn't believe all of Orochimaru's words, but seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen subconsciously approaching and asking questions, he trusted Orochimaru's words a little more.

Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze, Uchiha Shigeka stretched out his finger and pointed at the Hokage's office.

"Hokage-sama, our investigation points here - to the top leaders of Konoha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned and his heart sank.

"Zhonghua, when you say Konoha's high-level officials... do you mean the people who work in this building, or do you mean..."

Uchiha Shigeka got straight to the point and said directly: "Hokage-sama, I am referring to what everyone thinks are the top leaders of Konoha."

"You, the two gentlemen of the advisory council... and, the former assistant Hokage, Shimura Danzo."

Uchiha Shigeka quietly looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose expression remained unchanged, and felt impressed at the other party's emotional control.

When Sarutobi Hiruzen heard the name of Shimura Danzo, his face remained calm and his eyes were as still as a lake.

But there was already a huge storm in my heart.

"Are you saying that the negative comments about Sakumo in the village were made by one of us?"

"Chonghua, is your investigation correct? Is there any problem?"

Uchiha Shigeka took out a scroll from the ninja tool bag behind him and handed it to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Hokage-sama, this is the case record of Sakumo-senpai's incident, please take a look."

Uchiha Shigeka said calmly: "Among them, there is our investigation and interrogation process of Senior Sakumo."

Uchiha Shigeka was well prepared.

Orochimaru has revealed the identity of the mastermind behind the scenes - Uchiha Shigeka will not believe it completely, but that doesn't mean he won't investigate in this direction based on the clues.

Danzo Shimura was a very cautious guy and hid his secrets very well, but the people who worked for him were not careful enough and revealed clues.

They had no evidence to prove that it was Shimura Danzo who did it, and the investigation after interrogating those who had revealed their tracks only led to one suspect.

The suspects are all the high-ranking officials of Konoha!

After reading the case records, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up and said to Uchiha Shigeka: "This is just a suspicion, the evidence is not sufficient."

"I believe in your interrogation ability. There is no way they can tell lies." Sarutobi Hiruzen turned around and put the case file on the desk.

"Perhaps you have misunderstood what Konoha's top brass meant. As I said, Konoha's top brass can also refer to the people who work in this building."

The Hokage Building is the power center and hub of Konoha.

Many big and small things come from here. Konoha’s mission hall is on the first floor - the importance of this place is beyond doubt.

But to say that the people who work here are Konoha's high-ranking officials... is still too far-fetched.

Uchiha Shigeka pointed out the error: "Hokage-sama, I was referring to the "high-level" of Konoha."

Uchiha Shigeka deliberately emphasized the word "senior management".

"Office staff have different positions, and ninjas have different levels. How can we simply generalize them to Konoha's top brass?"

Uchiha Shigeka took a deep breath and said, "Hokage-sama, please be honest. I believe that the mastermind behind the attack on Sakumo-senpai is Danzo Shimura."

"I know that you and Danzo are good friends, and you are comrades who fought side by side and went through the First Ninja World War. I also know better... Danzo, as the root of Konoha, solved many unspeakable, dark and bloody things."

Uchiha Shigeka lowered his eyes and said in a heavy tone: "Danzo undoubtedly made contributions to Konoha, but he went astray and betrayed the Will of Fire."

"In the battle at the border of the Land of Earth, many of our companions died due to the betrayal of the Root Ninjas."

"Tsunade-sensei and Sakumo-senpai stood up for us after learning the whole story. They were outraged that such a horrific scandal had occurred in Konoha."

"Chonghua, things are not..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to say something, but he saw Uchiha Shigeka's disappointed look.

Disappointed? Disappointed about what?

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face changed, becoming ugly and pale - that disappointment was exactly the disappointment in him.

Uchiha Shigeka, who had always admired and longed for him, showed a look of disappointment. This change made Sarutobi Hiruzen feel a little empty and unreal.

Uchiha Shigeka continued, "Sakumo-senpai and others have written a petition on our behalf, demanding justice and punishment for the crimes committed by Danzo... The Hokage said that after the war, a jonin conference will be held to publicly judge Danzo's crimes."

"We believe that Hokage will give a satisfactory result, but..."

Uchiha Shigeka's face was full of anger, his fists were clenched, and his breathing became rapid.

Sarutobi Hiruzen could feel Uchiha Shigeka's suppressed anger.

"Hokage-sama, how many of those who signed the petition still persist?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent and did not answer.

Sometimes no answer is the best answer.

Uchiha Shigeka raised a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth and said, "If we really wait until the end of the war and start the Jonin Conference, I really don't know how many people will still insist on punishing Danzo by then."

"No." Uchiha Shigeka said calmly: "It is more likely that Danzo's crime will be mitigated, such as pardoning his past merits and exempting him from the death penalty... If that is the case, the companions who died under the blades of their own people died in vain."

"That's enough, Chonghua!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke to stop Uchiha Shigeka from speaking.

He said with a sullen face, "After all, this is just your speculation. There is no definite evidence that Danzo is targeting Sakumo."

"Don't make judgments without evidence."

"Besides Danzo, I can't think of anyone else who would target Sakumo-senpai." Uchiha Shigeka retorted, "Only Danzo, facing the accusation and carrying the guilt, would have the motivation to target, threaten, and bribe the people who signed the petition to withdraw the accusation!"

"Shigeka, I will give you full judicial authority over Konoha because I believe in your character. You will definitely enforce the law impartially and bring justice to everyone."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Uchiha Shigeka, and an aura as overwhelming as a deep abyss and a mountain came over him.

Uchiha Shigeka could feel the air around him becoming stagnant and heavy, with a strong sense of oppression.

But to Uchiha Shigeka, these feelings of oppression were just like a breeze passing by, and he felt no pressure at all - he shouldn't have no pressure.

Uchiha Shigeka's heart moved, his expression changed suddenly, and a few beads of sweat oozed from his forehead.

He looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen in shock.

......

Chapter 213: I got you, Danzo!

Sarutobi Hiruzen slowed down his momentum and said in a softer tone: "Since you took office as the Minister of Police, the public security in Konoha has improved visibly."

"It all depends on your judgment being well-reasoned and your law enforcement being fair, so that everyone can be convinced."

Uchiha Shigeka's body was tense, but after Sarutobi Hiruzen slowed down his pressure, he blinked and breathed a sigh of relief.

Uchiha Shigeka wiped the sweat from his forehead and listened to Sarutobi Hiruzen's words in silence.

Sarutobi Hiruzen continued, "Shigeka, I know you have a good relationship with Sakumo, but you can't lose your impartiality because of the villagers' misunderstanding and confusion about Sakumo."

"It's just some suspicions. Without solid evidence, we believe that Danzo is behind the targeting of Sakumo... Shigeka, this is not like you normally."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Uchiha Shigeka with a reproachful look, somewhat dissatisfied.

He shook his head and said, "You were reckless and impulsive this time. I think you should let Zongxing take care of the work for the next few days."

"Go and rest for a few days, relax and calm down. I'll take care of Sakumo's problem."

Sarutobi Hiruzen patted Uchiha Shigeka's shoulder and said, "With me as the Hokage as a guarantee, the villagers will not misunderstand Sakumo anymore. Believe me, Shigeka."

"...Hokage-sama, I insist that the mastermind behind the targeting of Sakumo-senpai is Danzo."

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened: "Shigeka, I told you to produce solid evidence! Accusations without evidence are false accusations!"

Uchiha Shigeka's eyes were firm, and he said, "Then please ask Hokage to ask Danzo to come to the office and confront me in court!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his mouth to say something, but Uchiha Shigeka beat him to it and said quickly, "I know Danzo is in the village now."

"...Orochimaru told you?"