Chapter 221: 217: Konoha's Decision
Mid-October.
During this season, a refreshing coolness lingered in the air.
Three days ago, the Nine Tails had wreaked havoc in Konoha, inflicting countless pains upon the village. Followed by a fierce battle, the village successfully subdued the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox but paid an exceptionally heavy price for it.
Three nights ago, Konoha witnessed the deaths of over a thousand ninjas in the late-night battle. The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and his wife had sacrificed themselves to quell the rampage of the Nine Tails. This heart-wrenching reality left many in the village in disbelief. However, after Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi personally confirmed the matter, everyone had to accept this cruel fact.
Early morning in Konoha was enveloped in a solemn and mournful atmosphere. Villagers donned black mourning attire, silently joining the procession toward the ninja cemetery with grief. Expressions of silence or complexity were evident on their faces. The casualties extended beyond the Fourth Hokage and his wife, with many the pillar of several families falling inthe battle.
Adequate compensation for these families was was naturally implemented, ensuring the heroes' lives weren't sacrificed in vain. Yet, the primary focus was on mourning the ninjas lost in the Nine-Tails War, conducting a funeral, and bidding farewell to the heroes who fell in the battle against the Nine Tails.
"The village finally regained peace through the efforts of the Fourth Hokage. But i didn't expect such result... Sigh..."
These words, uttered by an unknown person, spread quickly among the crowd, deepening the sorrow among them.
Three days ago, during the battle with thr Nine Tails', the situation was extremely dangerous. Despite the joint efforts of the ninjas suppressing the Nine Tails temporarily, they could barely hatm the beast. It was a genuine natural disaster. If the Fourth Hokage with his wife hadn't sealed the Nine Tails with their lives on time, the village would have suffered more loss than the casualty of a thousand ninjas.
At the forefront of the procession were the Third Hokage Hiruzen and other high-ranking officials, including the semi-banned Root leader Danzo. Unlike others, Danzo maintained an expressionless face, fixating on the name on the memorial monument—Namikaze Minato—with indifferent eyes, leaving observers to ponder about his thoughts.
Koharu whispered, "Let's go back, Hiruzen. We have more important matters to attend to."
Taking their time out for the mourning was already generous. It wasn't a matter of neglecting Fourth Hokage Minato's contributions but recognizing that the dead were gone, and Konoha urgently needed to elect a new leader.
Due to the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice, the news couldn't be concealed from the rest of the village. Regardless of the attempts to keep it secret, the other Kagesfrom thr rest of the ninja villages would undoubtedly learn that the Fourth Hokage had sacrificed himself to seal the Nine Tails.
While Sunagakure and Iwagakure having suffered significant losses in the previous war, so they weren't a concern for the time being. However Kumogakure remained a potential threat, they were still staring at Konoha. And Kirigakure, with their numbers intact since they hadn't joined the war. Konoha needed to take action as soon as possible in deploying defenses at the border to fend off potential attacks on the Land Of Fire from Kumogakure and Kirigakure.
Although Konoha and Kirigakure had limited communications in the past, and Kiro had never openly expressed hostility, the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice would likely make Kirigakure more cautious.
Hiruzen sighed lightly, closed his eyes, and nodded..Indeed, now wasn't the time for mourning the dead.
Despite the regret, Minato and Kushina's sacrifice was an undeniable fact, and nothing will be changed with regret. As the Third Hokage, he faced more pressing matters. Overcoming the upcoming challenges and Protecting Konoha and the Land Of Fire from attacks by other villages.
...
The mourning ceremony continued, and the procession honoring the heroes who sacrificed themselves for the Battle of the Nine Tails remained large not decreasing.
Kakashi chose not to join the procession; for him, being there would only intensify his sadness. He sat alone atop a water tower at the Hospital, silently gazing at the white clouds in the sky, lost in thought.
Not long after, distinct footsteps approached from behind, signaling someone was approaching him.
Kakashi, interrupted from his thoughts, squinted as he observed an adult woman in a white coat approaching him leisurely. Black-framed glasses adorned her chest, and her eyes consistently radiated intelligence and wisdom. However, her appearance was relatively ordinary, lacking any particularly outstanding. Masumi Asami, the director of Konoha Hospital's Pharmacy Department, was a well-known figure in the village.
The Nine Tails had caused turmoil in Konoha, leading to the sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage and his wife. Asami played a crucial role in the incident by being the first to relay information about Kushina's childbirth, triggering the Nine-Tails Rampage and indirectly causing a series of tragedies.
"It seems you're in a bad mood. Are you still grieving for the Fourth?" Asami, now beside Kakashi, spoke with a gentle voice.
"What are you doing here?"
As one of Shiraishi's special spies hidden in Konoha, Asami's actions and the information she might have transmitted to the Land of Demons remained unknown.
"I came out for some fresh air. I don't enjoy crowded places, and funerals are not to my liking either. Any funeral, to a doctor, signifies a life leaving from the world."
"That doesn't sound like something someone like you should say." Kakashi adjusted his mask.
Asami smiled faintly, "I'm doing what I can. But it's true, I hate death, whether it's my own or others'. It's the professional ethics of a medical ninja."
"Really? I thought you were laughing."
"How could that be? After all, this is the village where I grew up. I'm somewhat sentimental. However, I'm sorry about the Fourth." Asami locked eyes with Kakashi, her smile fading as she sincerely apologized.
"No, I should be the one apologizing. I knew everything but chose to turn a blind eye to Minato-sensei and watched them die before my eyes. We're all the same." Kakashi stood up from the edge of the tower, jumped down, and left through the downstairs corridor. Asami watched him go, hands in her white coat's pockets, her shoulder-length black hair fluttering in the wind.
"The same kind of people? That's right, we're no longer part of this village..." Asami muttered to herself, sounding somewhat self-deceptive.
Despite their work endangering the village, betraying information would condemn them by conscience. This kind of job required a strong and resolute mind, and it was just the beginning. In the future, more Konoha ninjas would die due to their information.
...
Inside a room on a certain floor of the Hokage Building, four individuals sat. The retired Hokage Hiruzen, advisors Homura and Koharu, and Danzo. Due to the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato's accidental sacrifice, they had gathered for an emergency meeting.
After the Nine-Tails incident, the wrinkles on Hiruzen's face had deepened, making him appear years older. The conference room was silent, and Hiruzen's gaze moved from his former comrades-in-arms and colleagues to Danzo.
Danzo carried all the darkness of Konoha and was the most radical hawk in the village. His past involvement in wood release experiments, the human traffickingincident in Amegakure, and human experiments were now monitored by his Anbu. If Danzo's deal with Kandachi came to light, it would discredit Konoha and result in a tarnished reputation. Hiruzen spent considerable time and effort dealing with the aftermath for Danzo.
"From the battle damage statistics from the Anbu, on the night of the Nine Tails' attack on the village, including Minato and Kushina, a total of 473 ninjas died, and over 1,700 people suffered injuries of varying severity, currently in recovery." Koharu took the lead in breaking the quiet atmosphere in the conference room, presenting Konoha's casualty data from the battle with the Nine Tails.
Facing off against the Nine-Tailed Fox, the legendary most powerful tailed beast, they were able to subdue it only at the cost of hundreds of lives. This outcome could be considered a complete victory.
However, the weight of this victory was heavy on the hearts of the four people present.The reason for this was the loss of the Fourth Hokage and his wife in the battle. Konoha's losses extended beyond mere statistics. The Fourth Hokage's importance to Konoha was undeniable. The reason Konoha was able to quickly restore peace was inextricably linked to the Fourth Hokage's formidable strength.
In this era where frequent wars had just ended and the transition to peace has begun, the Fourth Hokage represented Konoha's greatest assurance of peace. The moniker "Yellow Flash" was renowned, becoming Konoha's golden emblem serving as a deterrent to the other ninja villages. It was a safeguard that could have protected Konoha for decades, ensuring that the village would not be at a disadvantage on the international stage. Unfortunately, all those visions of a beautiful future were lost on that fateful night a few days ago.
"The villagers and buildings suffered no damage whatsoever; only the area outside the village was affected, which is a blessing in misfortune. This will make the recovery much easier. However, the problem still lies with Kumo, and Kiri whose attitude is temporarily unknown." Homura frowned, expressing his concerns.
"For Kumo, I've assigned Tokukaze to be on guard, and I've instructed Jiraiya and Tsunade, who are currently traveling, to return to the village."
"With the two of them back, there shouldn't be much of a problem with Kumo. But Kiri... How do you plan to handle it, Hiruzen?" Homura inquired.
Just as Hiruzen was about to respond, Danzo, standing aside with an indifferent face, suddenly interjected:
"From the spies I planted in Kirigakure, a piece of extremely important news just came in... Kirigakure had a bloody civil war two days ago."
"Civil War?" The three were slightly taken aback.
Danzo nodded and explained, "That's correct. To secure the position of the fourth Mizukage, Kiri's Jōnin Yagura started a coup d'etat, successfully overthrowing the Third Mizukage. Due to this internal conflict, most of the village was destroyed. At least thousands died in the coup, and countless others were injured. It will probably take them more than three years to recover." He provided a more precise timeline.
"Karatachi Yagura huh... he's truly a scary man. But for Konoha, this is good news." Koharu sighed with relief, finally hearing some good news.
None of them were surprised that Danzo had planted spies in Kiri. It was a dangerous task, but the root of external missions, it often involved engaging in the most dangerous works. Although the level of spies may not be high enough, and they wouldn't be able to reach the core of Kirigakure, but with an event like the coup d'etat could not be covered up even if they wanted to.
External affairs were mostly resolved. Despite the loss of the Fourth Hokage, Konoha would not lose its deterrent power to the outside world. Even without the Yellow Flash, Konoha, with its various secret clans and the Sannin, would not be weakened.
Moreover, among the new generation of ninjas, talents like Hatake Kakashi existed, and in a few years, another Konoha White Fang could emerge as a sharp sword to deter other countries. As long as these geniuses were given enough space and time to grow, the grand tree of Konoha would continue to grow. In the past 20 or 30 years, Konoha's younger generation of ninjas had consistently proven themselves, becoming the cornerstones of the village's prosperity.
"Compared to the outside, the hidden dangers internally are actually more important. For instance..." Danzo paused, not trying to imply anything but directly announcing whom to be guarded against: "...the Uchiha clan."
Hiruzen and the other two had varying expressions on their faces.
"The Nine Tails was released during the Jinchuriki's childbirth, and the attack on Konoha was by no means accidental. It was a well-planned scheme by certain people in an attempt to subvert Konoha. The Uchiha clan is the prime suspect, given that their Sharingan can control the Nine Tails. However, their conspiracy was foiled due to the Fourth Hokage."
"Danzo, the Uchiha are also part of the village; they shouldn't be treated differently." Hiruzen frowned tightly.
"However, the Uchiha didn't come to help that night, and many villagers have been dissatisfied with them. Though they haven't said anything, they believed that the Uchiha controlled the Nine Tails and attacked the village." Homura added his thoughts.
"That's because someone changed my order without my authorization!!. My original plan was to have those from the Uchiha come over attempt to use their Sharingan to restrict the Nine Tails' actions to buy more time." Having said that, Hiruzen took a deep breath..He didn't explicitly mention who it was, but both Homura and Koharu realized, glancing at Danzo vaguely.
"Maybe this works in their favor." Danzo remained stubborn.
"Danzo!" Hiruzen's face turned livid.
"So, how do you explain the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Danzo looked at Hiruzen defiantly.
Hiruzen was dumbfounded. Mangekyou Sharingan... The mere thought made Hiruzen's heart race. Could it be truly related to the Uchiha clan?
"Koharu informed me that the Fourth Hokage's last words were to be careful of Chiba Shiraishi, Mangekyou Sharingan, Space-time Ninjutsu, right? The Fourth Hokage wasn't just some random person. His words means that he likely fought against the user of the Mangekyou Sharingan and confirmed that their ability related to space-time."
"However, it cannot be conclusively said that the Uchiha were responsible. In the previous war, they have made significant contributions as well."
"The reason they are under suspicion is that they have been attempting to secure the position of the Hokage. Their intentions are so bad, and they cannot be trusted. Moreover, when it comes to controlling the Nine Tails, Uchiha Ruri already did it a few years ago."
Associating the Mangekyou Sharingan with the name 'Chiba Shiraishi.' Danzo had to consider such a possibility. It made sense given Uchiha Ruri's strength and qualifications. Otherwise, why would the Fourth Hokage connect the name Mangekyou Sharingan with 'Chiba Shiraishi' as a warning?
This, in itself, was already an explicit statement. The masterminds behind the Nine Tails attack on Konoha were none other than Konoha's S-rank rogue ninjas: Chiba Shiraishi, Uchiha Ruri, and Hyuga Ayane.
Danzo's words were irrefutable, because no matter how they thought about it with the hints left behind by the Fourth Hokage such speculation was appropriate, there were no logical loopholes in the hints left.
"Danzo's words are not unreasonable. Within the Uchiha clan, there might be spies they left behind by them, monitoring every move of the village and providing information to them. Furthermore, any ninja associated with their group must undergo thorough investigation." Koharu also felt they needed to proceed with caution.
Homura frowned and said, "Ehm.. if that's the case, Kakashi appears to be the most suspicious. His father was once their leader, and before they defected, Kakashi was close to them."
Hearing Homura's words, Danzo couldn't help but tense up.
"Impossible. Before that, Kakashi served with the Anbu and had no opportunity to leak any information. He's an outstanding Jonin who has inherited the will of fire. He cannot be a spy." Hiruzen spoke up.
"He could..."
"It isreally not convincing." Danzo snorted coldly, "If Kakashi was a spy deliberately planted in the village, why would he risk his life to save Jiraiya, who was severely injured by that bounty hunters a year ago? Wouldn't it be more advantageous for those three to let Jiraiya die at the hands of the hunters?"
Homura reluctantly gave in. After Danzo's reminder, he realized he might have been overthinking. While Kakashi seemed suspicious, he risked his life to save one of the Sannin. As one of Konoha's elite combat force, Jiraiya's importance was undeniable.
Kakashi's willingness to risk his own life and loyalty to his comrades, and not giving up belief on his companions was enough to prove that he has inherited the will of his father.He was undoubtedly an exceptional ninja, and not a traitor.
Hiruzen nodded in agreement, sharing the same perspective as Danzo. Kakashi, achieving such a level, couldn't be a spy planted by the enemy within Konoha. It was just that Danzo's defense of Kakashi, however, surprised him. Nevertheless, he harbored no doubts. Despite Danzo's often radical ideas, he was unequivocal about matters of right and wrong.
"Asides from someone like Kakashi, I believe the risk of problems lies more with the hospitals and the academy. Chiba Shiraishi has worked in both the academy and hospital, making it easier for him to place his own informants there. The hospital, especially if the information about Jinchuriki's childbirth was leaked, is the most likely. " Danzo redirected the suspicion towards the hospital. His opinion naturally found agreement from the three, aligning with their thoughts.
Indeed, regarding Kushina's delivery, the hospital presented a higher chance of being infiltrated. After careful consideration, the clues to the Nine-Tails Rampage were becoming increasingly clear. The mastermind behind the scenes were Chiba Shiraishi, and Uchiha Ruri might be the Uchiha who had likely awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan with the space-time ability.
At Konoha Hospital, there was a high probability of planted spies. Regarding the Uchiha clan, they couldn't lower their guard either. The probability of spies appearing inside was greater than at the Hospital.
"Send the Anbu to monitor the hospital. In addition, we must further gather the Uchiha clan for easier control. These rogues have repeatedly attacked Konoha again and again. If the dangers hidden inside were not eliminated, using the Nine Tails to attack thr village might happen again."
This was clearly a bias against the Uchiha, but Danzo's statement wasn't without reason. In fact, considering Danzo's thoughts, the Uchiha did present such a problem.
"I'll take care of the Uchiha problem." After some consideration, Hiruzen was unwilling to entrust the Uchiha matter entirely to Danzo. Danzo's approach would undoubtedly anger the Uchiha clan, leading to discord between them and the village. Even if Danzo's logic was sound, it only proved that some Uchihas had issues. Most still had a heart for Konoha.
"But, should similar incidents happen again, how will you be held accountable? Don't be hesitant about such matters." Danzo implied persecution.
Hiruzen remained unmoved, replying casually, "Don't worry, I have a suitable candidate. When I last visited the Uchiha clan, I met Kagami's descendant."
"Kagami..."
The other three appeared puzzled, as if recalling dusty events from the past, contemplating something.
"His name is Uchiha Shisui. Like Kagami, he's an outstanding mM with the will of fire, capable of transcending family loyalty. As a member of Konoha, he'll serve as a bridge for amicable communication between the village and the Uchiha." Hiruzen was resolute, Danzo refrained from further commentary. At the end, he mentioned his own affairs:
"In that case, let him monitor the Uchiha. However, Root's mobility needs to be restored, and personnel must be expanded on a large scale. The whereabouts of those three ninjas need time to be tracked. Those three pose significant threats to Konoha. Is that acceptable, Hiruzen? The wood release has already been recruited by you. If trained well, you won't have to worry about the Nine Tails problem in the future."
Danzo hinted at something, leaving Hiruzen silent. Eventually, he sighed, nodded, and agreed to let Danzo regain Root authority and expand its personnel.
Danzo was correct, the whereabouts of the three rogue ninjas needed to be tracked as soon as possible, and they couldn't be left alone.This time, they had dared to use the Nine-Tails to kill the Fourth Hokage. Next time, they might dare to formulate a plan to destroy Konoha.
His Anbu was already stretched thin, dealing with both internal and external threats from Kumo, he was unable to allocate more manpower to focus on the rogues. Allowing Danzo's Root to resume its operations would allow the village to monitor the three rogues' movements and prepare accordingly, relieving some of Hiruzen's pressure.
"This is it. I'll update the arrest warrants for those three, publicly stating they are attempting to seize the tailed beasts of major villages. This will arouse common hostility from other villages towards them."
The actual intentions of the three of them were unclear regarding capturing the tailed beast. However, that didn't mean Hiruzen couldn't make a big issue out of it, divert attention, and incite vigilance and hostility from other ninja villages towards the trio.
After all, rogues were a group of dangerous people who had abandoned their homeland and had no allegiance. Their international voices were entirely disregarded, and their statements held no weight. If the Hokage, one of the five kages, personally made a confirmation, it would undeniably increase the persuasiveness of the claims.
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