At such a critical moment, where was our Hokage?!
Half a month later.
Approaching the New Year, Kumogakure was decorated with lanterns and streamers. Every villager's face beamed with a happy smile.
The war between Kumogakure and Konoha Village had finally ended with Konoha's defeat and reparations.
This outcome exceeded almost everyone's expectations.
No one had imagined that Konoha, which had fought against multiple villages single-handedly in the previous two Shinobi World Wars and emerged victorious, would lose to Kumogakure in a one-on-one war...
For a time, the shinobi world was in turmoil.
Some marveled at the strength of Kumogakure's ninja, noting that even with Konoha's deep foundations, they were difficult to oppose.
Some mocked the Konoha ninja for being short-sighted, actually handing over a powerhouse clan like the Uchiha on a silver platter.
Others felt regret and pity, hating that they hadn't promised more benefits to win over the Uchiha clan back then.
...
Although everyone's thoughts differed, a single notion arose in everyone's hearts—
The Uchiha clan had proven with action why they were called the number one clan in the shinobi world.
The era of Kumogakure... was coming!
Kumogakure.
Raikage Building.
The Third Raikage patted Uchiha Yuzuru's shoulder excitedly and pulled him to the massive floor-to-ceiling window.
"Yuzuru, look at the villagers outside. They are all cheering for your achievements!"
"You are the hero of our Cloud Village!"
Hearing this, Yuzuru shook his head. The Third Raikage continued seriously, "You alone are worth an army of thousands. Without you, this war wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
This wasn't the Third Raikage trying to flatter Uchiha Yuzuru; it was a fact.
With Yuzuru's help, the Konoha ninja's troop distribution, trap locations, offensive and defensive intent...
They knew it all like the back of their hands.
It was practically like fighting with a "God's Eye" cheat enabled.
Having experienced several wars, he had never won one as easily as this.
Seeing Yuzuru remain unmoved, the Third Raikage continued, "Konoha's reparations have been delivered. A total of ten billion ryo."
"The village takes five billion, and your Uchiha clan takes five billion. How does that sound?"
"No problem."
Yuzuru nodded.
In this battle, under Yuzuru's instructions, not many Uchiha clansmen had actually participated. To receive half the reparations now was already satisfying enough.
Seeing Yuzuru's reaction, the Third Raikage couldn't help but say, "Yuzuru, you don't seem as happy as I imagined."
Logically speaking, after being ostracized by Konoha and then turning around to crush them, shouldn't he feel great?
Yuzuru looked out the window and spoke slowly, "My goal doesn't end here. The one who wants to win until the very end won't have a smile on their face yet."
The Third Raikage paused, then became even more curious. "Then why did you have us accept the agreement for Konoha's reparations and cease-fire?"
"Why didn't we press our advantage and march straight into Konoha Village?"
Yuzuru shook his head. "The money we got is enough for us to develop in peace for a while. Continuing to attack Konoha would only be counterproductive."
The reason Konoha paid reparations was partly because Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure were watching hungrily from the sidelines, and partly because the village had just experienced the Nine-Tails' rampage and the villagers wanted a peaceful life.
But if it really came to a moment of life and death, it would inevitably trigger a counterattack from Konoha and the entire Land of Fire.
At that time, the ones fighting wouldn't just be Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and Jiraiya.
For the sake of the village, Tsunade would very likely return.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo would probably don their armor and take the field.
The major ninja clans wouldn't slack off to preserve their strength.
The Land of Fire's daimyo would provide powerful logistical support...
That was Konoha's foundation!
Even if Kumogakure could truly defeat Konoha, they would inevitably suffer heavy casualties.
Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure would absolutely not miss such an opportunity!
These were all things that had to be considered.
So...
Accepting reparations and a cease-fire was the best choice now. His goal had already been achieved. Next, it was time to let the Uchiha clan develop in peace and increase their population.
Konoha Village.
New Year should have been a festive holiday with everyone celebrating.
But the current Konoha was permeated with a desolate atmosphere.
The streets were empty, and white ribbons hung from almost every house and shop on both sides.
Only the taverns remained noisy.
Drinking to drown their sorrows was probably the Konoha villagers' favorite way to vent right now.
Of course...
This only applied to those who could still afford it.
To pay the ten billion ryo compensation to Kumogakure, Sarutobi Hiruzen had levied a tax of ten thousand ryo on every household living in Konoha.
It didn't sound like much, but it was enough to cover living expenses for nearly two months for many families.
The Uchiha clan leaving the village, the Nine-Tails' rampage, the war with Kumogakure...
Months of continuous turmoil had caused Konoha to lose almost all sources of income.
If Orochimaru hadn't gone to the Land of Fire's daimyo to secure financial support, many people in Konoha would likely have starved this winter.
A ninja took a swig of sake, smashed his cup on the ground, and raged, "Why has the village become like this? Shouldn't our Konoha be the strongest shinobi village?"
A drunk, burly man sneered. "Isn't that all because of you trash ninja? We rebuild everyone's homes in the village, but you ninja lose the war, and in the end, you make us ordinary people pay for the reparations. It's disgusting!"
"What did you say?"
The man's comment sparked dissatisfaction among the ninja. One shouted sternly, "We risk our lives to protect the village, yet we have to sit here and take your accusations?"
"Did I say something wrong? If you can't beat ninja from other villages, stop complaining here. Have you ever trained properly in all your years as a ninja?"
"Bastard, what do you know!"
The burly man was knocked to the ground by a ninja in black clothes. The ninja shouted angrily, "Those Cloud ninja weren't our match at all! If the Uchiha clan hadn't helped them tame the Eight-Tails, how could we have lost so miserably?!"
"Yeah, and that last battle! It was evenly matched, but their Raikage suddenly charged out. What were we supposed to do?"
"You're upset about paying ten thousand ryo, but what about us?"
A ninja wearing a Chunin tactical vest spoke with red eyes. "My comrades and my wife all died on the battlefield. But now, not only have I not received a single ryo of pension, I have to hand over ten thousand ryo to pay reparations to the enemies who killed my friends and family..."
"Heh... hehehe..."
After the ninja finished speaking, tears were already streaming down his face.
The tavern fell silent. A long time later, someone shouted, "Since none of us are wrong, then whose fault is it?"
People snapped back to reality and began to frown in thought.
Yes, now that the village had become like this, whose fault was it really?
As time passed, the resentment in the hearts of the Konoha villagers deepened.
And after calming down and thinking, they realized there seemed to be a shadow behind everything—
If the Hokage had communicated with the Uchiha clan in advance and strengthened the village's defenses, the Uchiha clan wouldn't have had the chance to leave the village entirely.
If the Hokage had been prepared, the Nine-Tails wouldn't have gone on a rampage, causing such massive losses to the village.
If the Hokage had gone to the battlefield personally, the village's ninja wouldn't have been routed by the sudden arrival of the Third Raikage.
If the Hokage had been stronger, they wouldn't have needed to pay reparations to their enemies!
In the end, wasn't the village ending up like this because of the Hokage's incompetence?
Both the Konoha villagers and the ninja couldn't help but think this way.
As the highest authority in the village, the Hokage had to be responsible for this and give everyone an explanation!
Under the public outrage, a portion of the Konoha villagers had already begun demonstrations, demanding Sarutobi Hiruzen give everyone an answer.
Hokage Building.
Inside the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe one breath after another, his brow furrowed into a knot.
Although he had made some mental preparations, he still hadn't expected things to develop to this point.
Given the current public opinion, if he didn't do something, he would likely have to resign from the position of Hokage.
Just as Sarutobi Hiruzen was pondering, a spirited Shimura Danzo pushed the door open and walked in.
Seeing Hiruzen look up, the smile at the corners of Danzo's mouth was hard to suppress. "Hiruzen, you've seen the villagers' attitude. If you don't actively take responsibility, the village will likely face internal strife."
"I say, why don't you just resign from the position of Hokage and be a Hokage advisor behind the scenes from now on?"
Hearing Danzo's blunt words, Hiruzen spoke coldly, "If I resign as Hokage, who do you think would be good to replace me?"
Hearing this, Danzo unconsciously puffed out his chest and asked, "Hiruzen, what do you think of me?"
"Hmph!"
Hiruzen suddenly slammed the table, pointing at Danzo in anger. "Look at you. One eye, one arm, a face full of scars. Go look in a mirror—where do you have even a bit of the aura of a Hokage?"
"And... do you dare say your shadow isn't behind the way the villagers have turned out now?"
"If you don't quiet down, I'll dissolve Root and strip you of your status as Hokage advisor!"
Facing Hiruzen's interrogation, Danzo turned red with anger.
He raised a finger to point at Hiruzen, furious. "Fine, fine, fine! You sit in that seat until the end then! Don't you dare give it up!"
With that, Danzo kicked the Hokage's office door open and stormed off.
After Danzo left, Hiruzen's expression returned to calm.
As the sun rose and set, Hiruzen's gaze gradually became firm.
He tossed his pipe onto the table and whispered a few words to the ANBU in the shadows.
Shimura Danzo was right. The villagers' anger was too intense right now; someone with enough prestige had to step forward and take responsibility for it.
Konoha Village.
Uchiha Yuzuru held a stick of tricolor dango, strolling through the streets as he ate.
Since the New Year passed, he had come to Konoha alone.
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