Hiruzen kept speaking.
From all the little moments he had shared with Kagami, he truly believed that Kagami would never leak the news of Teacher Tobirama's death.
Standing behind Hiruzen, Kagami was so moved that it showed plainly on his face.
Gold was easy to find.
A true confidant was not.
Kagami had never imagined that Hiruzen would trust him this much.
A true brother.
A real brother!
Hiruzen, next time you need anything, just say the word. Your brother won't hesitate!!
As Hiruzen continued speaking, the huge room fell silent.
No one said a word.
Everyone looked toward Mito, waiting for her judgment.
"Hmph."
A mocking laugh came from Mito's throat.
She looked at Hiruzen, and there was a trace of ridicule in her smile.
"Very well said. Are you really sure you want to protect Uchiha Kagami?"
"You know this much yourself. Given Kagami's identity, even if he really did leak the information, I couldn't kill him."
"At most, he would suffer some physical punishment."
"But the leak has already happened. As an Uchiha, whether he did it or not, he is still an accomplice."
"I've been played, and this old woman has anger to vent. Think carefully before you answer. Your answer will affect my attitude toward you, and your future position in Konoha."
Once she finished speaking, Mito reined in her chakra.
That vast, ocean-like pressure vanished completely, and everyone present immediately felt much lighter.
But Hiruzen did not feel relieved at all.
Mito's question gave him a headache.
He knew very clearly what she meant by position.
Hiruzen was not so foolish as to believe that a mere spoken appointment was enough to make him the leader of the strongest ninja village in the world.
Even if Tobirama had still been alive, there would have been resistance to making him Hokage.
Tobirama had never possessed the power to make Konoha obey his every word.
The only one who had ever been able to do that was Hashirama.
The reason was simple.
Hashirama possessed the absolute strength to make everyone shut up.
Tobirama, on the other hand, still had to constantly suppress, divide, and fairly allocate benefits in order to make the bloodline clans of the village willingly work under him.
Whether Hiruzen could become Hokage according to his teacher's dying wish now depended entirely on the woman standing before him.
He understood Mito's meaning perfectly.
Did he love his brother more?
Or did he love the seat of Hokage more?
The weight of the answer was crushing.
So heavy that Hiruzen hesitated.
He froze for a few seconds without thinking.
Seeing Hiruzen like that, Danzo grew anxious at the side, wishing he could make the choice for him.
Of course he should choose the Hokage's seat.
No matter what, Kagami would not die.
At worst, he would just lie in bed at home for half a year.
And Hiruzen's earlier defense of him had already been enough to honor their bond as fellow disciples.
At that same moment, Kagami was also staring at Hiruzen, hoping Hiruzen would abandon him for now.
After that heartfelt speech just now, Kagami already felt it was enough.
Wasn't Mito just looking for someone to vent her anger on?
A little physical suffering was nothing.
For a brother, he could endure it!
"Mito-sama, Uchiha Kagami is innocent. Please do not vent your anger on him!"
Hiruzen raised his head and met Mito's eyes.
The righteousness in his heart would not allow him to betray Kagami.
"Good!"
"Very good!!"
"Brat, playing the hero comes with a price. I hope you can bear it!"
Mito slapped the table and shouted. Then she ordered the Senju ninja around them to throw out everyone except Hiruzen.
The only reason they had been kept in the Senju district was to lock down the information.
Now that the news of Tobirama's death had already spread through all of Konoha's streets, what use was there in keeping those five useless brats?
They were only wasting the Senju Clan's food.
...
Outside the Senju district.
"So... we're really out just like that?"
In the quiet night, under the bright moon, Koharu felt like she had just awakened from a lifetime ago after wandering on the edge of death. She could not help letting out a sigh.
"What, you want to go back in?"
Homura teased from the side, making Koharu hurriedly deny it.
She had finally escaped from that dragon's den. Why would she ever go back?
She had only been dragged in as background decoration, all right?
Things like the Hokage and Konoha's future were far too heavy for someone like her to carry.
It was better to just hurry home, wash up, and sleep.
Danzo looked at Koharu and Homura joking around in front of him, and anger immediately rose in his chest.
"Hiruzen still hasn't come out!!"
Danzo's heart ached.
His good friend had been left behind in the Senju district again, and who knew whether things would end well or badly for him.
Mito's reaction just now had clearly shown she was furious beyond reason.
Hiruzen, really...
You always have to play the hero.
You did it back then in front of Teacher Tobirama when you volunteered to be the bait and die.
And now you're doing it again!
"Relax. Hiruzen will be fine."
Kagami was just as worried about Hiruzen's safety.
But he understood that Mito probably would not harm Hiruzen's life. Otherwise, she would not have released the rest of them. She would have kept all of them locked up in the Senju district.
That said, Hiruzen was definitely not going to have an easy time now.
Mito had nowhere to vent her anger, and Hiruzen was the only one left behind in the Senju district.
If he did not suffer, then who would?
"Uchiha Kagami, shut up. Hiruzen was left behind in the Senju district because of you. You and the Uchiha are both no good."
"It was the Uchiha who spread the news of Teacher Tobirama's death. For Hiruzen's sake, I'll temporarily believe you, but you'd better not have leaked the information. Otherwise, I won't let you off!"
"..."
Danzo vented all his anger on Kagami and blamed everything on him.
Kagami stood there and took the scolding without saying a word.
He wanted to defend himself, but in the end, no words came out.
Whatever he said right now, Danzo would not believe him.
And if he put himself in Danzo's shoes, he would not believe himself either.
Including Mito, only seven people had known the truth.
The news had leaked instantly.
And the source of the leak had been the Uchiha.
Out of those seven, he was the only one with the Uchiha name.
This enormous black pot could not be pinned on him like this without explanation.
His shoulders were far too small to carry it.
Danzo kept shouting for quite a while, and Kagami simply endured it all.
He felt guilty toward Hiruzen.
And faced with Danzo's accusations, he had no proper way to defend himself.
Go ahead and curse.
Curse all you want.
At least if it was for Hiruzen, Kagami would feel a little better inside.
That was what he thought.
After a while, Danzo finally tired himself out. In the end, he shot Kagami one last vicious glare and left, heading toward his own home.
Koharu, Homura, and Torifu saw Danzo leave, and none of them had any interest in continuing to linger here with Kagami. One after another, they also said their goodbyes and went home.
They did not trust Kagami either.
They just had not reacted as violently as Danzo.
Watching his former companions grow distant and leave one by one, Kagami silently swore in his heart that he would uncover the truth.
The bastard who leaked the information...
Just you wait!!!
(End of Chapter)
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