"Isn't it quite lively?"
Haruki crossed his arms and leaned against a pagoda tree by the roadside, listening to the unified shouts in the distance.
Next to him, Orochimaru's sharp eyes noticed the first few people who started shouting.
"Did you arrange this?"
"Yeah."
Haruki shrugged and said with a smile, "Without someone taking the lead, they wouldn't dare to shout like this."
"They're just a rabble."
Orochimaru withdrew his gaze and shook his head slightly. "They're of no use. If the Teacher were ruthless, a few large - scale [Ninjutsu] techniques could solve the problem."
"But he doesn't dare." Haruki spread his hands. "If he takes action, it's almost like announcing the split of Konoha, and his tenure as [Hokage] will end."
"Ultimately, he's just not strong enough."
Orochimaru snorted. Although he didn't have much affection for Hashirama Senju, if Hiruzen Sarutobi had the strength of the God of the Shinobi World, he wouldn't be in this situation.
"That's true, but what's the difference between even the strongest person and a beast if they aren't restrained?"
Haruki pointed at the sea of people in front of him and said, "You're right to call them a rabble, but with someone leading them, they can unleash unprecedented energy."
Orochimaru looked up and glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tanzo Shimura on the [Hokage Building]. Their faces were grim.
Unless one is strong enough to punch through the entire planet, how can one not be afraid of such a scene?
"They think too much."
Orochimaru hit the nail on the head. "If it were me, I definitely wouldn't be so hesitant."
"So that's why you're Orochimaru, and they aren't." Haruki laughed.
After all, Orochimaru was a guy who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals and didn't hesitate to kill his teacher. On the contrary, Hiruzen Sarutobi was too hesitant towards him and missed the best opportunity to kill him.
Orochimaru turned his head and glanced at him.
He quite agreed with this statement.
He turned around, with his back to Haruki, and said, "I've watched the show. You handle the rest on your own."
"Eh?" Haruki was a bit surprised. "It's only halfway through. The most exciting part is yet to come."
"The outcome is already set. It's not interesting."
Orochimaru's figure gradually faded away and finally disappeared.
"Tsk, you're no fun."
Haruki tilted his head and looked at the distant scene with a half - smile.
...
"Hiruzen, you know me. I don't need to go to great lengths for a [bookstore]."
Tanzo Shimura took a deep breath and said sincerely and earnestly:
"Moreover, my methods wouldn't be so simple and crude. It was just my subordinates acting on their own initiative. I'm willing to hand these people over to you. You can do whatever you want with them."
He didn't hesitate to throw Takeshi and the others under the bus.
Even though these people were doing it for him, they had put him in such an embarrassing situation. Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't punish them, they had no chance of survival.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned immediately. Although he knew Tanzo's character, he didn't like such behavior.
If it were someone else, they might have been directly put on the blacklist.
But for Tanzo Shimura, it was within his expectations.
"Why did you stop today's [newspapers] from being published?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the kneeling Tomomi Koki. Perhaps today's incident isn't that simple, and he had to figure it out.
If he had to go through such a scare again, he wouldn't be able to take it.
Tanzo Shimura sensed that his tone had softened. He immediately understood what his good friend was thinking and also realized that he might not have read today's newspaper.
"It's no big deal. I have a secret laboratory in Konoha's high - security prison, and it was also affected this time. I was worried that the [Konoha Daily] would leak the secrets (confidential information), but unexpectedly, Takeshi blatantly disobeyed my order and used force to coerce Tomomi Koki."
He regained his calm.
"I don't think Tomomi Koki has the ability to incite thousands of villagers. There must be an undisclosed conspiracy behind this. Please leave it to my Root to deal with."
"Enough, Tanzo!"
Seeing that he not only didn't reflect on his actions but also seized the opportunity, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help scolding, "Takeshi and the others acted like this because of your poor management!"
"..."
Tanzo Shimura disagreed in his heart, but he kept his mouth shut.
Hiruzen Sarutobi jumped down from the building, helped Tomomi Koki up, patted him on the shoulder, and then formed a [Hand Seal] with a single hand, releasing green [Chakra] to heal his wounds.
"Please rest assured. I will definitely severely punish Takeshi and the others and give you an account!"
"Thank you, Hokage - sama!"
Tomomi Koki was overflowing with gratitude, and tears even welled up in his eyes.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. Was he being too suspicious? Judging from his expression, he seemed to be sincere without any pretense.
"Alright, it's okay. The village will double compensate your Konoha bookstore for today's losses."
He stopped channeling [Chakra] and said kindly.
"Thank you, Hokage - sama!"
Tomomi Koki was extremely excited. He quickly raised his hand and shouted, "Hokage - sama is wise! Long live Hokage - sama!"
At the moment when Hiruzen Sarutobi was a bit stunned, cheers rang out from the crowd on the street.
He was a bit dazed (confused).
Listening to the praises for him, he waved his hand in response.
It didn't seem to be a bad thing. After the commotion caused by Root, his prestige had even risen a bit.
After more than ten seconds (a short while), a discordant voice emerged in the lively atmosphere.
"Hokage - sama, I, Hyuga Kazushi, want to file a complaint against Tanzo Shimura. Please make a just ruling, Hokage - sama!"
The noise suddenly died down. On the quiet street, Hyuga Kazushi appeared before everyone.
Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed the sudden unease welling up in his heart and asked, "Clan Head Hyuga, what did you just say?"
Tanzo Shimura was slightly startled and remembered that he had never had any conflicts with the Hyuga clan.
He let out a sneer and questioned, "Clan Head Hyuga, do you know what the crime is for slandering the Hokage's assistant out of nowhere?"
"Don't need to remind me. I naturally know."
Hyuga Kazushi looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with a solemn expression. He steeled himself. Since things had come to this, he must not back down.
He directly knelt down, staking the honor and dignity of the Hyuga clan. He was determined to expose this matter thoroughly.
"Hokage - sama, please make a fair decision for me. The forty missing clan members of my Hyuga clan were actually captured by this old scoundrel Tanzo Shimura for [Wood Release] [human experiments]!"
"You're talking rubbish!"
Tanzo Shimura flew into a rage.
There's still a chance to turn the situation around regarding the Wood Release human experiments, but if the Hyuga clan is involved, this guy is trying to drive him into a corner.
"You and I witnessed their corpses firsthand. How could I have used them for the Experiment? Moreover, I've called off the Wood Release Experiment since the last time. There's no way I'd do it again!"
"Why are you so worked up, Lord Tanzo?"
Hyuga Kazushi's face darkened with a murderous intent as he said coldly, "Hyuga Satsu."
After he finished speaking, Hyuga Satsu appeared.
As his figure came into view, the crowd let out a collective gasp. All eyes were fixed on his arm overgrown with branches.
"…Impossible!"
Tanzo Shimura staggered back two steps in terror and roared, "This is absolutely impossible!"
<><><><><><><><>
~ 80+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
p-atreon.com/Tansnovel
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
~ Every 50 Powerstones = 4 Bonus Chapters on the weekend!