Chapter 147: The Confused
Hiruzen had already closed his eyes in agony. He did not stop any of this from happening. His own moral compass made it impossible for him to speak or to intervene. This also proved that he believed what Uchiha Ikeizumi had said was all true.
Koharu didn't know what to say either. She could only watch as Ikeizumi once again stood on the side of "righteousness."
The most important thing was.
She never knew that the Sarutobi clan harbored such depraved secrets.
Was Hiruzen too busy with his duties as Hokage to discipline his own clan members?
Koharu was silent for a moment.
Because…
She realized that the dozen or so of her own clan members who were killed by Ikeizumi's subordinates were probably no better than the Sarutobi clan's, just that their depravity was of a different kind.
"Jiraiya. Do you think my actions are worthy of the justice I claim to have?" Ikeizumi's calm, unwavering voice pierced Jiraiya. It made Jiraiya open his mouth, but he couldn't say a single word.
Jiraiya was silent for a few seconds before finally letting out a sigh.
He then moved two steps to his right, leaving a clear path.
His action made Koharu's eyes widen.
"Jiraiya…"
But before Koharu could finish his name, Jiraiya cut her off in a low voice. "Elder Koharu, I'm sorry. This situation… is no longer something I can interfere with. While Ikeizumi's actions are extreme, Konoha's tolerance of these people is also deeply flawed. Please don't put me in the middle."
As he said this, Jiraiya realized why the ninja world needed a Child of Prophecy, and a savior.
Just as Ikeizumi said, this ninja world was twisted and sick.
Everyone's mind, everyone's morality, had been affected by this abnormal world.
Jiraiya took a deep breath. This only strengthened his resolve to find the Child of Prophecy.
The ninja world needed a positive change brought about by the Child of Prophecy!
And he would be the one to guide him!
Seeing Jiraiya's stance, Koharu turned her gaze to Tsunade. "Tsunade!"
"Don't call my name." Tsunade's beautiful eyes were clouded over. She had her back to everyone, and her pale skin was trembling slightly—the blood at the scene was affecting her.
She tried to focus her trembling gaze on the moon in the sky. "I have always believed that Uchiha Ikeizumi has done nothing wrong. The chaos of the ninja world is a chaotic era. If you don't use a heavy hand in a chaotic era, how can you change anything?"
"…Hiruzen!" Koharu turned her head again to look at the Third Hokage, who had his eyes closed.
"Phew…"
Hiruzen let out a heavy sigh. When he opened his eyes, Koharu saw a look of loneliness and deep self-blame.
Hiruzen must be shaken by the depravity within his own clan!
A bad feeling rose in Koharu's heart.
"Take… them away!" Hiruzen finally spoke.
His words were directed at Uchiha Ikeizumi.
"Take them to the Police Force…" Hiruzen sighed, looking as if he had aged several years. "Investigate them thoroughly. If their crimes are proven, deal with them accordingly."
When he said this, the few Sarutobi clan ninjas who had not yet been named by Ikeizumi's eyes widened.
They realized.
Their Hokage… had abandoned them!
"Lord Hokage!" Kōya Sarutobi, the first one named by Ikeizumi, was the most panicked. He had, of course, heard of Uchiha Ikeizumi's extreme methods. If he was taken away by Ikeizumi and his memories were searched by the Yamanaka clan, exposing the crimes he had committed…
He didn't even dare to imagine how miserable his fate would be!
The corpses of the husband and wife on the ground were very likely his own fate!
Kōya pushed past the other Sarutobi ninjas in a panic and stumbled toward Hiruzen. "I'm a Sarutobi clan ninja, and I'm related to you! My cousin's uncle is your cousin's husband! We… we definitely have an inseparable blood relationship, right?"
"I can give back all the money I embezzled over the years. I can give a generous compensation to the family of the passerby who was killed, and I can tell you all the information I know about the Cloud Village spies…"
"I… I…"
He squeezed past the other ninjas, stumbling to Hiruzen. "I can even spend ten years in Konoha's prison! Or twenty, or even thirty!"
As long as I behave well in prison, my sentence can be cut in half. Even a thirty-year sentence would only be fifteen years, and after that, I'd only be in my forties…
Of course, Kōya didn't dare to say the last part to Hiruzen's face.
Otherwise.
Such a shameless attitude would probably get him a slap from his Hokage, who was also a member of the Sarutobi clan.
—Slap!!!
The sudden crisp sound made Kōya freeze.
His pleading expression also froze.
His head was sent flying to the side by Hiruzen's slap. A visible handprint appeared on his face.
The stinging pain made him completely numb.
"There is no one in my Sarutobi clan who would betray the village's interests for money!" Hiruzen could not cover for a clan member in front of so many people, and his anger was genuine. "Kōya! You have disappointed me greatly! Your actions are no different from those of a rogue ninja!"
Not harming Konoha's most basic interests—this was Hiruzen's bottom line for protecting people, and it was the same bottom line that allowed him to repeatedly protect Danzō.
However.
Kōya's actions had clearly crossed the line in Hiruzen's heart.
Thinking about how he had gathered the entire ANBU force tonight just to protect a clan member like this…
And that so many people had witnessed his intentions…
Hiruzen's face was burning with shame.
He, the Hokage, was completely disgraced!
His authority had been diminished once again!
He…
Had to "compromise" with Ikeizumi once again!
"Ro… Rogue ninja…" Kōya's face, which was already white as a sheet, seemed to grow even paler. He suddenly realized that Konoha had abandoned him.
"Why… why are my actions considered those of a rogue ninja? Isn't Uchiha Ikeizumi a rogue ninja? He's killed so many of our fellow villagers!"
Kōya gritted his teeth and pointed a finger at Uchiha Ikeizumi. But less than a second after he raised his hand.
Pshh!
A sharp ninja blade flashed past the corner of his eye.
A severed index finger flew into the air.
And then fell to the ground.
"Don't you dare point your filthy hand at Ikeizumi-senpai, you evildoer." The young woman nonchalantly flicked the blood from her blade. She looked at Kōya, who was clutching his right hand in agony, with a disgusted expression.
Izumi's sudden move of severing his finger made Hiruzen frown. He felt that Ikeizumi's subordinates were also adopting his extreme personality.
But at that moment.
Ikeizumi's voice rang out. "It doesn't look like the Third Hokage wants me to take your clan members away."
Hiruzen froze.
He took a deep breath and made a simple gesture. A group of ANBU ninjas immediately moved to the left and right, no longer protecting the Sarutobi clan members.
Then, Hiruzen spoke to Koharu next to him. "Koharu, tell your people… to step back too."
Koharu could hear the exhaustion in Hiruzen's voice.
She gritted her teeth and gave Ikeizumi a final, long look.
She said in a low voice, "Fall back!"
The Root ninjas also said nothing and moved to the left and right, just like the ANBU.
Ikeizumi then began to call out names one by one.
"Kōya Sarutobi."
Izumi immediately stepped forward, pulling a pair of handcuffs from the Police Force's ninja tool bag. She forcefully twisted Kōya's hand, where his index finger had just been severed, behind his back and tightly cuffed him.
"Tsuyuki Sarutobi."
A Sarutobi ninja in the crowd trembled all over.
When other Sarutobi clan members looked at the trembling ninja with a bewildered expression, Izumi knew who Ikeizumi had named.
She immediately stepped forward. With no more handcuffs, she simply pulled out a long, thin ninja wire and bound his wrists.
"Kōji Sarutobi."
Anko Mitarashi stepped forward, walking past Hiruzen and grabbing the ninja who everyone was now focused on.
When he tried to struggle, her face hardened, and she broke his wrist without hesitation.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!"
The agonizing scream did not earn him any pity from Anko.
"Reina Sarutobi."
After knocking the screaming ninja unconscious with a hand chop, Anko looked at a pale-faced middle-aged woman, and a white snake slithered out from her sleeve.
Before the woman could even react, the white snake shot forward and bit her on the shoulder.
"Ah!"
The woman screamed and tried to shake the snake off, but she suddenly felt her entire body go limp.
She collapsed to the ground in terror.
"Take them away."
Ikeizumi said.
…
"Ikeizumi… won again." From a distance, Fugaku watched everything unfold and slowly took a deep breath.
He didn't understand why Ikeizumi always seemed to win against Lord Hokage, while he himself couldn't win no matter how much he compromised.
A hint of confusion finally appeared in his eyes.
Have I been on the wrong path all these years?
…
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