[Read up to Chapter - 100 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"Hatake Sakumo committed suicide?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened.
He hadn't expected Sakumo to actually take his own life.
He had only intended to suppress Sakumo's influence—not push him to death.
What benefit could Sakumo's death possibly bring him?
The reason Hiruzen had ignored Sakumo's situation and suspended him under the guise of giving him a break was to quietly suppress his rising prestige.
But now, with Sakumo's suicide, it had backfired.
His death was a loss—especially for Hiruzen.
"Damn you, Danzō…!"
This was clearly Danzō's doing.
The entire affair had been orchestrated by him.
"Now I'll have less leverage against Uchiha Kanzou," Hiruzen muttered bitterly.
Hatake Sakumo had been one of his cards to counter Kanzou and his Uchiha Clan.
But before it could even be played, that card had been burnt.
At Sakumo's funeral, very few people showed up.
The storm of criticism surrounding him hadn't settled.
Most people felt no guilt over his death—some even went so far as to call him a coward.
"Tsk tsk… So that's what's become of Konoha's White Fang."
Kanzou shook his head, wondering if Hatake Sakumo, from beyond the grave, would be furious enough to come back to life and cut down everyone who betrayed him.
But even if Sakumo did return, he probably wouldn't do it.
After all, Hatake Sakumo wasn't like Kanzou.
The fall of Konoha's White Fang was undoubtedly a great loss for the village—but it was a cause for celebration in the other four great ninja villages.
In particular, Chiyo of Sunagakure lit a few firecrackers the moment she heard the news.
Her son and daughter-in-law—Sasori's parents—had both died at the hands of Hatake Sakumo.
Although she felt that it was a pity that she wasn't the one to have killed the White Fang herself, his shameful suicide was ultimately a good thing for her, as she wasn't exactly sure of being able to kill him.
Had she been strong enough, Chiyo would've killed the White Fang herself long ago.
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Two weeks after Sakumo's death, Sarutobi Hiruzen convened an urgent meeting at the Hokage Building.
The sudden assembly was to discuss the appointment of the new ANBU Commander.
The previous ANBU Commander was Hatake Sakumo. Now that he was dead, it was only natural for a new Commander to be chosen.
Normally, the Deputy Commander is promoted to fill in the role of Commander.
However, the current Deputy Commander lacked both the strength and prestige for the role, which led many of the major clans to eye the position for themselves.
To that, Kanzou could only scoff—"Naive."
They truly believed they had a chance? Did they not understand that Sarutobi Hiruzen would never relinquish control of such a critical position to someone who might be out of his control?
Hatake Sakumo had only managed to hold that post for so long because he followed Sarutobi Hiruzen's orders like a loyal dog. And even then, Sakumo's growing reputation and exceptional skill still caused the Hokage to fear him.
That was the fate of a perfectly obedient dog.
As for those less willing to toe the line, there was no way Hiruzen would ever allow them to become ANBU Commander.
Kanzou also attended the meeting—he was fully qualified to participate.
The position of the Captain of the Konoha Military Police Force ensured him a seat at the Council.
Even without that title, his position as the Patriarch of the Uchiha clan alone was enough to grant him a seat at this meeting.
"The old man Shimura Danzō didn't even bother to show up," Kanzou muttered to himself, mildly surprised.
Still, the two elders—Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu—had made an appearance.
He could feel the unfriendly stares directed at him from around the room.
"What's with the looks?" Kanzou asked calmly, rising to his feet and casting a slow gaze over the assembly.
"Is it because I'm younger and more capable than you all, making you lot envious of my talent and skill? Or are you just looking for a reason to aim your frustrations at me?"
"I'm a straightforward person. If you have a problem with me, just say it."
Hyuga Hiashi stood up first, eyes sharp. "Uchiha Kanzou, when will your Police Force release the members of my clan?" he demanded.
"My people from the Inuzuka clan were also arrested by the Uchiha," said Inuzuka Gaku, a staunch hater of Kanzou from the day he took the graduation exam at the Konoha Ninja Academy.
"And our Aburame clan as well."
"…"
The crowd glared at Kanzou with visible hostility—and not without reason.
Recently, Kanzou's guards had been rounding up members of various clans under various pretexts, and the patience of the other families was wearing thin.
Today's meeting wasn't just about vying for the position of the ANBU Commander—it was also an attempt to collectively challenge Kanzou's growing infamy.
"Uchiha Kanzou, your Uchiha clan has gone too far," one elder said sternly.
The two advisors, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, joined in.
Their eyes bore into Kanzou as if he'd murdered their fathers.
As former students of Senju Tobirama, their disdain for the Uchiha was nothing new.
Yet, in the face of this united front, Kanzou remained perfectly calm.
"We're simply enforcing the law. If your clansmen were arrested, it means they violated Konoha's public security regulations. Or do you expect special treatment just because you belong to a major clan?"
Kanzou's words caused noticeable unrest among the civilian ninjas present. The meeting wasn't attended solely by the heads of noble families—many civilian shinobi were also present, and they made up the majority.
'Does he really have the nerve to offend so many powerful families? Or is he just reckless?' Orochimaru mused silently, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Kanzou.
Sensing Orochimaru's gaze, Kanzou looked directly at him and smiled.
That simple look made Orochimaru flinch slightly.
There was danger in Kanzou's eyes—clear, palpable, and unsettling.
"Interesting…" Orochimaru muttered to himself, somewhat amused and interested.
He wanted to see how Kanzou would handle the storm he had stirred.
Almost every clan in Konoha Village was launching attacks—verbal and political—against Kanzou.
Even his former teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, would find this situation a headache.
The question was: how would Kanzou deal with it?
Like Orochimaru, Jiraiya also watched the unfolding scene as if it were a spectacle.
However, unlike Orochimaru's curiosity, Jiraiya viewed Kanzou with a wary eye.
Having learned of Kanzou's past actions, Jiraiya didn't believe he was anything close to trustworthy.
As for the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, he remained calm and composed—like an old god above it all.
He didn't intervene.
In truth, he was eager and happy to watch the scene play out.
Why would he try to stop it?
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Read up to Chapter - 100 on P atreon at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]