Strangely, the patriarchs present didn't even react to the sight of the Hokage spitting blood in anger.It was as if the one who had suffered such humiliation wasn't the Hokage himself—but an outsider.
"Well then, if there's nothing else, we'll take our leave, Hokage-sama," said Shikaku.Inoichi and Choza exchanged glances with him and nodded.
Seeing that the Third Hokage was still trembling in fury, Danzo wordlessly gestured for the group to depart.
Soon after…
The shinobi group walked away with brooding expressions.The incident today had turned out far differently than expected.
Another "spy" attack on Naraku.
On the surface, Naraku had erased any identifying features from the corpses.And the Third Hokage had attempted to kill Naraku on the spot.
At first, they thought this might escalate into something serious.But in the end, they were left with nothing more than a farcical performance.
At the Nara Residence
The three heads of the Ino–Shika–Cho trio didn't return to their homes after leaving the battlefield at the Naka River.Instead, they gathered at Shikaku's house.
"Hokage today… really looked like…" Inoichi began but hesitated.
"A clown," Shikaku finished calmly.
Inoichi didn't deny it.
Indeed, when they first arrived, they saw Hiruzen almost attacking Naraku in a rage.Only Danzo and Homura had rushed to stop him.
"Is Shinnosuke really dead?" Choza asked.
Though a few years younger than them, they had once trained and worked alongside Shinnosuke.
He was under 30, in the prime of his life, and the Commander of the Anbu—leading over a hundred elite shinobi.
And yet… he had been defeated and killed by only three people?
"Dead… or more accurately, disappeared," Shikaku replied solemnly.
"Hyuga Naraku… was he really the one who wiped out an army of over a hundred?" Choza's voice was full of disbelief.
"Not only that, but the battle ended very quickly," Shikaku narrowed his eyes."There was large-scale commotion. We all heard the sound of high-level lightning jutsu and continuous explosions. It was impossible to hide something like that."
"But if it was that intense, how can you say the battle was over quickly?" Inoichi asked, puzzled.
Even against a group of pigs, Naraku would need time to deal with them all, right?
Yet by the time they arrived, only Naraku and the two Uchiha were left standing.
"The explosions—most of them came from the Third Hokage," Shikaku explained."He tried to kill Naraku himself."
"But clearly, it didn't work."
"Judging by Naraku's calm demeanor and uninjured state, it's clear he ended the battle before the Hokage even arrived."
Both Inoichi and Choza stared at him in shock.
Shinnosuke wasn't a boastful man—his strength was real.
Even if he couldn't defeat Naraku, he should've been able to hold out for a while.
Yet when the Hokage arrived, his son was already gone. The battle was over.
"That means… the Hokage only arrived in time to witness his son's death." Shikaku poured himself a cup of sake, eyes distant.
He wanted to ask—what right did Hiruzen have to be angry?
Were only Sarutobi lives worth something?
What about the Nara? The Yamanaka? The Akimichi?
What about all the promising young ninjas who were forcibly pulled into ROOT by Danzo—while the Third Hokage turned a blind eye?
Yamanaka Clan
Inoichi's expression darkened.
His clan's most talented heir—Yamanaka Fuu—had been taken into ROOT at a young age.
The Third Hokage had done nothing.
Aburame Clan
Shibi Aburame quietly explained the events to his brother.
"So… the Hokage wanted Naraku dead because his son was killed," Shibi said, then fell silent.
Zhihei, silent all the while, finally spoke.
His son, too, had joined ROOT… and died there.
Was his son not a person?
What difference was there between his death and the Sarutobi boy's?
Hatake Residence
"Kakashi, you said Naraku was attacked again today?" Gai asked, surprised.
He and Kakashi had both graduated from the Academy in the same year as Naraku, and the three shared a good relationship.
"Should we visit him?"
"Not yet," Kakashi said after a pause."Gai… what happened today is classified. Don't speak of it to anyone."
With that, he fell silent again.
Hyuga Clan
"What?!"
The Hyuga elder felt his legs go weak."You're saying… Sarutobi Shinnosuke is dead?"
Hiashi's face was serious.
"Yes. The official statement is that he and others were enemy spies who attacked Naraku."
The elder's head spun, nearly fainting on the spot.
Even if the village said so…
That was the Hokage's son!
And Naraku had killed him?
Why—why—did it have to be their Hyuga Clan's own member who provoked the Hokage so directly?