The Third Hokage stared at the suddenly-arrived Naruto. For a moment, something seemed to click in his mind, and he cried out.
"Masaka!"
"Naruto! That rumor about imprisoning the villagers of Konoha—was that spread by you?!"
At that moment, the tea was ready. Naruto calmly poured himself a cup.
He took a sip.
And spat it right back out.
"What is this garbage? Bitter and astringent—so even the Hokage drinks this kind of swill?" Naruto deflected with sarcasm, refusing to answer.
The Third's expression grew increasingly grave as he waited for Naruto's reply.
Naruto raised a hand and waved his index finger side to side.
Just as the Third let out a tiny sigh of relief, Naruto slowly said:
"Not only did I spread the rumors—I was the one who started the protests too."
"Surprised?"
"Besides, imprisoning them is the truth. How could it be a rumor?"
The Third Hokage's face collapsed completely.
So that's how it is—so that's how it all fits!
No wonder he asked for the list in three days… he was waiting for the villagers to walk right into the trap themselves!
First spread the rumors, then rally the marches, and now, even predicted that I would try to stop it—so he came here himself.
Such composure... such terrifying foresight…
The more the Third thought about it, the more cold sweat broke out across his back.
He could no longer see through this boy who smiled so brightly before him.
Without any interference from the Hokage, more and more people joined the protests, swelling the size of the crowd.
Their faces were filled with resolve.
They shouted with righteous fury.
Their chants shook the heavens, fists raised high with iron conviction—so loud the entire village could hear.
Three days later, the Third slumped powerlessly in his chair.
Outside the window, the thunderous chants still echoed.
Today was the final day of the three-day deadline. The villagers were even more fervent than before.
Listening to the endless roar, the Third closed his aged eyes in pain, heart brimming with despair.
In this situation, he no longer had a reason to persuade Naruto.
Even he felt that these villagers—shouting with righteous indignation, acting like triumphant heroes—
Were just utter fools, grinning at the edge of their graves.
How utterly idiotic!
Atop the Hokage Rock, Naruto appeared out of thin air, standing once more on the sculpted head of the Third Hokage.
His azure eyes were brilliantly clear as he looked down upon the dense crowds marching below.
The entirety of Konoha lay beneath his gaze, like one massive net.
And today, the one who cast that net—Naruto—was destined to reap an enormous harvest.
With Flying Thunder God, Naruto reappeared in the Hokage Office.
The Third remained seated, his eyes filled with despair. He looked even older than before, like a man on death's door.
Seeing Naruto barge in as casually as if returning home, the Third didn't even react—like he had grown used to it.
Naruto looked at him and spoke slowly:
"Everyone who participated in the protests is on the list I gave you. Begin. Arrest them all."
The Third closed his eyes in agony, as if doing so would let him escape from this cruel reality.
"If you don't give the order, I'll be more than happy to handle it myself." Naruto gave him no room for regret.
Hearing that, the Third finally opened his eyes—bloodshot, clouded with age.
To an outsider, he might've looked like he'd activated the Sharingan.
"Naruto… did it have to come to this? Did it really… have to go this far?"
The Third murmured to himself.
"I've heard enough crap. You've got thirty minutes. If the Anbu haven't acted by then, I'll take matters into my own hands." Naruto's face was cold and resolute.
With that, he vanished.
The Third groaned and held his head in his hands, calling over one of his Anbu Guards.
Over the past few days, while the Anbu had refrained from intervening in the protests at Naruto's insistence, they had still been keeping count.
"Hokage-sama! A total of 83,848 people participated. Of them, 5,438 are registered shinobi, and 78,710 are civilians."
Over eighty thousand… more than eighty thousand…
Why… why are you all so stupid?!
"Pull personnel from all clans. Arrest every last registered protester… all of them."
After giving that order, it was like all the energy had drained from him. Even his breathing grew faint.
"This…" The loyal Anbu Guard—usually unquestioning in all things—now stood frozen in confusion.
An arrest operation on this scale would plunge Konoha into unprecedented chaos.
Even an Anbu Guard found it difficult to accept.
The Third wasn't surprised by his hesitation. He didn't blame him. His voice was simply tired:
"Go. Konoha… and I… have no choice. This is the only way the village survives."
"Y…yes!" The Anbu Guard could only obey.
Soon, the Anbu and elite forces drawn from the great clans began to move.
"Arrest over eighty thousand Konoha citizens?"
When the mission was delivered—
They were dumbfounded. How could the Hokage possibly issue such an absurd order?
As a result, a group of high-ranking individuals banded together, storming the Hokage Tower in outrage.
Leading them were two elders with stark white hair—
A man and a woman.
They were none other than Konoha's two elder advisors: Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado.
Behind them came a crowd of clan heads:
Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame…
Nearly every major clan leader had been forcibly dragged here by the two elders.
The moment they entered the office, Koharu struck a righteous pose, her wrinkled face full of indignation.
"Hiruzen! Have you gone senile?! As Hokage, how could you make such an inhumane decision?! To imprison more than eighty thousand villagers on a remote island for twelve years?! If word of this gets out, we'll be the laughingstock of the ninja world!"
"By then, all of Konoha—including you and me—will be nailed to the pillar of shame!"
Homura pushed up his glasses, looking stern.
"Hiruzen, this is utterly outrageous. Retract the order immediately. We'll discuss this together and find another solution!"
Find another solution?
"Then tell me—what solution is there?! Who here can withstand a Tailed Beast Ball like the ones we saw days ago? Who can stop those sword-tornadoes?! You? Or you?!"
The Third, who had been stewing in silence for days without sleep, finally exploded.
Gone was the usual kindly and composed Hokage—in his place stood a furious, ranting old man.
Everyone in the room knew the Third well, yet none had ever seen this side of him.
It was the complete opposite of his usual image.
Koharu pointed a shaking finger at him, her eyes full of doubt, shrieking:
"You… are you really Hiruzen?!"
"Hiashi! Use your Byakugan—see if the Hokage's been replaced!"