"The war is finally over..."
"That's right, but those ninja families are also very sad. Both of my neighboring families have ninjas, and I heard them crying all night yesterday. Sigh..."
"They have sacrificed too much to protect the Land of Fire."
"But did you hear the news? It's said that this war could have been easily won. It was because of several mistakes by our Lord Hokage that Konoha lost so many excellent ninjas."
"Really? Where did you hear that from?"
"The Ninja World Daily, page three, about the Ninja World War. Many experts and critics think so..."
"Wait a minute, I'll go buy a copy of the Ninja World Daily!"
In the days following Sarutobi Hiruzen's return to the village and convening of the Jonin meeting, such rumors began to spread in Konoha Village. It was mainly some rather famous individuals from the Land of Fire who suddenly began commenting on this Ninja World War in the newspapers.
How much destruction have the Hidden Cloud Ninja caused within the Land of Fire? Even the Daimyo was anxious, sending emissaries to the front line to have Mitokado Homura resolve the issue.
Some of them were incited, spontaneously sending letters to the Daimyo Mansion and newspapers to express their dissatisfaction, but under the intentional 'guidance' from the Uchiha Race, this outlet of discontent naturally flowed towards the Third Generation Hokage.
Furthermore, there were those who accepted employment, initiated by the Uchiha Race through the Underground Gold Exchange, which then hired people to spread the discontent. Even if Konoha Anbu chased leads, they would only trace it back to the Underground Gold Exchange.
Anyway, now the rumors have gradually spread throughout the village, claiming that the mistakes by Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other three senior Konoha leaders were the fundamental reason the Land of Fire fell into turmoil.
There was also a debate on whether the Third Generation Hokage was suitable after serving for more than a decade as Hokage.
He's already in his fifties, not young anymore, and is still reluctant to pass the position of Hokage to the younger generation. Does he plan to stay in the position for another twenty years?
Even within Konoha, such statements have appeared, so one could imagine how the Land of Fire discusses Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Boom!
In the Hokage Office, Sarutobi Hiruzen smashed his tobacco pipe in anger; his face was extremely somber. He had exhausted his efforts to protect the village and country, only to be discussed like this.
Now, he only wants to investigate the mastermind behind this and use the Five Release Great Chain Bomb ten times.
"Danzo, who did this?"
"Root has currently only investigated some who made the biggest fuss, but they are dissatisfied mainly because of the continuous destruction by the Hidden Cloud Ninja within the Land of Fire, so they spontaneously sent letters to the Daimyo Mansion and vented their frustrations to the newspapers."
Danzo said expressionlessly. Although he was also within the scope of those dissatisfied, the secrecy of Root meant his name never appeared in the newspapers.
Compared to Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo felt he was somewhat lucky, enjoying seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen in such a rage.
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked skeptically, "All spontaneous?"
Danzo replied, "Root received the information the day before yesterday and investigated, transmitting intelligence back just yesterday. According to current intelligence, it indeed appears so, verified through the Secret Technique of the Yamanaka Clan."
Next to them, Mitokado Homura blushed slightly upon hearing this, as the lapse originated from the battlefield he was responsible for. Had he known earlier, he wouldn't have fought Hatake Sakumo for this command role—it was like rushing to take on responsibility.
"Hiruzen, it's not my fault; Uchiha Yoichi was unmotivated on the battlefield. If he had acted, we could have repelled the Hidden Cloud Ninja long ago!"
Unable to contain himself, Mitokado Homura complained, claiming he had not only asked Uchiha Yoichi to use the inner monster mode but also Wood Release and Mangekyo—both formidable forces on the battlefield.
However, Uchiha Yoichi found various excuses to procrastinate, only agreeing to take action once the Eight-tailed Jinchuriki was located.
"Homura, let's not talk about this anymore. Even if we know Uchiha Yoichi deliberately withheld action, we have no evidence, and Uchiha Yoichi completed the most missions in this war!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a slightly heavy tone, intending well for his old teammate, knowing such remarks could spread regardless of Mitokado Homura's senior status.
The last Jonin meeting included a task of tallying contributions.
Uchiha Yoichi was the ninja in Konoha who completed the most missions. After one battlefield, his task record increased with over two hundred A-Class and B-Class tasks, and more than thirty S-Class tasks.
Mainly, his strength was overwhelming; among nearly a thousand Hidden Cloud Ninja deaths, Uchiha Yoichi killed at least half.
Had it not been for Uchiha Yoichi killing two Hidden Rock Jinchuriki on the Land of Hot Water battlefield, Konoha ninja might have faced total defeat, retreating all the way to the village gates.
To smear such a Konoha Hero? Even Sarutobi Hiruzen dared not utter such words unless backed by concrete evidence.
"What should we do next, Hiruzen?"
Utatane Koharu spoke up, "The atmosphere outside isn't too good, and the Daimyo Mansion's attitude towards us is worsening."
After the war ended, they dispatched emissaries to the Daimyo Mansion, seeking funds to cover Konoha Village's funding gap.
Yet, they were denied, with the reason being the Daimyo Mansion was using surplus funds to repair places destroyed by the Hidden Cloud Ninja.
"And regarding your position as Hokage, the prevailing sentiment within the village thinks you should step down and select a new Hokage..."
Utatane Koharu continued, "If you don't choose a new Hokage and continue suppressing the sentiment, I'm concerned the village's emotions will intensify further..."