"Explain!"
"Explain!"
"—Explain!"
The shouts grew louder and louder, echoing through the sky.
At this moment, Sarutobi Asuma, who was being pointed at by countless people, was already trembling in fear.
"Asuma Sarutobi!"
"You must apologize to the entire Uchiha clan right now!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer cared about protecting his son.
He shouted at Asuma without hesitation.
Only someone acknowledged by the people could remain Hokage.
Once that recognition was lost, the title would naturally collapse.
As the saying went—Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it.
Since taking office, Sarutobi Hiruzen had painstakingly built his authority as Hokage.
But today, because of Asuma, the situation had spiraled completely out of control.
The only option left was to force Asuma to make a sincere apology and calm the fury of the crowd.
"A—Ah!"
Asuma was startled by his father's roar.
"Sarutobi Asuma! Go and apologize to the Uchiha clan immediately!"
Hiruzen shouted again.
"I… I…"
Asuma initially wanted to argue.
But when he saw the rage in his father's eyes—an anger he had never seen before—his mind went blank.
He finally realized how serious the situation had become.
"Go. Now."
Hiruzen didn't give him even a moment to hesitate.
His gaze was icy.
"Y-Yes…"
Asuma didn't dare look at his father.
After answering, he walked toward Uchiha Ryu, each step feeling as heavy as lead.
Just as Asuma bent down—
He was stopped.
"Don't apologize to me."
Uchiha Ryu spoke calmly.
"What you owe is an apology to the entire Uchiha clan."
"And you must kneel—for every soul that died protecting Konoha."
The disgust in Ryu's eyes was unmistakable.
"What?! You want me to kneel?!"
Asuma stared at him in disbelief.
He was the Hokage's son.
Aside from ancestor worship, no one had ever dared make him kneel.
"What?" Ryu sneered."You think a few shallow words are enough?"
"Can a casual apology comfort the broken hearts of wounded and fallen warriors?"
"Kneel and apologize!"
An Uchiha ninja suddenly shouted.
"Kneel and apologize!"
The crowd instantly erupted.
More and more people demanded that Asuma kneel.
"You… you people…"
Asuma looked around wildly, as if trying to carve every face into his memory.
"Sarutobi Asuma!"
"Kneel and apologize to the Uchiha clan right now!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen roared again.
He couldn't allow Asuma even a second longer to think.
Any hesitation would ignite public fury—
And directly shake the foundation of his Hokage position.
"Father! I don't want to—"
In his panic, Asuma forgot himself.
He forgot that Hiruzen had warned him never to call him Father in public.
The moment the word left his mouth—
Hiruzen knew disaster was coming and immediately cut him off.
"Kneel down and apologize. Immediately."
Hiruzen's voice rose again.
The anger on his face was no longer hidden.
"Gulp…"
Asuma swallowed hard.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead.
Fear filled his eyes.
"Kneel down and apologize!"
Hiruzen shouted once more.
Asuma finally broke.
His knees bent involuntarily.
Bang!
They hit the ground.
"I shouldn't have insulted the Uchiha clan's warriors or the spirits of the fallen."
"I'm… sorry."
Asuma forced the words out through clenched teeth.
He immediately tried to stand up—
But Uchiha Ryu pressed him back down.
"Three kowtows. Nine bows."
Ryu's voice was cold and merciless.
"What?!"
Asuma exploded in rage and struggled to rise.
But with one hand, Ryu held him firmly to the ground.
"Impossible! Three kowtows and nine bows is absolutely impossible!"
Asuma roared.
The ritual of three kowtows and nine bows was an ancient rite—
Used only to worship deceased ancestors.
In this era, ninjas held an extremely special status.
Even a daimyō would not dare demand such a ritual from a shinobi.
Now Ryu wanted him to perform it for the Uchiha clan?
How could Asuma accept that?!
"You insulted the warriors who died protecting you."
"Why can't you bow to them?"
Ryu's voice rang across the square.
He pressed down harder.
Asuma's body sank further, his knees grinding painfully against the stone.
"No… absolutely not!"
Even as pain shot through his legs, Asuma kept shouting.
"Why not?"
"You insulted the warriors who protected you!"
"Why can't you bow to them three times and nine times?"
"Are you going to give back the life they saved?"
At that moment, a man with half his body wrapped in bandages stepped forward, blood still seeping through.
"Today, either you return the life those warriors saved—"
"Or you perform the ritual of three kowtows and nine bows!"
Another man from an unknown clan stood up.
"Yes! Either give back your life—"
"Or kneel and bow!"
"Either repay with your life—"
"Or perform the three kowtows and nine bows!"
The voices roared like thunder.
The square shook.
"This won't be easy for you, Sensei…"
Jiraiya listened to the deafening shouts and shook his head slightly.
But there was no sympathy on his face.
At this moment, he felt none at all for his teacher.
He realized something—
Konoha had changed.
It was no longer the village he once believed in.
Nearby, Tsunade and Orochimaru watched coldly.
There was not a trace of pity in their eyes.
If anything—
There was a hint of satisfaction.
"Can you do it?"
Uchiha Ryu asked again.
"Can you perform the three kowtows and nine bows?"
"I… I…"
Sarutobi Asuma was completely stunned.
He never imagined that a few mocking words could push him to the brink of death.
At this moment—
Fear completely consumed him.