Hiruzen stood by the bed in the office, looking at the ANBU—every last one of them mobilized by Kazuki.
Even Minato Namikaze had been dispatched.
One by one, masked black-clad figures appeared at the doors of households throughout Konoha, task lists in hand, recording and verifying information for every home in the village.
These lists were compiled from years of records—evidence tracing how second- and third-generation shinobi from the Shimura clan, the Mito clan, and the Koharu faction had manipulated mission evaluations, falsified assessments, and gamed promotions over the years.
In addition to ANBU, there were also members of the Uzumaki and Senju—people who had long since blended into Konoha under changed names—quietly stepping forward one after another.
Only now did Hiruzen truly understand what kind of power the Senju and Uzumaki still held.
They had stayed hidden because they lacked someone who could unite and command them.
Now that person had appeared.
Hiruzen's mind flashed to that young figure—Kazuki.
"…It's good to be young."
For the first time in a long while, Sarutobi felt old.
On the streets, many shinobi curiously questioned ANBU, asking what they were writing down, and whether someone was about to escape custody.
ANBU answered plainly.
"Today we're documenting evidence from the past twenty years: the Shimura, Mito, and Koharu factions' promotion fraud—stealing others' battlefield merits, impersonating mission records, and using money to inflate mission completion."
"These records will become formal evidence against the Shimura clan, the Mito clan, and the Koharu faction."
Over the past twenty years, it wasn't only those three that had pulled tricks—other big clans had done it too, here and there.
But none of them had done it on the scale those three had.
And for years, not only were the three untouched—they grew stronger by the day.
They had already surpassed what remained of the Senju and Uzumaki influence, and there was even a faint sense they were starting to overtake the Hyūga and the Uchiha.
Now ANBU was moving against them?
People could barely breathe.
So it wasn't that Konoha couldn't do it…
It was that the time hadn't come.
And now?
The time had arrived.
Many listened as ANBU described the evidence, and their shoulders began to shake—years of frustration, years of being robbed by second- and third-generation shinobi from the Shimura, Mito, and Koharu factions… stolen credits, hijacked missions, fabricated records.
Some people cried on the spot.
"When I fought in the Second Great Ninja War, I ran three A-rank missions in the Rain Country with my sensei. I killed five chūnin and nearly ten genin… and my record got stolen! After the war ended, I was just a chūnin. And the guy who 'earned' my merit? He was from the Koharu faction!"
"I fought in the Iron Country—A-rank mission. Fifteen genin, two chūnin. Stolen! A month later I went to the Land of Wind, then an S-rank mission—nearly died nine times. When I came back, it was stolen again! I barely made chūnin, and then I retired from injuries!"
Even the ANBU taking statements couldn't help but burn with anger.
The Shimura clan, the Mito clan, and the Koharu faction had done so much that it made people sick.
Had all of it been covered up by the three elders—Shimura Danzo, Mito Homura, and Utatane Koharu?
The Shimura clan, the Mito clan, and the Koharu faction were shaken the moment they heard what ANBU was doing.
Someone even grabbed an ANBU agent and shouted, "Who gave you the authority to investigate us?!"
ANBU answered with a flat voice.
"By order of the Hokage. Anyone who obstructs—kill on sight."
Shhk!
Blood splattered.
The Shimura, Mito, and Koharu people froze.
ANBU was a secret force under the Hokage's direct command, sure—but they had never treated these three like this.
What the hell was going on today?
What was happening now was beyond anything the three factions had imagined.
The moment one ANBU struck, another appeared and immediately dragged the body away.
"This is bad—report to the clan head!"
"Konoha's sky is about to change!"
As the clan members scrambled back, the leaders and upper ranks of the three factions had already caught wind of it.
"What does the Hokage think he's doing?!"
"Did our families even do anything? If there's an issue, why not negotiate?!"
"Is he trying to split Konoha in half?!"
In Shimura territory, Danzo stormed out with an ugly expression—
—and ran into Orochimaru, along with his ANBU subordinates.
Danzo glared at him. "Orochimaru. What is the meaning of this?"
Orochimaru smiled thinly. "Danzo-sama, there's no 'meaning.' It's an order from Kazuki to investigate."
"Kazuki's order?" Danzo's eyes sharpened. "Since when did you become Kazuki's dog?"
Orochimaru's gaze flashed cold. He licked his lips, smiling without warmth.
"Danzo-sama… choose your words carefully. Everything I do is for the village, not for personal grudges. 'Dog' is a strange term."
"Hmph." Danzo sneered and brushed past him.
In Mito territory and Koharu territory, Mito Homura and the head of the Koharu faction, Koharu Kōmei, nearly stepped out at the same time—faces dark, moving toward the Hokage Building.
At the base of the Hokage Building, the crowd surged.
A sea of people—victims of the cheating and fraud perpetrated by the three factions: Shimura, Mito, and Koharu.
Hiruzen stood at the entrance, raised both hands, and pressed them down.
"Everyone, calm down. Today I received a report that certain families have gained promotions through falsified records, impersonated missions, and the buying and selling of mission credit—undermining the fairness of shinobi advancement and violating the rights of honest ninja."
"We take this matter extremely seriously. We will immediately gather all evidence, disclose what can be disclosed, and conduct a thorough, serious, responsible investigation. Relevant results will be announced as they are confirmed. Please rest assured."
"No matter the excuse, Konoha will maintain zero tolerance. We will uncover it, investigate it, and deal with it—completely. There will be no cover-ups."
The moment Hiruzen finished, the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. The Third Hokage gained another wave of goodwill.
But Hiruzen's brow stayed furrowed.
This meant total rupture with the Shimura, Mito, and Koharu factions.
But he had no choice—Kazuki held the kind of evidence that could level clans.
And behind Kazuki stood an even heavier force.
Most importantly…
Kazuki's own strength was overwhelming.
In the end, the ninja world still ran on power.
So Sarutobi could only abandon the Shimura, Mito, and Koharu factions.
He could only hope this went no deeper than Danzo and Homura…
Danzo, Homura, and Koharu Kōmei watched the massive crowd from a distance, and their faces shifted.
So many people?
Homura glanced at Danzo. "What now?"
Danzo's face was grim. "We go back."
But the instant they turned—
They froze.
Kazuki was standing right in front of them.
And beside him was Minato Namikaze.
Kazuki spoke evenly.
"Shimura Danzo. Mito Homura. Koharu Kōmei. Reports indicate you may be connected to promotion fraud. ANBU will escort the three of you to ANBU Headquarters for questioning."
Kōmei looked at Kazuki and shuddered involuntarily.
"You insolent brat—Kazuki, what right do you have to interrogate us?!"
Homura moved first, voice sharp.
Danzo stared at Kazuki and Minato, eyes narrowing.
So this is Kazuki's play?
Who gave him that evidence…?
Minato's voice turned cold as he raised the ANBU token.
"Are the three of you refusing a direct order?"
Minato had been born into a normal family.
He'd had many friends growing up—talented, bright.
But one by one, they vanished from the path.
At first, Minato assumed they simply fell behind.
After learning the truth, he realized many had been crushed by cheating.
When he investigated, it wasn't a handful.
It was more than half of them—victims.
It made his blood boil.
Minato had always been jealous of Kazuki's talent.
But now?
What he felt was admiration.
If Kazuki hadn't pierced this open, Minato would still be in the dark.
Kōmei took a deep breath. "Even so—I'm the head of a clan and an elder. It's not your place to interrogate me! Hokage-sama—"
He didn't finish.
Kazuki blurred.
He appeared above Kōmei like a flash—
—and slammed him into the ground with one brutal kick.
Bang!
"Let go of your mouth," Kazuki said coldly.
Minato's eyes widened.
But deep down, a fierce respect rose.
Kazuki-kun really doesn't fear authority… even a clan head gets treated like anyone else.
Kazuki lifted his gaze.
"With this token, you answer to ANBU. If you resist, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"Kazuki! You're out of your mind!"
"Are you trying to spark public outrage by treating Konoha elders like this?!"
"Do you even respect the people who built this village—?!"
People began noticing the commotion.
"Over there—Danzo and Homura?! Is ANBU making a move? They're not going to arrest Danzo, are they?!"
"No way—this is real! Who's that fat guy getting stomped?!"
"Look closer—that's Kōmei, head of the Koharu faction!"
"Who's stepping on him?! That's insane!"
"The blond one is Minato Namikaze—Konoha's top young genius, only behind Kazuki-sama!"
"Kazuki-sama? I know him—didn't he kill the Third Mizukage?"
"Yeah! And he wiped out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from Kirigakure—like an ANBU squad all by himself!"
"That black-haired guy doing the stomping—he's Kazuki-sama!"
"No way!"
"I've seen Kazuki-sama! He's kind. As head of Administration, he personally fixed the sewage issue in front of my house. That problem sat there for five years and nobody cared. Kazuki-sama took office and solved it on day one."
"Same! Our land dispute with the neighbors—he handled it fairly. If it was the old Administration Department, we'd still be waiting until the end of time."
Hiruzen was still at the entrance, hearing people praise him—
and then, suddenly, the crowd's tone changed.
They started praising Kazuki.
Hiruzen blinked.
What?
Kazuki had only been in Administration for two days.
And he'd already won this much goodwill?
Hiruzen looked up—
and his eyes widened.
Kazuki and Minato were arresting Danzo and Homura.
And Kōmei was still pinned under Kazuki's foot.
"What in the—"
Hiruzen hurried over, hearing the crowd curse Danzo, Homura, and Kōmei with raw fury.
Kazuki tossed the ashen-faced Kōmei toward Minato and shrugged.
"Told you to come quietly. You didn't. Since Konoha's here watching… let's do a public interrogation right here in the square."
Danzo's fury snapped.
"Insolent! Kazuki—who gave you this authority?!"
Kazuki looked at him calmly.
"When a clan head breaks the law, they're judged the same as everyone else."
The surrounding shinobi roared the words back like a chant.
"When a clan head breaks the law, they're judged the same as everyone else!"
"When a clan head breaks the law, they're judged the same as everyone else!"
"When a clan head breaks the law, they're judged the same as everyone else!"
Danzo's face shifted.
The crowd's emotion was boiling, and a bad feeling crept into his gut.
Homura's face was dark, and suddenly blue, vicious chakra surged from his body—Two-Tails chakra flaring as it began to warp his mind.
"I don't give a damn about your laws!" Homura snarled. "You think you nobodies have the right to interrogate me, Mito Homura?!"
In an instant, Homura transformed into a half-tailed-beast state.
A low sigh cut through the chaos.
Hiruzen had no choice.
He moved.
The Adamantine Staff smashed down directly onto Homura's head.
Bang!
Homura screamed and staggered back, about to roar—
when the staff split into dozens of segments, forming a cube-like cage that trapped him.
"HOMURA!" Hiruzen snapped. "Calm down. Take him back—now!"