stonecrandall Chapter 139 Argument
Chapter 139 Argument
Chapter 139 Argument
Konoha has been quite lively lately. First, rumors about Sekisho Hatake spread like wildfire throughout the village, becoming the talk of the town for almost every villager.
Then came the rumors about Elder Danzo, which were even more sensational, although they hadn't been circulating for very long. But compared to the rumors about Sakumo Hatake, the rumors about Elder Danzo undoubtedly attracted more attention.
Taichi and Kakashi's goal has been successfully achieved. The villagers no longer care that Sakumo Hatake abandoned the mission to save his comrades.
However, things are often like this: you decide when it begins, but when it ends is not something you can decide.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo spread rumors about Sakumo Hatake, which ultimately led to the appearance of Taichi and Kakashi.
Taichi and Kakashi did the same, spreading rumors about Danzo, and the result was—
Before the day ended, new rumors began to spread quietly in Konoha.
"Have you heard? It turns out that those human experiments were all approved by the Third Generation Lords."
"What do you mean? Do you know why the surname Senju doesn't exist anymore? It's because the Senju were sent to their deaths on the battlefield by the Third Hokage during World War II."
"I heard that the Third Hokage is getting old and worried about his position, so he has started to suppress the ninjas with high prestige in the village."
"Do you think Lord Sakumo was also suppressed by the Third Hokage?"
"Shh! You're asking for trouble saying that!"
On his way home, Taiichi wanted to use his senses to check if anyone was following him, but instead he heard these shocking rumors. Taiichi was incredulous; these weren't rumors he'd made up. Could it be that Kakashi, dissatisfied with the higher-ups' actions, had added fuel to the fire? Could he really be that bold?
Taiichi shook his head, dismissing such an unreliable idea. The rumor had obviously only been circulating for a short time. Back then, Kakashi was still with him. If there were any new developments, he would definitely have told him.
Taiichi's mind raced a bit further, and a direction he had never considered before came to mind: Could this rumor have been spread by Danzo?
As for his motive for doing this, it's obviously a case of "If I'm not having an easy time, neither should you."
The more Taiyi thought about it, the more reliable this idea seemed, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
What do you call this situation? You call it dog-eat-dog, it's a mess!
After laughing, Taichi felt a sense of helplessness. Danzo was certainly not a good person, but without the support of the Third Hokage, many things simply could not be done.
It can be said that the current status and negative consequences of Root and even Danzo are entirely due to the Third Hokage's indulgence.
Look up and you'll see the Hokage Rock in the distance, where the heads of the three Hokage are carved.
The First Hokage, with his powerful strength, flew like a brick and, together with the ninja world's savior, founded Konoha, laying the foundation for the village.
The Second Hokage was ambitious and enterprising, and was also a master of forbidden techniques. The later systems and regulations of Konoha were all his creations.
When the Third Hokage was young, he could be considered more than capable of maintaining the status quo, but as he grew older, he began to make one blunder after another. All the outstanding ninjas of Konoha died in battle for one reason or another.
They couldn't even protect their former staunch ally, the Land of Whirlpools, and more recently, even their own disciple, Tsunade, left the village. Now, they've created the "White Fang Incident."
Taiyi sighed, truly hoping that the era of the fourth generation would arrive soon, so that he wouldn't have to live such a stifling life.
Evening, in the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was still reviewing various documents. Although he wasn't very efficient, he slept less, so he had more time to deal with these trivial matters.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a daily report of the village's activities for the day.
When he saw the rumors about Danzo circulating in the village today, his first reaction was to smile with delight. Danzo had become increasingly active recently, and these rumors would be a good way for him to calm down.
Immediately, his Hokage intuition told him something was amiss. Who had spread this rumor at this critical juncture? Could it be Sakumo Hatake? But then he thought it unlikely; if it were Sakumo, why wait until now?
Could it be the Uchiha?
Not right either.
These rumors were quite detailed and detailed. While some of them were incorrect, the overall direction was correct, and these were things that the Uchiha clan couldn't possibly know.
This made Hiruzen Sarutobi wonder if he had actually given the order to spread these rumors.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and smiled bitterly, laughing at himself for truly getting old.
But then, his expression changed drastically. He himself suspected that he had ordered the spread of this information; what would Danzo think?
He knew his old friend too well; when he got stubborn, he wouldn't even listen to him.
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to do something, a rapid knocking sounded on the door, and Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart seemed to collapse.
"Come in." Seeing the anxious ANBU ninja push open the door, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't waste any words and asked directly, "What's the matter that's so urgent?"
"Lord Hokage, a new rumor has surfaced in the village." With that, he handed the prepared report scroll to the Hokage.
As if he had a premonition, Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand trembled slightly as he took the scroll. When he opened the scroll, the first rumor that caught his eye made his pupils shrink.
The last remaining members of the Senju clan were killed by the Third Hokage.
The human experiments were conducted with the support of the Third Hokage.
Have the distributors been caught?
"No, by the time we noticed these rumors, the other party had already disappeared. What's left is just villagers spreading them spontaneously."
-
"How's the rumor going?"
"It has already reached a certain scale, but it is still under control. We have increased our manpower, and if there are no new sources of transmission, these rumors can be contained."
Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a long sigh of relief. It wasn't too late; things hadn't reached the point of no return. But then a surge of anger welled up within him. Hiruzen didn't even need to think; these rumors about him must have been spread by Danzo.
Only he would have the motive and the guts to do such a thing at this time.
"Go, bring Danzo to me!"
"yes!"
Not long after, Danzo arrived at the Hokage's office. He knew the Hokage would definitely call him tonight, so he made preparations in advance and waited for the Hokage's summons at the Root base.
The moment Danzo pushed open the office door and saw the Hokage's gloomy face, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. "You didn't expect this, did you? If I don't show you my determination, you'll keep bullying me."
Danzo, leaning on his cane, slowly walked into the Hokage's office. The door slammed shut behind him, cutting off all sound from inside and outside.
The atmosphere in the office was heavy. No one spoke a word. A wisp of smoke hung in the air, indicating that the Hokage had been smoking quite a bit to relieve his anger.
-
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat upright behind his large desk, his fingernails gripping the recently delivered report, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.
He slammed the scroll down at Danzo's feet with a dull thud.
"Danzo!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was low and suppressed, like a muffled rumble of thunder. His gaze was fixed on his decades-long friend and rival. "Explain yourself! Those rumors about me that were spreading throughout the village this evening."
"Tell me, what's the meaning behind all this foul language?"
Danzo looked at the scroll at his feet, but ignored it completely.
In his mind, it was clearly Hiruzen Sarutobi who broke the rules first and spread rumors to attack him.
What, I'm only retaliating now, leaving you room to maneuver, choosing to strike in the evening, and you're already getting angry?
Danzo seemed to choke on the smoke and dust, covering his mouth and coughing twice before raising his cloudy eyes. There was no ripple in them, only the usual gloom and indifference.
"Filthy words!" Danzo scoffed, tapping his cane lightly on the floor. "Hiruzen, as Hokage, are you really going to be swayed by these baseless rumors?"
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi opened his mouth to say something, Danzo gave him no chance and preemptively spoke up, saying, "The village has never lacked those with ulterior motives. My Root is doing its utmost to trace the source of all the rumors."
"Including those earlier insults directed at me personally!"
"Targeting you!" Hiruzen Sarutobi abruptly stood up, his hands on the table, his body leaning slightly forward, his pent-up anger almost bursting out. "Danzo, tell me, those rumors that suddenly erupted this evening, each one involving classified information, aren't you involved?"
"Absurd!" Danzo's voice suddenly rose, even louder than Hiruzen Sarutobi's, and his cane slammed heavily on the ground, making a screeching sound.
Regardless of whether he ordered these actions or not, he would absolutely not admit it here. Besides, he's a person who's always been unreasonable yet arrogant, and right now he's still in the right.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! Don't make false accusations here! The village you governed has made mistakes, and someone is using such despicable means to sow discord among the higher-ups."
Instead of thinking about how to rectify and eliminate the problems, they immediately turned their attention to me, the one who had dealt with countless blemishes in the village?
Are you questioning my loyalty to Konoha, or are you covering up your own mistakes?
Besides, those thousand hands, those experiments—could it be that they really touched a nerve?
Danzo unleashed a torrent of exhilarating words, venting all the frustration and anger he had accumulated over the past two days, but this also thoroughly enraged Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Shut up!" Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted, nearly dropping his pipe as ash fell from it. He was furious at Danzo's counterattack, his chest heaving. "Your sore spot? Danzo, I am the Hokage. Everything I decide is for the stability of Konoha!"
But you—you're shaking the foundations of the village! Those rumors—those damned details—"
"Evidence!" Danzo interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi sharply, staring at him without backing down. He was in the right this time; it couldn't be that Hiruzen Sarutobi was allowed to set fires while Danzo Shimura was forbidden from lighting lamps!
"Produce the evidence, Hiruzen! Otherwise, this is nothing but your baseless speculation and fabricated charges! I, Danzo, have acted with a clear conscience, and everything I have done is for the sake of Konoha! If you doubt me, then produce concrete evidence! If you don't—"
He paused, his tone laced with a blatant threat and icy coldness, "Then mind your own business. Don't forget who's helping you deal with those cancerous growths that can't be eradicated in the sunlight!"
After he finished speaking, the office fell into a deathly silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Danzo to reprimand him for spreading rumors about the Hokage. He knew that Danzo probably misunderstood and thought that he had instigated those previous rumors.
Danzo, on the other hand, thought it was simpler: Hiruzen Sarutobi started the trouble first, and now he's criticizing me, so why not take this opportunity to retaliate?
The two are completely on different wavelengths. When they meet, they go all out, arguing fiercely. Anger, suspicion, and past ties have all mixed together, tearing apart the balance they have maintained for years.
Now that things have come to this, Hiruzen Sarutobi is beginning to regret not explaining the situation to Danzo beforehand, knowing what kind of person he was, which has led to the current situation.
The office remained deathly silent for a long time, with only the faint crackling of Hiruzen Sarutobi's pipe and the thud of Danzo's cane tapping the ground.
Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his temples wearily, his once straight back now slightly hunched.
Looking at his comrade-in-arms of many years, his eyes were filled with anger, suspicion, and a hint of barely perceptible grievance. The anger in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart receded like a tide. He seemed to have made things worse.
"Danzo—" Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was unusually hoarse and weary, "Those rumors about you—I didn't order them to be spread."
Danzo's eyes suddenly focused, and his cold gaze fell on Hiruzen Sarutobi. He almost sneered out loud at such a clumsy lie! But just as he was about to launch into another sarcastic remark, Hiruzen Sarutobi's next words finally left him speechless.
"I can swear to my teacher." Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his head, his eyes filled with solemnity, without a trace of the evasive calculations Danzo was familiar with. "If I have instructed anyone to spread rumors about you, may my soul not find peace even after death."
The resounding oath, especially one sworn in by their most respected teacher, instantly shook Danzo's resolve. His eyes were fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, as if trying to find even the slightest trace of pretense.
But all he saw was exhaustion, regret, and the pain of being distrusted.
"You—you really didn't do it?" Danzo's voice was tense, and he tapped his cane heavily on the ground a few times, revealing his inner turmoil.
If Hiruzen truly wasn't lying, then the rumors targeting him, coupled with the rumors he had previously spread about Sakumo Hatake, seemed more like someone trying to completely muddy the waters and plunge Konoha's leadership into chaos. Therefore, his counterattack this evening—wasn't that—
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him and nodded emphatically, confirming, "Absolutely not!"
Danzo remained silent, but even so, he would never admit, "I misunderstood you." Spreading rumors about the Hokage was a serious crime. However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude forced him to believe that there was indeed a third party pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"Even so, those rumors that slander the Hokage have absolutely nothing to do with me!" Danzo emphasized. "I will immediately order a thorough investigation into the source of all these rumors! Whether they are directed at me or those that were directed at you this afternoon—I want to see who has the audacity to do this."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also saw Danzo's compromise. At this moment, he didn't want to pursue these rumors anymore; his immediate priority was to find the mastermind behind it all. Amidst the chaos of the night, the two reached a fragile consensus for the first time—to unite against a common enemy.
"Who could it be?" Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his cigarette again, took a deep drag, and frowned amidst the swirling smoke. "These confidential details are not something an ordinary person could know."
Danzo calmed down and analyzed the situation, his eyes filled with malice: "They have the ability to use a large number of shadow clones, their actions are precise and cunning, and they timed their attacks so perfectly. Could they be the Uchiha? They have the ability and the motive to sow discord."
Danzo's first thought was of his usual suspect.
Hiruzen Sarutobi could only glance at him helplessly and shake his head slightly. "Fugaku Uchiha wouldn't be so radical, and these secrets about the higher-ups aren't something the Uchiha would know. Besides, this seems more like protecting Sakumo Hatake, given the timing."
"But Sakumo—" Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled Sakumo Hatake's composed face, "He is proud and acts with integrity. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who would resort to such underhanded methods."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, reflecting on Sakumo's character, was unaware of the immense blow his words had dealt to Danzo.
Danzo, and even Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, are people who enjoy using these underhanded methods!
"Perhaps it's an infiltration by forces from outside the village?" Danzo's thoughts wandered. "Iwagakure? Sunagakure? Or even the daimyo? They'd love to see us in turmoil, then smear the higher-ups, add fuel to the fire, and cause unrest."
"That's possible," Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed. "But, to be able to sow discord between you and me with such precision, and to involve those old grievances, which intelligence network do you think possesses such power?"
The two of them went back and forth, filtering through all the possible suspects again and again: powerful clans with ulterior motives, hostile ninja villages, and even some deeply hidden opposing forces.
They considered various conspiracy theories and analyzed countless motives and methods.
The lights in the Hokage's office stayed on all night. It wasn't until the first ray of sunlight shone through the window and fell on their faces that they realized a new day had quietly arrived.
These two people who held the highest authority in Konoha were meticulous and experienced, and they believed they had a grasp on all the undercurrents in the village.
They mentally rehearsed every possibility countless times, except for the smallest one—the one least in line with their "adult thinking."
This widespread rumor that caused upheaval at the highest levels began with a stubborn and headstrong genius boy who, in order to protect the reputation of his idolized father, joined forces with his equally brilliant but somewhat "unruly" friend to launch a uniquely youthful and slightly mischievous, passionate counterattack.
His initial purpose was simple to the point of being naive, merely to divert people's attention from his father's criticism. In Kakashi and Taichi's view, this was not even a "major conspiracy," but at most a small act of "mischief" done in anger.
As for the later rumors involving the Third Hokage, that can only be described as a coincidence. Taiichi wove these rumors based on information from his memories, and they were just too convincing. This caused them to panic and become suspicious of each other, which could only be attributed to their own guilty conscience.
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