Chapter 369: Loss of Ideals and Convictions

Yo, isn't this our ever‑busy Hokage?

At the Qianshou Feijian Residence, Lian Ye was lying in the courtyard sunbathing when he noticed a sneaky figure at the gate.

He took off his sunglasses and looked—who was it if not Zhi Cun Tuan Zang?

Four others followed behind him: Xiaochun Zhuanqin, Mizuto Menyan, Yuanfei Rizhan, and Uchiha Jing.

"Lian Ye, did you enjoy going out?" Uchiha Jing asked with a smile.

"It was okay," Lian Ye said, sitting up from the lounge chair with a smile. "What made you think of coming to my place?"

Usually, apart from Uchiha Jing visiting a few times, no one else comes here often.

It might be because of that old brat Qianshou Feijian.

The others were afraid of disturbing Teacher Feijian's rest.

"We missed you, so we came by to see," Xiaochun Zhuanqin teased.

"Exactly, exactly," Yuanfei Rizhan agreed.

"Tsk, Lian Ye is way too lavish, almost inhuman," Mizuto Menyan said, pushing his glasses and admiring the courtyard's luxurious décor.

He pointed at the nearby swimming pool and exclaimed, "There's a swimming pool right in the courtyard!"

"Lian Ye really made it big!" Yuanfei Rizhan remarked.

When he came back then, the courtyard didn't have a swimming pool yet; after a while of not coming, the already luxurious courtyard became even more extravagant.

"It's even more lavish than our Uchiha Clan Territory..." Uchiha Jing mused.

Even though the Uchiha are a millennial great clan standing tall in the Ninja World, their home décor pales in comparison to Lian Ye's house.

Even the former Uchiha Clan Leader praised Lian Ye's opulence, let alone someone like Jing who has never seen the world.

"Is this the world of the rich?"

Compared with Lian Ye's home, theirs is practically a slum!

"Hmph, the rich don't even give the village any financial support," Zhi Cun Tuan Zang sneered. "The village is about to run out of funds!"

Lately, the Fire Country Daimyo's financial support for Konoha has been dwindling.

Now, after daily expenses, the village has barely any money left.

One could say income and expenditure are balanced.

If any mishap occurs, Konoha Village would face a bankruptcy crisis!

He came here intending to discuss the matter with Teacher Feijian, and since Xiaochun Zhuanqin and the others were in the office, they all followed along.

"Is the village treasury out of money?" Lian Ye asked, puzzled.

He recalled donating a large sum to the village each month, yet Tuan Cang now claimed the village was running low on funds.

It shouldn't be, right?

With the Fire Country Daimyo's own support and his gratuitous donations, the village's accounts should be quite ample.

At the very least, they shouldn't be unable to afford food!

There must be some link in this chain where a problem arose!

Since it's not our problem, then it must be…

"Tuan Cang, you can't be embezzling, can you?" Lian Ye said seriously, looking at them. "Or perhaps you all are the ones embezzling!"

He seemed to have uncovered the truth!

If these high‑ranking guys aren't embezzling, wouldn't they be wasting their positions for nothing?

Sure enough, these corrupt officials only know how to embezzle!

Although he is also a Hokage Advisor, he never takes part in their discussions.

So when they embezzled, they didn't bring him along!

"Lian Ye, what do you mean?!" the others instantly flared up.

Being suddenly blamed for the whole mess is something no one can endure.

Moreover, Teacher Feijian is still inside the house.

If the teacher believes Lian Ye's rumors, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Alright, stop pretending to be innocent; the uncle isn't home," Lian Ye whispered, leaning close to them.

"Honestly, how much did you embezzle?"

He guessed it must be a huge sum, otherwise the village couldn't be in such a dire state.

Now, he can only urge them to honestly hand over the stolen money.

Otherwise, if it reaches the uncle, it won't be a minor issue.

"Who in life can be without fault?" Lian Ye, oblivious to their increasingly sour expressions, said to himself, "As long as we can correct it in time, that's fine."

He doesn't want them to persist in their obstinacy, lest it eventually cause a disaster, after which they'd truly have to spend the rest of their lives in Konoha Prison.

When that happens, it will definitely become big news, spreading like wildfire.

Lian Ye has already prepared the excuse for their downfall.

【Third Hokage Zhi Cun Tuan Zang, Hokage Assistant Yuanfei Rizhan, and the three Hokage Advisors Xiaochun Zhuanqin, Mizuto Menyan, Uchiha Jing.】

After investigation, all five have lost their ideals and convictions, abandoned their original mission, misappropriated public funds to fill their own coffers, and severely violated Konoha's Will of Fire!

They were then locked up in Konoha Prison, gripping the rail and shedding tears behind the iron bars.

Oh right, there was also a missing confession segment in between.

"I'm terrified of being poor… I don't dare spend a single cent… I really regret it…"

"Enough, Lian Ye!" Tuan Cang shouted, cutting off Lian Ye's fantasy.

"Don't slander us; we haven't embezzled or been corrupt!"

"Exactly, Tuan Cang is right!" the others echoed in unison.

They have cherished the Will of Fire since childhood, and are determined only to see the village develop better.

There's no way they could do such a thing!

Lian Ye's remark was nothing but slander.

It is a slander against their character and the Will of Fire!

"Tsk, it's all the same excuse before anything happens; once something does happen, it's over."

Lian Ye curled his lip and flatly did not believe the few people's words.

Don't be fooled by their righteous words now; if trouble truly arises, we'll see that their previous demeanor was merely a façade.

After all, which villain would admit he is a villain?

The people present: "……"

This guy seems to have a serious misunderstanding of them!

Whatever explanations they offer are of no help.

They were inexplicably labeled with a corruption hat.

Had they known, they wouldn't have followed Tuan Cang here.

The few's mood was like a dog that got sunburned.

"Lian Yejun, why do you think we are corrupt?" Xiaochun, the Hokage Advisor, felt aggrieved.

She, as the Hokage Advisor, is merely a figurehead and has no real authority at all.

Even if someone truly embezzled, it wouldn't be her.

Her gaze fell on Tuan Cang, Ri Zhan and Mirror.

These three all hold real power, making them the most likely to be corrupt!

"Exactly, Lian Yejun!" Mizuto Menyan pushed his glasses, "Xiaochun and I are not just names without power; we don't meet any condition for corruption at all."

The speaker is careless, the listener is intentional.

The three instantly could not sit still; this guy actually cleared himself of suspicion.

"Yan, you can't shift the blame onto us!" Yuanfei Rizhan said irritably.

"Exactly, we could never do such a thing!" Uchiha Jing said in agreement.

"Enough, be quiet!" Zhi Cun Tuan Zang halted the few's argument.

"No corruption, how could the village fail to lift the lid?" Lian Ye curled his lip.

In his view, if the village had no rot, such a situation could not arise.

"Let me reiterate, I have not embezzled!" Tuan Cang stared at Lian Ye, "As for why the village cannot lift the lid…"

ps: The remaining chapters are few now; next month I can post two updates regularly, occasionally three, hehe…