Chapter 470

"After all, in the war with the Rock, the village sacrificed so many ninjas; if we sign such an agreement, we will be nailed to the pillar of historical shame!"

"Do you think we should wait for Hiruzen to calm down and discuss it with him properly?"

Yes.

Koharu Utatane was very hesitant about this in her heart.

Just as she said, this agreement was a bit too disadvantageous.

If it were to spread out like this, the reputation of the Konoha high-ups would instantly fall to the bottom.

She was also a person who wanted face!

As a Konoha elder, she was truly unwilling to sign such a humiliating agreement.

But, damn it.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't listen to a word, which gave her a huge headache.

So.

Looking at the old friend in front of her, she couldn't help but start complaining.

And, on the other side.

Homura Mitokado, who was sitting at the desk and busy writing, couldn't help but be stunned when he heard this.

Immediately after, a long sigh.

Yes!

How could he not think of what Koharu Utatane could think of?

Once such a humiliating agreement was signed, the prestige of the entire Konoha high-ups would suffer a cliff-like blow.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, on the other hand, was smart.

He had long been prepared to wait until the war was completely over, then abdicate and let a better person take over, and support that puppet Namikaze Minato to ascend as the Fourth Hokage.

By then.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's reputation might suffer a little, but with the act of abdicating, and considering his past contributions to the village, most Konoha villagers wouldn't be too nitpicky; after all, he had already abdicated, hadn't he?

But, at the same time.

For Sarutobi Hiruzen, the impact on his reputation could be considered to have been muddled through.

The real power hadn't been affected much either.

After all, although he was no longer Hokage, he was still the Hokage Advisor!

And he still held heavy power, and even the next Hokage had to listen to his orders obediently.

Except for not having the title of Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't lose anything else.

But, what about them?

Sarutobi Hiruzen could play the trick of taking a step back to see the sea and sky, but they, the elders, couldn't!

If they abdicated, they would really only be able to go back and retire.

For them, this was absolutely impossible to endure!

But if they didn't abdicate, Sarutobi Hiruzen's blame had already been shifted.

What to do?

To protect the power in their hands, they could only be the final scapegoats and then be despised by the entire village.

Wasn't Koharu Utatane's anger coming from this?

After all.

Whether the village could get benefits, they, the elders, actually didn't care much at all.

Because if they wanted money and resources, the annual allocation from the Daimyo was enough to make them eat until they were full!

"Koharu, don't think about it."

"This time, we are definitely going to be the scapegoats."

"After all, this is the price we must pay to hold power, isn't it?"

"Early on, when Sarutobi Hiruzen first took office, he needed our full support, but now it is long past that."

"Don't talk about any brotherly feelings; for people like us, this thing is simply dispensable."

"Did Kagami help Hiruzen less?"

"But after Hiruzen sat firmly as Hokage, didn't he secretly eliminate him!"

"If you say eliminating Kagami was because he was an Uchiha, but what about Akimichi Torifu?"

"Ino-Shika-Cho is the Hokage faction."

"But, then what?"

"Although Torifu holds the title of elder, he can only stay in the clan for a long time. How many times have you seen Torifu come out in these years?"

"Does he dare to come out?"

"If he really dared to come out and fight for power, I believe he would definitely die inexplicably on some battlefield."

"Among our group of brothers, the only ones who can hold power are the two of us and Danzo."

"And Danzo can go head-to-head with Hiruzen, and Hiruzen won't punish Danzo severely; is it really because of brotherly feelings?"

"No, it's not!"

"It's because Danzo's Root is doing dirty things for Sarutobi Hiruzen, secretly clearing out all hostile forces."

"But, what about us?"

"Why can we two become elders with real power? Isn't it because our two clans are weak, and there are no top-tier powerhouses in our clans besides us?"

"We can hold power because we are weak and easier for Hiruzen to control."

"Our existence itself is to be scapegoats for Hiruzen."

"Now that we need to be scapegoats, if we are unwilling, then we have lost our value."

"And without value, Koharu, do you guess Hiruzen can tolerate us?"

"So, forget it!"

"There is no need to care so much; let's honestly be the scapegoats for Sarutobi Hiruzen."

"As long as we can continue to hold the power of the village, continue to get more benefits for the clan, and cultivate the younger generation of the clan as much as possible, this is what we should do most in the elder position."

"A little reputation, if it's gone, let it be gone!"