Chapter 81: Don't Even Think About Slamming the Door Today!

When Sarutobi Hiruzen had just ascended to the position in his thirties, how he lived in fear among the doubts of the village's major ninja clans, various factions, and the Fire Daimyo, avoiding being "outweighed" by the greater picture.

Now, after twenty years as Hokage, he had not only learned to prioritize the greater good, forcing others to compromise, but had also grown accustomed to it, treating it as truth.

When the Hyuga Clan suddenly refused to acknowledge the greater good—no, when they actually considered themselves part of the greater good—they naturally hardened their stance.

Hyuga no longer considered the Third Hokage's "greater good," ignored his pressure, and directly revealed all the truth to the public. The result was that Sarutobi Hiruzen was dumbfounded, unsure how to respond.

Bang!

Sarutobi Hiruzen slammed the table heavily; the teacup and documents trembled.

"Hyuga Hiashi! You have quite the nerve!"

"Aren't you afraid of destroying Konoha, of triggering a full-scale war between Konoha and Kumogakure?"

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura's faces darkened; the Hyuga Clan's counterattack left them at a loss.

But as Hokage Advisors, they had to offer their suggestions.

Utatane Koharu said: "Third-sama, now is not the time for anger."

"The Hyuga Clan has gone mad. They have revealed the truth to the public and captured Root ninja. There is no way to suppress it with a gag order."

"Now, you need a 'culprit' for the villagers and ninja to vent their anger on, to prevent internal unrest."

Mitokado Homura nodded in agreement: "Hiruzen, Koharu's method may not be good, but it is the most direct and effective way to pacify the villagers and ninja."

"Perhaps we can punish the Root members who spread the rumors and have Danzo apologize to Hyuga Hiashi, to quell the public anger."

"Apologize?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was tempted, but soon smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying helplessly: "Danzo's side will absolutely never agree."

The three fell silent together. They were all Danzo's classmates, and naturally understood Shimura Danzo.

That fellow was wildly ambitious, ruthless, and unscrupulous in achieving his goals.

Root was the sharpest blade in his hand, and also his most solid sphere of influence.

When Shimura Danzo casually sacrificed Root ninja, he never felt any heartache, but if anyone else wanted to touch even a hair of Root, it would trigger a mad-dog-like retaliation from him.

The Hyuga ninja had captured Root ninja. Danzo would absolutely not let it go, much less agree to punish Root members, let alone personally apologize to Hyuga Hiashi.

He would rather die!

Sarutobi Hiruzen was also unwilling to apologize, because Danzo was his man.

If Danzo apologized to Hyuga, wouldn't that be equivalent to the Hokage admitting he was wrong?

Sarutobi Hiruzen believed that admitting a mistake would inevitably damage the Hokage's authority and prestige. How could he then issue orders to the Konoha Ninja?

How could he lead Konohagakure to glory?

Suddenly, the office door was flung open violently, and Shimura Danzo strode in with aggressive momentum.

His face was dark, his eyes icy, his aura sinister. Walking up to the Third Hokage, he said directly: "Third Hokage-sama, please immediately order Hyuga Hiashi to stop this nonsense, release the Root ninja, and destroy all the big-character posters."

"Otherwise, Root will take matters into its own hands!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly raised his head to look at Danzo: "Danzo, you actually think I can still cover this up?"

"The Hyuga Clan captured Root ninja and have ironclad evidence of your spreading rumors. Almost everyone in Konohagakure knows what happened…"

Danzo coldly laughed and interrupted Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"Hiruzen, you are too weak!"

"Cover it up?"

"There's no need to cover it up at all!"

"The 'truth' the Hyuga Clan publicly released on their own is fake! They incited the emotions of villagers and ninja, disrupted the order of Konohagakure—this is treason! Utmost treason!"

"If they refuse to obey the Hokage's orders, the Hyuga Clan are rogue ninja!!"

"As for those so-called Root ninja, they were fabricated by Hyuga. What do they have to do with Root?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen laughed out of anger: "Hahaha…"

"Danzo, have you lost your mind? Something so many people witnessed, and you actually think that as long as I say they were spreading rumors, everyone will believe it…"

"Heh, thank you so much for your trust in me!"

"In a situation where the information cannot be controlled, forcibly slandering the Hyuga Clan will only ruin our credibility. Your proposal is the real mistake that destroys Konoha's unity, provokes internal unrest, and plunges Konoha into a greater crisis!"

Danzo scoffed, his eyes filled with a light of deep scheming that schemed nothing clearly.

"How could there possibly be a crisis?"

"As long as we forcefully suppress the Hyuga Clan, we can comprehensively strengthen our power. What is a mere little crisis?"

"We successfully eliminated the influence of the Senju Clan and fully suppressed the Uchiha Clan, but we overlooked the internally restless Hyuga Clan, which gave them the opportunity for a strong counterattack."

"It's time to teach the Hyuga Clan a lesson, to let them know that in Konohagakure the Hokage calls the shots, and no ninja clan can act so brazenly!"

"Possessing the Byakugan Bloodline Limit, insisting on their own traditions, and refusing to offer the 'Caged Bird' to the higher-ups—the Hyuga should have been suppressed long ago!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was so angered by Danzo's stupidity that his whole body trembled: "You are simply impossible to reason with!"

"Danzo, in your eyes there is only power, only your Root. There is no Konoha, no Konoha ninja and villagers!"

"The Hyuga Clan is a noble house of Konoha, an important force guarding Konoha. Mindless, reckless suppression will only cause us to lose the people's hearts and fall into a desperate situation of universal rebellion!"

Danzo said disdainfully: "In the Ninja World, only with strength, determination, and the courage to kill can one grasp power and control everything!"

"So-called people's hearts are nothing but tools driven by power."

"You are simply too indecisive, too concerned with your reputation, which is why you are led by the nose by Hyuga Hiashi, putting us in this awkward position!"

He stepped forward, staring coldly at Sarutobi Hiruzen: "I'll say it one last time. Immediately issue the order to make Hyuga Hiashi stop his counterattack, release my Root people, and destroy all the big-character posters!"

"Otherwise, I will order Root to act, forcibly suppressing the Hyuga Clan, even if it triggers internal unrest!"

A threat, a naked threat!

Sarutobi Hiruzen no longer argued, but coldly waved his hand: "Someone come, bring a stool for Advisor Shimura Danzo. For three days, he is not allowed to leave the Hokage Office."

Shimura Danzo: "Hiruzen, what do you mean?"

"You're going to place me under house arrest?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen admitted it outright: "That's right, I'm placing you under house arrest."

"If you're not satisfied, I'll order your arrest, throw you into prison, and at the same time have the Anbu thoroughly search Root and disband the so-called 'Anbu Training Organization'!"

This time it was Shimura Danzo's turn to tremble all over, but in the end he didn't dare risk Root, and obediently sat down on the stool the Anbu ninja had brought over.

He said through gritted teeth: "Hiruzen, you'll regret this…"

Sarutobi Hiruzen sneered: "Danzo, I am the Hokage!"

"Today, don't even think about slamming my door again!!"