Chapter 83: The Third Hokage Group Falls Apart

Cheers and applause instantly resounded throughout the entire plaza.

Everyone was immersed in immense joy, their gazes toward Hyuga Hiashi filled with admiration.

Hyuga Hiashi knew he was not the protagonist, but rather basking in the reflected glory of Orochimaru.

Yet, he still stood steadily on the stage, smiling with relief, waving to the Konohagakure villagers and ninja on behalf of Lord Orochimaru.

Because he knew all too well that the news of Orochimaru about to strike Kumogakure was the heaviest blow to the Third Hokage Group.

The Hyuga clan was completely off the hook.

Hokage Building, Hokage Office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen heard the news about Orochimaru through the Anbu, and his entire body froze.

His pipe slipped from his palm, and he didn't even notice it fall onto his trousers.

Shock and disbelief occupied Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind, and a deep sense of shame surged wildly, making him not even dare to meet the eyes of his three old classmates.

Everything he had done over the past three days had turned into a massive joke.

It felt as if someone had slapped him hundreds of times, leaving his ears ringing and his head spinning.

He had sacrificed the dignity of the Hyuga clan, ignored the truth, and was willing to endure the questioning of villagers and ninja just to compromise with Kumogakure, all because he feared the strength of Kumogakure and worried that if they continued the war, Konohagakure would pay an unbearable price.

Yet, Orochimaru had proven with actual actions that Kumogakure was not that strong at all.

A mere four thousand Konoha ninja had actually fought all the way from the Land of Fire to the Land of Lightning in just a few short days.

With Kumogakure fully mobilized and the Fourth Raikage pursuing madly, they were closing in on Kumogakure step by step, looking very much like they would capture it in one fell swoop.

Orochimaru didn't even need to actually slaughter the village; he only needed to prove he had the ability to breach Kumogakure, and the Fourth Raikage would have no choice but to sign an unconditional surrender treaty!

Sarutobi Hiruzen wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were also blushing with shame.

Even the shameless Danzo had a very ugly expression, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

The Konoha F4 had never imagined that the combination of Orochimaru and Yamanaka Chujiu could be powerful to this extent.

The Third Hokage and his group had never thought that one day Konohagakure would have the prospect of capturing Kumogakure.

Whether it was suppressing the Hyuga or quickly negotiating peace, the premise was built on the foundation that Kumogakure was stronger and that Konohagakure would inevitably lose and suffer greater losses if it resisted.

Now, it was a mess; all plans had failed completely because the foundation was wrong.

The most miserable one was Danzo; the Hyuga clan had published the truth and seized evidence of Root spreading rumors, causing Danzo and his Root to be completely exposed.

Root could not see the light; once exposed, the darkness it bred would make it a public enemy of Konohagakure.

"..."

Danzo gritted his teeth and roared, his eyes filled with unwillingness: "Who, who gave Orochimaru the nerve to dare to kill his way directly to the Land of Lightning and attack Kumogakure?"

"How could he ruin my plans?"

"Danzo, shut up!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen raised his head and looked at Danzo, his tone filled with exhaustion: "Don't say any more; we have failed, and saying more will only be more embarrassing."

Shimura Danzo flew into a rage: "You tell me to shut up, and I have to shut up?"

"It was you who insisted on suppressing the Hyuga clan, it was you who did it to consolidate your own power and restoration, but everything you did is meaningless now!!"

"Orochimaru used four thousand ninja to prove that Kumogakure is not strong at all; our compromises and our fawning have all become a joke!"

"Hiruzen, the matter of the Hyuga clan, the anger of the villagers and ninja, and the trust crisis in Konoha are all mistakes caused by you!"

"You don't think that just because you restored your position as Hokage, you can still have the final say on everything, do you?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face turned livid, and he said sternly: "Danzo, how dare you spout nonsense to me? What do you mean it's all my fault?"

"What do you mean I, the Third Hokage, cannot have the final say?"

"Are you trying to act recklessly and then pin the blame on me?"

"Right now, the emotions of the villagers and ninja are already very agitated, and Orochimaru has breached Kumogakure; Konoha cannot afford any more internal strife!"

"If you dare to act wantonly, I, as Hokage, will have no choice but to order the dissolution of Root and severely punish you, the culprit!"

This was the first time Sarutobi Hiruzen had reprimanded Danzo so severely, and the first time he had stated a specific method of punishment, which immediately stunned Shimura Danzo.

Danzo was completely dumbfounded.

His greatest reliance for being so arrogant was Sarutobi Hiruzen's classmate sentiment and the Third Hokage's indecisiveness.

But Danzo also knew very well that Sarutobi Hiruzen had a ruthless streak in his bones; once he made up his mind, even if he had to pay with his own life, he would never change it.

Furthermore, Root was legally just a department of the Anbu; once Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered its dissolution, Root would have to be dissolved.

After all, Sarutobi Hiruzen was the Third Hokage, the supreme ruler of Konoha, possessing absolute power over Konohagakure.

Shimura Danzo was essentially a parasitic ruler; his ambition and influence were all borrowed from Sarutobi, not possessed by himself.

So no matter how he struggled, he would be firmly held in check by Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Danzo's eyes were filled with anger and unwillingness as he stared fixedly at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said word by word: "Fine! A fine Third Hokage!"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen! I will remember your words today!"

"We shall see!"

Having said that, he turned to leave the office.

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly spoke up: "Danzo, have you forgotten..."

"I said before that you cannot leave the Hokage Office?"

"If you dare to leave in front of me, you had better leave Konohagakure directly."

Danzo's footsteps stopped instantly, the angry expression on his face suddenly turning into grievance as he glared at Sarutobi Hiruzen with his single eye: "Hiruzen, do you really have to go this far?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up his pipe, lit it, and took a deep puff: "This isn't going too far; this is maintaining my authority as Hokage."

"Danzo, the situation is too dire now; it has become you who is threatening my authority."

Danzo roared: "No! This isn't fair!"

"How can you suddenly go back on your word?"

Regardless of what was said, Danzo's feet did not lift, and his hands made no move to push open the door.

In the end, Danzo did not force the door open to leave, but instead returned obediently to his seat and sat down in silence.

After Danzo shut his mouth, the Hokage Office fell into a deathly silence once again.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat before the desk and wearily closed his eyes.

Suppressing Shimura Danzo did not make him feel triumphant, nor could it eliminate even a shred of his discomfiture.

He knew that the influence of Orochimaru's actions was too great, and the blow to his own prestige was too severe.

Even the credibility of the Third Hokage Group had suffered an unprecedented blow, which could be described as a plummeting fall.

He even felt a sense of being unable to catch his breath.

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were likewise solemn-faced, not saying a word.