Chapter 84: Obstacles Before Kumogakure

Sarutobi Hiruzen handled the crisis swiftly.

He placed Danzo under house arrest, apologized to Hyuga Hiashi, and dispatched the Root to control the Cloud Ninja.

Most importantly, Sarutobi Hiruzen announced in his capacity as Third Hokage that he would never accept any peace treaty that was not a victory.

The foolish villagers of Konoha believed him, and they cheered "Long live" for the Third Hokage.

The Konoha Ninja were left awkwardly on the sidelines, missing the opportunity to question the Third Hokage about the rumors regarding Root and to clear Hatake Sakumo's name.

Even the failure to apologize to Hyuga Hizashi was quietly glossed over by Sarutobi Hiruzen, riding the wave of the villagers' cheers.

But Hyuga Hiashi did not make any more trouble.

He recalled all his clansmen and cleaned away all the big-character posters, displaying extreme obedience.

Sarutobi Hiruzen utilized the authority of the Hokage and the prestige he had accumulated over twenty years to muddle through this crisis.

But when the news reached Orochimaru in the Land of Lightning, he and Yamanaka Chujiu looked at each other and laughed.

There was not much joy in Orochimaru's laughter; instead, it was filled with a bitter taste, revealing a near-numb disappointment.

He had completely given up hope.

Orochimaru sighed, "My teacher Sarutobi is truly old. Facing a crisis pushed right to his doorstep, he chose to compromise with the villagers and use public opinion to delay the crisis, rather than solving the problem to eliminate it entirely."

"Such deceptive methods can only postpone the crisis, and will cause it to ferment continuously, eventually exploding into an unprecedented major crisis."

"Chujiu, you are right; Teacher is truly no longer fit to be Hokage."

Yamanaka Chujiu smiled: "Teacher Orochimaru, you still have a filter when it comes to Sarutobi Hiruzen."

Orochimaru was stunned: "Why do you say that?"

Yamanaka Chujiu asked: "Teacher, think carefully. In the twenty years since he became Hokage, what problems has Sarutobi Hiruzen actually solved?"

"The external problems that triggered the three Ninja World Wars were the imbalance of interests between the five great ninja villages; has Sarutobi Hiruzen solved them?"

"The internal problems that triggered conflicts in Konohagakure were the struggles for interests between ninja clans, and between ninja clans and civilians; has Sarutobi Hiruzen solved them?"

Orochimaru was stunned at first, but soon he hissed and took a sharp breath: "Chujiu, you view all problems as interests; this perspective is very unique."

"That's right, that's right; all problems, in the end, can be attributed to the struggle for interests."

"Oh hahaha, I suddenly feel like my eyes have become brighter; the problems that have plagued me for years were actually just about competing for interests."

"Chujiu, you are right. Teacher Sarutobi has never solved even a single problem; he only learned the Second Hokage's method of suppressing others with the weight of authority."

Yamanaka Chujiu said quietly: "Sarutobi Hiruzen even learned it wrong, turning the Second Hokage's bluffing threats into reality."

"The ninja, ninja clans, and allies of Konohagakure were indeed solved by him using various methods..."

Orochimaru frowned slightly, subconsciously wanting to defend his teacher a little.

But he opened his mouth, and in the end, he said nothing at all.

The Uzumaki Clan of Uzumaki Village, the Senju, Kato, Hatake Clan, Uchiha, and Kurama Clan of his own village...

There were too many examples, truly too many; there was not even room for sophistry, so how could he explain it?

Yamanaka Chujiu said with a smile: "The reason Sarutobi Hiruzen appears particularly disheveled after his restoration is because the foundation saved up by the First and Second Hokage has already been squandered by him."

"Konohagakure has truly become weaker, and internal contradictions have become extremely sharp, which is why you and I, master and disciple, could ignite them so easily."

"If not for the two of us exerting force, and letting Sarutobi Hiruzen squander for a few more years, Konohagakure would have developed a huge hole that would require a giant family to fill."

"Think about it, which family would be the most suitable?"

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue to lick his cheek, then said that name without hesitation:

"The Uchiha Clan."

"Sigh, let us solve the problem of Kumogakure first, and then let Teacher Sarutobi step down as soon as possible; at least, at least let him retire alive."

Yamanaka Chujiu shook his head: "I am not that optimistic."

If Sarutobi Hiruzen had not been restored, but instead a Fifth Hokage had been elected, his retirement and reputation could have been maintained; at most, he would have just lost the Hokage power that no longer belonged to him.

But he was restored.

The restored Third Hokage is no longer just the person Sarutobi Hiruzen, but the collective will of everyone who paid the price and made the effort during the restoration process.

Sarutobi Hiruzen might not be sidelined like the Fourth Hokage, but after this great crisis in Konohagakure, he will definitely realize that he has no way to retreat.

The fact that he could use such extreme means to forcibly quell the crisis in Konohagakure is the best proof.

In the original history, it was Orochimaru who used his own reputation to create a village from scratch, filling the hole for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Because he was worried his own assets were not enough, he even thoughtfully pulled the Fourth Kazekage in to fill that huge bottomless abyss together.

Sarutobi Hiruzen got everything: the future of Konohagakure, the safety of the Sarutobi Clan, the future Sarutobi Hokage, and even his reputation was preserved.

But he actually still felt it was not enough, and insisted on severing Orochimaru's hands just to make his own battle record look a little prettier.

After Orochimaru used Impure World Reincarnation to summon the four Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen would nag with his mouth, but in actual action, he would immediately do whatever Orochimaru said; the main theme was obedience.

Yamanaka Chujiu laughed to himself: "But history will not repeat itself. Orochimaru is my teacher, so I will not let him fill the hole for Sarutobi Hiruzen."

"Then will the Third Hokage completely drop his mask, mobilize the power of the Sarutobi Clan, completely ignite the contradictions of Konohagakure, and personally start the civil war he keeps saying he wants to avoid?"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, I am very much looking forward to your choice."

A few hours later, Orochimaru sent a message from the front of the formation: "I have already seen Kumogakure."

"I also saw the ninja of Kumogakure; there are many, but they don't look very strong."

Yamanaka Chujiu did not speak.

Because he had already seen the enemy in the Mind Severing Realm and had already issued the order to deploy into combat formation.

It was also because the emotions of the Cloud Ninja he felt in the Mind Severing Realm were grief and indignation, frustration, as well as fear, helplessness, and determination.

These emotions were truly both familiar and strange.

Over the years, he had often felt similar emotions among Konoha Ninja, but had never felt them from Cloud Ninja.

In Yamanaka Chujiu's mind, the stereotype of Cloud Ninja was arrogance, pride, greed, and confidence.

"So, you too can feel fear and frustration."

His emotions resonated with the Konoha Ninja, and he arrived at the very front of the ranks, filled with joy.

Kumogakure was situated on the mountain peak not far ahead, shrouded in clouds and mist; it was easy to defend and difficult to attack, serving as the final objective of this war.

But for the Konoha army, what could block them was not the terrain, but the Cloud Ninja standing in front of Kumogakure.

Even if the majority of the Cloud Ninja were old, young, or disabled, they were still a greater threat than the terrain and were obstacles that had to be cleared.