Sakumo couldn’t believe it.
The subordinates who had followed him for years had actually betrayed him.
In truth, they hadn’t betrayed Konoha.
Besides serving under Sakumo, they had another identity, they were Root shinobi under Danzo.
In their minds, carrying out Danzo’s orders was the same as serving the Hokage and protecting Konoha.
“Abandoning a mission to save your comrades may be classified as a failed mission, but the bonds between comrades have always been one of Konoha’s core ideals.
The problem is that when it’s time to choose the next Hokage, someone can use this stain against you and keep you from ever becoming Hokage.” Listening to Muzan’s explanation, Sakumo fell into deep thought.
The Hatake Clan had always kept to themselves and rarely involved themselves in politics.
Even after achieving so much in his generation, he’d never once considered pursuing the Hokage’s seat.
“But I’ve never wanted to compete for the position of Hokage.” Muzan could only shake his head helplessly.
It wasn’t about whether you wanted the position.
It was that other people believed you did.
Once you were caught in Konoha’s political swamp, staying above it was impossible.
To a certain extent, Sakumo’s reputation had already surpassed that of the Sannin.
More importantly, he was a veteran powerhouse who had trained countless outstanding subordinates.
That influence shouldn’t be underestimated.
During a Hokage election, it could easily sway the outcome.
On top of that, Sakumo was approachable, well-liked, and had two genius sons.
Given enough time, the Hatake family could secure Konoha’s prosperity for generations.
The villagers weren’t fools.
They would never hand their support to Orochimaru, much less to Danzo, the darkness of Konoha.
“Don’t you understand yet?
It doesn’t matter what you want.
In their eyes, you’re Konoha’s White Fang.
That alone makes you a legitimate contender.” Sakumo let out a long sigh.
It seemed he had already been dragged into the whirlpool.
Staying out of it was no longer an option.
“Right now, you don’t need to do anything.
With Tsunade’s help, the rumors surrounding you will soon be suppressed.
As for the Hokage position…” Muzan didn’t continue, but Sakumo understood exactly what he meant.
That seat was something he should never touch.
It wasn’t simply a matter of greater power bringing greater responsibility.
Looking across the Five Great Nations, nearly every Kage had met a tragic end.
Very few ever lived to old age.
“…I understand.
I’ll continue risking my life to protect Konoha, but I won’t trust the village elders again.” If he continued placing blind faith in them, he wouldn’t just be failing himself, he’d be failing his children as well.
Today’s incident, where three chunin had attacked Muzan, proved that much.
If Muzan hadn’t been strong enough, the consequences would’ve been disastrous.
Boom!
“What happened outside?” Just as the two were talking, a deafening explosion shook the house.
A massive mushroom cloud rose from the direction of the Hokage’s office.
Oddly enough, no shinobi rushed toward it.
Apparently, the Hokage had already issued orders.
“So they really made that much of a scene.” Muzan looked toward the mushroom cloud and smiled faintly.
“It looks like Tsunade found the one behind everything…
and they’re arguing inside the Hokage’s office.
How interesting.” Violence couldn’t solve every problem forever, but after this, Danzo would at least think twice before trying another scheme so openly.
Both sides had been given a way to save face.
“Danzo…
once the Third Shinobi War is over, you and I are going to have a long talk.” “The ninja world is full of powerful missing-nin.
Some became outlaws in pursuit of greater strength.” “And I just happen to be able to offer them exactly that.” Sure enough, it wasn’t long before they saw an exhausted Tsunade standing outside the Hatake residence.
She had gone to demand an explanation.
Unfortunately, that bastard Danzo had denied everything to the very end.
With the Third Hokage covering for him, all she could do in the end was punch the entrance to the Hokage’s office.
“I’m sorry…
I couldn’t get the answer we wanted.” “It’s fine.” Sakumo looked at the exhausted Tsunade.
“I already understand what happened.
This isn’t your fault.” “If anyone is to blame, it’s Konoha’s leadership.” She had already done more than enough for him.
He had never expected to completely clear his name.
After this incident, Tsunade had finally lost her patience with Konoha.
She had decided to leave the village.
Even with war approaching, someone suffering from hemophobia could only laugh bitterly.
If she stayed, she’d be little more than a symbolic figure.
“I never thought even Tsunade would fail.” Sakumo couldn’t hide his surprise.
She was Konoha’s princess.
Even she couldn’t punish the one responsible and had needed to vent her anger by smashing up the Hokage’s office.
It seemed the Hokage himself had also been involved.
“Isn’t that only natural?” Muzan answered calmly.
“If Danzo could really have been brought to justice, the rumors about you never would’ve spread in the first place.” Besides, no irreversible damage had been done.
Sakumo was still alive.
The losses from the failed S-rank mission, while severe, were still within what Konoha could endure.
More importantly, this was an extraordinary period.
The Third Shinobi War could erupt at any moment.
No matter how you looked at it, they couldn’t afford to punish Danzo too harshly.
In the end, Sakumo was the one forced to bear the injustice.
“I suppose you’re right.” Sakumo nodded.
“You’ve also been confined to Konoha for the next month.” “Think of it as a form of protection.” He searched Muzan’s eyes for resentment.
After everything that had happened, he feared his son might lose faith in the village and choose to leave Konoha.
Fortunately, he found none.
Muzan hated only Konoha’s leadership, not the village he had sworn to protect.
“I guess it counts.” “But things in Konoha are about to get much worse.” “Father, you’d better prepare yourself.” “According to Orochimaru-sensei, part of the shinobi force has already been transferred to the Kumogakure front.” Whether he could leave the village or not made little difference to Muzan.
Once the war began, even newly graduated genin would be sent to the battlefield.
Still…
He really didn’t want to face Kumogakure.
Their village was packed with monsters and ranked second only to Konoha in overall military strength.
Not only did they have the future A-B duo, they also had the terrifying Third Raikage.
The man known as possessing both the Ultimate Spear and the Ultimate Shield.
A monster who had once held back ten thousand shinobi alone and only died after collapsing from exhaustion.
“Don’t worry.” Sakumo smiled reassuringly.
“Kumogakure won’t be able to launch a full-scale invasion anytime soon.” “Don’t forget, we have allies.” “The Third Kazekage of the Land of Wind is still in contact with us.” “…Father, I wouldn’t count on the Third Kazekage.” Konoha and Sunagakure might have been allies.
But the Third Kazekage would soon be assassinated from the shadows.
Leaderless, Sunagakure would quickly become vulnerable, allowing Kumogakure to seize the opportunity.
Later, Sunagakure would even shift the blame onto Konoha.
By then, Konoha would end up facing attacks from four different villages, while the Sand shinobi joined the fighting in hopes of taking advantage of the chaos, turning the entire war into a complete disaster.
Over the following days, Muzan devoted nearly all of his time to his experiments.
After his clash with Konoha’s shinobi, he remained wary of the old fox Danzo plotting something behind the scenes.
Anyone with eyes could tell that the Hokage was deliberately protecting him.
Unless Muzan himself reached Kage-level strength, he would never truly control his own fate.
Then, one unexpected event sent ripples across the otherwise calm surface.