“With Konoha’s Ninja clans, big and small, uniting, plus his status as the White Fang of Konoha with immense popularity among the civilians, we have no chance of winning.”
Homura Mitokado analyzed simply.
He felt terrible as well—family, who could possibly understand?
He, a mere fence-sitter, woke up to find his position on the verge of being lost.
Even if White Fang couldn’t be bothered to target him, the Ninja clans behind him would definitely force him down.
There was no helping it; this position was simply too sweet, filled with infinite glory and splendor.
Thinking of his future life, Homura Mitokado couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair.
It was supposed to be a smooth sailing game, but his teammates threw it all away by being too reckless; if things had just developed slowly over time, no one could say for sure who would end up as Hokage.
“Then…!”
Utatane Koharu revealed a ruthless glint in her eyes, her implication self-evident.
“Enough!
Both of you, shut up!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi scolded loudly.
This was outrageous—they actually wanted to harm a fellow villager!
Besides, was White Fang someone so easy to kill?
As a Kage-level powerhouse, it would take at least a dozen elite Jonin to stand against him.
Konoha only had around a hundred Jonin in total—were they supposed to use that power against one of their own?
Not to mention, how could they possibly hide the commotion of killing White Fang?
If it were exposed, the Village would fall apart!
Both of them wore bitter smiles.
They truly didn’t want Sarutobi to step down like this.
With a forced abdication like this, they wouldn’t end up well either—after all, who doesn’t love power?
“My mistakes, I will take full responsibility for them!
I have wronged White Fang; if he wants to become Hokage, I will pass the position to him!”
Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi said resolutely.
White Fang was an excellent inheritor of the will of fire and would make a fine Hokage!
Perhaps the Hokage seat belonged to him all along, and all these recent events were merely the retribution for condoning Danzo back then.
Hearing these words, Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu exchanged a glance, both showing expressions of resignation.
At this moment, an Anbu arrived quickly in front of the Third using the Body Flicker Technique and spoke in an incredulous tone.
“Lord Third, Lord White Fang…
he committed suicide…”
Hiruzen Sarutobi:…
Homura Mitokado:…
Utatane Koharu:…
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu exchanged another look, trying their best to keep their faces calm, but the upward curve of their lips couldn’t be suppressed no matter what.
It seemed good deeds truly had good rewards; such a dramatic turn of events was truly heaven’s will!
Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked on in disbelief.
Suicide?
How was that possible?
Could it be murder?
Danzo?
“White Fang really committed suicide!”
The Anbu nodded once more in confirmation.
“Yes, Lord Third.
We examined the scene—there were no signs of anyone else acting, nor any traces of Genjutsu.
Furthermore, we found this.”
Saying so, the Anbu handed over a resignation letter—a retirement request from Sakumo Hatake.
Hiruzen Sarutobi dazedly accepted the resignation letter, his mind going completely blank.
Reality was so absurd.
He had never imagined the incident would escalate to this point; he was even ready to give up the position of Hokage, yet in the end, White Fang had committed suicide!
The resignation letter from White Fang in his hand undoubtedly told him that this was indeed reality!
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had once been entrusted with heavy responsibilities by the Second Hokage in a time of crisis, possessed an immensely pure will of fire.
Precisely because of this, combined with recent events, he somewhat understood why White Fang had taken his own life.
“Sakumo…
did I kill you by abandoning the will of fire?”
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was filled with deep grief.
It was his hesitation regarding the will of fire that caused Sakumo’s death.
Back then, the self that had been entrusted with duty in a crisis by the Second Hokage would probably have done the same if faced with this situation.
He had killed his past self.
Bang!
The doors to the Hokage’s office were flung open without warning, and Lord Danzo made his entrance.
Danzo’s feelings were exceedingly complex.
White Fang was dead, his own position was secure, and the Hokage seat was still a possibility in the future, but the Village had ultimately lost a Kage-level combat force, which was undoubtedly a huge loss.
Whatever, it didn’t matter.
He wasn’t the Hokage anyway.
Better to focus on suppressing the Uchiha—after all, that was Teacher’s instruction.
“Hiruzen, White Fang spoke with Uchiha Fugaku before he died!
This was definitely done by the Uchiha Clan!!!”
Danzo’s single eye was filled with hatred for the Uchiha Clan.
In short, White Fang’s death had nothing to do with him now.
“Danzo, you are no longer the Hokage’s assistant!
Who gave you permission to enter without my leave?!”
Already steeped in grief, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was instantly enraged upon seeing Danzo, the chief culprit, shifting the blame onto others.
“Hiruzen, one thing at a time!
While I might share part of the reason for White Fang’s suicide, is White Fang himself blameless?
Ninja are tools!”
“Furthermore, this situation undoubtedly reveals the Village’s instability.
The Uchiha are that very factor of instability and must be suppressed!”
Danzo paid no heed to Hiruzen’s meaningless barking and continued talking to himself.
“That’s right, that’s right!
The damnable Uchiha must be restricted!”
The two fence-sitters nodded repeatedly as well.
Having almost lost their positions this time, they definitely had to strike back hard.
Seeing his three old friends join forces, for a brief moment he considered following their advice, as he was long accustomed to this way of working.
But White Fang’s death still had an impact; at this moment, the Third returned to that state of being entrusted with heavy responsibility in times of crisis, and the will of fire flared up once again!
“Enough!
Have you forgotten Kagami?
The Uchiha are also members of Konoha!
This White Fang incident ends here, and I will take full responsibility for whatever consequences follow!”
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke decisively.
The three fell silent without a word.
At this moment, the overwhelmingly dominant Third felt unfamiliar, as if he had reverted back to that Hiruzen Sarutobi who had decided to sacrifice himself so they could escape!
…
After news of White Fang’s suicide spread, the entire Konoha Village fell into complete silence.
Reality was truly surreal.
They had treaded on thin ice step by step, yet it turned out like this—who could possibly withstand it?
“Your subjects were just preparing to fight to the death, why did Your Majesty surrender first?”
At the Uchiha Clan meeting, the Uchiha members stared at one another in dumbfounded silence.
Uchiha Shali broke the silence and asked.
“Fugaku, what did you say to White Fang?
Not long after you left, he committed suicide?”
Uchiha Shali seriously doubted this kid’s competence.
As soon as he left, White Fang killed himself right after?
Now there were even rumors claiming White Fang’s suicide was related to the Uchiha.
Uchiha Fugaku was also breaking out in a cold sweat, well aware of the gravity of the situation.
“I didn’t say much at all!
I only said we supported him becoming Hokage, absolutely no problem whatsoever.
I’d even dare go to the Interrogation Department to have my memories checked!”
Seeing Uchiha Fugaku make such a pledge, the other Uchiha shifted their gazes away, though no one knew what they were thinking in their hearts.
“Then go to the Interrogation Department later.”
Uchiha Fushan said calmly.
For the sake of Fugaku’s future path, this was necessary.
“Yes.”
Uchiha Fugaku nodded with a somewhat grim expression.
Though he said so, suffering a bit in the Interrogation Department was inevitable.
White Fang has ruined me!
Uchiha Fushan immediately followed up.
“Although this incident…
although…
was an accident and won’t be discussed further, the Third Elder’s strategy is undoubtedly correct.
We need a civilian Hokage to reverse our current slump!”
“The Uchiha will act low-key for now, focusing primarily on finding our next target!”
“Once we assist a civilian Hokage into power, only then will it be the era of our Uchiha!”
…..