Sarutobi Hiruzen finally remembered why he was in the hospital. The last thing he remembered was Naruto's fist getting bigger and bigger in front of his eyes.
He only remembered his head being hit, and then everything that happened next was like a blackout.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been through countless battles, knew exactly what state he was in.
...He was knocked out by Naruto!
And he just woke up now!
"...Naruto, has this kid become so powerful?" Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression was very complicated.
He knew that Naruto's punch had completely severed his relationship with Naruto.
From now on, Naruto will no longer call him Grandpa Hokage.
Moreover, he didn't even know if Naruto would still call him "Third Hokage-sama" the next time he saw him.
It seemed that his image had completely collapsed in Naruto's heart.
His image was shattered, and there was no chance to save it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed softly.
He propped himself up with one hand on the bed board, sat up from the bed, and gently leaned his back against the wall.
Sarutobi Hiruzen knew very well.
His move.
Was off.
Clearly, the chess piece in his hand could determine the next move.
But various accidents led to the chess piece having this idea.
In the end, the chess piece backfired on him, the chess player.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that it was not his fault, he did nothing wrong, everything he did was indeed for Naruto's good, for the village's good, and for everyone's good.
The reason and the blame are not on him, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
But on that Whitebeard.
And on the guy who told Naruto about his life!
Whitebeard and that mysterious guy.....
Are the real culprits!
"Cough cough cough!" Under the violent fluctuation of his inner emotions, Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but cough violently a few times.
Then he suddenly found that his mouth was a bit strange.
It was a bit leaky when he coughed.
He was suddenly shocked.
The tongue in his mouth couldn't help but keep exploring on the gum, and a pair of muddy old eyes also began to gradually enlarge: "Where are my teeth?"
"How... how is there only one left?"
"How is there only a front tooth left?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was shocked to find that there was only one lonely front tooth left in his mouth full of old teeth.
He was dumbfounded!
Last time, he was beaten by Whitebeard and only half of his old teeth were left.
Then he planted new teeth.
This time.
Could it be that Naruto's punch knocked all his teeth out?
Is this really a punch from a child?
The force is too outrageous, right?
"Hokage-sama? Are you awake?" At this moment, an Anbu ninja wearing a mask heard a little movement in the ward, and he gently pushed the door and entered.
Sure enough, he saw the already awake Hokage-sama.
A few different colors flashed in the eyes under the mask of the Anbu ninja.
Obviously, he had also heard some things in the past two days.
He know another side of Hokage-sama.
"Hmm....." Seeing someone come in, Sarutobi Hiruzen slightly stabilizes his emotions. He endures the pain on his face and asks the Anbu ninja, "Your name is Yamanaka, right? I remember you, you are a newcomer who joined Anbu not long ago. I ask you, how long have I been unconscious? What happened to Konohagakure during the time I was unconscious?"
The Anbu ninja answered his question, "Hokage-sama, you have been unconscious for a full day and a half. A lot of things happened in Konohagakure during this day and a half..."
The Anbu ninja continued, "There are rumors about Hokage-sama in the village, rumors about Uzumaki Naruto's background, and even rumors about the Hyuga clan."
"And, more than half of the candidates who participated in the second round of the Chunin exam were taken away by the Whitebeard Pirates."
"The self-proclaimed captain of the first division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Uzumaki Naruto, even bluntly stated that besides Konohagakure, other ninja villages must pay 1 million ryo to redeem a Genin."
"Last night, a Jonin from Sunagakure Village wanted to go and argue with the other party. As a result, the Sunagakure Jonin left in a huff, it seems that his negotiation with the Whitebeard Pirates did not go well."
At this point, the Anbu ninja paused.
"Hokage-sama... just this morning, the Whitebeard Pirates openly stated that we need to pay 2 million ryo to redeem a Genin candidate from Konohagakure Village."
"They said that our Konohagakure is rich and can afford this amount of money. And the number of Genin candidates taken away from Konohagakure is as many as 32."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's face wrapped in bandages has turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Because of what happened to Konohagakure during his unconsciousness.
Not a single piece of good news.
"What do they think Konohagakure is? Do they think Konohagakure is their Whitebeard Pirates' piggy bank? Paying 2 million ryo to redeem a Chunin exam candidate... why don't they just rob us?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was almost furious.
Who has ever extorted a ninja village so openly?
The person who extorted Konohagakure Village is in Konohagakure Village.
And Konohagakure Village just can't do anything about it.
That feeling of suffocation.
Don't mention how uncomfortable it is.
You know, in order to prepare for this Chunin exam, Konohagakure Village also spent a lot of money, smashing no less than 100 million ryo in total.
In addition, the chaos on the night of the Uchiha clan's extermination, the village still needs several billion to recover.
Now they are being extorted by the Whitebeard Pirates again!
Who is bullying people like this?!
"2 million ryos each, 32 Genin, 64 million ryos!" After calculating in his heart, Sarutobi Hiruzen almost vomited blood.
Konohagakure is indeed a big billshr.
Konohagakure is indeed very rich.
But.....
It can't stand such a loss!
At this time, Sarutobi Hiruzen has not yet realized how widespread the rumors about him are. His mind is full of 64 million ryos, and he is so angry that he almost faints again.
"Right....."
"I almost forgot....." Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes flashed with gloom: "Yamanaka, I have a task for you!"
"Hokage-sama, please speak." The Anbu ninja responded.
"Help me investigate properly, who exactly is the guy who said things he shouldn't have said to Naruto." Sarutobi Hiruzen squinted his eyes, turned his head to look at the fox-faced mask of the Anbu ninja: "I shouldn't need to explain specifically, you should know what those unspeakable words are, right?"
".....Understood." The expression of the Anbu ninja was very strange.
Because this Anbu ninja is called "Yamanaka".
He is the newcomer who was with Kakashi a while ago.
He actually knows who "awakened" Uzumaki Naruto.
But he doesn't know if he should tell Hokage-sama.
On one side is Hokage-sama, but on the other side are Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi-senpai, and the Whitebeard Pirates.
As everyone knows.
1<3
Yamanaka immediately nodded and said: "Please rest assured, Hokage-sama, I will find out for you! I will definitely find out the truth!"
He said something very against his heart.
He lied to Hokage-sama.
Sometimes.....if a person's image collapses, if a person's character is different from before. Then the people around him will easily have twisted thoughts about him.
.....
On the other side, the temporary residence of the Whitebeard Pirates in Konohagakure Village.
At this moment, there are two people standing in front of Whitebeard.
One is Kaguya Kimimaro.
One is Uzumaki Naruto.
"Pops, this is the guy, his name is 'Kaguya Kimimaro', I think he has the potential to join the Whitebeard Pirates."
Naruto patted Kimimaro on the shoulder, he laughed carelessly: "Pops, Kimimaro is really interesting! He is a Kekkei Genkai ninja, his bones can grow infinitely! I also spent a lot of effort to catch him."
The sturdy steel rope on Kimimaro's body was not untied by Naruto, and he was still in a tied-up posture.
However, the rope on his legs was untied.
Allowing him to walk freely.
"Oh?" Whitebeard sat on a large chair with a big knife, and next to him was a Murakumogiri over ten meters high.
The whole person's momentum looks like a towering mountain.
Even Kimimaro had to admit in his heart.
This giant who is so tall that it's a bit outrageous is more powerful in terms of momentum than Orochimaru-sama.
Just standing in front of this Whitebeard.
You can feel a strong oppressive force like a mountain torrent.
It made Kimimaro's heart sink slightly.
As if a boulder was pressed on it.
"Kekkei Genkai ninja? Gurarararara, are they the guys who ate the devil fruit?" In Whitebeard's eyes, there is no difference between Kekkei Genkai and devil fruit ability users.
At most, Kekkei Genkai ninjas are not afraid of seawater, and they are not afraid of seastone.
But the seawater in the ninja world has no effect on devil fruit ability users.
There is no such thing as seastone.
In this way.......
Is there really a difference between Kekkei Genkai and devil fruit?
Whitebeard couldn't be bothered to think about such things.
Anyway, he lumped these two together.
"Gurarararar! Kid! Since my silly son said that you are an interesting kid... are you interested in joining the Whitebeard Pirates, becoming Whitebeard's son, and becoming a part of my Whitebeard family?"
Whitebeard grinned, choosing to trust Naruto's judgment.
As the Pops of these silly sons.
How could he not trust his sons?
Kimimaro: "....."
When Whitebeard said "join the Whitebeard Pirates", Kimimaro instinctively wanted to refuse.
Because he felt that he could not betray Orochimaru-sama's kindness.
He had long vowed to be loyal to Orochimaru-sama.
But.
The next second, Whitebeard said "become my son", these words directly crashed Kimimaro's brain, just like the day before when Naruto invited him to join the Whitebeard Pirates.
A ten-year-old Kimimaro found it hard to imagine that when one person invites another,
It would be in such a way.
Son?
Family?
The first word might be offensive to some people, but when combined with the second word, it stuns people.
The son is not the key.
Family is the key!
Kimimaro couldn't help but recall that when Orochimaru-sama invited him to join Orochimaru-sama's side, Orochimaru-sama only said to him... do you want to become my capable assistant? Do you want to become my most loyal tool? I can adopt and educate you, but you have to dedicate your loyalty to me!
Even if Kimimaro didn't want to admit it, but if he really let him compare Orochimaru-sama with Whitebeard...
Actually, at a glance.
You can tell who is superior.
Although Kimimaro always calls himself Orochimaru-sama's most perfect tool, and Orochimaru-sama's most perfect reincarnation vessel... but honestly, no one wants to regard Orochimaru-sama as a real family more than him.
And no one, more than him Kimimaro, wants Orochimaru-sama to regard him Kimimaro as a family.
Kimimaro longs for a family.
He also longs for affection.
But for him, if the premise of getting a family is to draw a clear line with Orochimaru-sama, Kimimaro actually cannot accept it.
The silent atmosphere lasted for more than ten seconds.
Kimimaro bit his lip, although he was very reluctant in his heart.
But he still stubbornly raised his head.
And looked at the extremely sharp eyes of Whitebeard in front of him.
".....I appreciate your invitation." Kimimaro politely said, "But I cannot betray Orochimaru-sama, I'm very sorry!"
He actually bowed seriously to Whitebeard.
The tone of apology is also very sincere.
Without any perfunctory.
Whitebeard, who was rejected, had no dissatisfaction on his face, but rather, Kimimaro's loyalty to Orochimaru made Whitebeard appreciate this little devil with a red dot on his forehead.
"Orochimaru, a very familiar name!" Whitebeard was interested, "Kimimaro kid, the 'Orochimaru' in your mouth, wouldn't it be that little kid who can summon 'snakes'?"
Mainly because the name "Orochimaru" is very memorable.
As long as Whitebeard hears it once.
The name that will never be forgotten.
Kimimaro nodded and replied, "When my family was annihilated and I was about to wander the ninja world... it was Orochimaru-sama who appeared. He adopted me and raised me."
"Moreover, I firmly believe that Orochimaru-sama is not like the Third Hokage of Konohagakure Village, he did not intentionally appear in front of me. It was destiny that made me meet Orochimaru-sama."
It seems that even Kimimaro knows that the Third Hokage is not a good person.
After all, when Naruto and Sarutobi Hiruzen were confronting each other...
Kimimaro witnessed it all from behind.
"Oh?" Whitebeard's smile on his face suddenly became more hearty, and his tone was a bit teasing, "What if, that little devil called Orochimaru, wants to actively cut off the relationship with you?"
Kimimaro was stunned.
Orochimaru-sama... when will he actively cut off the relationship with me?
"Impossible!"
Kimimaro immediately shook his head, he emphasized, "I have been the best reincarnation container that Orochimaru-sama has been looking for over the years, Orochimaru-sama will not abandon me."
This sentence is not just to refute Whitebeard.
But also to comfort himself.
Naruto interjected, "This ninja world is so big, what if he finds a more suitable container than you?"
Kimimaro was stunned again.
Whether it was what Whitebeard said or what Naruto said, when it was put in Kimimaro's mind, it made his brain overloaded.
These are all aspects that Kimimaro had never thought about before.
"Also, you are so strange!" Naruto muttered, "Although I don't know what a 'reincarnation container' is, it sounds like he just treats you as a tool. You would rather be a tool for Orochimaru, but not willing to be Pops' son, what are you thinking?"
"Gurararararara! Stupid son, this is called 'gratitude'!" Unexpectedly, Whitebeard answered for Kimimaro.
Whitebeard laughed, "Kimimaro, you are the person my stupid son likes, the Whitebeard Pirates welcome you at any time."
".....Thank you." Kimimaro bowed his head.
He was a little upset.
Because the words of Whitebeard and Naruto always made him unable to help but think in some directions.
What if.....
What if Orochimaru-sama really finds a more suitable container.
Where should he go?
Kimimaro was confused.
.....
Time came to noon.
Sarutobi Hiruzen in the Konohagakure Hospital felt that his condition was almost recovered, and his body was not injured.
The most serious injury was in his mouth.
To cover up the disappearance of his old teeth, Sarutobi Hiruzen could only get a set of dentures in the hospital.
So.
He was discharged.
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't want to stay in the hospital, but as the Hokage of Konohagakure, he had a lot of things to do.
Especially recently, the Chunin exam is in full swing.
Even if the Chunin exam has become a bit of a mess because of Naruto's disruption, he, as the Hokage, had to grit his teeth and put an imperfect end to this hard-fought Chunin exam.
Moreover, he also needs to allocate a large sum of money from the funds of Konohagakure village and send people to Whitebeard to redeem these genins.
Every single thing needs him, the Hokage of Konohagakure, to handle personally.
At this time.
Sarutobi Hiruzen walked out of Konohagakure hospital alone.
He didn't let anyone help him, nor did he let Anbu ninja escort him. Because if he made such a big scene, he would definitely be recognized as the Third Hokage.
He didn't want to show such a miserable face in public.
That would damage his image as the Third Hokage too much.
Fortunately, his face was tightly wrapped in bandages, which could just hide his face.
So that people couldn't recognize him.
"64 million ryos....."
"Eh...."
Walking on the road, Sarutobi Hiruzen was thinking about where he should scrape together this money to redeem these 32 genins.
Just then, three Genin from Konohagakure came face to face.
These three Genin from Konohagakure looked very young.
Probably just graduated from ninja school not long ago.
Sarutobi Hiruzen happened to hear them discussing something.
The worried expression on his face suddenly froze.
"Hokage-sama is too much! I heard that he deliberately concealed the identity of Uzumaki Naruto, the son of the hero, just to control Uzumaki Naruto and make Uzumaki Naruto a tool that only listens to his Hokage's orders! Ah, why does a Hokage have to do this?"
"Ah? What I heard is... the death of the Fourth Hokage had a certain connection with the Third Hokage. The Nine-Tails chaos back then might have been caused by the Third Hokage. The purpose was to kill the Fourth Hokage, so that he could return to the position of Hokage."
"Not only that! I heard that it was the Third Hokage who caused the Nine-Tails chaos, so that he could frame the Uchiha clan, and then guide the public opinion of the village to exclude the Uchiha!"
"Ah? The Third Hokage isn't that bad, right..."
"Heh! He can even take an advantage of the orphan left by the Fourth Hokage like this, isn't it quite normal for him to do these things?"
"It seems to make sense..."
The voices of the three Genin from Konohagakure who passed by gradually faded away.
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "???"
Wait...
What's going on?
.....
.....
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