Ch 44 : Step down

Dawn was breaking.

The meeting room was filled with people; all the high-ranking officials and Jonin of Konoha Village had gathered.

On the desk in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen lay three documents.

The first was an autopsy report.

It detailed the injuries of the traitorous ninja sent back from the frontlines.

Aside from wounds caused by shuriken, there was a fatal injury to the heart.

The technique used was unmistakably that of the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist.

The second document consisted of several letters.

These contained vital Konoha secrets, including information on the Kirigakure frontline troop deployments, correspondence with wealthy merchants, and details suggesting that after Konoha's destruction, the Hyuga clan would receive financial support to establish their own village.

One of the letters even outlined the recent movements of the Daimyo in precise detail.

The final document was a death note left by Hyuga Hitsuo.

In it, he accused Hiashi of conspiring with Iwagakure ninjas to overthrow Konoha.

He claimed that when he tried to dissuade Hiashi, he was brutally tortured using a cursed seal.

Hyuga Hitsuo was already dead.

The room fell silent, with no one able to speak. The meeting room was deathly quiet.

Seated around Hiruzen were Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Danzo Shimura, and Orochimaru.

Everyone had been notified early by the Anbu to gather here.

After learning that Hiashi was the traitor and had already been killed, they were all engulfed in a shock that was beyond words.

The leader of the Hyuga clan, someone they had all interacted with and who had always been quite kind to others, was the traitor?!

And he had conspired to harm the village in so many ways!

It felt utterly absurd to everyone, even Uchiha Fugaku, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura.

But the evidence placed in front of Hiruzen—each piece of it held a crime that could justify Hiashi's death a thousand times over!

But after the shock came intense anger and resentment.

During the war with Iwagakure, Konoha had truly been pushed to the brink of desperation, losing so many comrades.

How could Hiashi's life possibly repay such a price?

At that moment, the door to the meeting room was knocked on.

"Come in."

Hiruzen felt confused; everyone who needed to be here had already arrived.

To his surprise, it was the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, Lord Minamoto, who entered, followed by the Twelve Guardians.

"Lord Minamoto!" Hiruzen immediately rose when he saw him.

Why was the Daimyo here...?

Hiruzen had an unsettling feeling in his heart.

All the ninjas in the room, seeing the Daimyo, stood up to bow in respect along with Hiruzen.

"Am I interrupting your meeting?" Lord Minamoto asked.

"No, it's just that we didn't expect you, Lord Minamoto, to come," Hiruzen replied.

"If you had notified us earlier, we could have made preparations to receive you."

Lord Minamoto did not respond to the polite remark but went straight to the point.

"I heard that the traitor issue has been resolved."

Hiruzen quickly scanned the room before responding, "Yes."

Lord Minamoto then asked, "Would you mind if I listened in?"

Hiruzen immediately replied, "Konoha is under your rule, and we are your subjects. Lord Minamoto, you may do whatever you wish!"

He moved aside to give way, and Lord Minamoto sat down without hesitation.

The people on Hiruzen's left side moved one seat over to allow him to sit at the head.

"Last night, Hyuga Hiashi behaved suspiciously and left the village.

Orochimaru discovered him and followed, only to find him conspiring with an Iwagakure ninja.

Orochimaru confronted them, but the two resisted, and during the ensuing battle, he killed them both," Hiruzen once again recounted what had happened the previous night to the Daimyo.

All suspicion now pointed to Hyuga Hiashi, but He was already dead.

The dead cannot speak, and all information comes from the living.

Whether it's true or false, who can truly distinguish?

One person may believe or not believe the information in their heart, but once it becomes known by everyone, whether you believe it or not doesn't matter—it doesn't change the fact that it has become a settled truth.

Hiruzen then went on to share the details of the three documents with the Daimyo.

After hearing all of this, Lord Minamoto said, "So, the Kiri-nin who attempted to assassinate me yesterday was also orchestrated by Hyuga Hiashi?"

Hiruzen nodded. "Yes."

Lord Minamoto sneered, "This man truly has a lot of nerve, even daring to attempt to overthrow Konoha and set up his own rule!"

After saying this, his gaze shifted to Hiruzen.

"Third Hokage, the Hyuga clan is one of Konoha's noble clans, isn't it?"

The tone of this question already carried an implication of accusation, and Hiruzen's unease grew stronger.

"The Hyuga clan has been in Konoha since the village's founding.

Their unique bloodline limit, the Byakugan, is well known throughout the ninja world, and they are one of Konoha's founding clans."

Lord Minamoto asked again, "Is this the problem of just one person, or is it the problem of the entire clan?"

"Lord Minamoto!"

Suddenly, a voice called out from the seats below, It was Hyuga Hizashi.

Hiruzen introduced to Lord Minamoto,

"This man is Hyuga Hiashi's younger brother, Hyuga Hizashi.

Before the incident last night, he had voluntarily come to me and confessed all of Hiashi's crimes."

Lord Minamoto narrowed his eyes slightly.

"A man who would sacrifice his own kin for the greater good."

Hizashi lowered his head and spoke,

"Lord Minamoto, our Hyuga clan is different from other families.

We have a distinction between the Main House and the Branch House.

All members of the Branch House are marked with a cursed seal called the 'Caged Bird' from a young age.

It is said to protect our unique bloodline, the Byakugan, from being stolen by others, but in truth, the life and death of Branch House members are completely controlled by the Main House!"

He began to recount how Hiashi had always controlled his life and death, forcing him into servitude.

Hizashi had wanted to confess everything to the Hokage for a long time, but he never had the chance.

It wasn't until Hiashi was once again conspiring with the Kirigakure, intending to repeat the devastating war with Iwagakure, that he risked his life to come forward and confess everything to the Third Hokage.

He also mentioned that the only people in the Hyuga clan who knew about this were himself and their father, Hyuga Taikei.

The rest of the clan remained unaware; otherwise, they would not have sacrificed so many of their kin to protect Konoha.

The room fell silent as everyone listened in stillness.

Lord Minamoto listened with cold laughter,

"This Hyuga Hiashi truly is something else.

Konoha has truly produced an extraordinary ninja."

Hiruzen inwardly sighed, lowering his head as he spoke,

"Lord Minamoto, the fault lies with me. I failed to recognize his true nature."

At this moment, Lord Minamoto's gaze swept across the room, and he spoke with emotion,

"When I first arrived in Konoha, the first thing I did was visit the Memorial Stone, the resting place of the heroes."

"Looking at the names on the Memorial Stone and the surrounding graves, I felt an immense sorrow and many emotions.

I have heard how fierce the battles were between you and the Iwa ninjas, how many gave their lives to protect their home.

To have such loyal subjects makes me incredibly proud!

I have always believed that no matter what enemy we face, we will always defeat them!"

"But now, if I were to visit that place again, if I were to stand before the Memorial Stone once more, I would only feel shame.

When I ask myself, were the people who died really dying for a worthy cause?!"

"Who is responsible for dishonoring their honor?!"

"Who will take responsibility for this matter?!"

By the end, Lord Minamoto's voice was sharp and stern.

Hiruzen remained calm, as he already understood the true purpose of the Daimyo's visit.

Seeing the sorrowful expressions on the faces of those present, Hiruzen sighed inwardly.

He asked himself if he had truly let down the thousands of comrades who had died in vain.

Hiruzen stood up and said, "I will."

"I will take responsibility!"

Lord Minamoto's voice grew calm as he replied,

"Third Hokage, that is thousands of lives. How do you plan to take responsibility?"

Hiruzen said slowly, "I will relinquish my position as Hokage."

The room was instantly filled with shock.

"Lord Third!"

"Lord Hokage!"

Some could not help but call out softly, but Hiruzen remained unmoved.

The Daimyo said indifferently,

"Third Hokage, you are old. It is time to step aside and make way for the younger generation."

The younger generation...

Hiruzen sighed in his heart, and an image of Namikaze Minato flashed through his mind.

Minato...

Minato...

Minato?!

Suddenly, Hiruzen's eyes widened in anger as a realization struck him.

Minato wasn't in the village right now!

Not only was Minato absent, but so were Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and all of Minato's key supporters!

At this very moment, they were all on the front lines, fighting Kirigakure with their lives on the line!

His gaze swept over the people present once more: Shimura Danzo, Orochimaru…

What is going on? Why… why is it that only Orochimaru's supporters are here?

Where are Minato's supporters? Where is Jiraiya?

Hiruzen thought back to the day the decision was made about the commander for the Kirigakure campaign.

He recalled Orochimaru's seemingly humble words at the time.

In that fleeting moment, Hiruzen had genuinely believed that Orochimaru had come to terms with things.

At this moment, Lord Minamoto calmly asked,

"For the Fourth Hokage, do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"

Danzo finally opened the eye he always kept closed and said,

"I nominate Orochimaru."

The moment those words left his mouth, the meeting room erupted with voices of agreement.

Hiruzen turned his gaze to Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, his eyes filled with a burning intensity that seemed ready to devour them whole.

But the two simply kept their heads lowered in silence.

From beginning to end, Orochimaru had not spoken a word.

Finally, the corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile.

Hiruzen stared at that smile, and his heart felt as though it had plunged into an icy abyss.

It's over.

Everything… is over.

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