Chapter 70

2-IN-1 Chapter

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Aburame Shibi cast his vote firmly and without hesitation in support of the so-called rebels. He knew many eyes were on him, and he also knew many were confused by his decision. But he paid them no mind. He had no obligation to explain himself. After expressing his support for the impeachment of Uchiha Rēn, he returned to his usual stone-like silence.

And yet—

The tree wished for calm, but the wind would not cease.

"Clan Head Aburame... do you realize that not long ago, Aburame Torune was killed by Uchiha Rēn?" Mitokado Homura couldn't understand why Shibi would make such an irrational choice. The quiet and reserved Aburame clan had always been seen by his faction as a dependable pillar.

But now, the Aburame had betrayed that trust.

"I know."

Shibi replied in a calm, detached tone.

"You know? You know and still—"

"Elder Mitokado, the Aburame clan is not anyone's servant. I only hope that the children of our clan can grow up free to choose their futures—not be bound like dogs with curse marks from childhood. From the moment Torune was taken to Root, he was already dead to me."

Even through his dark sunglasses, the icy sharpness of Shibi's gaze was unmistakable.

His tone—cold and distant—made it painfully clear how wrong others had been in their assumptions about the Aburame.

Their quiet nature didn't stem from coldness or lack of emotion. They simply weren't talkative. Their love for their clan and kin had never faded and was something they cherished dearly. Watching their brothers, their sons taken by Danzō and never seen again—that pain was still fresh in their hearts.

Standing beside Shibi was a man shrouded head to toe in a black cloak.

He was Aburame Shikuro.

A rare poison-insect user and the strongest member of the Aburame clan. Yet even his only son had been taken by Danzō while he was away on a mission—turned into one of Root's operatives. The way he looked at the Third Hokage and the elders held not the slightest hint of warmth.

"Danzō… Clan Head Aburame, the matter with Root was... Danzō acted alone..." Even Homura himself realized how pathetic the excuse sounded. Without the Hokage's approval, how could Danzō have freely selected so many talents from across the clans?

The Aburame had once appealed to the Third Hokage about it—

Only to be casually brushed aside.

Today, the seeds planted all those years ago had finally borne fruit—though the Third was utterly unwilling to face the bitter harvest.

"Uchiha, Hyūga, Kurama, Aburame…"

The Third sat in bleak silence, heavy-hearted and weary.

He realized he had committed a grievous mistake. He had thought he could make a strategic retreat—step down as Hokage to bring the current conflict to an end.

But he'd forgotten—

What he considered a tactical withdrawal, others saw as a sign of his fall from power. Meanwhile, the alliance between the Uchiha and Hyūga was gaining momentum, becoming an unstoppable new force. Combined with scattered old grudges, the outcome was inevitable:

Even the once silent Aburame had turned against him.

And likely, this was only the beginning.

The Third knew exactly how many clans Danzō had antagonized over the years in his quest to build Root. It was a number so terrifying even he could barely face it. In the past, he had been the longest-reigning Hokage in Konoha's history—the undisputed strongest shinobi of the village. And behind him stood three disciples who shone just as brightly.

But time was merciless to both of them.

The aged ninja hero had lost the vigor he once wielded.

The once-feared shadow of the village—now lay in a coma, waiting to die.

His disciples had scattered for various reasons.

Yet because of the fear and respect he once commanded, no one dared be the first to break ranks. Until the Uchiha made their move. With the retirement of the cautious Uchiha Fugaku and the rise of the sharp-edged, fearless Rēn—the illusion surrounding the Third had finally been torn apart.

And in the next moment, came a tidal wave of backlash.

"Uchiha Rēn, is your clan attempting a coup d'état?"

The Third, unwilling to go down quietly, glared at Rēn, blood rising in his eyes.

Before any other clan could step forward in support, he turned the spearhead toward the Uchiha. Though his resentment toward the Hyūga, Aburame, and Kurama was no less, his rational mind still prevailed.

At this point, wounding ten fingers meant nothing—he had to at least break one.

If he could crush the Uchiha, the Hyūga and Aburame wouldn't pose a serious threat alone. Only the Uchiha—co-founders of Konoha alongside the Senju—had the strength to overturn everything.

"This is not a coup!"

"This is the will of the people!"

"This is restoring what is right!"

Rēn's voice rang out, sharp and clear like a blade—cutting straight into the Third's heart.

He pointed at the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, your past contributions to Konoha are undeniable. No one can take that away. But Konoha cannot dwell forever in the glory of the past. This village belongs to you, to us, and to the future descendants."

"Your era has passed! The future belongs to the young. And please—stop disgracing yourself with such absurd accusations. Your slander is ridiculous. I'll say it clearly here: the Uchiha have no interest in the Hokage's seat. This is not the Konoha of its founding years, and I am not Uchiha Madara. I don't care one bit for that chair beneath your ass."

"I believe the Hyūga think the same. We're not doing this for more power. We're just… tired of you old fossils shitting and pissing on our heads like we're still beneath you!"

Words, crueler than blades.

Restore order?

Then he was the "disorder"?

Uncontrollable rage erupted in the Third's chest, spreading like vines. Everything he had done had been for Konoha. He had given his entire life to the village—and now a brat, not even grown, dared point at him and say he was obsolete…

"Uchiha Rēn—"

"Well said!!!"

Cheers drowned out the Third's voice.

Hyūga Hiashi stared coldly at the Third Hokage. He had no intention of giving Hiruzen Sarutobi any more opportunities for scheming. He might not know the historical proverb about "striking while the iron is hot," but he could clearly see that now was the moment to press forward and not retreat. There was no "if" to consider—this time, the Third's reign must end.

This time, Konoha must undergo a complete regime change.

"Hokage-sama, please face reality. No one denies the merits you once earned, but the mistakes you've made in recent years can't be brushed aside. It's time for Konoha to select a new Hokage."

As he said this,

His gaze shifted to the clan heads who had remained silent and the many jōnin from the civilian faction who had gathered after sensing the commotion. In a firm voice, he declared: "The conditions here may be crude, but in times of urgency, flexibility is required. As clan head of the Hyūga, I second the Uchiha clan head's motion to impeach the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. If you desire a new future for Konoha, then let your stance be known here and now!"

His eyes swept deliberately across many of those present.

"The Aburame clan supports this."

Aburame Shibi's stance was unwavering.

"The Kurama clan stands by its decision."

Kurama Sōun was surprisingly calm. The alliance of Uchiha and Hyūga had already given him peace of mind. With the Aburame's support, he was now completely at ease—there was no conceivable outcome in which they could lose.

It was well-known that the Uchiha had a terrible reputation among ordinary villagers.

But only a few knew that the Third Hokage's own reputation among the leadership of Konoha's many small and mid-sized clans was equally abysmal. His and Danzō's good-cop-bad-cop routine wasn't clever enough to fool everyone. While Danzō was despised, resentment toward the Third simmered just as deeply.

"The Shiranui clan seconds the motion."

"The Yamashiro clan seconds the motion."

"The Kamizuki clan seconds the motion."

"The Gekkō clan seconds the motion."

Like a dam that had burst, an unstoppable tide surged toward a new future. Clan heads stood one after another, declaring their support for the impeachment. Just as Rēn had said—this was the momentum of history.

The Shiranui had backed the Fourth Hokage. His death had made their investment worthless, and when the Third returned to power, he targeted them relentlessly. Any progress they made was soon lost.

The Yamashiro, Kamizuki, and others were all allies Hiashi had worked to rally. Under the Third, clans like Sarutobi, Shimura, Kazamatsuri, Ise, and the Ino-Shika-Chō triad monopolized the village's resources. These peripheral clans had no room to grow.

As for the Gekkō clan, their situation resembled that of the Aburame—hatred for Root spilled over into deep resentment toward the Third.

These were just a few drops in a much larger tide.

And so—

In that open clearing—

Konoha changed forever.

The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, became the first Hokage in history to be removed from office by impeachment.

Under the united front of twenty-three of Konoha's clans—large and small—this longest-serving Hokage was forced to relinquish the seat he had held for decades.

Hiruzen clenched his fists multiple times, rage swelling inside him, but as he watched one clan head after another take a stand, he finally let his fists go slack. It was over. Even if he massacred the entire Uchiha clan now—what would it accomplish?

There was no returning to the past.

Once the mask is torn away, it cannot be put back on.

And besides, he wasn't confident he could wipe out the Uchiha. If he had been, he wouldn't have waited until now.

Despite the many ANBU standing behind him, only he knew how many of them were from the very clans calling for his removal. If he issued an irrational order now, it would only backfire on him.

The two elders were also stunned.

The violent shift in the situation had completely caught them off guard. Seeing so many clans publicly turn against them, their hearts sank into the abyss. With Hiruzen defeated beyond redemption, what would become of them? What fate awaited their own families?

A stormy, uncertain future was suddenly very near.

At that moment,

"Uchiha Rēn, who do you intend to install as your puppet?" Hiruzen had given up on resisting with force. He knew full well that if he dared make a move now, Rēn would seize the opportunity to eliminate him openly and lawfully.

So, Even as he accepted the bitter taste of defeat, he tried to plant seeds of suspicion against whoever would become the Fifth Hokage.

Rēn looked at him with a faint smirk. "That's not something a deposed Hokage needs to worry about. But... I don't mind telling you. Clan Head Hiashi and I plan to recall Tsunade and Jiraiya. The Fifth Hokage will be chosen from among them."

This wasn't just said to Hiruzen—it was for every clan head and jōnin present to hear.

Uchiha and Hyūga had no intention of monopolizing power.

"So until my students return, the Hokage seat will sit empty?"

"You really don't give up, do you? Still trying to sow discord between my Uchiha and the other clans?" Rēn shook his head and sneered. "Former Hokage, listen well."

He cleared his throat and declared solemnly before everyone:

"I, Uchiha Rēn, in my capacity as Commander of the Konoha Police Force, hereby nominate Akimichi Torifu-senpai to serve as acting Fifth Hokage—until a permanent Hokage is chosen."

A finishing blow.

Hiruzen's face turned ashen.

His final ploy had failed.

Torifu... it was Torifu. As much as he hated to admit it, it was a brilliant move. Appointing Akimichi Torifu—another of the Second Hokage's disciples and a member of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio—as acting Hokage would instantly dispel most suspicion about the Uchiha seizing power.

And by pledging to let either Jiraiya or Tsunade become the future Fifth, the Uchiha had showcased broad-mindedness and political finesse.

This round was his utter defeat.

"Me? Hokage?"

Akimichi Torifu, who had remained silent throughout, was stunned by this gift that had fallen from the sky.

The plump elder looked dazed, wanting to decline. But before he could speak, a wave of support silenced him. He understood—this wasn't because he commanded such overwhelming respect. It was because these mid-tier clans and civilian jōnin didn't want a Fifth Hokage from the Uchiha or Hyūga.

Moreover,

Behind him, many jōnin from the Ino-Shika-Chō clans looked visibly delighted. Even the usually indifferent Nara weren't all lazy thinkers—many harbored great ambition.

Torifu's appointment was like winning the jackpot for younger clan members with dreams of greatness.

Public and private reasons both left him with no room to refuse.

And so—

Everything proceeded naturally.

Without even a formal robe or hat, the acting Fifth Hokage took office.

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