Chapter 71

Chapter 71

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With one sudden shift in the winds of power, the world now bore a new face.

The Hokage Building—never particularly artistic in design—still stood as it always had. It had just seen off its former master and welcomed a new one, whose tenure no one could predict. Together with the great Hokage Rock, it continued to witness the endless cycle of rising and falling leaders.

Inside the Hokage Office,

Seated in a specially customized, extra-wide and brand-new chair was a towering figure. He wore the Hokage's ceremonial hat and a white Hokage cloak. Having just returned from his belated inauguration ceremony, he was now the acting Fifth Hokage. Even if only temporarily, he would be the highest authority in Konoha for the foreseeable future.

No one dared to spoil the moment with suggestions of a "simple affair."

On the contrary, the ceremony was held with as much formality as possible. With the full support of many clans, it had even surpassed the scale of the Fourth Hokage's inauguration. After all, when the Fourth took office, the Third Shinobi World War had just ended and Konoha was still recovering from devastation—there was none of today's prosperity.

"Has everything been arranged?"

The acting Fifth Hokage removed his hat and placed it carefully on the desk, dusting off imaginary particles with great care.

They were all children raised in Konoha—students of the Second Hokage, even if only nominally. More than one of them had once dreamed of becoming Hokage, not just Danzō. The others, however, had accepted reality long ago. Akimichi Torifu was no exception.

Still, he had never expected that even with one foot in the grave, he would be given a chance to realize that old dream of becoming Hokage.

Even if the title came with the prefix "Acting."

It was still Hokage, wasn't it?

Even if a permanent Fifth Hokage were appointed later, the history of Konoha would still remember him.

"Yes. The location is in the northwest corner of the village. It used to be one of Root's bases. The Barrier Unit has already established a localized seal there, and guards from the Uchiha, Hyūga, and Aburame clans are in position." Nara Shikaku replied respectfully.

"Security, huh."

Torifu nodded slightly. That was necessary—to prevent the deposed Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, from losing control and doing something reckless.

The matter of how to handle Hiruzen had stumped many. Even after digging through every corner of Danzō's crimes, there wasn't much that could directly implicate Hiruzen.

Danzō's actions had often been tacitly approved by Hiruzen. He neither endorsed them nor stopped them. If things worked out, the glory belonged to the Hokage. If they didn't, Danzō took the fall.

Of course,

"Evidence" was never the real issue—manufacturing it wouldn't be difficult.

The true challenge lay in Hiruzen's status as a former Hokage. No one dared suggest the death penalty. Across the Five Great Shinobi Nations, past Kage had died in battle, been assassinated, or vanished—but none had ever been executed publicly.

Danzō had already been sentenced to death. Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu had been stripped of their advisor roles and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Only Hiruzen's verdict remained unsettled.

In the end, it was Torifu who made the final call: the same life sentence as the two former advisors, with no public announcement. The image of the Hokage had to be preserved. Dragging Hiruzen through the mud wouldn't do the village any good. Were they supposed to chisel his face off Hokage Rock too?

Konoha couldn't afford such humiliation.

And as Hiashi had said,

Hiruzen had committed many grave errors, but it was also true that Konoha had flourished during his era. His past achievements couldn't be denied.

Therefore, the best option was to let him quietly exit this world with dignity.

"Tell the guards: without my command, no one is to approach… especially Clan Heads Uchiha and Hyūga. Let them know not to force my hand."

Shikaku nodded. "The envoy from Kirigakure is stirring up trouble again, demanding a resolution today—or they'll declare war."

Torifu frowned. He hadn't taken this role to enjoy peace and quiet. Internal conflicts aside, there was also the external threat of war with Kirigakure.

At this very moment, the envoy from the Hidden Mist still in the village had issued a threat of war.

"Back at the end of the Third War, I opposed Hiruzen's decision to waive war reparations. Those ungrateful curs would never appreciate our mercy—they'd only see us as weak! And now even those sea-dwelling rats dare bark at Konoha? Go tell them: if they want war, then war it is!"

Torifu's words were laced with killing intent.

Despite his round appearance and kind demeanor, his personality was anything but gentle. Like the Akimichi's battle style—direct and forceful—he was brave and unflinching.

However, once the harsh words were spoken, reality reasserted itself.

"The real problem now is… where do we get the troops?"

Torifu felt a headache coming on, his brow furrowing deeply.

It had only been five or six years since the end of the Third Shinobi World War. That wasn't nearly enough time to replenish the losses. Add to that the Nine-Tail's rampage, which had killed the Fourth Hokage and many others.

Konoha was still short on manpower.

Upon assuming his role, Torifu had immediately taken control of personnel records. After a full review, he found that the number of shinobi he could freely deploy was fewer than two thousand.

This didn't mean Konoha was impoverished—it was because the village maintained a massive border defense force. The northeast guarded against Kumogakure. The northwest watched Iwagakure. The west kept an eye on Sunagakure. The eastern coast housed forces on alert against Kirigakure…

These units could be included in the available forces.

Beyond that, after securing the village's core defense, another two thousand could be mobilized. That said, Konoha's foundation remained formidable.

"Shikaku, summon the clan heads."

Torifu gave the order.

Without the support of the major clans, this war with Kirigakure could not be fought.