Chapter 18: You Can Give It A Try, Third Hokage
After Uchiha Ikeizumi brought up the “Fourth Hokage” who was said to have sacrificed himself on the Night of the Nine-Tails, Sarutobi Hiruzen was shocked.
He didn’t expect Uchiha Ikeizumi to mention the Fourth in front of Naruto.
But after noticing that Naruto was hanging his head and didn’t dare speak, seemingly not having noticed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
He lowered his voice slightly and said, “Ikeizumi, you should be well aware of this child’s special nature. Locking him in prison just because of a prank would stimulate him.”
“So…”
Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke in a negotiating tone, earnestly saying, “Occasionally giving the village’s tender buds some room to grow is the most perfect embodiment of Konoha’s Will of Fire.”
But Sarutobi Hiruzen found that after all his earnest persuasion.
There was not the slightest wavering in Uchiha Ikeizumi’s eyes.
Uchiha Ikeizumi said expressionlessly, “Hokage just now already abused his authority, going against justice, and chose to shield Shimura Danzo, who for some reason possesses the Uchiha Clan’s Sharingan power.”
“Now he wants to continue abusing the Hokage’s authority, shielding Uzumaki Naruto, who should receive proper discipline but for some reason was left to roam free, leading to problems with his values.”
“Hokage’s such behavior is no different from splashing filthy stains on「 justice」.”
Sarutobi Hiruzen: “!!!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt like he had been scolded, and scolded right to his face.
But.
The amount of information contained in Uchiha Ikeizumi’s words was too great, so great that Sarutobi Hiruzen’s gaze turned solemn.
“Ikeizumi, what do you mean by Danzo’s Sharingan?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately changed the topic and asked.
Uchiha Ikeizumi didn’t hesitate to expose Danzo’s secret, saying coldly, “During his fight with me, he used the Sharingan secret technique ‘Izanagi’.”
“Why does Shimura Danzo, who is not from the Uchiha Clan, possess the Uchiha’s Sharingan? Why can he use the Sharingan’s forbidden secret technique? Hokage, it’s so ‘hard’ to guess!”
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s expression changed slightly.
He knew that Danzo had secretly conducted many human experiments with Orochimaru, and also knew that Danzo had researched Wood Style Bloodline Limit.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen didn’t expect that Danzo was also so obsessed with the Uchiha Clan’s Sharingan.
Sarutobi Hiruzen thought of Uchiha Shisui, who had been deemed by the village as “dead, but cause of death unknown.”
He had long suspected that Shisui’s “cause of death unknown” was very likely inseparable from Danzo’s Root.
After all, Shisui’s pair of extremely special Sharingan eyes…
With Danzo’s personality, he absolutely would not leave them alone.
Sarutobi Hiruzen also thought that during the Third Shinobi World War, the Sharingan of some fallen Uchiha Clan ninjas had mysteriously disappeared, suspected to have been dug out by enemy village ninjas.
Could it be that Danzo sent people to secretly dig them out—a ridiculous thought suddenly popped into Sarutobi Hiruzen’s mind.
He thought the possibility was extremely high!
He knew Danzo too well; Sarutobi Hiruzen felt the possibility of Danzo doing such a thing was at least ninety-nine percent.
What’s more, this child Ikeizumi had never wronged anyone.
Although some of his actions and the「 absolute justice」 he believed in were not something he fully agreed with, feeling they were too extreme.
But that didn’t hinder his trust in him.
“Ikeizumi, about Danzo… I will give you an explanation, and also give the Uchiha Clan an explanation.” Sarutobi Hiruzen’s tone was slightly stiff, suddenly feeling a twinge of guilt over “shielding” Danzo.
But in the blink of an eye, the so-called guilt vanished into thin air.
Moreover, he vaguely realized that he had inexplicably accepted the “shielding” label that Uchiha Ikeizumi had pinned on him?
No!
He as Hokage was only trying to prevent infighting among the village’s ninjas—how could that be shielding?
Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed and said, “But this child Naruto…”
“No room for discussion.” Uchiha Ikeizumi picked up Naruto again under the watchful eyes of the Anbu ninjas.
Causing a stir among the Anbu ninjas.
But Uchiha Ikeizumi didn’t care; he stared straight at Sarutobi Hiruzen and said, “I won’t let go of Root, which hinders the execution of justice. In Konoha, it will be either no me or no them.”
“I will definitely find the location of Konoha’s deep ‘Root’, and thoroughly eradicate the Root filled with darkness and sin, to uphold the belief in「 absolute justice」.”
“You can stop me once, twice… but can you keep stopping me forever?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen: “…”
He felt that this mediation of his had not successfully resolved the conflict.
Instead, it had escalated the conflict between Ikeizumi and Danzo to the level of the entire Root.
Ikeizumi would never make baseless accusations.
For him to say this meant he really intended to destroy Root!
He really intended to bite down on Danzo and not let go!
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and glanced at Naruto, who had given up struggling and had a face full of pleading and distress.
He frowned and said, “Ikeizumi, your approach is too extreme. What if I, as Hokage, order you to drop the conflict with Root and let go of Naruto?”
Uchiha Ikeizumi said, “You can try, Third Hokage.”
Click—suddenly, an Anbu ninja lightly drew his ninja sword an inch.
“Uchiha Ikeizumi, Hokage’s orders must not be defied.” This Anbu ninja issued a warning: “Moreover, you should address him as Hokage, not Third Hokage.”
Uchiha Ikeizumi glanced at him.
【Sarutobi Gojo—During the Third Shinobi World War, for personal desires and venting anger, he took out his rage on civilians, killing large numbers of ordinary townspeople from enemy nations and claiming merit by killing innocents.】
The Anbu ninja who tried to draw his sword suddenly felt a chill in his heart.
For some reason, he felt like Uchiha Ikeizumi was looking at him like he was a dead man.
Uchiha Ikeizumi dragged Naruto along and left nonchalantly.
“Uchiha Ikeizumi! You—”
“Hold on.” Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped the Anbu who wanted to act, staring at Uchiha Ikeizumi’s back with a slightly changing expression, and finally said in a deep voice, “Let him go.”
“Hokage, that is Uzumaki Naruto…”
An Anbu ninja reminded.
Sarutobi Hiruzen clasped his hands behind his back and said darkly, “In his eyes, I am no different from Danzo now. If I keep blocking him, the one clashing with force would become me and Ikeizumi. As his strength grows stronger, it will be hard for me to suppress him.”
The Anbu ninjas found it unthinkable.
Uchiha Ikeizumi actually already wanted to fight Hokage?
How did he dare?
What gave him the right to dare?
At this time, Kakashi, who had been silent, finally spoke: “Hokage, you already have an idea for the jinchuriki side, right?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded slightly and said, “Ikeizumi taking Naruto is his duty and right as a Police Force member. While I, as Hokage, have the authority to pardon Naruto.”
“Kakashi, take an Anbu squad and stay behind to clean up. The rest, follow me to Root Base!”
“Yes! Hokage!”
…
…
