Uchiha Itachi Returns to the Village!

Izumi had guessed right.

The secret she had blurted out in a moment of excitement had spread through every street and alley of Konoha in less than a few hours.

No matter where she followed her senior, she could hear the villagers' conversations shifting from Senior Chisen to the Hokage's eldest son.

Clearly, the other Uchiha Clan ninja had neither the responsibility nor the obligation to keep the Third Hokage's eldest son's secret.

Once they realized that Sarutobi Shinosuke, the Hokage's eldest son, harbored such a special secret, they became excited instead.

And without hesitation, they spread this "secret intelligence."

Rumors involving the Hokage always spread quickly.

Moreover, the rumors grew increasingly outrageous. Some people even added their own embellishments as they discussed them.

—"I heard that the Hokage's eldest son killed a lot of war orphans, which was why that Plague God from the Konoha Military Police Force killed him!"

—"No wonder so many war orphans from Konoha Orphanage vanished without explanation. So... so they were turned into human experiment subjects?"

—"Will the village eventually stop being satisfied with using war orphans as test subjects...?"

—"Is the Hokage condoning this? Otherwise, why would his eldest son become the mastermind behind human experimentation?"

—"Stop talking nonsense. We need to keep a close eye on our children from now on. Those people up high only see us as expendable materials."

—"I heard the Hokage's eldest son killed a lot of Konoha villagers."

—"..."

"I'm sorry, Senior..." Izumi lowered her head and apologized. "I didn't know things would turn out like this. Your teacher's reputation before his death... it seems like I ruined it."

She felt like crying, but no tears came.

She had never expected the rumors to become this absurd, to the point that they seemed to have implicated the Hokage himself.

And this was only after less than half a day.

If a few more days passed...

Wouldn't that be disastrous?

For the first time, Izumi felt the horror of "public opinion." Endless malice from public opinion swarmed toward a deceased man, and even as a bystander, it sent chills down her spine.

She could not imagine how painful it would be for someone still alive to bear such malicious public opinion.

"When Teacher Shinosuke did those things that violated justice, he should have expected that a day like this would come."

Uchiha Chisen said calmly, "Newbie, you did nothing wrong."

Izumi froze.

Uchiha Chisen looked at some villagers who had suddenly become indignant over Sarutobi Shinosuke's actions during their discussions.

"Even if the facts have been distorted, it has made some people realize just how horrifying the 'evil' of the Shinobi World can be."

Uchiha Chisen said, "Because you 'leaked the secret,' they are beginning to learn how to distinguish justice from sin. If they take it as a warning and reject evil, then the Shinobi World can still be saved."

"This is a good thing."

"You did well."

A spark suddenly returned to Izumi's eyes, which had nearly lost their light. A faint mist gathered in her clear eye sockets.

She hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes.

"Yes!!!"

Izumi did not know why, but she wanted to answer with all her strength.

Maybe...

It was because she had finally! Finally! Finally been praised by her senior!

"Senior, I think that no matter what we do in the future, we should tell everyone the truth behind it. And not just a few people—we should let everyone in the village know what 'evil' truly looks like."

"Senior... would that be better?"

Izumi gradually found her courage.

But only a little. Not much at all. When she realized that she seemed to be telling her senior how to do things, she hurriedly changed her words. "That's only my foolish opinion. Senior can ignore it..."

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"Hokage-sama, many rumors detrimental to Senior Shinosuke's reputation seem to be rapidly spreading throughout the village. Some of them do involve the truth... but most have become increasingly exaggerated as they were passed from person to person."

At the Hokage Building.

An Anbu Ninja found Sarutobi Hiruzen and quietly reported to the Third Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath.

The desk was piled high with documents, yet he had not dealt with a single one.

The negative emotions from losing his son had lingered in his heart.

When he spoke, his voice was extremely hoarse and heavy with exhaustion. It was as though he had aged several more years overnight. "What rumors?"

The Anbu Ninja explained in detail.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed deeply as he listened.

"Where did these rumors originate?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.

The Anbu Ninja answered, "They seem to have originated from the Uchiha Clan."

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.

The Uchiha Clan...

"Hokage-sama, should we put a stop to them?" the Anbu Ninja asked.

Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his aching brow and said, "The more deliberately we try to stop them, the more they will believe it. Just like Naruto—we deliberately tried to stop the villagers from discussing him as the Demon Fox Incarnation, yet the villagers only became more convinced that he was the Demon Fox Incarnation."

At the Root Base.

"Lord Danzo, the direction of public opinion seems to have changed." A Root Ninja reported to Shimura Danzō, "Last night, following your orders, we spread many rumors throughout the village concerning Uchiha Chisen. But..."

"It seems that after the rumors concerning Sarutobi Shinosuke suddenly emerged, the villagers became more concerned with the filthy things this Hokage's eldest son had done."

"As for Uchiha Chisen..."

"He seems to have done so many such things that the villagers have already become somewhat numb to him."

Danzo snorted coldly.

In truth, he knew that this kind of public opinion offensive would not have much effect on Uchiha Chisen. After all, Uchiha Chisen was not Hatake Sakumo. That Uchiha brat did not seem so fragile.

He had sent Anbu Ninja to spread the rumors only to drive a deeper wedge between Uchiha Chisen and Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He simply had not expected the direction of public opinion to slip somewhat beyond his control.

But...

"Heh, if Sarutobi Shinosuke's reputation worsens, then Monkey, as his father, will certainly be affected as well. Whether that naturally evil Uchiha brat is affected or Monkey is affected, neither is a bad thing for this old man."

Danzo said darkly, "Add fuel to the fire. Make sure Sarutobi Shinosuke's reputation is ruined beyond repair. Better yet, pin some of the blame on Monkey himself."

"Yes, Lord Danzo!"

A day passed.

In the mouths of Konoha's villagers, Sarutobi Shinosuke had become an evil scientist who kidnapped his own villagers for wicked human experiments and persecuted ninja with special Kekkei Genkai.

Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen desperately wanted to salvage some of his deceased eldest son's reputation,

public opinion had already completely spiraled out of control.

It was just like what Hatake Sakumo had encountered back then.

And in the midst of it all,

someone...

returned to the village.

"Phew, it's been half a month." Uchiha Itachi stood quietly outside the village gates with two Anbu Ninja subordinates.

A gentle smile curled across his small, expressionless face.

"I wonder if Sasuke missed me."