Izumi had guessed right.
The secret she had blurted out in a moment of agitation seemed to have spread through every street and alley in Konoha in less than a few hours.
Wherever she went with her senior, she heard villagers discussing the Hokage's eldest son instead of Chisen.
Clearly, the other ninja of the Uchiha Clan had neither the responsibility nor the obligation to keep the Third Hokage's eldest son's secret.
On realizing that Sarutobi Shinosuke, the Hokage's eldest son, had harbored such a secret, they had actually grown excited.
And they had spread this "secret intelligence" without hesitation.
Rumors involving the Hokage always spread quickly.
What was more, the rumors grew increasingly outrageous, with some people even embellishing them as they talked.
-"I heard the Hokage's eldest son killed a whole bunch of war orphans. That's why that Plague God from the Konoha Military Police Force killed him!"
-"No wonder so many war orphans disappeared from the Konoha Orphanage without explanation. So... so they were turned into subjects for human experiments?"
-"Will the village eventually stop being satisfied with using war orphans as test subjects...?"
-"Is Lord Hokage allowing this to happen? Otherwise, why would his eldest son be the mastermind behind human experimentation?"
-"Stop talking about it. Keep a close eye on your children from now on. Those people up above only see us as expendable."
-"I heard the Hokage's eldest son killed a lot of Konoha villagers."
-"..."
"I'm sorry, Senior..." Izumi lowered her little head and apologized. "I didn't know things would turn out like this. Your teacher's reputation... I think I've ruined it."
She wanted to cry, but no tears came.
She had never imagined the rumors would become so outrageous that they even seemed to implicate Lord Hokage.
And only a few hours had passed.
If this went on for another few days...
How bad would it get?
For the first time, Izumi felt how terrifying "public opinion" could be. An endless tide of malice surged toward a man who had already died, and even as a bystander, she felt chilled to the bone.
She could not imagine how painful it would be for someone still alive to bear the weight of such malicious public opinion.
"When Shinosuke-sensei committed those acts that went against justice, he should have foreseen a day like this."
Uchiha Chisen said evenly, "Rookie, you did nothing wrong."
Izumi froze.
Uchiha Chisen looked toward some villagers who had suddenly grown indignant over Sarutobi Shinosuke's actions during their discussion.
"Even if the facts have become distorted, some people have now realized just how chilling the evil in the shinobi world truly is."
Uchiha Chisen said, "Because you 'leaked the secret,' they're beginning to learn how to distinguish justice from evil. If they take this as a warning and reject evil, it means the shinobi world can still be saved."
"This is a good thing."
"You did well."
A spark suddenly lit up Izumi's eyes, which had nearly lost their luster, and a faint film of tears clouded them.
She hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes.
"Yes!!!"
Izumi did not know why, but she simply wanted to answer with all her heart.
Perhaps...
It was because her senior had finally, finally, finally praised her!
"Senior, I think that whatever we do from now on, we should tell people the truth behind it. And we shouldn't just tell a handful of people. We should let everyone in the village know the true face of evil."
"Senior... wouldn't that be better?"
Izumi was gradually growing bolder.
But only a little, not much. When she realized she seemed to be telling her senior what to do, she hurriedly corrected herself. "That's just my humble opinion. You can ignore it, Senior..."
"All right."
"Huh?"
"Lord Hokage, a great many rumors damaging Shinosuke's reputation seem to be spreading rapidly through the village. Some do touch on the truth... but most have been increasingly exaggerated as they pass from person to person."
The Hokage Building.
An Anbu Ninja approached Sarutobi Hiruzen and delivered his report to the Third Hokage in a low voice.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath.
He had not dealt with a single one of the documents piled like a mountain on his desk.
The anguish of losing his son continued to haunt him.
When he spoke, his voice had become terribly hoarse, laden with exhaustion. He seemed to have aged several more years overnight. "What rumors?"
The Anbu Ninja recounted them in detail.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows furrowed as he listened.
"Where did these rumors originate?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked.
The Anbu Ninja answered, "They seem to have come from the Uchiha Clan."
Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent.
The Uchiha Clan...
"Lord Hokage, should we stop them?" the Anbu Ninja asked.
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his brow, his head aching. "The more deliberately we try to stop them, the more they'll believe those stories. It's just like Naruto. If we deliberately stop the villagers from calling him the Demon Fox Incarnation, they'll only become more convinced that he is."
The Root Base.
"Lord Danzo, public opinion seems to have shifted," a Root Ninja reported to Shimura Danzō. "Last night, we followed your orders and spread numerous rumors about Uchiha Chisen throughout the village. But..."
"After rumors about Sarutobi Shinosuke suddenly emerged, the villagers seem to have become more interested in the filthy deeds committed by the Hokage's eldest son."
"As for Uchiha Chisen..."
"He seems to have done so many things like this that the villagers have grown somewhat numb to him."
Danzo snorted.
He knew this kind of smear campaign would have little effect on Uchiha Chisen. After all, Uchiha Chisen was not Hatake Sakumo. That Uchiha Brat did not seem nearly so fragile.
He had sent Anbu Ninja to spread the rumors merely to drive Uchiha Chisen and Sarutobi Hiruzen further apart.
He simply had not anticipated losing his grip on the direction of public opinion.
Still...
"Heh. With Sarutobi Shinosuke's reputation deteriorating, Monkey is bound to suffer as his father. Whether that Naturally Evil Uchiha Brat suffers or Monkey does, neither outcome is bad for me."
Danzo said darkly, "Fan the flames. Make sure Sarutobi Shinosuke's reputation never recovers. Better yet, pin some of the filth on Monkey."
"Yes, Lord Danzo!"
A day passed.
In the mouths of Konoha's villagers, Sarutobi Shinosuke had already become an evil scientist "who seized his own villagers for wicked human experiments and preyed on 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 spiraled completely out of control.
Just as it had when Hatake Sakumo faced the same situation years ago.
And during all of this.
Someone...
Returned to the village.
"Whew. Half a month." Uchiha Itachi stood quietly outside the village gates with two Anbu Ninja subordinates.
A gentle smile tugged at his small, otherwise expressionless face.
"I wonder if Sasuke missed me."
Before you continue