"Outrageous!"
"Absolutely outrageous!"
"This is sheer audacity! Namikaze Mirai dared to kill Kumogakure's envoy today; tomorrow, he'll dare to kill us!"
"Hiruzen, we absolutely cannot keep letting him do whatever he wants!"
In the Hokage Office, Utatane Koharu trembled with rage, her rough palm slamming onto the Hokage's desk again and again.
Spittle flew everywhere, nearly landing on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face.
The repercussions of this incident were far too severe. Did Namikaze Mirai still have any respect for them? For Konoha?
"Koharu, say a little less. Can't you see Hiruzen is already at his wit's end over this?"
Beside her, Mitokado Homura shot her a helpless glance.
Koharu was always like this. Once her temper flared, her voice was the only one left in the entire Hokage Office.
"Homura! Do you still not understand how serious this is? This is a major diplomatic incident! If the Raikage learns of this, he might fly into a rage and start another war."
"The Raikage already knows."
Danzo's voice was grim.
???
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura both turned to stare at him, utterly dumbfounded.
What the hell?
They had not even sent the news over yet. How had the Raikage found out? "I had Danzo send someone to notify the Raikage."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke.
His very first words immediately stunned Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura.
"Hiruzen, are you sure about this? With something this serious, shouldn't we first lock down the information and discuss a response before taking action?"
"Letting the Raikage obtain intelligence so quickly will put us at a disadvantage!"
The two of them were thoroughly confused.
Even Utatane Koharu, who had just been raging, was completely baffled.
Wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen acting a little too quickly?
They had not even had time to react.
"We can't hide it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.
"Rather than wait for the Raikage to learn of it himself, it's better for us to inform him in advance. It may even ease some of his anger."
An Envoy Delegation sent by Kumogakure had died in Konoha. If he were the Raikage, he would probably have jumped onto the table in fury.
What had happened was undoubtedly a slap in the Raikage's face.
Of course, there was another, more important reason he did not mention.
If he personally sent someone to inform the Raikage, then he could decide the exact contents of the message.
With a few suitable alterations and certain suggestions, the Raikage likely would not notice so easily.
For instance, in the letter he had sent to the Raikage—
He had placed nearly all the blame on Namikaze Mirai.
Kumogakure's abduction of Hinata had been vaguely glossed over, while the cause of the incident had been shifted to a conflict between Namikaze Mirai and the Envoy Delegation that had ultimately turned bloody.
As for whether the Raikage would notice? Hiruzen hoped he would accept that explanation.
How could Kumogakure's Envoy Delegation have happened to secretly abduct Hinata on the very night after the ceremony ended?
A little thought was enough to reveal that something was deeply suspicious.
Perhaps this Envoy Delegation had come to Konoha with a special mission to begin with.
Hiruzen's wording also helped wash away an unsavory stain from the Raikage.
It focused the entire conflict on Namikaze Mirai alone.
That was also the goal he and Danzo shared.
"What surprised me, however, was that the Raikage's reply was extremely forceful. He demanded that the Hyuga Clan take responsibility for this matter."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened somewhat.
If it had only involved Namikaze Mirai, it would have been easy to handle.
He was alone, with no faction behind him.
Whether they suppressed or targeted him, as long as they handled it properly, they could achieve good results.
But once the Hyuga Clan became involved—
Things became much more complicated.
"Hiruzen, in my view, Kumogakure is likely fixated on the Byakugan bloodline limit and is using this matter to relentlessly target the Hyuga Clan."
A cold gleam flashed through Danzo's hawkish eye.
With his experience, he could naturally guess what the Raikage was thinking.
Since the Envoy Delegation was already dead, he might as well smash the pot and force Konoha to yield, using the threat of war to obtain the Byakugan.
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples in immense frustration.
That was exactly what worried him.
He even suspected that Namikaze Mirai had foreseen this outcome and deliberately used this method to bind the Hyuga Clan to himself.
If they wanted to move against Namikaze Mirai, they could not avoid the Hyuga Clan.
"Hiruzen, don't worry. This may not be as troublesome as you think."
A cold smile rested on Danzo's ugly, scar-covered face.
The entire left side of his face had been Namikaze Mirai's doing! That scar was one of the most unforgettable humiliations of his life!
His hatred for Namikaze Mirai had already reached its peak!
"Although Namikaze Mirai saved Hinata, Hiashi knows perfectly well which matters more: one daughter, or the entire Hyuga Clan."
"More importantly, giving the Raikage an explanation does not necessarily require the Byakugan to leave the clan. As far as I know, the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird Seal can directly destroy the Byakugan."
"Seen that way, the Raikage's demand is not overly excessive toward the Hyuga Clan."
"We can still keep the center of the conflict focused on Namikaze Mirai."
Listening to Danzo's explanation, the deep furrow in Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow gradually eased, and the sorrow on his face faded as well.
He felt somewhat relieved.
It seemed Danzo had grown from his recent string of setbacks.
Apparently, losing that eye had not been for nothing.
"What do you think we should do?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to hear Danzo's opinion.
"Simple. Convene a high-level meeting and invite Namikaze Mirai as well."
A hawkish smile flickered through Danzo's single eye.
"Since he caused this disaster, he should naturally resolve it himself. Killing an envoy from another village and allowing the flames of war to stain Konoha once more—this is a crime even Minato's younger brother cannot bear!"
The more Sarutobi Hiruzen listened, the more relaxed he became.
The more he listened, the more confident he felt.
That was right. As Danzo had said, Namikaze Mirai could not bear the crime of killing an envoy from another village and allowing war to stain Konoha once more.
Once that charge was established—
He would not receive the villagers' forgiveness simply because he was Minato's younger brother and Naruto's uncle.
The best method was to lay everything out in the open and use pressure from the major shinobi clans and the higher-ups to force Namikaze Mirai into submitting on his own.
After all, no one wanted another war!
"We'll do as you say!"
"Not only that, public opinion in the village needs to be guided as well. How can a criminal who endangers the village not be despised by the villagers?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and exhaled a hazy cloud of smoke. Under the effects of the tobacco, his constantly taut nerves finally relaxed completely. Last time, because of Naruto's identity, his reputation in the village had plummeted. How could he deny Namikaze Mirai the same treatment when such a fine opportunity had come along? The story got promoted. Please follow it; just flip to the last page. The fate of this book depends on it—I'm begging you!!!
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