"Aoki, stay here. Hurry and report this to the clan head!"
"Got it!"
Uchiha Aoki sprinted away with all his strength.
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked slowly and heavily through the crowd, entering the circle formed by the layers of people surrounding them.
He took a deep drag from his pipe.
Then he slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.
"Qianyu, what happened here?"
His tone was not harsh. It even trembled slightly from age and anger.
Yet everyone could feel an overwhelmingly terrifying pressure.
Qianyu merely said calmly, "Lord Hokage, you should be asking them."
He pointed at the murdered girl's father and grandmother.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the two of them, took a breath, and calmed himself.
He stepped forward and supported the tottering old woman.
"Ma'am, what exactly happened?"
Still immersed in overwhelming emotion, the old woman haltingly told him the truth with great difficulty.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face instantly became incomparably grim.
"Hiogo, is this true?"
Sarutobi Hiogo's body trembled as he clenched his fists, but his head lowered involuntarily.
"Yes..."
"But Jiro didn't do it on purpose. Th-this was just an accident!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly, "That isn't what I'm asking!"
"I'm asking whether you truly intended to shield your own son!"
Sarutobi Hiogo was horrified.
"L-Lord Hokage... I..."
"Bastard!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi interrupted him and said in a deep voice, "You clearly knew Jiro had killed an innocent villager. As both his father and clan head, you should have punished him even more severely. Yet you actually shielded and defended him so openly!"
"How are the ninjas and villagers of Konoha supposed to view our Sarutobi clan?!"
"How are they supposed to view the relatives and clansmen of me, the Hokage?!"
Cold sweat immediately streamed down Sarutobi Hiogo's face.
"Lord Hokage, I..."
"Enough!"
Seeing Lord Hokage rebuke Sarutobi Hiogo, everyone could not help feeling admiration in their hearts.
Worthy of Lord Hokage...
He truly was as selfless and impartial as ever!
Compared to Sarutobi Hiogo, this was a leader who truly had the people's support...
Qianyu remained silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer paid Sarutobi Hiogo any attention. Instead, he turned to the murdered girl's father and grandmother and sighed.
"The murderer has already been executed on the spot by Qianyu. Justice has been served to you."
"As for Sarutobi Hiogo, he shielded a criminal, protected his relative, and bent the law for personal gain..."
"From this day onward, he is no longer the head of the Sarutobi clan!"
"As for his subsequent punishment, I will certainly give everyone an explanation!"
Sarutobi Hiogo's face instantly turned pale as paper.
The murdered girl's relatives, however, immediately burst into grateful tears and fell to their knees with a thud.
"Th-thank you, Lord Hokage!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and sighed. "Don't thank me. As the Hokage, a member of the Sarutobi clan, and Jiro's uncle, I failed to properly teach him to be a good person. That is my sin..."
"If you wish to thank someone, thank Qianyu."
Only then did the relatives turn around and repeatedly kneel and kowtow toward Qianyu.
"Thank you, Lord Qianyu, for upholding justice!"
Qianyu merely nodded lightly.
He glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi. That aged face wore such a heartbroken expression...
Compared to Sarutobi Hiogo, he was operating on an entirely different level...
Hiruzen Sarutobi also stepped forward and heavily patted Qianyu on the shoulder.
"Qianyu..."
"You did well..."
"Very well."
Qianyu remained impassive. "Thank you for the praise, Lord Hokage."
"I will continue to work hard and live up to everyone's expectations."
A flash of cold light passed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes.
Then his pipe faintly glowed, and he instead revealed an encouraging smile.
"Good, good..."
He glared fiercely at Sarutobi Hiogo. "Come with me!"
Sarutobi Hiogo looked at his son's corpse on the ground, let out a tearful, miserable laugh, and followed Hiruzen Sarutobi away like a walking corpse.
The many ninjas and villagers, especially the victim's relatives, respectfully called out.
"Farewell, Lord Hokage!"
Discussion broke out throughout the crowd.
"Lord Hokage truly is as fair as ever..."
"Worthy of Lord Hokage. This is what a true good leader is like..."
"Lord Hokage has always treated every villager as his own family, without favoring anyone..."
As Qianyu listened to the crowd's discussions, a trace of sorrow flashed across his face.
But he quickly shook his head and dismissed it.
Just as he was about to leave, the victim's relatives suddenly surrounded him.
"Lord Qianyu, th-thank you for seeking justice for Daizi!"
"If not for Lord Qianyu, that murderer might have continued to roam free and never received a fair trial. Even Lord Hokage..."
The old woman suddenly snorted coldly.
"Lord Hokage? He wouldn't have killed that little beast either..."
"His little performance may fool all of you, but it cannot fool these eyes of mine..."
"Mother, wh-what are you saying?"
The old woman looked at Qianyu, tears streaming down her aged face. "I know Konoha has already rotted beyond saving, but..."
"Only Lord Qianyu, your heart is like the blade in your hand..."
"Sharp and exposed, never to rust or decay!"
Qianyu's heart stirred slightly.
He had never hoped for others to understand anything he did, much less expected anyone to thank him.
Even when he saw everyone praising Hiruzen Sarutobi's benevolence, he had felt no ripples within his heart.
But now, being able to hear those two words from the old woman was still a good thing...
He took the old woman's hand, nodded, then strode through the crowd and left. Before long, he disappeared from sight.
The old woman continued waving her hand, tears flowing over her wrinkled, aged cheeks as she wept with gratitude.
Then she spat at Sarutobi Jiro's headless corpse in disgust.
No One Could Cover the Sky with One Hand Forever
Qianyu casually added all thirty Merit Points he had just obtained to his Eye Power.
Attributes: Fire, Lightning, Yin, Yang Chakra: 650 Ability: Three Tomoe Sharingan (373/1000) Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, Mastery (100/100) Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique, Mastery (100/100) Uchiha Style Swordsmanship, Major Accomplishment (88/100) Merit: 0 Points
At the same time, Qianyu heard another notification sound.
Before you continue