The Elephant in the Room

"Secondly, the head of the Inuzuka clan, who serves as the breakthrough point, will, without even realizing it, 'confess' numerous 'evidence' that is only held by Root and others under the guise of classified archives."

"At the same time, the leaders of the Ninja Clans, sensing a direct threat, will begin to act."

"However, with the situation unclear, they will absolutely not be the first to intervene on either side. Instead, they will express their dissatisfaction with the 'Inuzuka case' to Lord Third through channels like Jonin meetings and high-level conferences."

"And so, Lord Third will once again throw the conflict back onto you, Lady Tsunade."

Recalling the young man's words from a few days ago, Tsunade clasped her hands together. Seated in one of the prime spots at the head of the long table, she watched the noisy Ninja Clan leaders in the conference room with indifferent silence.

"What hasn't been done hasn't been done!"

"How can the head of a clan be imprisoned without an investigation?"

"If rumors spread throughout the village again next time, does that mean the head of the Uchiha and the head of the Hyuga can also be locked up just by a word from you, Lord Third?"

"Exactly! This matter has gone too far!"

All the clan heads representing the Ninja Clans were shouting indignantly at this moment.

Tsunade watched this scene with cold eyes.

Although everyone present knew that everything happening now was merely a conflict transfer orchestrated by the Advisor Council.

Yet, they acted as if they hadn't realized anything, all loudly demanding that her beloved teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, take responsibility and restore Inuzuka Gentai's innocence to the village.

Not a single person attempted to point the finger at a specific name.

There was no other reason.

It was simply that the current Hokage Advisor Council was far too powerful.

If a comparison had to be made, the Advisor Council, though called elders, was essentially an inner cabinet.

Even Sarutobi Hiruzen needed to have his decisions voted on within this small inner cabinet to implement them.

Although Konoha's Ninja Clans were prestigious families, they could barely be considered local forces, and they were scattered and disorganized. Except for issues regarding bloodline limits and secret techniques, they couldn't form a united front.

Even the strongest among them, the Uchiha clan, was just a slightly larger prey in front of the Hokage lineage, posing no real threat.

The only one who could confront them directly was Tsunade, who held the 'righteous' title.

Precisely because of this, the behavior of these clan heads, while seemingly aggressive at this moment, actually dared not get involved.

Perhaps even these current complaints were merely a way of showing their neutral stance between her and the Advisor Council, returning the most crucial 'power of judgment' back into the hands of Lord Third?

At that point, wouldn't Teacher Sarutobi only need to say 'public opinion is surging' to have ample reason to easily pressure her into canceling this proposal?

"Don't look at what they say, but at what they do."

Tsunade lowered her head, looking at the single vertical tea stem floating in the teacup on the table, and the melancholy expression reflected on the surface of the water. She suddenly felt like laughing.

This kind of damned place was truly boring to stay in.

If, that brat wasn't here.

Just as the place was filled with clamor and everyone was uniformly demanding an explanation from Lord Third.

Shimura Danzo's single eye suddenly swept towards Tsunade across the long table, and he spoke in a cold voice:

"Jonin Tsunade, as the proposer of the 'Wartime Special Investigation Ordinance'."

"Now, do you have nothing to say?"

He was the one who ordered the arrest, he was the one who twisted the ordinance by releasing public opinion in advance, and he was still the one who unreasonably detained a Ninja Clan head in the interrogation room.

But at this very moment, Shimura Danzo acted as if he were merely a professional 'Hokage Advisor', unable to tolerate Tsunade's 'irresponsible' actions, and righteously presented his opinion.

Almost at the instant he spoke, the clamor that had filled the entire conference room suddenly vanished without a trace.

Everyone quietly watched the two people sitting across from each other at the long table.

"Opinion? What opinion?"

Tsunade sneered, "Are you referring to my proposal to initiate an economic inquiry into the 'Advisor Council'?"

She deliberately put emphasis on those three words.

However, everyone present seemed to have gone deaf for a second by tacit agreement, hearing nothing.

Tsunade ignored them and turned to look at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was seated in the very center.

"Lord Third, investigating corruption cases concerns the entire village."

"If no one dares to set an example, who can uncover those dirty things thoroughly?"

Shimura Danzo's eyelid twitched slightly.

After all, he was the dirtiest one among everyone present.

But...

This foolish woman, Tsunade, still didn't understand Hiruzen well enough.

"I believe that in the face of war, various matters on the home front should be temporarily postponed," Sarutobi Hiruzen met his student's gaze, his voice unwavering, his expression grim.

"Tsunade, the pressure on the front lines is immense."

"..."

Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths.

Tsunade herself didn't know how much willpower it took to forcefully suppress the anger and disappointment that surged from the depths of her heart.

"Is that so?"

She stood up under everyone's gaze, looking deeply at Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Just before leaving, Tsunade's voice suddenly turned cold and she said calmly:

"Lord Third Hokage, you will regret this."

Sarutobi Hiruzen was startled hearing this. He felt like he had heard this familiar line somewhere before, and a strange unease filled his heart.

Shimura Danzo, however, couldn't help but smile.

Hmph, a sore loser.

Bang.

The door closed.

Tsunade strode out of the office, her mind still replaying Sahara Mizu's words from earlier.

"If Lady Tsunade still charges headfirst into obstacles like before, then Shimura Danzo and Lord Third Hokage will take turns using the same trick again for the stability of the front lines."

"This will continue until the Ninja Clans can no longer bear it. Under constant pressure, their stance will gradually shift towards the Advisor Elders and demand your resignation during the Jonin meeting. Ultimately, in a fair and public process, your proposal will be abolished with overwhelming support during the vote."

"This is the simplest and most effective method."

"However, now, because of my appearance, the situation has changed."

Even now, Tsunade remembered the cunning and intelligent smile on Sahara Mizu's face when he said those words, like a little fox.

"Do you know about The Elephant in the Room?"

"In an already cramped room, there's a massive problem that's impossible to ignore, yet everyone, for various reasons, has formed an unusual tacit understanding and chooses to deliberately avoid and turn a blind eye to this phenomenon."

At that moment, Sahara Mizu's voice was like the whisper of a devil.

"If you are still the high and mighty Konoha Princess, Princess Tsunade, then you can certainly continue to follow this 'tacit understanding'."

"But if you want to break the current stalemate and get out of this room - then, this 'elephant' curled up and quietly wronged in the room will become your most powerful ally."

As if sensing the thoughts from afar, Sahara Mizu subconsciously turned his head towards the Hokage Building.

However, before he could snap back to attention, he heard the auntie from the Disabled and Orphaned Children's Home beside him warmly call out, "Sahara-kun, the last performance is over, it's your turn now."

Only then did he turn his head, thanking the auntie warmly and politely, and then strode towards the stage.

On this simply constructed stage, there had just been a large chorus of orphans, a Manzai performance by performers invited from a theater, an acrobatic troupe from outside, and a dance performance that a few young girls had quickly rehearsed.

However, the applause from the audience was always sparse, seemingly lacking interest.

Sahara Mizu stood on the stage, looking at the audience below.

Most of them were missing an arm or two legs, only able to move with wheelchairs or crutches. Some were even entirely wrapped in bandages - that was because they were disfigured in the war.

Clearly, they were all ninjas disabled by the war.

Because various disabled care homes and orphanages in Konoha had been notified three days in advance, today, this open space located at the edge of the village, beneath the Hokage Rock, gathered nearly half of Konoha's injured and orphaned ninjas, totaling several thousand people. Such a massive gathering of people would likely not have been possible without the guarantees from Lord Tsunade and Lord Hatake Sakumo.

However, even though they were present, these people remained cold-faced and moved with difficulty.

Both their bodies and spirits were enduring incomparable pain. The stark contrast between their powerful physiques as ninjas and their current impoverished state was like heaven and earth.

The tight budget and limited manpower within the Hidden Leaf Village meant that the vast majority of them, after giving their all for the village, even had to endure hunger.

Some of them had even parted ways with their own properties and relatives for various reasons - in already difficult times, very few people were willing to take on a heavy family burden for free. This was a choice of human nature.

Under this heavy pain, it seemed that absolutely nothing could pique the interest of these formerly most passionate people.

Sahara Mizu silently took all of this in.

Slowly, he revealed a perfectly solemn expression and walked onto the stage with dignity.

As his performance began, Tsunade, who had just left the Hokage Building, also happened to arrive at the edge of the venue.

From a great distance, she could already hear Sahara Mizu's solemn and steady voice, filled with emotion, echoing from afar:

"Forty years ago, a great Konoha ninja signed the Konoha Establishment Treaty. Today, we gather under the witness of his Hokage Rock."

"That great ninja once said: He hoped that after Konoha was established, not so many people would sacrifice themselves, and not so many children would lose their lives."

"This solemn declaration was like the light of a lighthouse, bringing hope to millions of people in the Warring States Period suffering in the unjust fire that destroyed lives. Its arrival was like a joyful dawn, ending the long night of Warring States slaughter and bringing peace to the Hidden Leaf Village for more than ten years."

"However, forty years later, today, we must face the tragic fact that the people and children of Konoha are still fighting and killing enemies on the battlefield."

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone!

Since it's a holiday today, I ended up getting delayed a bit after eating and drinking. The next chapter will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon.