Third Hokage, You Should Step Down

Dawn was just breaking.

The conference room was packed. All of Konoha's higher-ups and jonin had gathered here.

Three documents lay on Sarutobi's desk.

The first was an autopsy report. The traitor ninja escorted back from the front lines had wounds from Shuriken, but he had also suffered a fatal blow to the heart. The technique used was clearly the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist.

The second consisted of several letters. They recorded important Konoha secrets, information about the current troop deployments on the front lines against the Hidden Mist Village, and correspondence with several wealthy merchants. The general contents stated that after Konoha was destroyed, they would provide funds to support the Hyuga Clan in establishing a village.

One letter even detailed the daimyo's recent movements.

The final document was a suicide note left behind by Jinyu Hyuga. It claimed that Hyuga Hiashi had conspired with Iwagakure ninja to overthrow Konoha. Jinyu had tried to stop him, only to be viciously tortured by Hiashi using a curse seal.

Jinyu Hyuga was already dead.

No one present said a word. The conference room was deathly silent.

Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Shimura Danzō, and Orochimaru sat on either side of Sarutobi.

Everyone had been summoned here by the Anbu early that morning. Upon learning that Hyuga Hiashi had been the traitor and was now dead, all of them were immersed in indescribable shock.

The head of the Hyuga Clan was someone everyone here had dealt with. He had always been fairly amiable in his treatment of others.

He was actually a traitor?! And he had plotted so many things harmful to the village!

Everyone found it absurd. Even Uchiha Fugaku, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu were no exception.

Yet every piece of evidence laid out before Sarutobi contained a crime enough to have Hyuga Hiashi executed ten thousand times over!

But after the shock came intense anger and resentment.

In the war against the Stone Ninja, Konoha had truly been driven into a corner. So many comrades had died—how could one life from Hyuga Hiashi possibly repay them!

Just then, there was a knock on the conference room door.

"Come in."

Sarutobi was puzzled. Everyone who should have been here had already arrived.

Yet the one who pushed open the door was Lord Gen, the daimyo of the Land of Fire, followed by the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

"Lord Gen!" Sarutobi immediately rose to his feet.

Why was the daimyo here...

For no reason, Sarutobi felt a bad premonition.

Seeing that it was the daimyo, all the ninja present rose alongside Sarutobi and paid their respects.

"Am I interrupting your meeting?" Lord Gen asked.

"Not at all. We simply did not expect you to come, Lord Gen," Sarutobi said. "If you had sent someone to notify us beforehand, we could have prepared a proper reception."

Lord Gen ignored the polite remark and went straight to the point. "I heard the matter of the traitor has been investigated thoroughly."

Sarutobi's gaze swiftly swept over everyone present before he replied, "Yes."

Lord Gen continued, "Would you mind if I listened in?"

Sarutobi immediately said, "Konoha is under your rule. We are all your subjects. Lord Gen may do as he wishes!"

He gave up the seat at the head of the table, and Lord Gen took it without ceremony.

The people on the left side of the table all shifted one seat toward the end, making room for Sarutobi.

"Last night, Hyuga Hiashi left the village under suspicious circumstances. Orochimaru discovered him, followed him, and found him conspiring with a Stone Ninja. Orochimaru stepped forward to question them, but the two resisted. During the fierce fight, both were killed," Sarutobi recounted the events of the previous night to the daimyo once more.

Every spearhead pointed toward Hyuga Hiashi, but Hyuga Hiashi was dead.

The dead could not speak. All information came from the living—who could tell what was true and what was false?

Whether one person believed this information or not depended entirely on themselves. But once everyone knew it, whether you believed it or not no longer mattered. It did not stop it from becoming an established fact.

Sarutobi then explained the contents of the three documents to the daimyo.

After hearing it all, Lord Gen said, "So the Mist Ninja who tried to assassinate me yesterday was also acting under Hyuga Hiashi's orders?"

Sarutobi nodded. "Yes."

Lord Gen sneered. "That man truly had some nerve. He even dreamed of overthrowing Konoha and setting himself up as ruler!"

After saying this, his gaze shifted to Sarutobi.

"Third Hokage, the Hyuga are a prominent Konoha clan, are they not?"

There was already accusation in his tone, and the unease in Sarutobi's heart grew stronger.

"The Hyuga Clan has been in Konoha since the village's founding. Their unique Dojutsu, the Byakugan, is renowned throughout the ninja world. They are veterans of Konoha."

Lord Gen asked again, "Was this one man's problem, or the problem of the entire clan?"

"Lord Gen!"

Someone abruptly rose from a seat below. It was Hizashi Hyuga.

Sarutobi introduced him to Lord Gen. "This is Hyuga Hiashi's younger twin brother, Hizashi Hyuga. Before last night's incident, he took the initiative to find me and confess all of Hyuga Hiashi's crimes."

Lord Gen narrowed his eyes slightly. "Putting righteousness above family, huh."

Hizashi Hyuga lowered his head and said, "Lord Gen, our Hyuga Clan differs from other clans. We have a Main Branch and a Branch Family. Every Branch Family member is branded from childhood with a curse seal called the Caged Bird Seal. It is said to protect our clan's Dojutsu from being stolen by outsiders, but in truth, the lives and deaths of Branch Family members are entirely controlled by the Main Branch from that moment onward!"

He began recounting how Hyuga Hiashi had always held his life in his hands, forcing him to serve and obey. He had wanted to confess everything to the Hokage, but had never had the chance.

Until today, when Hyuga Hiashi had once again conspired with the Hidden Mist Village, intending to make Konoha suffer another disaster like the war against the Stone Ninja, he had risked his life to find the Third Hokage and confess everything.

He also mentioned that only he and Jinyuu knew of the matter throughout the entire Hyuga Clan. Everyone else was unaware of it. Otherwise, they would not have sacrificed more than half their clansmen to protect Konoha.

Everyone present listened in silence.

Lord Gen sneered repeatedly as he listened. "This Hyuga Hiashi was truly remarkable. Konoha has produced quite the remarkable ninja."

Sarutobi sighed inwardly and lowered his head. "Lord Gen, the blame lies with me. I failed to judge his character properly."

Lord Gen's gaze then swept across everyone seated in the room. With deep emotion, he said, "When I first arrived in Konoha, the first place I went was the Memorial Stone—the resting place of heroes."

"Looking at the names on the Memorial Stone and the graves surrounding it, I was filled with sorrow and indignation, and many thoughts. I heard of how brutal your battle against the Stone Ninja was. So many gave their lives without hesitation to protect their homeland. Having subjects like you fills me with incomparable pride! From that moment on, I firmly believed that no matter what enemies we faced, we would surely defeat them!"

"But now, if I were to go there again, if I were to stand before the Memorial Stone once more, all I would feel is shame. Ask yourselves—killed by those beside them, killed by comrades they trusted beyond measure, did they truly die for a worthy cause?!"

"Who caused the honor that should have belonged to them to be stained by humiliation?!"

"Who should be held responsible for this?!"

By the end, Lord Gen's voice was stern and fierce.

Sarutobi, however, remained calm. He already knew why the daimyo had come.

Seeing the sorrowful expressions on everyone's faces, Sarutobi sighed inwardly. He, too, knew that he had failed the thousands of comrades who had died in vain.

Sarutobi rose to his feet and said, "Me."

"I will take responsibility!"

Lord Gen's voice also calmed. "Third Hokage, those were thousands of lives. How will you take responsibility?"

Sarutobi said slowly, "I will relinquish the position of Hokage."

The entire room was stunned.

"Third Hokage!"

"Lord Hokage!"

Several people could not help calling out, but the Third Hokage remained unmoved.

The daimyo said lightly, "Third Hokage, you are old. It is time to make way for the younger generation."

The younger generation...

Sarutobi felt a pang of emotion as Minato's image flashed through his mind.

Minato...

Minato...

Minato?!

Sarutobi's eyes suddenly widened in fury as he sensed that something was wrong.

Minato was not in the village right now!

Not only was Minato absent, but Shikaku, Inoichi, and Minato's other supporters were absent as well!

They were all on the front lines right now, fighting the Mist Ninjas to the death!

His gaze swept across everyone seated here once more. Shimura Danzō, Orochimaru...

What was going on... Why... Why were all the people here Orochimaru's supporters...

Where were Minato's supporters? Where was Jiraiya?

Sarutobi recalled the day they had decided on the commander for the war against the Hidden Mist Village. The humble words Orochimaru had spoken then had truly made Sarutobi think that Orochimaru had come to terms with it.

Lord Gen calmly asked, "For the Fourth Hokage, do you have a suitable candidate?"

Danzō finally opened the eye he had kept shut all this time. "I nominate Orochimaru."

The moment he spoke, voices of agreement rose continuously throughout the conference room.

Sarutobi turned his gaze toward Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, his eyes seeming ready to devour them alive. Yet the two merely lowered their heads and remained silent.

Orochimaru, who had not spoken a word from beginning to end, finally revealed a smile at the corner of his lips.

Seeing that smile, Sarutobi felt as though his heart had plunged into an icy abyss.

It was over!

It was all over...