"Why is it impossible?"
Sōken sat in his chair with one hand resting on the armrest. He lifted his chin slightly, his icy, indifferent gaze fixed on the furious protesters, as if they were a bunch of immature children throwing tantrums!
Though, in terms of age, he wasn't even half as old as any one of them.
"One thousand five hundred people? Even if we counted the children who haven't graduated from the Ninja Academy, my clan couldn't come up with that many! This is clearly a personal vendetta... You're asking the impossible!" Sarutobi Saemon argued angrily. Thankfully, he kept his wits about him and swallowed the words "personal vendetta" before they could escape his mouth.
The man, a little over forty, was the current head of the Sarutobi Clan. Five years ago, when Hiruzen Sarutobi had reclaimed the Hokage Position, his favored eldest son had joined the Anbu as well. Hiruzen Sarutobi had then handed the position of Sarutobi Clan Head to his nephew—Sarutobi Saemon.
He was a man of mediocre ability.
Hiruzen Sarutobi hadn't chosen him to lead the Sarutobi Clan because he was especially talented or outstanding. He'd chosen him because he was an obedient nephew, someone who would do everything in his power to carry out Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders. Even if the results weren't always good, he was certainly obedient.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi still held all the power,
his life would probably have stayed as carefree and comfortable as before.
Unfortunately,
life didn't offer so many what-ifs.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had fallen from the summit, and not only had he plunged into the abyss himself, he'd made life miserable for Sarutobi Saemon, too! And yet the man didn't seem to realize it.
"I'm starting to wonder whether your ears are still of any use. But since I'm