Ten Thousand Besiege the Hokage Building

Before a rickety wooden house, an old wooden door was gently knocked on.

The door creaked open, revealing the haggard face of a woman. Her eyes were slightly swollen and red.

"Hello, I'm Uchiha Yakumi. Your husband once fought alongside me on the Iwagakure front. Since he unfortunately died in battle, the Uchiha Clan is issuing a one-time pension of 2.16 million ryo. Please sign for it."

Uchiha Yakumi held a bulging envelope in both hands, his voice steady and firm. "The Uchiha Clan thanks him for his sacrifice for Konoha. If you encounter any difficulties, you can come find me at Konoha's Military Police Force."

The woman accepted the envelope with trembling hands. When her fingers touched the thick stack of banknotes, her tears finally burst forth.

"Th-thank you..."

Choking back sobs, she pressed the envelope tightly against her chest. "With this money... at least the children won't go hungry..."

Inside the house, two thin little figures were peeking from behind the door.

Uchiha Yakumi took out two bags of candy from his pack. "Don't be afraid. These are from Uncle."

He had encountered this sort of thing many times today, so he had deliberately bought some candy.

In fact, the same scenes were playing out all across Konoha.

A Kurama Clan ninja had erected a platform in the center of the market and shouted in a voice like a ringing bell, "The troops led by Uchiha Fugaku captured over five thousand Iwagakure ninja! Ōnoki surrendered! They paid thirty billion ryo in reparations!"

"The Uchiha Clan will not let Konoha's heroes bleed and weep! For ninjas who died on the Iwagakure battlefield, the Uchiha Clan will pay death and injury compensation in advance. Genin will receive a one-time payment of 2.16 million ryo, chunin 8.64 million ryo, and jonin 30 million ryo!"

Enhanced by chakra, his voice spread throughout the entire commercial district.

Before a ramen stall, a middle-aged man asked in a low voice, "I heard we defeated Kumogakure before, so why didn't those who died on the Kumogakure battlefield receive even a single coin?"

His companion slammed the table indignantly. "Exactly! My neighbor's boy died on the Kumogakure battlefield. His wife and child can barely afford to eat now!"

Young ninjas of the Kazami Clan moved from tavern to tavern, shouting whenever they entered one, "Great victory on the Iwagakure battlefield! The troops led by Uchiha Fugaku captured over five thousand Iwagakure ninja! Ōnoki surrendered! They paid thirty billion ryo in reparations!"

By then, the plaza before the Hokage Building was already packed with people.

Bereaved families dressed in mourning clothes crowded at the front, their cries rising and falling one after another.

Ninjas who had just returned from the Iwagakure battlefield stood in the second row, their faces filled with fury.

Ordinary villagers surrounded the outer edge, talking among themselves.

"My son died on the Kumogakure battlefield! Why wasn't there any pension?" An elderly white-haired woman leaned on her cane, yet her voice was exceptionally loud.

"People from the Iwagakure battlefield got so much. What about us?!" A one-armed ninja waved his empty sleeve and roared.

The Anbu guards, drenched in sweat, formed a human wall.

Yet the ever-growing crowd battered them until they were on the verge of collapse.

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching roar tore through the air. "Sarutobi Hiruzen! Get out here!"

The crowd automatically parted to form a path as a stubbled jonin strode forward.

His forehead protector sat crookedly on his head, his eyes were bloodshot, and unwashed bloodstains still marked his combat uniform.

His voice was terrifyingly hoarse. He pulled out a photograph and held it high. "My daughter was only ten! Only ten! Why did you make her graduate early and send her to the battlefield?"

In the photograph, a little girl with twin pigtails smiled sweetly at the camera.

The sight made every parent present redden around the eyes.

"My son was only eight! He hadn't even fully learned the Three Basic Jutsu before he was made to graduate early and sent to the Kirigakure battlefield! Are you even human?"

"Give us back our children!"

"Give us back our children..."

The waves of furious voices rose higher and higher.

Even the windows of the Hokage Building trembled faintly from the vibrations.

Inside the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, the pipe in his hand long extinguished.

He silently watched the dense black mass of people below, his brow deeply furrowed.

Leaning on his cane, Shimura Danzō emerged from the shadows. A cold gleam flashed in his single eye. "Hiruzen, we can't allow this to continue. More and more people will gather."

Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a long sigh, turned, and walked toward his desk, tacitly accepting Danzō's suggestion.

At that moment, his back looked especially stooped.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several dozen Root ninjas suddenly sprang out from every corner and instantly pinned down several ninjas leading the disturbance!

The lead Root ninja coldly announced, "You are under arrest on charges of espionage. We hope you will cooperate!"

The crowd instantly erupted!

"Bullshit! I just came back from the Iwagakure battlefield! How the hell does that make me a spy?" A scar-faced ninja roared, his left arm still wrapped in bandages.

A female ninja shrieked, "Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, do you dare do it but not admit it? My husband died on the Kumogakure battlefield, and then he sent my son to the Kirigakure front! Kill me if you want—I don't want to live anymore!"

These ninjas who had only just returned from the battlefield had already been suppressing a bellyful of anger.

Now, hearing the woman's tearful accusation, their rage was instantly ignited.

They used the Body Flicker Technique to close in, then unleashed a barrage of fists and kicks on the Root ninjas. In an instant, dozens of Root ninjas were beaten to the ground.

A ninja in his forties suddenly leaped from the crowd onto a fountain statue and shouted himself hoarse, "Latest news! More than a thousand people have already died on the Kirigakure battlefield! Hyuga Hiyori, the commander-in-chief of the Kirigakure front, even had her right eye gouged out!"

The news was like a bucket of ice water poured into a boiling vat of oil.

The crowd went completely mad, their roars deafening. "Sarutobi Hiruzen, give us an explanation!"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, you bastard! Give our children back!"

The guards of the Hokage Building retreated step by step, and the situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Watching the disturbance in the direction of the Hokage Building, Uchiha Sanpo softly said, "Clan Head, it's time for you to take the stage."

Uchiha Fugaku nodded slightly. He adjusted his collar and turned toward the Hokage Building.

"Everyone! I am the head of the Uchiha Clan. More than three hundred children of my clan have also been sent to the Kirigakure battlefield. The youngest among them are only eight, and the oldest are no more than eleven."

Uchiha Fugaku's voice was not loud, yet the noisy crowd fell silent in an instant.

Many ninjas reddened around the eyes, and some had already begun sobbing quietly.

Uchiha Fugaku suddenly raised his voice. "In the name of the Uchiha Clan head, I propose that we immediately reinforce the Kirigakure battlefield! Save our children! Furthermore, we must retaliate against Kirigakure!"

Thunderous cheers suddenly erupted!

"Support the Uchiha Clan!"

"March on Kirigakure!"

"Support the Uchiha Clan!"

The cries rose higher and higher, shaking all of Konoha.

Inside the Hokage's office, the document in Sarutobi Hiruzen's hand had already been crushed out of shape.

The scene of the enraged crowd in the Surveillance Crystal turned his face ashen.

He noticed that quite a few Ino-Shika-Cho and Hyuga Clan ninjas were also shouting their support. That discovery made his heart sink to the bottom.

Utatane Koharu urgently said, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead, "Hiruzen! We absolutely cannot let the Uchiha Clan win more military merit!"

Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses, their lenses reflecting a cold light. "More than three thousand Konoha ninjas withdrew from the Kumogakure battlefield and have already been on the Kirigakure battlefield for some time. Good news will arrive soon..."

Danzo stood in the shadows, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Wouldn't it be even better to let the Uchiha Clan go die?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent for a long time before finally standing and adjusting his Hokage Hat. "I'll go apologize. The people will understand..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen