The End of the Matter

Kazashiro's speech, to be perfectly honest, was quite good.

But the appearance of a huge burp at the end completely ruined the entire thing.

"That idiot..." Kakashi closed his eyes, no longer looking at the other person.

The Will of Fire, did only I understand the Will of Fire?

Yes, the Will of Fire that Lord Third preached was, in my eyes, truly about protecting comrades and important people.

Kazashiro is right, I can't just be dejected like this. I must show them through my actions what the Will of Fire truly is!

Sakumo's eyes, moved by Kazashiro's words, showed a long-lost fighting spirit.

Death could indeed end everything, but the stigma would follow him, follow Kakashi, forever.

He glanced at his son, and Sakumo showed a genuine smile. Bringing this child back from Kirigakure was truly the right choice.

Seeing Sakumo's smile, Kazashiro breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the other person wouldn't be seeking death anytime soon. The rest depended on the Konoha F4's attitude.

Danzo, urgently recalled from the Daimyo's Mansion, sat expressionless in the conference room.

He had already heard the details of the incident and had already punished Yamanaka Zen for his dereliction of duty.

However, his own son laying hands on Imin Rujin was truly beyond Danzo's expectations.

It seemed that child Kazashiro had a deep bond with Sakumo.

This meant he had to find a way to protect Sakumo.

"Since everyone is here, let's begin." Hiruzen placed the unlit pipe in his mouth, looked at the other three who had arrived, and sat up straight.

Hearing Hiruzen's words, the two advisors exchanged glances. After a brief exchange of looks, Mitokado Homura, as previously agreed, spoke first, "Danzo, what did the Daimyo say?"

"He told us to handle it internally." Danzo's expression didn't change at all, and he stated this fact in a calm tone.

"Then, what about compensation?" Utatane Koharu still held a sliver of hope.

This guy who's fallen into a pit of money.

Danzo cursed him inwardly, but his tone remained even:

"Naturally, there is none."

"Is that so? There's nothing we can do. The remaining issue is the handling of Sakumo and the others..." Although it was the expected answer, the two advisors visibly became disappointed and shifted the topic to Sakumo in a helpless tone.

"Konoha's White Fang is a powerful Jonin who effectively deters Sunagakure. I believe his punishment should not be too severe." As the topic reached something he cared about, Hiruzen removed the pipe from his mouth and stated his position.

"But doing so would confirm the rumors within the village, making the villagers think we are collectively covering for him. It might even trigger a large wave of voluntary mission abandonment." Mitokado Homura's expression was serious, and he did not agree with Hiruzen's idea.

"That's right. As high-ranking officials of Konoha, we must enforce the law impartially. Even if he is a war hero, he must accept the punishment he deserves." Utatane Koharu also sided with Mitokado Homura.

As their voices fell, all eyes in the room turned to Danzo.

If Danzo also agreed with their ideas, the situation would become 3-on-1, and the advisors' wishes would have to be implemented, even if Hiruzen was the Hokage.

"Strip Sakumo of his Jonin status, demote him to Special Jonin, and send him to the border to resist Sand Ninja infiltration." Noticing their gazes, Danzo didn't express his opinion but directly proposed a solution.

Stripping him of his Jonin status wasn't much of a punishment for Sakumo. With his abilities, he would climb back to that rank sooner or later.

As for sending him to the border...

Border missions were full of danger and death. It had always been the Sarutobi and Shimura clans, as well as civilian ninja, who guarded there. Except during wartime, major clan ninja were generally unwilling to send their own children to that place.

"This plan can indeed silence the villagers." The two advisors nodded. They didn't want to suppress Sakumo too harshly, but what surprised them was that Danzo would choose to let go of Sakumo, who was openly part of the Third Hokage's faction.

Seeing that the two advisors did not object, the Third Hokage also nodded. This handling plan was jointly formulated by him and Danzo, so he naturally wouldn't object. "Then, let's proceed according to Danzo's wishes. Please work hard to issue an announcement and quickly put this matter behind us."

"I understand. After the fact, I will send someone to deliver the announcement to the Daimyo's Mansion. I hope to recover some losses." Utatane Koharu nodded. She had always been responsible for communications with the Daimyo's Mansion, and she believed she could recover some losses.

"Agreed." Hiruzen approved Utatane Koharu's suggestion.

With the announcement issued, the widely discussed matter of Hatake Sakumo abandoning his mission in the village came to an end.

All responsibility was borne by Sakumo alone. Imin Rujin's plan was successful; he was not held accountable by the higher-ups for this incident, but...

Imprisoned in the Root base, his face swollen like a pig's head, he looked at the Root ninja before him with despair in his eyes.

After being severely beaten by Kazashiro, Root did not treat him. Instead, they left him to groan in pain in the detention room until Danzo returned.

"Imin Rujin and Imin Kaya are suspected of leaking village secrets. After deliberation by the higher-ups, their ninja identities have been revoked, and they have been sentenced to life imprisonment and confined to the Anbu prison."

Yamanaka Zen stood before Imin Rujin and read out the order from Danzo.

"No, no, no, you can't do this! This is all Sakumo's fault! You can't do this to me!" Imin Rujin, who had struggled with all his might, could not accept this outcome. He crawled forward on all fours, grabbing the other person's pant leg to vent his dissatisfaction.

"Get lost." Yamanaka Zen had no patience for him. He kicked him away and gestured to his subordinates with his eyes.

The two Root ninja understood Yamanaka Zen's meaning and nodded. Shortly after Yamanaka Zen left, they forcibly dragged the crying Imin Rujin, who was sobbing like a little girl, out of the detention room and headed towards the depths of the Root base.

The handling of Imin Rujin and Imin Kaya was conducted in secret. For Konoha Village, which had a considerable population, the disappearance of two people did not cause much of a stir.

However, to be safe, the Anbu used transformation jutsu to disguise themselves as the two and lingered around their homes for a while. Only after the rumors had completely disappeared did they cease this behavior.

People are forgetful.

Old hot topics are replaced by new ones and then completely forgotten.

As new rumors began to circulate on the streets of Konoha, Sakumo's matter was no longer mentioned. And the day for his departure was fast approaching.