Although the Third Hokage planned to suppress the uproar, the Root kidnapping incident had already spiraled out of control.
At first, people discussed Princess Hinata of the Hyuga Clan, who had nearly been kidnapped. Then they brought up the Uchiha Clan's massacre, and some clever people realized that someone was secretly targeting Konoha.
Then a large group of villagers whose children had gone missing went to the Hokage Tower, demanding that the Hokage investigate the disappearances. Once they gathered there and began talking, they were shocked to discover that all the missing children had been talented youngsters placed under high expectations—and most of them were descendants of the Senju Clan.
This was serious!
The people suddenly realized why the Senju Clan had produced no geniuses for so many years. It turned out that the talented descendants of the Senju Clan who had become ordinary civilians had been quietly wiped out!
They were furious! Someone was trying to wipe out their entire bloodline!
Just then, another piece of information came to light. It turned out that the Uchiha Clan, which had been passed down for a thousand years, possessed the Sage's Eyes, while the Senju Clan possessed the ancient Sage Body.
They coveted the Senju's abilities, so they kidnapped all the outstanding children of the Senju Clan.
They coveted the Uchiha's abilities and collected the Uchiha Clan's Sage's Eyes, so they exterminated the Uchiha Clan.
In the past, the First and Second Hokage of Konoha had possessed massive amounts of Chakra. The First Hokage could easily capture the terrifying Nine-Tails and seal it inside his wife Uzumaki Mito's stomach.
But what did the Senju Clan have left now? Just two or three mediocre members!
The Uchiha Clan had it even worse. After being massacred, only Sasuke remained!
This was earth-shattering secret news!
Someone had coveted the Uchiha's Sage's Eyes, and now they were coveting the Sage Body of the Senju descendants as well!
The more they thought about it, the more terrifying it became!
The ordinary villagers descended from the Senju Clan erupted in anger. One after another, they demanded an explanation from the Hokage and called for a thorough investigation into the truth.
They had already become ordinary civilians and held no significant political standing in Konoha, so they urgently contacted Tsunade as well.
The other clans could no longer sit still either. First came the Senju, then the Uchiha, and then the princess of the Hyuga Clan. Who would be next?
Now, the entire Konoha was even more gripped by panic.
The public uproar could no longer be suppressed, just like the Konoha's White Fang incident back then!
It had caused an even greater shock than the White Fang incident!
When Qinglong returned to the classroom, he discovered that Hanabi Hyuga's security detail had been upgraded once again.
They had lost Hizashi after a single kidnapping attempt against Hinata. If another kidnapping occurred, they could not bear the consequences!
The Hyuga Clan was now under martial law, and several other clans had convened clan meetings as well.
As for the Third Hokage?
The various clans had already declared that they no longer trusted the Hokage.
Far away in another country, Tsunade finally received the news.
Ever since her younger brother had died and her lover had fallen soon afterward, Tsunade had been unable to withstand the blow and had fallen into despair!
On top of her dissatisfaction with the Konoha High Command, Tsunade had withdrawn from the village's center and immersed herself in gambling, making it her way of life.
But she had never truly let go of the village. With the title of Princess Tsunade alone, she remained Konoha's princess.
The ordinary descendants of the Senju Clan still held her in extremely high regard. Besides, how could she truly ignore the village founded by her grandfather?
The moment she received the news, she returned to Konoha in righteous fury. On the very day she arrived, she kicked open the door to the Hokage's office.
"Old man! You owe me an explanation. What happened to the missing genius children descended from the Senju Clan?"
The Third Hokage had already been worked to the bone these past few days. When he saw Tsunade demanding an explanation, his headache instantly grew several times worse.
Seeing that the Third Hokage could not find the words, Tsunade strode over and slammed her palm onto the Hokage's desk.
"Bang!"
The violent force of her palm sent all the documents flying. The Hokage's desk let out a miserable groan and nearly split apart.
Tsunade growled, "My grandfather handed the Hokage Position over to you, and this is how you manage Konoha?"
"Tsunade, listen to me." The Third Hokage explained, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly. I will definitely give you an answer you can accept."
Tsunade shouted angrily, "An answer? I want an answer right now!"
"Tsunade, you've gone too far!"
A low voice rang out. It turned out that Utatane Koharu, who had been sitting nearby, had spoken.
"Hiruzen is the Hokage of Konoha, and he is also your teacher. How can you speak to the Hokage in that tone?"
Mitokado Homura also cut in from the side. "Hiruzen, you should discipline your disciple!"
Tsunade cast a cold glance at the two of them. She usually took them into consideration, but now that something this serious had happened, she no longer needed to show them any respect.
"Hmph! Something this serious happened in the village. How have you two been serving as Hokage Advisors?"
Tsunade questioned their abilities. They were members of the Konoha High Command, yet an incident of this magnitude had occurred under their watch.
"Tsunade!"
Utatane Koharu's anger flared as well.
"You've participated in the Ninja Wars, so how can you still be this naive? How many geniuses fell on the battlefield during the Ninja Wars? Even now, the shinobi villages continue to fight each other without end, and geniuses still fall while tragedies continue to occur. We have also been working constantly to preserve Konoha's peace!"
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