Stalling for Time, the Best Moment to Activate Tenseigan Chakra Mode

"Silence!"

Hearing Chiba begin to disparage his Will of Fire, Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed a bit flustered and immediately retorted, "Hyuga Chiba, you are twisting the meaning of the Will of Fire."

"The Will of Fire of Konoha has always been about the older generation sacrificing themselves to provide hope for the future; it is about the emotions and bonds between people."

"Oh, is that so?" Hearing this, Chiba's tone remained disdainful as he countered, "Then why, during the Third Shinobi World War, were even children from the Ninja Academy sent to the battlefield, yet you, the Third Hokage, along with Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and the other Konoha Higher-ups, were nowhere to be seen on the front lines?"

"And during the Nine-Tails Rebellion, why was it the young Fourth Hokage who died, and not you, the elderly Third Hokage?"

"Hyuga Chiba, do not misunderstand Lord Third Hokage!" Nara Shikaku, who had been gradually retracting his shadow, spoke up to defend Sarutobi Hiruzen, perhaps for his own reasons. "During the Third Shinobi World War, Lord Third Hokage and the advisors had to remain in Konoha to oversee the village. If the enemy had chosen to attack Konoha directly, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"During the Nine-Tails Rebellion, it was also Lord Third Hokage who drove the Nine-Tails out of the village; otherwise, the disaster would have been even greater."

"At that time, only the Fourth Hokage's Wife, Lady Uzumaki Kushina, possessed the 'Adamantine Sealing Chains' capable of suppressing the Nine-Tails."

"Afterward, the Fourth Hokage had a chance to survive, but to ensure the village did not lose a Tailed Beast, he sacrificed himself to use the 'Reaper Death Seal' to seal the Nine-Tails into the newborn son of the Fourth."

"Shikaku!" Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened, and he quickly spoke up to stop Nara Shikaku.

In the currently public information, it was only known that the Fourth Hokage had sealed the Nine-Tails into Uzumaki Naruto; there had never been any mention that the latter was the son of the Fourth Hokage.

Furthermore, Hyuga Chiba, who was only twelve years old and hadn't even held official ninja status until recently, should not have known the truth.

Under these circumstances, Nara Shikaku's words were equivalent to revealing the truth to Hyuga Chiba.

"Oh, I see. It seems I misunderstood."

At this, Chiba wore an expression of sudden realization, though the mockery in his tone only grew more pronounced. "So, the Third Raikage died in battle and the Kage of other villages went to the front lines because they didn't need to oversee their own villages, or perhaps they were just stupid enough not to consider that someone might attack their homes?"

"Konoha is truly the strongest ninja village; you even considered such things."

"The Nine-Tails is truly powerful, to think that only the Fourth Hokage's Wife could suppress it."

"The Fourth Hokage was also quite strong—not only did he know the Flying Thunder God Technique, but he also knew the 'Reaper Death Seal,' which apparently no one else in Konoha knows."

"The Uchiha Clan is also truly selfish. The Nine-Tails was controlled by the Uchiha's Sharingan back then, yet they didn't send anyone out to use the Sharingan to regain control of it?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd think that only the Mangekyo Sharingan could control the Nine-Tails, and that the Uchiha Clan just happened to have no Mangekyo Sharingan at the time."

"What's even more outrageous is that on the Night of the Nine-Tails, not a single member of the Uchiha Clan showed up at the scene to help?"

"It couldn't be that someone gave them orders not to appear at the scene of the Nine-Tails, and then, instead of explaining it to them afterward, used it as a pretext to drive them to the corner of the village and further suppress them, could it?"

"By the way, I wouldn't have known if you hadn't said it—Uzumaki Naruto is actually the son of the Fourth Hokage, a hero who sealed the Nine-Tails?"

"I had thought he was the Demon Fox himself."

"You all are really something. With such an important matter, why didn't you explain it clearly sooner?"

As these words left Chiba's mouth, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression grew increasingly grim. Yamato and the other Anbu ninjas wore masks, making their expressions unreadable, while Nara Shikaku acted as if he had heard nothing at all.

Because the commotion here was so great, the other Clan Heads and civilian Jonin who had gradually gathered wished they hadn't come at all, and that they hadn't heard those words from Chiba.

"Hyuga Chiba, don't misunderstand."

After a moment of thought, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke up: "The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, offended many people during the Third Shinobi World War. Once Naruto's identity as the son of the Fourth Hokage is exposed, he will be in great danger."

"Mm, I believe you!" Chiba nodded in deep agreement. "The Fourth Hokage's reputation was indeed far too great."

"After he died, surely assassins from other villages would break into the strongest village, Konohagakure, bypass the layers of protection the village was supposed to provide for Naruto, and—being foolish enough not to know that the Nine-Tails would protect the Jinchuriki's life to avoid its own death—insist on killing him."

"Unlike a certain Hokage who never appeared in the Third Shinobi World War and has no reputation in the ninja world at all; he never has to worry about his own son or grandson, who run around everywhere, facing the risk of being hunted by enemies."

"And I must say, the village's confidentiality work is truly excellent. Almost no one knows that Uzumaki Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage."

"But the news that he is the Demon Fox is known to every passerby."

"I suppose his status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki won't bring him any danger at all, right?"

"And under the baptism of the great Will of Fire, the villagers of Konohagakure—who are willing to burn themselves to illuminate others and who pursue emotion and bonds—will only resent the Nine-Tails itself for causing the Nine-Tails Rebellion. They will only resent the Konoha Higher-ups for failing to protect them, and only resent themselves for their own incompetence."

"They would absolutely never fail to distinguish between a Jinchuriki and a Demon Fox, and they would absolutely never be so cowardly or foolish as to vent all their resentment onto an innocent child."

"The Konoha Higher-ups would also absolutely help that child grow up healthy and happy, and would absolutely never let him go hungry or suffer cold neglect."

"They also have absolutely no need to worry about the Jinchuriki turning dark and standing on the opposite side of the village."

"By the way, now that I think about it, the Fourth Hokage and the Fourth Hokage's Wife were truly incorruptible, whether during the Third Shinobi World War or during their time in office."

"After they died, they didn't even leave a single cent for their only child."

"It is truly moving."

"It couldn't possibly be that someone embezzled their assets, threw the scarf the Fourth Hokage's Wife knitted for her own child into a room for their own grandson to play in and gather dust, and that the room just happened to be the Fourth Hokage's former home, right?"

"These beautiful things that have actually happened truly make me, someone who has only just fully opened my eyes, feel like my eyes are brimming with tears."

"Such a great village and Lord Hokage make me almost not want to avenge Uncle Hizashi anymore."

"Hey, why do your expressions look so ugly? Are you not happy for such a wonderful Konoha?"

"Is it that you are naturally incapable of happiness, or are these things not beautiful and moving enough?"

"How about I tell you another story? About a child who saw his entire clan annihilated, awakened a One-Tomoe Sharingan in a rage, and had no idea that his clan was wiped out because the person he hates most followed the orders of certain higher-ups?"

"Or perhaps the story of someone who failed to save a comrade, abandoned an S-rank Mission, and before long, the news was known to the entire village, leading to his suicide..."

"Or perhaps something that 'Moved the Entire Ninja World' like 'Kamui's Hidden Tears'..."

"Enough!" Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly spoke up. "Yamato, make him shut up!"

He had a premonition that he could not let Chiba continue speaking any further.

Even what the latter had already said was already quite troublesome.

"Can't bear to listen anymore, so soon?"

A cold smile hung on the corners of Chiba's mouth, and he thought to himself, However, it seems the Shadow Clone has already successfully obtained the Scroll of Sealing and has begun to secretly slip out of Konoha.

"Then it's time to cause an even bigger disturbance to attract more attention."

"In other words..."

It was time for him to activate the Tenseigan Chakra Mode!