Speak Out for Me

Shimura Ken was still delivering his impassioned speech when more than a dozen ANBU ninja arrived at the school entrance. Seeing the densely packed crowd, they immediately looked troubled before shouting, "Konoha residents, disperse at once! We have orders to take Shimura Ken away!"

The watching residents immediately spoke up. "Why are the ANBU here? We're Konoha civilians. Can't we even watch the show?"

Some of the more timid people directly said, "Let's leave quickly. The ANBU are here—something's going to happen soon."

A large group of Root ninja rushed over. Looking at the packed crowd, they shouted, "We are Konoha Root! By Lord Danzo's order, we are taking Shimura Ken away. Clear a path for us!"

Seeing that both Root and the ANBU had arrived, Qingcheng immediately said to Sasuke, "Let's go. It isn't safe here anymore." With that, he grabbed Sasuke and squeezed out through the crowd.

Behind his sunglasses, Qingcheng's Sharingan began to spin as he controlled Shimura Ken and made him shout, "Lord Danzo should rise! Hiruzen Sarutobi should fall! Long live the Shimura Clan! Long live Lord Danzo!"

After shouting, Shimura Ken directly ignited the Explosive Tags on his body and charged toward several Sarutobi Clan ninja.

Shimura Ken shouted again, "Every member of the Sarutobi Clan deserves to die! Remember me, Shimura Ken, as the man who spoke out for justice!"

When Qingcheng deactivated his Sharingan, Shimura Ken's body suddenly jerked. He instantly regained his senses and found his mouth dry and his body weak, as though he had just done something extraordinary.

Shimura Ken then saw that his body was covered in Explosive Tags. His face instantly filled with panic as he screamed, "What is going on?!"

More than a dozen Explosive Tags left everyone staring in stunned disbelief. Some villagers shouted, "Shimura Ken is going to explode! Run!"

Shimura Ken looked astonished. In his panic, his hands flailed wildly, and he accidentally grabbed hold of a Sarutobi Clan ninja.

That Sarutobi Clan ninja saw Shimura Ken clutching him tightly and frantically pushed him away with both hands. "You bastard, stop!"

In an instant, a thunderous boom erupted as dozens of Explosive Tags detonated, sending a violent plume of black smoke rising from the crowd.

Flames scattered everywhere. Shimura Ken and several Sarutobi Clan ninja were blown to pieces, leaving no bodies behind. The scene descended into utter chaos.

The school entrance, which had been packed shoulder to shoulder moments ago, instantly erupted into panic, with people trampling one another everywhere.

Many children and civilians were crushed beneath people's feet, and screams rang out everywhere. "Aah! Don't step on my head! Aah, save me! I was hit by an Explosive Tag!"

Sasuke looked at the panicked crowd and seriously asked, "Big brother, should we go save them?"

Qingcheng smiled. "Wait. If you rush in at a time like this, you won't get back out without being trampled a few times."

Qingcheng looked toward the center of the explosion. A large number of civilians had been injured, and even several Sarutobi Clan ninja had been killed in the blast. The explosion had been deafening; this already counted as a major incident.

Qingcheng silently thought, Let them have a taste of the pressure of public opinion. This is how you dealt with the Uchiha Clan.

Several thousand civilians fell into panic. It was a sea of people, all shoving against one another. The happier they had been to watch the spectacle earlier, the worse they suffered now.

The ANBU rushed in to rescue people, while Police Force members were so busy they could barely keep up. Many civilians in the crowd had also been accidentally injured by the Explosive Tags.

Their faces twisted in pain as they shouted, "Come save us! You useless Police Force!"

Through his crystal ball, the Third Hokage watched the chaotic scene with a furious expression. He shouted, "Bring Danzo to me! I want to ask him whether Shimura Ken acted on his orders!"

At the Root base, Danzo watched the surveillance feed and roared, "Shimura Ken, you idiot! Who told you to detonate Explosive Tags in public?!"

He was practically beside himself with rage. Then he seemed to think of something and asked, "What was Shimura Ken doing at the Ninja Academy?"

A Root ninja from the Shimura Clan respectfully replied, "Young Master Min arranged it. He told Shimura Ken to go to the Ninja Academy and publicly humiliate Uchiha Qingcheng. We never expected things to suddenly turn out like this."

Shimura Danzō said with a savage expression, "It was all caused by those damned Uchiha! And that hypocrite Hiruzen is to blame as well. If you had listened to me and wiped out the entire Uchiha Clan, how could things have come to this?"

Hearing this, all the Root ninja dropped to one knee with grave expressions. A Shimura Clan ninja asked, "Lord Danzo, what should we do? Should we kill those two Uchiha directly?"

Danzo thought for a moment, then said darkly, "Go wipe out Shimura Ken's entire family. An idiot like him doesn't deserve to live in this world."

As soon as he finished speaking, Danzo immediately rose to his feet, leaned on his cane, and headed toward the Konoha building, preparing to discuss matters with his good friend.

The incident at the school entrance spread throughout the village as though it had grown wings. Everyone began looking at Sarutobi Clan ninja with displeasure, just as they had once looked at the Uchiha Clan.

Especially Sarutobi Asuma. He was the designated Fifth Hokage, after all. Who wouldn't want to say, "Is the Sarutobi Clan trying to pass the position down like a throne? Do they really think they're emperors?"

Kurenai Yuhi was stunned when she heard the news. Doubt filled her face as she said, "Was the Nine-Tails Attack really caused by the Third Hokage? Was my father killed by him?"

Sarutobi Asuma walked down the road carrying a basket of flowers, a smile on his face. He silently thought, Will Kurenai be especially happy if she receives my flowers?

But the passersby on the street looked at Sarutobi Asuma and discussed him among themselves. "Is that the future Fifth Hokage? He looks so pathetic. He's so young, yet he already has a huge beard."

Some civilian ninja also said, "That guy wants to become the Fifth Hokage? Keep dreaming."

Other civilians glared at Asuma and said resentfully, "His father was the one who killed the Fourth Hokage, and he used the village's hard-earned money to strengthen his own Sarutobi Clan."

There were also ninja who fawned over the Third Hokage. With angry expressions, they said, "The Shimura Clan is slandering the Third Hokage. None of you can believe them. Shimura Danzō clearly has ulterior motives."

Sarutobi Asuma looked at the endlessly chattering crowd, shame immediately filling his face. He asked doubtfully, "Are all these things true?"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi's son, Asuma had always been extremely rebellious. Of his hundred pounds of weight, ninety pounds were probably pure defiance. Otherwise, he would never have gone to the Land of Fire to become a Guardian Ninja.

In the main hall of the Hyuga Clan, Hizashi Hyuga looked gravely at the intelligence in his hand and said, "Hiruzen Sarutobi, I knew long ago that you were a hypocrite. You've started tearing into the Shimura Clan over the position of Fifth Hokage. I have never forgotten my younger brother Hiashi's grudge."

The three Ino-Shika-Cho clans gathered to discuss matters. Both clan heads had arrived at the Akimichi Clan, and Shikaku said seriously, "We need to see Uncle Torifu."

Choza Akimichi spoke with an honest expression, "Uncle Torifu already knows. Come in quickly!"

The three then entered the main hall. A fat old man sat on a tatami mat drinking tea. Seeing Shikaku and Inoichi arrive, he smiled and asked, "Are you two here because of Danzo and Hiruzen?"

Shikaku nodded and said seriously, "The Uchiha Clan was wiped out, and now the Shimura Clan has stepped forward and proven its resolve through death. I feel that Konoha is about to change."

Torifu said seriously, "You don't need to concern yourselves with Sarutobi and Danzo's affairs. Just remain neutral."

Shikaku said solemnly, "Uncle Torifu, if pressure comes from the higher-ups, I hope you can negotiate for us. We of Ino-Shika-Cho cannot be dragged into such a conflict."

Torifu took a sip of hot tea and sighed. "The village's uneven distribution of benefits has led to all these upheavals. Hiruzen, Danzo, you still ended up taking this step."