In this situation, he could only quickly distance himself from Orochimaru. But Orochimaru was his student and one of Konoha's illustrious Sannin. Cutting ties with him would undoubtedly be earth-shattering.
So, whether he considered it from a rational or an emotional perspective, Sarutobi Hiruzen could never bring himself to make the decision.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Understood. I'll take care of it as soon as possible."
Mitokado Homura nodded and said nothing more.
Just then, Kakashi suddenly appeared.
"What is it?"
"Just now, Hyuga Akira suddenly died."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shot to his feet.
"What happened?"
"I don't know the details, sir. I only know that Hizashi Hyuga went to visit Hyuga Akira just now. He had barely left when Hyuga Akira died."
Mitokado Homura's eyes widened.
"Hizashi Hyuga? How could he do something like that? Isn't he afraid of dying?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at his old partner but said nothing.
As for Hyuga Akira, he was probably one of the few people in Konoha who knew the precise details.
Based on the information his eldest son had sent back, as well as what he had learned about the matter previously, Sarutobi Hiruzen knew the real reason Hyuga Akira had died.
Had Hyuga Hiashi really made up his mind to do this?
He couldn't understand it.
As he stood there in a daze, Mitokado Homura nudged him.
"Hiruzen, should we get involved?"
"No." Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "Let them sort it out among themselves. Right now, stability matters more than anything!"
"Stability matters more than anything?" Mitokado Homura murmured to himself, as if something had occurred to him. "Is that the underlying logic behind your indulgence of the Uchiha Clan?"
"Because you can't keep them in check anymore, you've changed your attitude and started trying to win them over?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to look out the window and fell silent.
"But do you realize that this will only put off today's problems? They'll erupt sooner or later, and when they do, they'll be even worse. Are you still going to rely on the so-called wisdom of future generations then?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe and said slowly, "Fugaku said he could keep things under control within the clan..."
"He can't keep things under control! He doesn't have what it takes, do you understand?"
The matter of the Uchiha Clan had been weighing on Mitokado Homura for a long time, and now that he had an opening, he began to persuade Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"I received a report that the Uchiha Clan's radicals have been very active lately. They've been contacting Uchiha Setsuna and holding group gatherings. It probably won't be long before they urge Uchiha Fugaku to take even more extreme measures..."
Mitokado Homura rose to his feet.
"Rather than wait for them to go further and further down that road, we should act while things are still under control and we still have leverage within the Uchiha Clan. We should nip this danger in the bud!"
After thinking it over for a long time, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally spoke.
"Let's wait a little longer. Once we've signed a ceasefire agreement with Kumogakure, the external threat will be gone, and I'll deal with this."
Mitokado Homura sighed, his disappointment plain to see. Still, he had finally gotten a clear answer, so he stopped pressing and took his leave.
After the wooden door closed, Sarutobi Hiruzen said to Kakashi, who had been standing silently by his side, "Am I getting more and more useless as I get older?"
Ever since the death of Namikaze Minato and his wife, Kakashi had grown increasingly taciturn. In response to the Hokage's self-deprecating remark, he remained silent.
Seeing that Kakashi said nothing, Sarutobi Hiruzen gave an awkward laugh.
"Go make the preparations. This evening, I'll deal with Orochimaru personally..."
At the Hyuga Clan compound, in the main hall of Hyuga Hiashi's home.
Hyuga Hiashi sat at the head of the hall. A cup of tea sat before him, its contents long gone cold, but he seemed not to notice.
Hizashi Hyuga knelt below him, head bowed and silent.
The Hyuga Main Family had gathered around them, while members of the Branch Family stood outside the hall, watching.
The air seemed to have frozen.
After a long while, Hyuga Hiashi finally spoke.
Pointing at the Main Family members seated to either side, he asked, "Hizashi, they all say you killed Elder Zhao. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Hizashi Hyuga knelt in the center of the hall, his back ramrod straight.
The Main Family elders' gazes stabbed into him like knives. Their whispers rose and fell, like a flock of crows cawing noisily.
"It wasn't me."
Hizashi Hyuga's voice was calm—too calm for someone accused of murdering an elder of his own clan.
"It wasn't you?" An elderly, white-haired Main Family elder slammed the table and stood up. "Hizashi, you had barely left Elder Zhao's home when he dropped dead. How could that possibly be a coincidence?"
"Elder Gen is right!" another elderly Main Family member chimed in. "Everyone knows you've long resented Elder Zhao. Since coming back, you've visited him several times under the pretense of 'checking on him.' Is that what you call checking on him? You went there to pick a fight!"
Hizashi Hyuga raised his head. His gaze passed over the indignant Main Family elders and settled on Hyuga Hiashi, seated high above them.
His elder brother remained seated, his expression as calm as still water, as though this trial had nothing to do with him.
"I said it wasn't me," Hizashi Hyuga repeated. "I went to visit Elder Zhao because I respected him. As for why he died, I don't know."
"You still dare to deny it!"
Hyuga Gen, his hair completely white, flew into a rage.
"I know Younger Brother Zhao's condition better than anyone. When he first returned to Konoha, he was in poor shape, but I visited him at home every day and never noticed anything wrong. So why did something happen the moment you went to see him?"
Hizashi Hyuga raised his head and met Hyuga Gen's sharp gaze.
"Elder Gen, you visited Elder Zhao every day, but did you ever see him eat with your own eyes? Did you ever see him go to sleep? Did you see for yourself that he was safe every single moment?"
Hyuga Gen was taken aback by the questions, then snapped, "What are you trying to say? Are you accusing me of framing you?"
Hizashi Hyuga slowly rose to his feet and looked around at the Main Family elders. "I'm just asking: has anyone here actually seen me kill Elder Zhao, or does anyone have evidence proving that I killed him?"
Silence fell over the hall.
The Main Family elders exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
"If no one saw it, what right do you have to say I killed him?" Hizashi Hyuga's voice grew louder. "Because I was the last person to visit him? Because I disliked him? What kind of reasoning is that?"
"Enough!" Hyuga Gen roared furiously. "Hizashi, what kind of attitude is that? This is a place for discussion, not for you to make a scene!"
"Make a scene?" Hizashi Hyuga laughed. "Elder Gen, I respect you as an elder and have always treated you with deference. But what about you? You've done nothing but say, 'You're the one who killed him,' and 'Stop making excuses.' Do you have evidence? Do you have a witness?"
He turned to the other Main Family elders.
"And the rest of you? Did any of you see me kill him? Has anyone produced evidence?"
Before you continue