If this had happened at the beginning, with the Third leading all the ninja clans in resistance, the Daimyo's order would never have been carried out.
But now, everyone's interests no longer aligned with the Third's.
"Ten years of scheming, all for nothing!" The Third looked at the order in his hand. His throat tightened, his vision went dark, and only one thought remained in his mind.
Not only had the conditions needed to carry out his plan of making Shinnosuke Sarutobi the Fifth Hokage been destroyed, but the Sarutobi Clan would also have to give up a great deal to appease the other clans.
He would have to give back all the benefits he had taken during his more than ten years in the Hokage Position.
He swayed a few times, forcing himself to stay upright.
He couldn't fall—not yet. He needed to find a way out for the Sarutobi Clan.
"An investigation? Then investigate it again!"
The Third's eyes bulged from his weathered face, as if they were about to shoot flames. He stared fixedly at Shinichi Hyuga.
It was Shinichi Hyuga who had ruined his plans. He had underestimated him.
Shinichi Hyuga didn't back down. He began to applaud and said, "I sincerely hope they find no problems!"
Everyone who heard him thought he was being sarcastic.
But he meant it. If they found no problems, that would be the biggest problem of all.
It would mean Konoha had fallen completely under the Third's control.
Would the Third feel at ease?
What about the Fourth Hokage?
The various clans?
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire?
Could any of them feel at ease?
Knowing there was a problem but being unable to find it—that was the biggest problem.
No matter what the final result was, someone would be unhappy with it.
The pie was only so big. Reallocating it would inevitably harm the interests of some ninja clans.
Some people would have to give something up.
But those concessions couldn't be taken back. In the end, a large number of people would be left dissatisfied with the Third.
Shinichi Hyuga had already achieved his goal.
This time, the Sarutobi Clan would have to pay dearly.
Minato Namikaze stood where he was, holding the Daimyo's order that the Third had handed over to him.
As the Fourth Hokage, he was, in theory, accountable only to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
His choice was especially important.
"Then tomorrow, we'll begin. Each clan will send representatives to conduct another investigation," the Fourth Hokage said, as ever, following the rules.
He had been chosen because he was obedient.
But he didn't only listen to the Third. He also listened to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
Shinichi Hyuga smiled with satisfaction.
This was why he had sought out the Daimyo in the first place. With the Daimyo's order in hand—
Minato Namikaze could finally act freely as Hokage and fight for the interests of the civilian ninja.
A gulf had already opened between him and the Third.
When Minato Namikaze was faced with his former teammates—including Shinichi Hyuga, Dodo Akimichi, Gaku Inuzuka, and the others—who wanted him to support them in using legitimate means to seize power within their clans under the Hokage's authority, he chose his own ninja way.
He would be an impartial Hokage, responsible for the entire village and nothing else.
This time, the methods used in the struggle between the Third's old-guard power holders and the other ninja were hardly honorable.
Even so, Minato Namikaze stayed true to his ninja way and acted as a fair Hokage.
That was exactly the outcome Shinichi Hyuga wanted to see.
"I wish you all success. I'll be going now!"
Shinichi Hyuga stopped looking at the clan heads, each with their own thoughts, and strode out the door.
He had thrown out the bomb. Now he would see how many people pretending to be innocent it took down.
"Everyone, you're dismissed!"
Minato Namikaze appeared calm, but inside he was conflicted. He doubted himself, and he doubted the Third, too.
Those words were already the strongest response he could give the Third.
He was taking over the duties of the Hokage.
At the same time, he was giving the Third the greatest possible leeway.
By dismissing everyone now, he gave the Third time to win over the ninja clans and make up for his earlier mistakes.
The Third swept his gaze over the faces of several people, then left the meeting room.
Some things couldn't be said out in the open.
The clan heads who had attended the meeting left in groups of three or five.
Some hurried away, their steps quick.
Others walked slowly, as if they didn't want to go back.
Different goals led them down different paths.
Everyone had their own plans.
The streets of Konoha seemed peaceful.
The so-called civilians went about their businesses obediently.
But anyone living in Konoha was connected to a ninja clan. Were they really ordinary civilians?
Otherwise, what right did they have to live here?
They all provided services to the ninja, and behind them lay the interests of the various ninja clans.
The Sarutobi Clan.
The council hall.
All the Sarutobi Clan's jonin on standby had been summoned here.
The council hall hadn't been used in years.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen was in power, they could use the Hokage's meeting room openly.
The Third stood in the center, his hands clasped behind his back. He didn't sit down.
The fingers gripping his pipe had gone white, and he hadn't even noticed that it had already gone out.
Around him stood the Sarutobi Clan elders, along with Shinnosuke Sarutobi.
"The Daimyo has ordered a review of the achievements from the Third Ninja World War. What do you think?" The Third turned around, feeling as if he had stepped into another life.
When the clans had merged into the village, the Sarutobi Clan had been one of the greatest beneficiaries.
The Sarutobi Clan had no special Kekkei Genkai, but they did have a Pseudo-Sage Body. Gifted clan members possessed all five chakra natures.
Even clan members with less talent often had a knack for becoming ninja.
That gave them a large population and plenty of candidates to choose from.
As long as they had training resources and ninjutsu, they could steadily grow stronger.
After he became the Third, he had made up for the Sarutobi Clan's lack of ninjutsu variety and resources, allowing their strength to develop rapidly.
The Sarutobi Clan now had over a hundred jonin, enough to rival great clans like the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan.
Their numbers of genin and chunin exceeded those two great clans as well.
He could say that the Sarutobi Clan had more ninja than any other clan in Konoha!
He was proud of what he had accomplished.
But now, someone wanted to destroy everything he had worked for!
His anger kept rising. Now he hated the Hyuga Clan even more than the Uchiha Clan.
"Father, most of the records are fine. Our battlefront inspectors maintained basic fairness. There shouldn't be any major problems with the achievements."
Shinnosuke Sarutobi's expression grew even darker. He knew he no longer had any chance of becoming Hokage.
Now that all his attention was back on the Sarutobi Clan, he was the one who most wanted it to remain strong.
"No! No one on the battlefield thinks they've done too little. They faced danger and even gave their lives.
Your idea of fairness isn't the same as theirs.
Besides, everyone has their own biases.
Take fifty million ryo from the Sarutobi Clan's treasury, in my name, and give additional compensation to all the ninja who died in this war."
The Third was troubled. He picked up his pipe, only to discover that all the tobacco inside had burned away.
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