The Faces of the Advisory Group

Upon hearing Uchiha's words, the Anbu reacted instantly.

The leader of the Anbu quickly spoke up: "Notify the other Anbu units; search the entire Land of Fire for Orochimaru."

In truth, Uchiha Yan had never understood how the Orochimaru from the original plot managed to escape.

An Orochimaru with both hands completely crippled, accompanied by four subordinates with the combat prowess of mere chunin, had managed to flee Konoha, the leader of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

It was even more absurd after Tsunade became Hokage, when four foreign ninja of chunin level walked right up to the gates of Konoha and took Sasuke away.

One had to wonder if Konoha's capabilities were truly that limited, or if Sasuke's importance in Tsunade's eyes was simply mediocre.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to send only a few genin to retrieve him.

Only Kakashi had rushed to provide support the moment he received the news upon returning to the village.

After arranging the plan to pursue Orochimaru, the group gathered around Sarutobi Hiruzen, looking down at his corpse with expressions of confusion.

Although there were several jonin present, they clearly lacked the seniority to handle the matter of laying the Hokage's body to rest.

Kakashi turned his gaze toward Uchiha Yan and asked, "Yan, what should we do now? It isn't right to leave Lord Hokage's body lying here like this."

Uchiha Yan pondered for a moment, ultimately choosing to follow the tradition that once a person dies, all grievances are settled.

After all, regardless of whether Sarutobi Hiruzen had acted willingly or what he had done to consolidate his rule, he had died protecting Konoha and was a hero of the village.

A hero deserved a hero's treatment; at the very least, a hero's body should not be left exposed to the elements.

After a brief thought, Uchiha Yan walked silently to the side, picked up the Hokage Cloak that Sarutobi Hiruzen had discarded, and handed it to the nearby Anbu.

"Cover Lord Hokage with this."

The Anbu nodded, his hands trembling as he draped the cloak over Sarutobi Hiruzen's body.

As for Sarutobi Hiruzen's immediate family, aside from Asuma, who was still away serving in the Twelve Guardian Ninja, only the underage Konohamaru remained.

Konohamaru's father, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, had sacrificed himself not long ago.

Uchiha Yan looked at the Anbu and said, "Notify Jiraiya first and have him take charge of the situation."

The Anbu had just acknowledged the order and was about to leave when he was stopped by two people slowly approaching.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, flanked by several personal guards, slowly stepped onto the scarred and battered rooftop.

Their clothes were clean and neat, without a single wrinkle, forming an ironic contrast to the blood-stained ruins and the cold corpse of Sarutobi Hiruzen nearby.

When the battle had been at its most brutal, these two "Konoha Advisors" had been hiding in the safest underground shelter, yet now that the crisis had passed, they were eager to jump out and reap the power.

Utatane Koharu glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was covered by the Hokage Cloak. A flicker of complex emotion crossed her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an air of haughty authority.

She turned her head, her gaze sweeping over Kakashi and Might Guy, before finally landing on the cold-faced Uchiha Yan.

"Jiraiya? He doesn't even hold an official position right now; by what right does he get to take charge of the situation?!"

Utatane Koharu's voice was sharp, directly rejecting Uchiha Yan's proposal.

She spoke with a biting tone: "Lord Hokage has sacrificed himself, and the village has entered a state of emergency. According to the rules established since the founding of Konoha, the Council of Elders should temporarily assume the Hokage's authority, seal off the scene, and investigate the responsibility!"

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses and gave a light cough, putting on a face that was both sorrowful and strictly professional.

"We are deeply pained by Hiruzen's sacrifice. Konoha cannot go a single day without a Hokage. The Anbu and the Military Police Force will immediately follow the Council's directives. Especially the Military Police Force."

He looked coldly at Uchiha Yan, his tone filled with reproach. "Yan, with such a large-scale infiltration by the Sand Ninja and Orochimaru today, how could your Military Police Force have been completely unaware? You didn't even track Orochimaru when he fled! As the person in charge, shouldn't you give the village and the fallen Lord Hokage an explanation?!"

The faces of these two old fogies made everyone present, even the Anbu members, frown.

The battle had just ended, and instead of thinking about comforting the citizens or treating the wounded, these two advisors had immediately aimed their spears at the Uchiha who had been fighting on the front lines, attempting to establish their authority through "accountability."

In their eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen's death was not a tragedy for Konoha, but a gluttonous feast for power.

They first pinned the blame for the poor defense on the Uchiha to cover up the stupidity of the high-level decision to be "lax on the outside but tight on the inside."

Then, using the name of an "emergency state," they attempted to seize control of the Anbu, who were directly under the Hokage, and the Military Police Force, which was controlled by the Uchiha.

Utatane Koharu even took out a handkerchief, squeezed out two tears, and instructed the Anbu: "Carry Lord Hokage's remains down, and notify the entire village that we will hold the most solemn state funeral for Hiruzen! Also, protect Konohamaru; the high-level officials will provide him with the most appropriate care."

Sure enough, the moment Uchiha Yan saw these two old immortals, he knew nothing good would come of it.

They were nowhere to be found when the fighting was happening, but now that someone was needed to take charge, they had come out to make their presence felt.

If he still held the most basic respect for Sarutobi Hiruzen, then for Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu, he felt nothing but disgust and contempt.

Back when Senju Tobirama said someone needed to stay behind to cover the retreat, Sarutobi Hiruzen had volunteered, even knowing it meant certain death.

The other three, however, had hidden themselves away beautifully, relying on their connections to Sarutobi Hiruzen to become the high-level officials of Konoha.

Uchiha Yan merely swept a cold glance at them, his eyes looking as if he were staring at a stray dog on the side of the road.

He turned and left directly with his Uchiha confidants.

"Let's go. We still have to deal with the wounded, comfort the masses, and hunt down Orochimaru today."

"Yes!" As a trusted confidant of Uchiha Yan, he was naturally a die-hard member of the Hawk Faction and a fanatical follower.

They certainly did not care about the feelings of two old fossils, completely treating these two advisors as air as they departed.

Seeing this attitude from Uchiha Yan, Utatane Koharu trembled with rage.

Once Uchiha Yan had completely left, Utatane Koharu pointed at his retreating back and said with a look of dissatisfaction, "Outrageous! This Uchiha Yan is simply rebellious!"

However, she did not dare to go to the Uchiha Compound to confront the Uchiha.

After all, as high-ranking officials, they had heard rumors that Root members had "mysteriously" gone missing near the Uchiha residential area.

Utatane Koharu vented her anger directly onto the Anbu responsible for protecting Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"What are you good for? Lord Hokage is fighting bloody battles inside the barrier, and you just watch from the outside? You couldn't call for reinforcements?"

Watching Utatane Koharu throw her weight around, Kakashi finally couldn't stand it anymore.

He turned and walked away.

As for Might Guy, who was naturally thick-skinned, he didn't understand the nuances of the situation.

He shouted at Kakashi's back, "Kakashi, wait for me!"