When they heard the Uchiha's words, the Anbu immediately understood.
The Anbu captain hurriedly said, "Tell the other Anbu to search the entire Land of Fire for Orochimaru."
Uchiha Yan had never understood how Orochimaru had escaped in the original story.
Orochimaru, with both arms completely crippled, had escaped from Konoha—the foremost of the Five Great Shinobi Villages—with four subordinates who were only Chunin-level.
And after Tsunade became Hokage, things got even more ridiculous: four foreign ninja who were only Chunin-level had walked right up to Konoha's gates and taken Sasuke away.
Was Konoha simply incompetent, or did Tsunade consider Sasuke unimportant?
Otherwise, there was no way she would have sent a few Genin to retrieve Sasuke.
Only Kakashi had rushed over to help as soon as he received the news after returning to the village.
After making plans to pursue Orochimaru, everyone gathered beside Sarutobi Hiruzen's body. They all looked somewhat lost.
Although there were several Jonin present, they clearly lacked the experience to know how to handle the Hokage's body.
Kakashi looked at Uchiha Yan and asked, "Yan, what should we do now? We can't just leave Lord Hokage's body here."
Uchiha Yan thought for a moment and decided to follow the tradition of letting the dead rest and settling all accounts.
Whether or not Sarutobi Hiruzen had acted of his own free will, and whatever he had done to consolidate his rule, he had now died protecting Konoha. He was a hero of the village.
A hero deserved to be treated like one. At the very least, the hero's body shouldn't be left exposed.
After a moment's thought, Uchiha Yan quietly walked to the side, picked up the Hokage Cloak Sarutobi Hiruzen had discarded, and handed it to an Anbu nearby.
"Cover Lord Hokage with this."
The Anbu nodded. His hands trembled as he covered Sarutobi Hiruzen's body.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen's immediate family, the only one still alive besides Asuma, who was serving with the Twelve Guardian Ninja outside the village, was the underage Konohamaru.
Konohamaru's father, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, had died in action not long ago.
Uchiha Yan turned to the Anbu and said, "Notify Jiraiya first. Have him take charge."
The Anbu accepted the order and was about to leave when two people approaching slowly called out to him.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, escorted by several guard ninja, slowly made their way onto the battered rooftop.
Their clothes were clean and immaculate, without so much as a wrinkle—a bitterly ironic contrast to the bloodstained ruins around them and Sarutobi Hiruzen's lifeless body.
At the height of the battle, these two "Konoha advisers" had been hiding in the safest underground shelter. Now that the crisis had passed, they couldn't wait to emerge and seize power.
Utatane Koharu glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, whose body was covered by the Hokage Cloak. A complicated look flickered in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an air of lofty authority.
She turned and looked over Kakashi and Might Guy, then fixed her gaze on Uchiha Yan, whose expression was cold.
"Jiraiya? He doesn't even hold an official position right now. What makes him qualified to take charge?!"
Utatane Koharu's voice was shrill as she flatly rejected Uchiha Yan's suggestion.
She spoke sharply. "The Hokage has fallen, and the village is in a state of emergency. According to the rules established when Konoha was founded, the Council of Elders should temporarily assume the Hokage's authority, secure the scene, and investigate who is responsible!"
Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses and gave a light cough, adopting a grave yet businesslike expression.
"We are deeply saddened by Hiruzen's sacrifice. Konoha cannot go a day without a Hokage. The Anbu and the Military Police Force are to follow the Advisory Council's orders immediately. Especially the Military Police Force—"
He turned a cold gaze on Uchiha Yan, his tone accusatory. "Yan, the Sand Ninja and Orochimaru infiltrated the village on such a massive scale today, yet your Military Police Force failed to notice anything. You didn't even track Orochimaru when he escaped! As the person in charge, don't you owe the village—and Lord Hokage, who sacrificed himself—an explanation?!"
The two old advisers' true colors made everyone present, even the Anbu, frown.
The battle had only just ended. Instead of comforting the people and tending to the wounded, the two advisers had immediately turned on the Uchiha, who had fought on the front lines, trying to establish their authority by "assigning blame."
In their eyes, Sarutobi Hiruzen's death wasn't a tragedy for Konoha. It was a feast where they could carve up the power.
First, they pinned the blame for the village's poor defenses on the Uchiha, covering up the foolishness of the High Command's "relaxed on the outside, vigilant within" policy.
Then, under the pretext of a "state of emergency," they tried to take control of the Hokage's personal Anbu and the Military Police Force, which was controlled by the Uchiha.
Utatane Koharu even pulled out a handkerchief and squeezed out a couple of tears before instructing the Anbu, "Carry Lord Hokage's body away. Inform the entire village that we'll hold the grandest state funeral for Hiruzen! Also, protect Konohamaru. The High Command will ensure he receives the best possible care."
Sure enough, the moment Uchiha Yan saw those two old fossils, he knew trouble was coming.
They had been nowhere to be seen during the battle, despite being part of Konoha's High Command. Now that someone was needed to take charge, they had suddenly shown up to make their presence felt.
If he still had even the most basic respect for Sarutobi Hiruzen,
then all he felt toward Danzo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu was loathing and contempt.
Back when Senju Tobirama had said that someone needed to stay behind,
Sarutobi Hiruzen had volunteered, even though he knew it meant certain death.
The other three had conveniently vanished, yet through their connections to Sarutobi Hiruzen, they had become members of Konoha's High Command.
Uchiha Yan merely swept a cold glance over them, as if they were stray dogs on the roadside.
He turned and left with several of his trusted Uchiha followers.
"Let's go. We still have to tend to the wounded, comfort the people, and search for Orochimaru today."
"Yes!" As Uchiha Yan's trusted subordinates, they were naturally staunch members of the Hawk Faction and fervent followers.
They didn't care how the two old fossils felt. They simply treated the advisers like they were air and left.
Seeing Uchiha Yan's attitude, Utatane Koharu trembled with rage.
Once Uchiha Yan had left, Utatane Koharu pointed at his retreating figure and said indignantly, "Outrageous! Uchiha Yan is utterly treasonous!"
But she didn't dare go to the Uchiha Compound and confront the Uchiha.
After all, the "mysterious" disappearances of Root members near the Uchiha grounds had reached the ears of the High Command.
Utatane Koharu vented her anger on the Anbu responsible for protecting Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"What are you good for? Lord Hokage was fighting with his life on the line inside the barrier, while you just watched from outside? Why didn't you call for backup?"
Watching Utatane Koharu throw her weight around, Kakashi finally couldn't take it anymore.
He turned and left.
Might Guy, who was never one to notice such intricacies, naturally didn't understand what was going on.
He shouted after Kakashi, "Kakashi, wait for me!"
Before you continue