Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils contracted sharply. His fingers tightened around the Hokage Hat until his knuckles turned white, but he forced himself to remain calm. "Clan Head Ao, I still need to clean up the mess Danzo left behind. If I step down now, it could lead to unforeseen complications."
His gaze swept over Shisui, who stood behind Uchiha Ao, looking ready to spring into action.
An idea immediately came to him. Never mind... If stepping down can appease the Uchiha and calm the people of Konoha, I'm willing to temporarily hand over power.
He slowly removed the Hokage Hat, his white hair whipping wildly in the turbulent air. "But the transition must be gradual, to prevent Konoha from falling into even greater chaos."
"No! Lord Hokage, this isn't your fault!" A cry suddenly burst from the crowd. An old man in plain clothes stumbled forward, his gray hair in disarray.
The Anbu maintaining order watched coldly, making no move.
The old man reached the platform and fell to his knees. His calloused hands clutched Hiruzen Sarutobi's robe. "That old scoundrel Danzo committed those crimes. You shouldn't have to bear the blame!"
"That's right! The Third has always devoted himself tirelessly to Konoha! Danzo is the only one who's truly guilty!" Another young civilian in the crowd raised his arm and shouted.
After a brief moment of thought, the other civilians decisively chose to believe in their Third.
"That's right. It was all that old scoundrel Danzo's fault. Lord Hokage had nothing to do with it!"
"Lord Hokage, please don't give up your responsibilities!"
The civilians in the back raised their arms and shouted, their cries nearly lifting the roof of the Hokage Building.
"Ao, the civilians are making themselves heard. I doubt Hiruzen Sarutobi will hand over real power easily," Uchiha Fugaku said in a low voice.
In his view, Ao had done everything perfectly in every respect, but his youth was a serious disadvantage.
He still lacked the experience to deal with an old fox like Hiruzen Sarutobi. He was simply too green.
"Fugaku, don't rush," Uchiha Ao said, waving a hand and lowering his voice to tease him. "I've only been clan head for a few days, and you already want me to become Hokage? That's a pretty huge leap."
"Besides, if we really wanted to become Hokage, our clan's current strength would be more than enough to take on all of Konoha head-on."
"But what the Uchiha Clan needs is a community that will truly accept them."
A flicker of surprise crossed Uchiha Fugaku's eyes. He couldn't help taking another look at the young clan head before him.
Uchiha Ao said nothing more. He only smiled and watched Hiruzen Sarutobi's performance.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the people cheering for him with farming tools raised high. His cloudy eyes grew moist.
He reached out with a trembling hand and gently stroked the old man's deeply wrinkled hand. "Everyone... there's no need to do this."
His voice choked with emotion like never before. "Protecting Konoha has always been my life's wish."
The crowd's shouts grew louder. Someone tossed an old straw hat into the air; another took off the Forehead Protector at his waist and waved it. It was as if they were pouring all the trust and respect they had built up over the years into that moment.
At the sight, the corners of Hiruzen Sarutobi's mouth lifted slightly.
Kid, you're still too green to bring me down.
Hiruzen Sarutobi put the hat marked with the character for "Fire" back on and looked toward the Uchiha Clan. "The people of Konoha trust me so much. I can't let them down. I'm sorry, Clan Head Ao, but I can't hand over the Hokage Position just yet."
The smile on Uchiha Ao's face remained unchanged. He nodded. "You're right, Lord Hokage."
"However," he continued, "our Uchiha Clan has shed blood for Konoha for so many years. Surely we deserve a chance to seek justice."
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew it wouldn't be that simple. Still, his Hokage Position was secure now, and none of the blame had anything to do with him.
He asked calmly, "Clan Head Ao, tell me what compensation your Uchiha Clan wants. If it isn't enough, I can make up the difference out of my own pocket."
At his words, Uchiha Ao smiled innocently and spread his hands. "Compensation? You're too kind, Lord Hokage. All we ask for is a fair hearing."
He walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at the impassioned crowd. His voice rang out clearly. "Friends of Konoha, I know that when the Uchiha Clan served in the Military Police Force, our methods were too heavy-handed, leading to misunderstandings.
"Here, as clan head, I promise that starting tomorrow, all Uchiha members serving in the Military Police Force will receive training in groups. We'll abandon our old, heavy-handed methods and protect Konoha in a gentler way."
Behind him, Uchiha Izumi silently activated her Mangekyo and cast her ocular genjutsu on all the Konoha civilians in front of her.
No one noticed, except Shisui and Fugaku beside her.
The crowd fell briefly silent. Only their labored breathing and the soft rustle of clothing could be heard.
Suddenly, the white-haired old man slowly stood up. Tears streamed down his wrinkled face. "Good! That's wonderful! If the Uchiha really do this, this old man will be the first to support them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd.
???
At that moment, not only Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two figureheads behind him were confused; the clan heads of the other shinobi clans below the platform were confused too.
Wait, you believe them just like that?
They instinctively assumed someone from the Uchiha had cast genjutsu on the civilians. But when they turned to look at the crowd, they fell silent.
There wasn't a trace of genjutsu on them.
In other words, they really believed him!?
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't figure out what was going on.
"Hiruzen, what do we do?" Utatane Koharu's hand tightened around her cane, veins bulging, as she stared at Uchiha Ao's composed smile. "Those fools were taken in by a few words? The Uchiha's ambition is plain to see!"
Mitokado Homura beside her gave a heavy snort, his white hair trembling slightly with the movement. "They must have used some underhanded trick! We absolutely can't let them get away with it!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched for a long time but couldn't figure it out. He could only knock his pipe hard against his waist, dislodging a few sparks. "It's fine. This isn't enough to affect us."
Seeing everyone's reaction, Uchiha Ao smiled even more sincerely. He raised a hand to quiet the noisy crowd, then continued in a clear voice. "Besides, I have another idea—expanding the Konoha Military Police Force."
A wave of uneasy murmuring rose from the crowd. Uchiha Ao pressed his advantage. "The new Military Police Force will be open to all Konoha residents.
"We'll establish an open selection process. Any shinobi who wants to protect the village—and even ordinary civilians—can join by passing the examination."
Shikaku Nara furrowed his brow, silently weighing the pros and cons.
Mitokado Homura suddenly sneered. "Easy to say! You're just trying to use this to expand the Uchiha's influence!"
"Counselor Homura, you're mistaken," Uchiha Ao replied unhurriedly, signaling for his clansmen to carry out a thick bamboo scroll. "This is the draft plan for reforming the Military Police Force. The staffing, deployments, and evaluations can all be decided through joint discussions with representatives from each clan. If necessary, Lord Hokage can dispatch Anbu to supervise us at any time."
He paused, his tone earnest. "We Uchiha simply want to do our part for Konoha, and we hope this will ease everyone's concerns."
Before you continue