The Arguing Trio

Konoha's Root base.

"My Lord, as soon as the latest Konoha Daily was released, Uchiha Itachi's popularity surged again."

"Right now, among the common people, Uchiha Itachi is the undisputed choice for the next Hokage."

In a dark room, various torture instruments were placed randomly.

Each instrument reeked of foulness, with splotches of blood clinging to them.

On a large wooden chair in the room sat a man with half his body wrapped in bandages.

He was currently listening intently to his subordinate's report.

"Have you found out who founded the Konoha Daily?"

The person below trembled.

"We are investigating with all our might, but there is still no definitive news."

The man frowned, his exposed eye looking down.

"No definitive news? Tanaka Juro, is this the efficiency with which you handle matters?"

The person below trembled even more violently.

"My Lord, the founder of the Konoha Daily is simply too mysterious."

"His employees don't even know who their boss is. This... I really don't know where to start investigating."

"Trash!"

The man suddenly stood up from the wooden chair, a murderous intent flashing in his narrowed, exposed eye.

"You make so many excuses, but you still haven't found them?"

The person below immediately knelt on the ground, cold sweat dripping down.

"It's not that I haven't found anything at all, but the intelligence hasn't been fully gathered yet, so I dare not be certain..."

"Better to kill the wrong person than let them go! How did I teach you!"

"Yes! I investigated, and the founder of the Konoha Daily might be Uchiha Kei of the Uchiha Clan!"

The man froze.

This brat again?

How can he be everywhere!

Damn Uchiha brat!

I should have killed him back then, and there wouldn't be so much trouble now!

A thick killing intent emanated from the man, his narrowed eye filled with murderous intent.

After a long while.

"You may go down now."

The man sat back on the wooden chair.

"Yes!"

The person kneeling below felt as if they had been reborn, and retreated from the room, still kneeling.

"Uchiha Kei..."

After the person below left the room, the man on the wooden chair's expression turned ferocious.

"It's you again! Three years ago, Sarutobi Hiruzen's repeated soft-heartedness has ultimately bred a tiger!"

"Indecisive Sarutobi Hiruzen, are you regretting your soft-heartedness back then now?"

The flickering candlelight cast the man's face in an unpredictable light.

However, the undisguised killing intent was like a drawn sword.

Sharp and exposed!

Konoha Hokage Building.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, a pipe in his mouth, holding a copy of the Konoha Daily.

In three years, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked even older, his hair completely white.

"Hoo."

He exhaled a puff of smoke.

Sarutobi Hiruzen placed the Konoha Daily on the table.

"Hiruzen, aren't you going to do something about this Konoha Daily? What kind of nonsense is this?"

Opposite him stood two equally aged figures.

Mito Mon'en.

Chikage Koharu.

The two advisors of Konoha.

These two held positions of power in Konoha just as high as the Third Hokage himself.

At this moment, their brows were filled with intense disgust.

Clearly, they were just as fond of the Konoha Daily as he was.

"Control it? How? By shutting down the Konoha Daily? On what grounds would we shut it down?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen offered a bitter smile.

The reason he enjoyed such high popularity in Konoha was precisely because of his unique offensive use of public opinion.

He hadn't just commissioned special content for the Ninja Academy textbooks.

He frequently appeared in major venues, taking the stage to give speeches whenever possible.

Public opinion had always been his trump card.

But a year ago, when the Konoha Daily was born, everything changed.

It turned out...

Public opinion could be played like this.

"But we cannot just sit by and watch the Konoha Daily fabricate stories at will."

Chikage Koharu was quite indignant.

Ever since the Konoha Daily burst onto the scene, Sarutobi Hiruzen's popularity had been declining day by day.

Now, it was clear that the brat from the Uchiha Clan was nearing the peak of popularity in Konoha.

Many were even declaring that the Fifth Hokage must be none other than Uchiha Itachi!

How could this not enrage them!

They didn't actually care about how the Third Hokage fared.

They only cared about whether their own power would be affected.

If just anyone else became the Fifth Hokage, they believed that with their influence, their current power would not be significantly impacted.

But if it were that brat from the Uchiha Clan...

The two couldn't help but shudder inwardly.

Given the various measures they had recommended in the past to restrict the Uchiha Clan, it would be a miracle if Uchiha Itachi treated them well once he took office.

"Has the Anbu found out who is behind the Konoha Daily?"

Mito Mon'en, wearing his small spectacles, was composed, his question striking straight to the heart of the matter.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.

Over these past three years, he had a vague feeling about the Anbu.

The Anbu, which used to be as responsive as his own limbs, seemed harder to control...

It wasn't just the investigation into the Konoha Daily; over these three years, many investigations had been far less accurate than before.

"There are only so many people in Konoha, how could they not find out?"

Mito Mon'en frowned deeply.

"Could it be... someone from outside the village?"

Chikage Koharu thought of a possibility, and her expression changed drastically.

"If that's the case, the Konoha Daily must be eradicated!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Mito Mon'en ignored her.

It was truly a testament to Sarutobi Hiruzen's patience that someone with such a brain had managed to remain an advisor for so long.

Whoever was distributing newspapers to every street and alley in Konoha, someone from outside the village would not have the capability to do so.

Furthermore, even if it were founded by someone from outside the village, the Konoha Daily hadn't published any particularly reactionary statements.

At most, they were exaggerating and boasting about Uchiha Itachi.

Overall, the Konoha Daily brought more benefits than harm to Konoha.

The benefit was a significant increase in the village's cohesion.

Every villager in Konoha now had a light in their eyes, full of hope for the village's future.

This was what Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to see.

The harm was merely that it had a certain impact on their rule.

"Hey, I'm talking to you both, are you listening?"

Seeing the two frowning at each other, Chikage Koharu grew somewhat annoyed.

"I'm listening."

Sarutobi Hiruzen helplessly removed the pipe from his mouth.

"This possibility you mentioned... hmm, how to put it, preparing for the worst is good..."

"But fear-mongering is foolish."

Mito Mon'en interjected.

"Who are you calling foolish!"

Chikage Koharu froze for a moment, then flew into a rage, roaring as she lunged at Mito Mon'en.

"Enough! Stop fooling around!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a headache coming on as he watched the two bicker.

They paused, glaring fiercely at each other.

"Tomorrow is the Ninja Academy's graduation exam."

"A large batch of new ninjas will soon be leaving the school. How to divide them into teams and assign leaders to each team is the key."

Mito Mon'en thought for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "Didn't we discuss this earlier?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen put the pipe back in his mouth and picked up a photograph from his desk.

"Last time... we overlooked someone."

The photo was revealed, showing a spirited young boy.

He wasn't old, a Ninja Headband hung casually around his neck, and his face was beaming with a confident smile.