The Quarreling Trio

Konoha Root Base.

"Sir, the latest issue of the Konoha Daily just came out, and Uchiha Itachi's popularity has risen again."

"Among the civilians, Uchiha Itachi is now the clear favorite to become the next Hokage."

In the dim room, various torture implements lay scattered about.

Every one of them reeked of blood, with dark stains clinging to their surfaces.

A man with bandages wrapped around one side of his body sat upright in a broad wooden chair.

He was listening intently to his subordinate's report.

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

The man below him shuddered.

"We're investigating with all our might, but so far, no reliable information has come in."

The man frowned, fixing his one exposed eye on the subordinate.

"No reliable information? Tanaka Juro, is this how efficiently you do your job?"

The subordinate trembled even harder.

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

"His employees don't even know who their boss is. I... I truly have no way to investigate."

"Useless!"

The man sprang up from his chair, killing intent flashing in his narrowed eye.

"You've given me all these excuses, but you still haven't found anything, have you?"

The subordinate dropped to his knees with a thud, cold sweat dripping down his face.

"I haven't come up completely empty-handed, sir. It's just that the information hasn't all come in yet, so I can't be certain..."

"Better to kill the wrong person than let the right one go! Is that not what I taught you?"

"Yes! I found that the founder of the Konoha Daily might be Uchiha Kei of the Uchiha Clan!"

The man froze.

That brat again?

Why was he involved in everything?

Damn that Uchiha brat!

He should have killed him back then. Then none of these problems would have come up!

The man was engulfed in killing intent, his narrowed eye brimming with murderous fury.

After a long while, he spoke.

"You can leave for now."

The man sat back down in his chair.

"Yes!"

The subordinate knelt as he backed out of the room, as if granted a new lease on life.

"Uchiha Kei..."

As soon as the subordinate left, the man in the chair's expression twisted into a grimace.

"You again! Three years ago, Sarutobi Hiruzen showed mercy time and time again, and in the end, he raised a tiger that came back to haunt him!"

"Indecisive Sarutobi Hiruzen... Do you regret showing mercy back then now?"

The candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows across the man's face.

But his undisguised killing intent was like a drawn sword.

Its edge was unmistakable!

Konoha's Hokage Building.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat behind his desk, a smoking pipe between his lips and a copy of the Konoha Daily in his hand.

Three years had passed, and Sarutobi Hiruzen looked older than ever. His hair had turned completely white.

"Phew."

He exhaled a cloud of smoke.

Sarutobi Hiruzen set the Konoha Daily on his desk.

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

Two equally aged people stood across from him.

Mitokado Homura.

Utatane Koharu.

Konoha's two great advisors.

Both held positions of power in Konoha, with influence no less than that of the Third Hokage.

At that moment, their faces were filled with deep displeasure.

Clearly, they disliked the Konoha Daily just as much.

"Do something? How? Shut down the Konoha Daily? On what grounds?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a bitter smile.

His popularity in Konoha owed much to his skillful command of public opinion.

He had written special material for the Ninja Academy textbooks.

He also frequently appeared at public events, taking every opportunity to give speeches.

Public opinion had always been his trump card.

But everything changed a year ago, when the Konoha Daily came into being.

So...

You could use public opinion like that, too.

"But we can't just stand by and let the Konoha Daily make things up!"

Utatane Koharu was indignant.

Ever since the Konoha Daily appeared out of nowhere, Sarutobi Hiruzen's popularity had steadily declined.

Now the Uchiha brat's popularity in Konoha was nearly at its peak.

Some people were even loudly proclaiming that only Uchiha Itachi could become the Fifth Hokage!

How could that not make them furious?

They didn't really care who became the Third Hokage.

They only cared whether their own power would be affected.

If some random person became the Fifth Hokage, they believed their influence would keep their current positions largely intact.

But if it was an Uchiha brat...

The two couldn't help shuddering.

Considering all the measures they had recommended over the years to restrict the Uchiha Clan, it would be a miracle if Uchiha Itachi treated them kindly once he took office.

"Has Anbu found out who's behind the Konoha Daily?"

Mitokado Homura, wearing small glasses, was a steady man who got straight to the point.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head.

Over the past three years, he had begun to feel that something was off with Anbu.

The Anbu he had once controlled as easily as his own arm no longer seemed so easy to command...

It wasn't just the investigation into the Konoha Daily. Over the past three years, Anbu had been less reliable in investigating all sorts of matters.

"There are only so many people in Konoha. How could you not find them?"

Mitokado Homura furrowed his brows.

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

Utatane Koharu thought of one possibility, and her expression changed dramatically.

"If so, the Konoha Daily must be eliminated!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Mitokado Homura ignored her.

It was a wonder Sarutobi Hiruzen had managed to keep her as an advisor for so long, given how she thought.

Someone from outside the village couldn't possibly have the means to distribute a newspaper throughout Konoha's streets and alleys.

Besides, even if someone from outside the village had founded it, the Konoha Daily hadn't published anything particularly inflammatory.

At most, it had exaggerated its praise of Uchiha Itachi.

On balance, the Konoha Daily did more good than harm for Konoha.

The good was that it had greatly strengthened the village's sense of unity.

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

That was what Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to see.

The only drawback was that it had somewhat undermined their rule.

"Hey! I'm talking to you two. Are you even listening?"

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

"We're listening."

Sarutobi Hiruzen reluctantly took the pipe from his mouth.

"As for that possibility you mentioned... Well, how should I put it? It's good to plan ahead..."

"Scaremongering is just foolish."

Mitokado Homura finished his thought.

"Who are you calling foolish?"

Utatane Koharu froze for a moment, then erupted in fury and charged at Mitokado Homura.

"That's enough! Stop fooling around!"

Watching the two bicker, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a headache coming on.

They paused and glared at each other.

"Tomorrow is the Ninja Academy graduation exam."

"A new batch of shinobi is about to leave the academy. How we divide them into teams and appoint leaders for each team is what matters."

Mitokado Homura considered this, then asked, "Didn't we already discuss this beforehand?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen put his pipe back between his lips and took a photograph from his desk.

"Last time... we overlooked someone."

He turned the photo around. It showed a strikingly handsome young man.

He wasn't very old, and his Ninja Headband hung loosely around his neck. A confident smile spread across his face.