The next day.
The Konoha, who got up early, were preparing to welcome a day full of energy.
Something somewhat shocking quickly reached their ears.
The former Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has defected!
Both newspapers and the Voice of Konoha gave it a lot of attention.
The newspaper's headline detailed the entire incident.
Over the years, everyone has become aware that there used to be a commercial break between programs on Voice of Konoha. Today, Voice of Konoha has eliminated the commercial break and instead broadcasts a brief account of the event during program breaks.
When all the Konoha first learned of this, they were quite frightened.
Hokage!
Defection!
The simultaneous appearance of these two seemingly unrelated words can indeed startle the people of Konoha.
At first, the villagers seemed to be sharing this shocking news with those around them, as if it were major news.
However, the villagers soon discovered that it seemed everyone knew about the news.
The initial excitement subsided quickly, but their eagerness to watch the drama unfold soon returned.
On the way to work, on the way to take the kids to school, while working.
People are gossiping everywhere in Konoha.
That's right!
Just watching the show.
The shock was only slight, and only for a short while.
To be honest, the villagers of Konoha didn't feel much after learning that it was the former Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi defected.
Hiruzen Sarutobi did indeed rule Konoha for about twenty years, but long before anyone knew it, Ren had intervened and taken over his role.
Ren accomplished what Hiruzen Sarutobi had always wanted to do but couldn't: privatize Konoha.
Before Ren became Hokage, Konoha already belonged to the club's captain. The Hokage was more like a spiritual symbol, and his influence on Konoha was already very weak.
After Ren became the fifth generation, he was completely imprinted with Ren's mark, inside and out.
Hiruzen Sarutobi?
For most people in Konoha, it's a very distant memory.
If he hadn't Hokage just over a month ago, many people would have almost forgotten his name.
The newspaper, whose sales had been declining for years, sold out today for the first time ever.
The Voice of Konoha is good, but once you've heard it, it's gone.
Newspapers have unparalleled advantages; they can be stored, and such major news stories, which are rare in a lifetime, are worth buying a copy to keep.
The Konoha were greatly boosted in spirits after enjoying this rare treat.
Various discussions and opinions were also gathered on Ren's table.
Ren glanced through it and found it to be pretty much what he expected, mainly consisting of various criticisms of Hiruzen Sarutobi, given the strong contrast in Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The second most popular character is Asuma, the hero who turned the tide of battle, who is also a popular topic of conversation. His identity as the Hiruzen Sarutobi adds a lot of drama, and the scenes of father and son turning against each other and sacrificing family for the greater good are very controversial.
Next came the discussion about the Sarutobi Clan. Considering Hiashi's previous actions, the Sarutobi Clan's reputation has dropped another notch.
The top three trending topics all involve the name Sarutobi, and he's become incredibly famous and popular.
After flipping through it briefly, Ren put it down and picked up another document.
This document excludes discussions among ordinary people and mostly records the statements of Konoha Ninja.
Although the Anbu was disbanded by Ren, teams with similar functions still exist.
Ren read the few pages of content much more carefully; although the ninjas were few in number, they were the key.
Compared to ordinary people, ninjas were much more cautious, and most of them remained silent about it, with very few of their remarks being recorded.
The topics discussed were largely the same as those discussed by ordinary people, but the discussions focused more on technical details.
The focus was also on the battle, with many speculating whether Hiruzen Sarutobi held back during his fight with Asuma Sarutobi and what Asuma's true strength was.
Turning to the back, Ren saw something that caught his attention.
"I think the Fifth Hokage is far too kind; he's been incredibly lenient with the Sarutobi Clan!"
"Oh? What do you mean?"
This was clearly a conversation, Ren turned the page with a cheerful expression.
"Think about it, during the darkest period of the past, so many useless Sarutobi Clan occupied high positions, causing so much damage to Konoha. Now they even have rebellious intentions. Isn't it merciful that the Fifth Hokage only sent them to the border to atone for their sins?"
"Isn't it lenient of the Fifth Hokage to allow the Sarutobi Clan to continue to exist and to make it clear that he would not discriminate against other members of the Sarutobi clan?"
"If you ask me, the Sarutobi Clan is inherently evil, Konoha doesn't need the Sarutobi Clan!"
"Hmm, what you said makes sense, but what did you mean by the darkest period?"
"Of course, it was during Hiruzen Sarutobi's time as Hokage. Those twenty years or so were the darkest period for the entire Konoha. Ninjas like me, who had talent and ability but no good background, could only struggle bitterly."
"Really? But you seem to be quite close to the Sarutobi Clan!"
"Nonsense! I was clearly enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens!"
There was no further content, presumably because it was inconvenient to show what happened next. Ren then saw the location and people involved in the conversation.
That name sounds so familiar!