An Uproar Across Konoha

At this point, Dodai formally and solemnly Hiruzen Sarutobi:

"Lord Hokage, this is our demand and bottom line. Konoha must hand over the murderer Hyuga Hiashi, or the negotiations will immediately break down, and our Kumogakure will immediately prepare for war!"

I urge the Lord Hokage to think this over carefully, weigh the pros and cons thoroughly.

That's all, Lord Hokage. I'll take my leave now. I'll wait for your message and Konoha's reply within the mission.

After saying this, Dodai turned and left, walking decisively out of the Hokage's office and quickly disappearing from the area.

Similar to his last departure, whether it was a deliberate provocation or he genuinely forgot, Dodai left the Hokage 'Hokage office door open as he walked out.

Seeing the wide-open door, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally lost his temper and, for the first time in many years, lost his composure in front of the hidden guards of the Anbu.

"You bastard!"

As he roared, Hiruzen Sarutobi kicked over his large solid wood desk with a bang.

Anbu hidden guards around the area were both shocked and disheartened by what they saw, feeling a pang of regret and disappointment.

Their Third Lord Hokage has truly aged, truly decayed, and truly weakened; even their closest Anbu have noticed this.

When confronting Dodai, the Lord Hokage didn't dare to turn hostile. It wouldn't be accurate to say he retreated or backed down, but it was truly disappointing that he didn't mount an effective counterattack against such a shameless opponent as Dodai.

But that's not the point. The point is that the Lord Hokage only dared to vent his anger after the other party had completely left, and he did so by kicking the desk.

This situation and these actions had never happened before. This state of impotent rage truly disappointed Hokage Anbu, who also felt deeply powerless.

The Lord Hokage wasn't like this before. When did Lord Hokage become like this? This is so disappointing and worrying.

With the Lord Hokage this way, what will become of Konoha? Faced with a threat like that of Kumogakure, what should they do?

Could it be... that the Lord Hokage will really hand over Hyuga Hiashi?

But if that were the case, it would be a case of "the rabbit mourns the fox's death." If even the dignified head of the Hyūga Clan could be handed over, how could these insignificant figures possibly protect themselves?

For a moment, these Anbu began to worry about the present and the future; they were genuinely concerned and even pessimistic.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also unknowingly lost a wave of support, and what he lost were the hearts of his own subordinates.

Unfortunately Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't realize this. He was currently very troubled, wondering how to handle the situation.

Going to war with Kumogakure? No, no, absolutely not. Konoha is currently filled with the old, weak, sick, and disabled. There are very few who are truly capable of going to the battlefield, and even fewer Kage Level shinobi who can determine the course of the battle.

Okay, there are a few, but I'm the only Kage Level powerhouse.

Another Kage Level powerhouse Uchiha Yunyan, simply wouldn't listen to his commands. It was a blessing if that kid didn't cause trouble; he didn't expect him to help him or Konoha, so Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't include him in his calculations.

And what about the Kage Level powerhouses from the Kumogakure?

First of all, the Fourth Raikage is definitely one of them. That guy is already in his prime, and his strength is probably at its peak.

Secondly, this Dodai might also be one; this guy is cunning and shrewd, and cannot be ignored.

Therefore, there are only two Kage Level powerhouses that can be calculated, and there may be others that the opponent is hiding.

Given such a vast disparity in strength, how can this battle be fought? Therefore, starting a war is not an option; if a war breaks out, there is a very high chance of losing.

If war is out of the question... then the only options are compromise, surrender, and handing over Hyuga Hiashi? Or perhaps handing over Uchiha Yunyan?

Thinking about this, Hiruzen Sarutobi scratched his head in anguish and frustration, feeling that he had rarely encountered such a difficult choice.

No, that won't do. We can't just hand over either of them.

Handing over Hyuga Hiashi would cause an uproar within the entire Hyūga Clan. What kind of organization is Konoha to hand over their clan head just to appease them? This is utterly disrespectful to the Hyūga Clan; do they really think they're made of clay?

Moreover, doing so would not only Hyūga Clan, but also cause other ninja clans to live in fear.

Today, it's the Hyūga Clan that's unlucky, and it's their Hyūga Clan who's unlucky. Who knows, next time it might be another clan that's unlucky. And are other clan heads really more prestigious than the Hyūga Clan head?

Therefore, abandoning Hyuga Hiashi is not an option; if he were, the overall order of Konoha might collapse and descend into chaos.

So... abandon Uchiha Yunyan and hand him over?

That won't work either. Let's not even talk about how mysterious and powerful this kid is; I, as the Hokage, don't even have the ability to hand him over.

Even if we hand him over, this kid definitely won't submit obediently. He'll likely react with extreme rage and might even betray the village.

Even if Hiruzen Sarutobi were old, senile, corrupt, or weak, he wouldn't have done something like forcing such an unstable top-tier powerhouse to betray the village and become Konoha enemy.

That kid Yun Yan, you can only keep him calm, you can't push him. If you push him, he's capable of anything.

For a moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was faced with an extremely difficult choice; he truly didn't know what to do.

Time passed, and that afternoon, just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was still struggling to make a choice, the situation changed again.

Suddenly, all the civilians and ninjas in Konoha knew the so-called truth of the matter, and that the missing Kumogakure delegation was killed by Hyuga Hiashi, the head of the Hyūga Clan.

Once the news spread, it caused quite a stir throughout Konoha.

It was the Hyuga clan leader who killed him! My God, this is terrible! This wasn't an ordinary person; he was a big shot in our Konoha!

Such an important figure killed members of the Kumogakure delegation, which will definitely cause a lot of trouble, Kumogakure delegation will certainly not let it go.

Sure enough, rumors soon followed that the Kumogakure delegation had issued a stern warning to Lord Hokage, demanding that he hand over the murderer, Hyuga Hiashi, or else... the Kumogakure would directly wage war against Konoha!

Good heavens, another war? More killing and death? The villagers who experienced the Nine-Tails Rebellion never want to go through that again. They are now terrified of the mere mention of war.

In an instant, panic and discussion spread Konoha. The already unstable situation seemed to be heading towards even greater chaos, and many people even began to consider moving away and not settling down in Konoha anymore.

This is a profound blow to Konoha, which is known for its peace and stability.

When he learned of the widespread rumors circulating among the villagers, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was already angry and troubled, became even angrier.

Who? Who spread these rumors? I'll settle this score with them!

While fuming, Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered his Anbu to investigate immediately. The Anbu, of course, obediently went to investigate, as the matter should not be difficult to investigate.

While the Anbu were conducting their investigation, Hiruzen Sarutobi grew increasingly exhausted, and his mind became increasingly unclear.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi's paranoia kicked in, and he subconsciously began to suspect that this rumor might have been spread by Uchiha Yunyan.

He was clearly the one who committed the murder, but due to various reasons, the blame fell on Hyuga Hiashi. Whether it was the Kumogakure delegation or ordinary Konoha citizens, everyone believed that the missing ninja from the Kumogakure Hyuga Hiashi.

In order to absolve himself of responsibility and to cover up the blame, Yun Yan started this rumor, hoping to make it a reality and force Konoha and the Hyūga Clan to accept it reluctantly.

This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's momentary guess; he subconsciously thought the worst of Yun Yan or the Uchiha.

Just as he was pondering this, the Anbu who had gone to investigate returned after completing their task.

The Anbu immediately reported their findings to Hiruzen Sarutobi. The results were clear: Hiruzen Sarutobi was wrong. It was not Yun Yan was spreading the rumors, but the Kumogakure delegation.

Upon further reflection, and with a moment of clarity, Hiruzen Sarutobi was able to understand.

Oh, right, right, the Kumogakure delegation had their reasons for doing this.

Spreading rumors to confirm the facts was also intended to unsettle the people of Konoha and force them to hand over the murderer, Hyuga Hiashi Konoha. It's not surprising that they would do this.

Well, thankfully the rumors weren't spread by Yun Yan, otherwise Hiruzen Sarutobi really wouldn't know what to do.

However, now that the villagers of Konoha know about this, there is widespread anxiety within the Konoha, and the conflict has intensified, so it must be resolved.

How to solve this?