Compromise

"What?!"

Facing the massive fire dragon rushing toward them, every member of the Aburame Clan turned pale.

Without their Destruction Bugs, they had no means whatsoever to defend against an attack of that magnitude.

Damn it! I shouldn't have brought the clan members forward in the first place.

Shibi Aburame could not help but feel regret.

Just as despair rose in his heart,

Splash!!

A huge wall of water suddenly appeared before them.

—Water Release: Water Wall!

Boom!!

The fire dragon crashed violently into the water wall.

Under the scorching heat, vast amounts of water evaporated into dense steam.

Once the white mist dispersed, Shibi Aburame saw clearly who had saved them.

He immediately became excited, though shame followed close behind.

"L-Lord Third! This subordinate has failed you. I actually had to trouble you to personally save us. I am deeply ashamed!"

"It is nothing. As the Hokage, I will never stand by and watch comrades from the same village fall into danger."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved a hand, his expression full of righteous dignity.

After a brief pause, he added,

"You have already done your best. There is no need to blame yourselves for this!"

"I-I'm sorry, Lord Third!"

The Aburame members became even more ashamed. With subordinates like them present, they had actually forced the Third, their leader, to take action personally. It truly should not have happened!

While feeling immense gratitude, they were also won over by the Third's magnanimity.

This was the Third! This was the leader they believed in, the Third Hokage they loved and respected!

"Enough. Withdraw for now. The enemy is very strong, not someone you can handle."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, signaling for the Aburame members to retreat.

As the Aburame members withdrew, the surrounding Konoha ninja saw the Third personally enter the fray and immediately became incomparably excited.

They shouted and roared one after another, their emotions reaching unprecedented heights.

"It's Lord Third! Lord Third is going to act personally!"

"Lord Third, you must teach that arrogant bastard a proper lesson! Don't show him any mercy!"

"Although I believe in Lord Third too, I'm still worried. What if Lord Third isn't his match? That guy is terrifyingly strong. He won't be easy to deal with!"

"Shut up! How dare you question Lord Third? Lord Third is the strongest Hokage of all time! He could crush that bastard with one hand. Who are you to doubt him?!"

"..."

Listening to the crowd's thunderous cheers, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression became slightly awkward.

Because he had not stepped forward to fight Sasuke.

"Sir, let us end this here."

He looked at Sasuke and said solemnly,

"You have injured so many of our comrades. Even if you have some grudge against Elder Danzo, it should be settled by now."

"There is no point in continuing this fight. Please leave now and depart from Konoha. As for what you did earlier, I will pretend none of it ever happened!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke these words calmly.

Put simply, he did not want to fight anymore.

That was not quite right. More accurately, after witnessing Sasuke's terrifying strength, he had chosen to back down.

From observing the battle just now, he had sadly realized that even if he, the Third Hokage, acted personally, defeat would be his only outcome.

If he fought, he would lose and embarrass himself again.

If he did not fight, he would not lose, and his dignity would remain intact.

In that case, why fight at all?

Moreover, before the battle, Sasuke had tossed Danzo aside.

The Konoha ninja had naturally managed to rescue Danzo.

His scapegoat tool had been safely rescued, so the objective of this rescue mission had been achieved.

There was no need to increase casualties just to deal with a monster.

Therefore, the battle should end.

That was what Hiruzen Sarutobi thought at that moment.

Though being slapped in public had left him extremely aggrieved, filling him with the urge to tear the culprit to pieces,

once he calmed down, it did not seem like such a big deal. After all, the other side was stronger!

In the Ninja World, strength was the only hard truth.

"Professor" Hiruzen Sarutobi had not earned that title for nothing. The key was the word "endure."

Just like when Hidden Cloud Village kidnapped Hinata, got exposed and killed, then turned around and threatened Konoha to hand over the Hyuga Clan's culprit.

Just endure it, and it would pass.

However, when Hiruzen Sarutobi expressed his intention to stop the war, before Sasuke could respond, the surrounding Konoha ninja erupted first.

"What?! Does Lord Third mean he's going to let that bastard go?"

"Why? That guy injured so many of our comrades. Why should we let him off so easily?"

"Lord Third, that guy slapped you in the face just now! Can you really endure that?"

"Yeah, could it be that Lord Third is afraid? Or is even the Third, the strongest Hokage of all time, no match for that guy?"

"..."

"Hah..."

Listening to the noisy discussions around him, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath before suddenly shouting.

"Enough! I have my reasons for doing this."

His face darkened slightly as he spoke in a grave voice,

"From my observations, this man is extremely strong. I fear he is only a little weaker than I am."

"It would not be easy for me to take down an opponent like him."

"If I were to fight him, the battle would surely shake heaven and earth. When that happens, the aftermath would only destroy more Konoha homes and drag more Konoha villagers into this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice suddenly became impassioned.

"For Konoha, for Konoha's countless people, for everyone, the humiliation I suffered from being slapped is simply not worth mentioning!"

After hearing those words, quite a few Konoha ninja were moved to tears.

"S-So that's how it is. It seems we misunderstood you, Lord Third."

"Lord Third isn't unable to defeat him. He has no choice but to compromise for Konoha's sake!"

"As expected of our great Lord Third, who always puts Konoha first. You have suffered greatly, Lord Third!"

"..."

Seeing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not help but nod to himself.

This way, not only had Danzo been rescued successfully, but his dignity had been preserved, and he had even gained a wave of prestige.

It was killing three birds with one stone!

It was perfect!

Then, he looked at Sasuke and said seriously,

"Sir, I believe you have seen my sincerity. Please leave Konoha immediately and refrain from interfering in Konoha's affairs. How about it?"

"Heh. As for this so-called sincerity you mentioned, I didn't see any. All I saw was an old bastard barking in front of me."

"Is this the strongest Hokage of all time? You can endure getting slapped in the face? You're killing me, hahaha!"

Sasuke mocked him without giving him even the slightest bit of face.

"Sir, do not go too far! I have already given you plenty of face!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression quickly darkened.

He had not expected the other party to be so unwilling to give him face, even after he, the dignified Hokage, had chosen to bow his head.

He was simply too arrogant!

If Hiruzen Sarutobi had not known he could not win, he would have attacked long ago instead of enduring this here.

"If you want a ceasefire, fine! But you have to return my spoils of war!"

Sasuke crossed his arms, his expression proud and aloof.