Failed to Get an Explanation

Sakumo could not believe that subordinates who had followed him for years had betrayed him. In truth, they had not betrayed Konoha. Besides being Sakumo's men, they had another identity: Root ninja under Danzo. In their minds, working for Danzo meant working for the Hokage of Konoha.

"Abandoning a mission to save your comrades is considered a mission failure, but the bonds between comrades have always been something Konoha promotes. It's just that when the Hokage election comes around, someone will use this stain to suppress you and prevent you from successfully becoming Hokage."

Hearing Muzan's explanation, Sakumo fell into deep doubt. The Hatake Household had always kept to themselves and rarely involved themselves in political matters. Even after he achieved such great accomplishments in his generation, he had never considered the position of Hokage.

"But I never intended to compete for the position of Hokage."

Muzan shook his head helplessly. It was not about whether he wanted to compete for the position of Hokage, but whether others believed he would. As long as one was trapped in Konoha's mire, it was impossible to stay untouched.

To a certain extent, Sakumo's reputation surpassed that of the Legendary Sannin. More importantly, he was a powerful veteran who had trained many outstanding subordinates. This was not a force to be underestimated; it could play a tremendous role in a Hokage election.

On top of that, he was approachable and had two genius sons. If they were carefully nurtured, Konoha would enjoy a long period of prosperity.

The common people were not fools. Naturally, they would not cast their votes for Orochimaru, much less Danzo, the Darkness of Konoha.

"Don't you understand yet? No matter what you do, in their eyes, you are the White Fang of Konoha—a man qualified to compete."

Sakumo let out a long sigh upon hearing that. It seemed he had already been drawn into the vortex. Staying out of it was no longer possible.

"For now, you don't need to do anything. With Tsunade's help, the rumors about you will soon be suppressed. As for the position of Hokage..."

Muzan did not say any more, but Sakumo understood. That position was something he must never touch.

It was not merely a matter of greater ability bringing greater responsibility. Looking at the Kage of every ninja village, nearly all of them met miserable ends. Only a few lived into old age. (At this stage, it seemed none had lived into old age. Ōnoki was only a little past middle age.)

"Mm. I will still protect Konoha with my life, but I will never trust the village's upper ranks again."

If he continued blindly trusting them, he would not only be irresponsible toward himself, but toward his children as well. Those three Chunin had attacked Muzan today. If Muzan had not been strong enough, things could have turned dangerous.

"Boom!"

"What happened outside?"

As the two spoke, a deafening blast rang out. A mushroom cloud rose from the Hokage Office, yet no ninja could be seen rushing over. It was likely an order from the Hokage.

"Such a huge commotion? Looks like Tsunade found the person behind this. And it was right in the Hokage Office. How interesting."

Muzan looked at the mushroom cloud before him. Solving a problem with violence could not be considered a permanent solution, but Danzo would not dare continue playing his schemes. It gave both sides an explanation.

"Danzo, once the Third Ninja War ends, I'll have a proper talk with you. After all, you've been living far too comfortably."

The Shinobi World never lacked powerful rogue ninja. Many had become rogue ninja in pursuit of power, and Muzan could offer them even greater power.

Sure enough, before long, they saw Tsunade standing at the entrance of the Hatake Household, her face filled with exhaustion. She had gone to demand an explanation, but that bastard Danzo refused to admit anything. With the Hokage covering for him from the side, she had ultimately punched the gates of the Hokage Office.

"I'm sorry. I didn't get the person we wanted this time."

"It's fine. I already know the general outline of what happened. This isn't your fault. Blame those Konoha higher-ups."

Sakumo looked at the exhausted Tsunade. She had already done so much for him, and he had never expected to clear his name.

After this incident, Tsunade had truly lost patience with Konoha. She was preparing to leave the village. Even though Konoha was about to face war, what use was there for someone with Hemophobia? Tsunade gave a bitter laugh. Other than serving as a decorative mascot, it seemed she had little purpose in staying.

"I never thought even Tsunade would fail."

Watching Tsunade leave in dejection, it was impossible for Sakumo not to be surprised. She was Konoha's princess, yet even she could not punish the person behind it all. She had needed to cause a scene in the Hokage Office just to vent her anger.

It seemed the Hokage had also been involved.

"Isn't failure perfectly normal? If they could really have been brought to justice, rumors would not have spread about you in the first place."

Moreover, no serious consequences had occurred. Sakumo had not committed suicide, and the losses from an S-rank mission failure were still within Konoha's ability to bear. Besides, these were extraordinary times, and the Third Ninja War could erupt at any moment.

No matter emotionally or logically, they would not punish Danzo too severely. Sakumo could only suffer the injustice.

"That's true. Next, you'll be confined for a month. Consider it a form of protection."

He did not see any displeasure in Muzan's eyes. After this incident, Sakumo had worried that Muzan would become disappointed in the village and choose to leave Konoha.

What Muzan hated was only Konoha's upper ranks, not the village he had protected all his life.

"Barely. But Konoha's situation is about to become much worse. Father, you should be prepared. According to Teacher Orochimaru, some ninja have been transferred to the Cloud Ninja front."

Whether he left the village or not made little difference to Muzan, because he knew that once war broke out, even Genin who had only just graduated would have to go to the battlefield.

He simply did not want to face the Cloud Ninja. They were a group known for their strength, and their village was second only to Konoha. Aside from the rising generation's A-B Combo, they also had the terrifying Third Raikage.

He bore the titles Strongest Spear and Strongest Shield, and had fought ten thousand ninja alone. If he had not exhausted his strength, he would not have died.

"Don't worry. The Cloud Ninja won't be able to start a war for now. Don't forget that we have allies too. The Third Kazekage of the Land of Wind is in contact with us."

"Father, it would be best not to place your hopes on that Third Kazekage..."

Konoha and Sunagakure did have an alliance of sorts, but the Third Kazekage would be suddenly betrayed. With Sunagakure left leaderless, Kumogakure would seize the opportunity. Later, Sunagakure would even shift the blame onto Konoha.

When the time came, four ninja villages would join forces to attack Konoha, while the Sand Ninja would also seek to profit from the chaos, turning the war into a complete mess.

In the following days, Muzan devoted more of his time to his experiments. He had just come into conflict with Konoha Ninja, and he worried that Danzo, that old fox, would play tricks behind the scenes. Anyone with eyes could see that the Hokage was deliberately shielding him. Unless Muzan's strength reached Kage Level, he could not control his own fate.

Then, an incident occurred that sent ripples across the previously calm surface.