Under these circumstances, making a big scene was an unwise choice, but he could not simply ignore the matter either.
For one thing, an elder of the village had died. However poor his reputation had been, everyone still needed an explanation.
The pressure from Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu alone was enough to make the situation difficult for him.
As coincidence would have it, just as Hiruzen Sarutobi thought of those two, the office door was pushed open. The two figures who walked in were none other than Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
Compared to how they would look a dozen years later, neither seemed quite so old yet, and both carried themselves with a decidedly sharp air.
The moment they entered, they confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting at his desk.
"Hiruzen, tell us. Was it that Uchiha brat who killed Danzo?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was not at all surprised that they knew Yechen had been involved.
Others might not know what these two were capable of, but he had known them for decades and understood them perfectly.
Though the ninja of Danzo's Root supposedly answered to him alone, the intelligence Hiruzen Sarutobi had received made it clear that the two elders certainly had their own pawns planted within Root.
So it was no surprise that their investigation had led them to Yechen.
The arrival of his two old friends gave Hiruzen Sarutobi an immediate headache. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and spoke in a slightly weary voice.
"There's no evidence yet proving that Yechen did it..."
"No evidence..." Utatane Koharu cut in before Hiruzen Sarutobi could finish.
"So he's a prime suspect, then?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a small, helpless nod.
Utatane Koharu continued.
"In that case, tell the Uchiha to hand that brat over. Once we interrogate