Kill an adviser for fun?

At Utatane Koharu's words, Hatake Ziyan narrowed his eyes. He stared at the woman who had stepped forward, saying nothing at all!

Seeing Hatake Ziyan remain silent, Utatane Koharu assumed he was afraid of them and continued, "You have no business here anymore! Leave the jinchūriki behind, and you can go!"

Hatake Ziyan ignored her and addressed Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Is that what you want, too?"

Utatane Koharu wanted to say more when he ignored her, but Mitokado Homura, standing beside her, held her back.

"Lord Sword God! That is not what we meant. She speaks only for herself. We have never intended to oppose you!" Afraid that Utatane Koharu would spout more nonsense and drag them down with her, Hiruzen Sarutobi addressed Hatake Ziyan by his title outright!

"Good! Then get out of the way!" Hatake Ziyan opened his narrowed eyes and nodded.

By now, even Utatane Koharu had realized that Hatake Ziyan was no ordinary man. On top of that, the Third Hokage and the others had called him Lord Ziyan! She collapsed onto her backside and screamed at the other three, "Why didn't you warn me? Why?"

Danzo, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "We already made it perfectly clear. We called him Lord Ziyan, and he belongs to the Hatake Clan. You were the one too stupid to figure it out.

"As for why we didn't explain, Lord Ziyan had only just left. Before we had a chance to tell you, we discovered that the Nine-Tails had escaped and was gathering a Tailed Beast Bomb. Everyone rushed over to stop him. Who had time to explain any of this to you?"

Danzo's words sounded like an explanation for why they had not told Utatane Koharu who Hatake Ziyan really was. In truth, he was explaining to Hatake Ziyan why they had come, afraid that he might kill them all if they displeased him!

Hatake Ziyan glanced at Danzo but paid no attention to his words.

He turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi. "You wouldn't mind if I killed an adviser for fun, would you?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi froze, at a loss for how to answer.

If he said he did not mind, he would disgrace himself as Hokage. How could he lead these people afterward? How could he hold the Hokage position?

But if he objected and said she could not be killed, he feared he would not survive another second.

Hatake Ziyan knew exactly what Hiruzen Sarutobi was thinking. This was his revenge for Hiruzen and Danzo framing Hatake Sakumo, so he was in no hurry to act. He simply watched Hiruzen Sarutobi in silence.

Still sitting on the ground, Utatane Koharu seemed to have found a lifeline. She quickly crawled over to Hiruzen Sarutobi and clutched his trouser leg. "Hiruzen! Lord Hokage! Save me! Please save me! We've been teammates and friends for so many years! Put in a good word for me. I'll never interfere with your decisions again. Whatever you say will go!"

Looking at the terrified Utatane Koharu, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been about to say he did not mind, but now he could not force the words past his lips.

Hatake Ziyan turned to Danzo with a smile. "And our Lord Danzo? Do you think I can kill her?"

The ninja who had accompanied Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo all turned their eyes toward Danzo, waiting to hear his answer.

Utatane Koharu immediately crawled over to Danzo as well and pleaded, "Danzo, speak up for me! I'm begging you!"

Danzo was also taken aback by Hatake Ziyan's question. He glanced down at Utatane Koharu, then immediately said, "I defer to the Hokage on this matter!"

At Danzo's words, everyone turned back to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen Sarutobi inwardly cursed Danzo every way he could think of. That sneaky bastard had dumped all the responsibility on him!

Hiruzen Sarutobi closed his eyes, ignoring Utatane Koharu as she crawled back to his side. With difficulty, he said, "Whatever Lord Sword God decides! I have no objections!"

"Aah!!! Hiruzen Sarutobi! Shimura Danzō! I curse you both to die horrible deaths!" Utatane Koharu screamed. Then she immediately crawled a few steps toward Hatake Ziyan. "I know what they did to Sakumo. I'm willing to tell you everything. All I ask is that you spare my life!"

This was exactly what Hatake Ziyan wanted: to make them turn on one another like dogs and destroy their standing among the people.

"Oh? Let's hear it. I'll see whether it's worth your life!" Still in no hurry to strike, Hatake Ziyan motioned for Utatane Koharu to speak.

"The truth is, the mission Hatake Sakumo carried out was..."

Just as Utatane Koharu began to speak, Hiruzen Sarutobi flashed to her side, gathered chakra in his hand, and struck the top of her head with his palm. Utatane Koharu had never imagined that Hiruzen Sarutobi would attack her. Completely unprepared, she was killed by that single strike!

"Lord Sword God, this woman offended you, and now she was babbling nonsense to save her own life. I overstepped my authority and executed her on your behalf!" After killing Utatane Koharu, Hiruzen Sarutobi addressed Hatake Ziyan respectfully.

Hatake Ziyan looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi without saying a word. He simply watched him in silence.

Hatake Ziyan's stare made Hiruzen Sarutobi's scalp prickle. But with Hatake Ziyan still silent, he could only steel himself and say, "Lord Sword God, please pay no heed to that madwoman. The matter involving White Fang was merely a misunderstanding. She was spouting nonsense to save her own life!"

Yet even the dimmest ninja present could now see that something was fishy about White Fang abandoning his mission to save his teammates.

Hatake Ziyan suddenly laughed. "I said I wanted to kill an adviser for fun. How did you develop the same interest, little monkey, and do it yourself? Well, then, that settles the matter. You may all leave!"

Seeing the reactions of the ninja present, Hatake Ziyan knew he had achieved his goal and stopped toying with them.

"Thank you, Lord Sword God!" Hiruzen Sarutobi wiped the sweat from his forehead and said respectfully, "We shall take our leave!"

Seeing that Hatake Ziyan's anger had subsided for the moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, and the others quickly took their men and hurried away.

Hatake Ziyan had not originally intended to kill anyone. Still, this unexpected gain was not bad: one festering sore had been removed from Konoha.

Hatake Ziyan went over to Mito Uzumaki, made her remains presentable, and laid her on the operating table. Then he took Kushina Uzumaki's hand and disappeared from the mountain behind the village.

At the Senju Clan Compound, he placed Mito Uzumaki's body in the coffin prepared in advance, then left the compound immediately.

Although Hatake Ziyan had killed many people over the past few decades, he had also lost many friends and loved ones. He disliked such sorrowful surroundings, so he did not want to be around anyone before the burial.

Hatake Ziyan went alone to the top of Hashirama's statue and sat down, gazing at the peaceful village before him. With a flask of sake in hand, he drank from it now and then.

"It seems even Lord Sword God cannot prevent birth, aging, sickness, and death! Humans truly are fragile!" Orochimaru appeared from somewhere and addressed Hatake Ziyan.