"Are you deaf? Then I'll say it again: you're not worthy! What, you want to hit me? Come on, do it! That's all you're good for anyway!"
For a moment, the civilians and shinobi argued more and more fiercely. The conflict between the two sides was about to escalate, and a full-blown fight could erupt at any second.
The Shinobi Clans' Leaders exchanged bewildered looks, unsure what to do. But they also knew that the longer this dragged on, the worse it would get.
Utatane Koharu stepped forward and called out loudly.
"All of you, quiet down! The village has just been through a major battle and suffered terrible losses. We should all be coming together. Whatever grievances you have can wait. Our priority now is rebuilding the village."
Hyuga Hiashi also stepped forward and echoed her words.
"That's right. Everyone, calm down. These are extraordinary times. The village is facing an enemy attack from outside. Now is the time to stand united and embody the will of fire."
Choza Akimichi went even further, charging straight ahead to stand between the two groups. "Stop arguing! Everyone, listen to me."
They had assumed that, once they arrived, getting a bunch of civilians to stop arguing would be easy. After all, their status as members of Konoha High Command spoke for itself.
Besides, which of these villagers wasn't utterly respectful whenever they met them?
As the Shinobi Clans' Heads, they were the privileged elite of Konoha, whose word was law.
But none of them had expected what happened next.
Just as the representatives of the Great Shinobi Clans stepped forward to break up the argument, the civilians and low-ranking shinobi who had been bickering all this time suddenly fell silent together.
They really did stop arguing.
The two groups, who had been red-faced with rage and practically ready to throw punches on the spot, instantly quieted down.
On the rooftop platform crowded with hundreds of people, only the wind could be heard howling.
The looks in those civilians' and shinobi's eyes shifted from anger to a complicated mixture of mockery and even envy.
Meanwhile, Shuofang Si, who lay on the ground barely clinging to life, forced his mind to race.
He had been waiting for an opportunity.
Although that man seemed to have backed off, he was still lurking in the crowd, waiting for a chance to strike.
Shuofang Si also knew that he couldn't even roll over right now. In this condition, he had no way to fend off any sneak attack.
If he wanted to survive, he had to become the center of attention and draw everyone's eyes to himself.
That way, the assassin would never dare attack him in full view of everyone.
He didn't believe these leaders would allow a severely wounded person to be murdered on the spot in public, either.
Now that the leaders had delivered themselves right to him, the silence across the platform was the perfect opportunity to survive.
Shuofang Si looked at the members of Konoha High Command, a glimmer of delight hidden in his eyes. Thank goodness you came.
Then, struggling with every ounce of strength he had, he raised his still-functional right hand in the silence and pointed at the row of leaders.
"Drop the act!"
His voice was hoarse, but in the unnatural silence, every word carried clearly across the platform.
Every gaze instantly focused on him. Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned toward the young man lying half-dead on the ground, without a single patch of uninjured flesh on his body.
The villagers and shinobi recognized him. Wasn't this the troublemaker who had led the charge earlier? How was he still alive?
And in this half-dead, feeble state, looking ready to breathe his last, he was picking another fight?
But the anger in the villagers' eyes as they looked at Shuofang Si was gone, replaced by something more complicated.
They felt a faint, grudging admiration for him. As he spoke up again, they weren't just confused-there was even a strange flicker of anticipation.
Every time this guy opens his mouth, he drops a bombshell. Your tyrant's will has my respect.
The members of Konoha High Command, meanwhile, were completely baffled. What was wrong with this man?
He looked like he was about to stop breathing, wrapped up almost like a mummy, with blood still seeping through the gaps in his bandages. How could his tongue still be so vicious?
And who was he talking about? Them?
"You're only stepping in to break up the fight now because you want to cover up the fact that you shirked your duties and avoided the battle!"
The entire platform fell utterly silent.
"When the whole village was under attack, you leaders of the major clans hid in the rear to protect your own people..."
Shuofang Si coughed violently twice. Blood immediately welled up in his mouth and ran down from its corners, staining his chest red.
The sight made him look like a dying man delivering his last words, lending him a strangely tragic grandeur.
That tragic air left the leaders at a loss for words. What was this? He was practically dead, yet he was still stirring up trouble? Still, what was the point of holding a dying man's words against him?
Only Shikaku Nara seemed to have realized something. He wanted to speak, but in the end, he merely scratched his head helplessly and gave up.
"Cough, cough... Now that the fighting's over, you come out to play peacemaker and pretend to be impartial leaders?"
"Where were you when the chaos broke out? How do you have the nerve to show your faces now?!"
With Shuofang Si leading the charge, the entire crowd erupted.
The two groups had been hurling abuse at each other moments earlier, practically ready to fight to the death. Yet at this moment, they reached a tacit understanding.
The villagers and the shinobi stationed in the village exchanged a look.
You were foul-mouthed just now, but he's right. We were all wrong.
We only saw the people right in front of us and forgot about that bunch lording it over us.
Everyone turned their attacks toward the leaders of the Great Shinobi Clans who had stepped forward to mediate, pouring their fury onto them.
The two groups formed a united front on the spot.
Just when they were speaking their minds most freely, they saw that all the Shinobi Clans' Heads and the members of Konoha High Command had gathered.
The resentment they had built up over who knew how many years erupted completely.
The moment the attack began, they piled in, confronting Konoha High Command head-on.
"Oh, now you know how to show your faces and play the good guys?"
"Orochimaru was still here a moment ago! Where did all you big-clan leaders run off to when things were at their most dangerous?"
"Now that Orochimaru's run away, you've all come swarming out!"
"Your major clans monopolize the village's best resources and enjoy all the privileges. You even get first pick of the best missions and first dibs on the best squads. So where were you when things went wrong just now?"
"Pah! When trouble comes, you make us at the bottom throw away our lives! How can you show your faces?"
"Hah! When it comes down to it, you big-clan leaders are nothing but spineless cowards!"
A villager pushed his way out of the crowd, pointed at Hyuga Hiashi, and unleashed a torrent of abuse.
"And you, Hyuga Hiashi! Weren't you watching the matches in the stands earlier? Did you run the moment the fighting started? You vanished in the blink of an eye! How do you have the nerve to come out now?"
"No wonder everyone says that when the Kumogakure Delegation came to steal your child, you offered up your younger brother's life to compensate them! You're a coward to the bone! How is someone like you fit to lead a clan?"
Hyuga Hiashi felt utterly humiliated.
He had always lived in comfort and privilege. As the head of one of the shinobi world's most prestigious clans, when had he ever traded insults with a mongrel from the streets?
Yet this man's words had struck him right where it hurt.
The incident with the Kumogakure Delegation truly was the greatest humiliation of his life.
His lips trembled for a long while, but he couldn't get a single word out. For a moment, his whole body shook with rage.
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