After taking the documents Xia Yan handed him, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already begun to feel a faint sense of foreboding.
When he heard Xia Yan's words, his heart sank. But when he actually saw the names and clans on the list, he felt as though he had plunged into an icehouse.
What was this supposed to be?
The document was labeled "Great Purge Plan." Hiruzen Sarutobi felt it should not be called a purge at all. Massacre would have been more appropriate!
If he really acted against the people and clans on Xia Yan's list, Konoha would lose at least a thousand people.
In truth, from the moment his former followers joined forces to oppose Xia Yan, Hiruzen Sarutobi had guessed things would not end well for them.
But Xia Yan's retaliation had come far too quickly, and it was far too ruthless!
He seemed utterly unconcerned about any of that, but had he not considered how much damage this would do to Konoha?
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was no longer Hokage, he still had to give Konoha proper consideration.
He had chosen to switch sides peacefully and align himself with Xia Yan precisely because he did not want any more problems or unrest within Konoha.
He had chosen to have his clan support Xia Yan not only because his keen political instincts had discerned the essence of Xia Yan's plans, but also because he did not want too much upheaval in Konoha.
Although Xia Yan's current approach could eliminate the unstable elements within Konoha, Hiruzen could certainly guess what his former followers were likely to do.
But in his view, it was not as though communication and compromise were impossible. Politics was, after all, the art of words and compromise.
If Xia Yan sent him to speak to them and