Chapter 5

And it just had to be during the days when old bastards like Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura held power.

The reign of those four was simply the longest, most rotten dark age in Konoha's history.

Never mind anything else-when it came to screwing over their own people, no one in the entire Shinobi World could match them.

They were utterly spineless against outsiders, yet never hesitated to kill their own.

In last year's war, the Senju Clan had practically been screwed out of existence, surviving in name only.

If he hadn't intervened today, Hatake Sakumo, a Kage Level expert, would probably have been dead in another couple of days.

The more Xuan Zhe, a transmigrator with a god's-eye view, thought about it, the angrier he became.

Fuck, what kind of judgment did Tobirama Senju have back then, picking this bunch of useless cowards?

"Your strength isn't bad, but your political judgment is so stupid I can hardly bear to watch."

Xuan Zhe spoke with a look of disgust.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Hatake Sakumo blinked, completely baffled.

"You think those ninja are tearing into you because you botched the mission to save Sarutobi Shinnosuke?"

"Wasn't that why?"

Hatake Sakumo asked in confusion.

Xuan Zhe rolled his eyes, not remotely interested in wasting more words on this blockhead.

When it came down to it, it was because he was on the wrong side-he wasn't one of Hiruzen Sarutobi's people at all.

Besides, the Hatake Clan and the Sarutobi Clan had an ancestral feud. During the Warring States Period, the two clans had fought each other to the death.

Xuan Zhe's grandfather, who was also Hatake Sakumo's grandfather, had died at the hands of Hiruzen Sarutobi's father, Sasuke Sarutobi.

How could that not bother Hiruzen Sarutobi?

On top of that, he was getting older now, and a decline in his strength was inevitable.

It was also time to put the selection of the next Hokage on the agenda.

Before Hatake Sakumo's incident, he had been the most popular candidate.

There was no way Hiruzen Sarutobi would be happy about that.

Someone was definitely fanning the ** behind this **.

Although Xuan Zhe didn't know whether Hiruzen Sarutobi had been involved, that scheming old bastard Danzo was almost certainly mixed up in it.

After all, if Hatake Sakumo really became the Fourth Hokage, none of those members of the Elders Council would have an easy time of it.

They might even be called to account afterward.

So, for them, the best outcome was to have one of their own trusted followers or descendants inherit the Hokage's seat.

And thinking it over more carefully, losing one Hatake Sakumo really wouldn't cripple Konoha as it stood now.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was in his prime.

Although Danzo became useless later, he could at least still pass for Kage Level now, though his decline was coming soon too.

The Sannin on the front lines had also been reaching Kage Level one after another.

Not to mention that kid Minato Namikaze, who was already starting to make a name for himself.

With so many powerful fighters, Konoha had never been this formidable in its history, except back when Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had joined forces.

They could mess around however they liked without fear.

It was unquestionably the strongest village in the Shinobi World.

But by the time of the Konoha 12?

Some were dead, some had left, and some had defected.

When Orochimaru launched the Konoha Crush Plan, the former strongest ninja village in the Shinobi World had only one Kage Level fighter left: Hiruzen Sarutobi.

They had played such a good hand so terribly, and it was all down to the Elders Council.

After several years, the brothers Hatake Sakumo and Xuan Zhe finally sat down for a proper conversation.

Xuan Zhe reminded him again to use his brain before acting, and to think more about whether there might be hidden traps behind anything.

Hatake Sakumo also explained the details of the S-rank mission he had botched-

The target had been the Second Kazekage.

At the time, the war between Konoha and Sunagakure had nearly been over.

Hatake Sakumo had personally gone to the front lines and killed two Jonin-level experts from Sunagakure's Puppet Brigade.

They were Chiyo's son and daughter-in-law.

Sunagakure had been utterly crippled.

With the war at that stage, Sunagakure should have withdrawn.

But after losing her son and daughter-in-law, Chiyo had gone completely mad, determined to keep fighting, and had even come up with new ** to keep Konoha occupied.

Afraid the situation would spiral out of control, Hiruzen Sarutobi had issued an order.

Hatake Sakumo and Sarutobi Shinnosuke were to lead an elite squad through the Land of Rain and infiltrate the Land of Wind.

The Second Kazekage.

Everyone knew what happened afterward.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke had been far too weak and had suffered serious injuries.

To save him, Hatake Sakumo had been forced to abandon the mission.

Strictly speaking, Hatake Sakumo did bear some responsibility for failing to bring the war with Sunagakure to an end.

But Xuan Zhe felt that even if someone had to take the fucking blame, Sarutobi Shinnosuke should shoulder all of it.

If you hadn't been so weak that you dragged everyone down, would any of this shit have happened?

It was like Jing Ke's failed assassination of the King of Qin, with everyone pinning the blame on Jing Ke.

They forgot that if Qin Wuyang hadn't fallen apart at the critical moment, there was no telling how it might have ended.

"Hatake Xuanzhe, Hatake Sakumo, Lord Hokage summons you."

Early the next morning, the sun had only just risen above the horizon.

Xuan Zhe put on his straw hat as usual, preparing to pull radishes in the fields.

Hatake Sakumo also wanted a rare chance to take a breather, rolling up his sleeves and picking up a bucket to water the fields.

A squad wearing gray flak jackets and animal masks suddenly appeared at the edge of the field and spoke coldly.

Hatake Sakumo froze and stopped working. Glancing at the newcomers, he recognized that their masks were different from those worn by Root yesterday, and his heart lurched:

Anbu!

Had the Hokage sent people personally?

Xuan Zhe acted as though he hadn't heard and kept pulling radishes.

After pulling them out, he tossed them to Kakashi, who was waiting beside him, and instructed:

"Take these to the river, wash them, and slice them. I'm going to pickle them."

"Uncle, um..."

Holding two radishes, Kakashi broke into a cold sweat and desperately tried to signal Xuan Zhe with his eyes.

"Hatake Xuanzhe! Are you deaf?!"

The Anbu squad leader who had called out felt humiliated, raised his voice, and roared.

"When you speak to someone stronger than you, you'd better consider the difference first."

Xuan Zhe turned his head unhurriedly.

When he faced the squad of Anbu Ninja.

They felt as though a mountain-sized beast loomed before them, fixing them with a savage stare.

In an instant, every face behind the Anbu squad's masks was drenched in cold sweat.

"Xuan Zhe, don't unleash your killing intent carelessly."

Hatake Sakumo spoke up to remind him.

"Habit. I couldn't rein it in for a moment."

Xuan Zhe smiled, turned back into the house, and brought out two blades.

He tossed the White Fang Short Blade to Hatake Sakumo and started walking.

"Let's go."

"We're going to see Lord Hokage. We don't need weapons, do we?" Hatake Sakumo caught the blade and followed him, asking.

"You're too naive. Sooner or later, it'll get you killed." Xuan Zhe didn't look back.

He knew it very clearly-these people had no idea how Shisui Uchiha had died.

As soon as the two of them stepped through Konoha's main gate, the Anbu squad that had been escorting and monitoring them scattered without a trace.

Anbu personnel couldn't expose themselves to public view.

Protecting the village from the shadows? Tobirama Senju might have meant well when he founded the division.

But in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hands, it had become something else.

"Dad, Uncle, I'm off to school," Kakashi said.

He was still a student.

Originally, if Hatake Sakumo hadn't died, Kakashi could have set a record-enrolling and graduating in the same year.

Now, it looked like that record wasn't going to happen.

Kakashi turned toward the Ninja Academy and ran into someone he knew along the way. Instinctively, he called out, "Mr. Nawaki!"

The young man he called to looked about **teen years old. He turned with a cheerful smile. "Yo, Kakashi! Morning!"

Then he spotted Xuan Zhe behind Kakashi. His eyes lit up, and he waved and shouted, "Brother-in-law! You've come to the village? In all my life, this must be the first time I've seen you here, huh?"

Nawaki, a Konoha Chunin, was eighteen years old and currently taught at the Ninja Academy.

He was also one of the few people in the village who knew Xuan Zhe's true capabilities.

"Brother-in-law?!" Kakashi was stunned.

Mr. Nawaki's older sister... wasn't she Konoha's strongest female ninja?

At that thought, Kakashi felt a chill down his back.

Uncle really had some moves.