Jiraiya punched the wall with a muffled sound, "These bastards! How dare they! Teachers have worked hard for Konoha over the years, and this is how they treat teachers? I'll go there and find these people!"
"It's useless." Shikaku Nara shook his head and analyzed calmly, "This is a conspiracy by the other party. They will not leave any direct evidence. Everything is said through the 'mouth of the villagers'. You can't find anything if you check now."
"Then what should we do? Just let these rumors continue to ferment?" Jiraiya paced back and forth in the office impatiently, "Now the people in the village are panicked, and even some Jonin have begun to waver! If this continues, your prestige, teacher, will be gone!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't speak, he just silently picked up the pipe again and took a deep breath.
The smoke filled the air, covering all his expressions.
He knew that the opponent's move hit his weakest rib.
He may not care about power or prestige, but he cannot care about the trust of the villagers or the injustice suffered by the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the village and their families.
The other party is not attacking the position "Hokage", he is attacking the person "Hiruzen Sarutobi" and the beliefs he has adhered to throughout his life.
"Shikaku," after a long time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice sounded again, terrifyingly calm, "What's the reaction from the top management?"
A hint of helplessness flashed in Shikaku Nara's eyes. "The two consultants Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura have an ambiguous attitude and have never expressed their stance. As for other families... except our Most of the few families including Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka have chosen to remain silent. Even... I suspect that there are still some people secretly fueling the fire."
"I understand." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and stood up slowly.
He walked to the window and looked out the window at the rock wall with the faces of First and Second Hokage carved on it, his eyes becoming extremely deep.
"Teacher..."
"Hiruzen..."
"Lord Hokage..."
The three people behind him all looked at him worriedly.
Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head and looked at the cloak representing Hokage, "Pass my order."
"Pass my order." Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around
"Convene an emergency Jonin meeting. All Jonin, regardless of mission or not, as long as they are in the village, must be present."
His voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable determination.
Cold and damp Root Base.
Shimura Danzō sat quietly on the stone chair, listening to the report from his subordinates.
"... Sir, Third has returned to the village and ordered an emergency Jonin meeting."
"Oh?" Danzo's single eye flashed with a playful cold light, "Hiruzen Is he finally back?"
He stood up slowly with a cane and walked to the huge Konoha map.
"The human heart is the most difficult thing to control in the world. Once a crack occurs, it can never be healed. The seeds you have planted have already taken root. Do you want to uproot them? It's too late."
He looked at the location of the Hokage building on the map, with a flame called "ambition" burning in his one eye.
"This time is just right, Hiruzen. Let the whole village see how you, Hokage, are drowned in the villagers' saliva, how powerless and embarrassed you are."
"I will witness with my own eyes the moment when your era comes to an end."
Konoha Jonin Conference room.
This is one of the power centers that determines the fate of the village, but at this moment it is shrouded in an almost solid and heavy atmosphere.
The spacious room was filled with dark figures. The dark green vests represented the most elite fighting force of Konoha. They were the backbone of the village and the mainstay of protecting Will of Fire.
In the past, these people gathered here, with their eyes always shining with absolute trust and respect for Hokage. But today, the atmosphere is completely different.
The air was filled with oppressive silence, and whispers were buzzing and lingering like mosquitoes breeding in a damp corner. People's eyes were meeting, dodging, and exploring, full of doubts, wavering, and suspicions incited by rumors.
Shimura Danzō was leaning on a cane and standing in the corner of the crowd, like a silent statue. He half-closed his exposed single eye, as if he was indifferent to everything around him. Only the slightly tightened corners of his mouth revealed his true inner emotions.
Shikaku Nara still looked that lazy, leaning against the wall, with his hands in his pockets, but his eyes, which were always half-open and half-closed, were frighteningly clear at the moment, and he could see every expression and every tiny movement of everyone in the conference room.
The two wealthy patriarchs, Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi, stood at the forefront of the family ninjas, with calm expressions and no trace of emotion or anger. Their silence itself was the most powerful statement.
"Boom--"
The heavy door of the conference room was pushed open, breaking the suffocating silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was wearing a royal robe embroidered with the words "Third Hokage" and a bamboo hat on his head. Step by step, Earth Flow walked up to the rostrum step by step. Jiraiya followed behind him, his face so gloomy that it could drip water, his sharp eyes like a falcon, angrily scanning every person in the audience who was whispering.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood still, took off his bamboo hat, and placed it gently on the podium.
He raised his head and his eyes slowly scanned the familiar or unfamiliar faces in the audience. Among these people were the younger generations he had watched grow up, colleagues who had fought alongside him, and heroes who had lost their loved ones in the war but still stood by their posts.
Once upon a time, what he saw in these people's eyes was fire, trust, and firmness enough to trust each other's backs.
But now... there is a filter called "doubt" cast over the flame.
His heart seemed to be clenched tightly by an invisible hand, making him unable to breathe.
"Everyone."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, his voice hoarse after a long journey, but it still spread clearly throughout every corner of the conference room.
"This post-war negotiation with Iwagakure and Sunagakure has ended."
He ignored those rumors and instead revealed the results of his trip. This was his duty as Hokage, and it was also his first step to reunite people's hearts.
"We have won. Konoha, as a victorious country, has brought an end to this war that has lasted for several years."
He paused, picked up a scroll, and slowly unfolded it.
"Iwagakure, in addition to regular war reparations, agrees to cede the ownership of three rich mines on the border to Konoha, and promises to provide our village with strategic metal minerals at a price 30% lower than the market price in the next fifteen years. 30% of the commissioned task will be handed over directly to us, Konoha."
"Sunagakure will open three important trade routes to our village and share part of the mission entrustment of Land of Wind. At the same time, the amount of compensation is enough to allow us to rebuild our homes that were destroyed in the war and provide compensation to the families of all ninjas who died..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi read out the results of the negotiations one by one.
Each one represents the real interests of Konoha, and represents the fruits of victory that countless ninjas have gained with their blood and lives.
As he read out, the commotion in the audience gradually subsided. The eyes of some young Jonin rekindled the light of excitement and pride. After all, this was an undoubted victory, enough for Konoha to firmly occupy the position of the largest village of Shinobi World in the next few decades.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi finished reading and raised his head, he said, "This is a victory that belongs to all of us Konoha."
As usual, there should be thunderous applause and cheers at this time.
However, this time, the applause seemed a little sparse and scattered, more like a perfunctory out of politeness. Most people just remained silent, looking at Third Hokage on the stage with complex eyes, as if weighing this huge achievement against those harsh rumors.