Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 152 Hiruzen Sarutobi: Everything is Under My Control

Inside the Hokage's office in the Hokage Building.

Moonlight streamed through the window, taking on form amidst the haze.

The air was thick with the pungent, bitter scent of tobacco, as if some heavy thoughts were frozen within it, and the ashtray was already overflowing with the remnants of cigarette ash.

"call……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, the embers of his pipe flickering, illuminating his deeply lined face.

The devastating news from the battlefield in the Land of Rain seemed to weigh heavily on his heart, making the wrinkles on his face appear even deeper than yesterday.

Although Sunagakure suffered more casualties in the Land of Rain than Konoha, including the death of Chiyo, Hanzo's declaration of war from Amegakure remains a major problem.

The only option left is to continue sending troops to the border to defend against attacks from Amegakure.

"Sigh." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. "How exactly does that old man Hanzo manage to get stronger and younger? Did he master a ninjutsu similar to the Yin Seal?"

Although I felt distressed, the thought of the person who had just left and the easy conversation between the two of them actually eased my pent-up emotions a little.

Hanzo, known as the "poisonous weapon," possesses the power to change the course of battle, but his side also has a young genius capable of turning the tide.

Knock...knock knock...

The knocking broke the suffocating silence and interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts.

"Go in." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice had a barely perceptible hoarseness.

The door was pushed open.

The person who walked in was Uchiha Shisui.

Zhi Shui's gaze quickly swept across the smoke-filled room, and his eyes lingered slightly when he noticed the two teacups on the table that hadn't been cleared away.

But his steps remained steady as he stepped in, stopping in front of the desk and kneeling on one knee.

"Third Hokage," Uchiha Shisui said, his head bowed, his voice clear and strong, "I have come to report on the mission to deal with Kohinata Mukai."

"Oh, it's Shisui."

Hiruzen Sarutobi then turned his gaze away from the documents, looked up at Shisui Uchiha, and smiled: "Don't be so serious, have a seat, Yunchuan just left."

"...Yes, Lord Sandai."

Sensing Hiruzen Sarutobi's closeness to Hyuga Kumokawa, Uchiha Shisui's heart sank slightly, even though he had guessed it when he saw the teacup.

He responded and stood up, sitting upright and properly in the chair in front of the table.

"Tell me about it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the teacup from Shisui, stood up, walked to the cabinet behind him, opened it, and while selecting tea leaves, asked Shisui with his back to him, "How did today's mission go?"

"Target Kohinata Mukai confirmed dead."

Uchiha Shisui looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's back, took a deep breath, and said the prepared explanation: "But the body was destroyed in the explosion, I'm sorry."

As he spoke, he took out a scroll containing the remains of a corpse from his bosom and placed it on the table in front of him.

"Don't worry about it. Kohinata Mukai is very experienced. It's a blessing that he wasn't injured."

As he spoke, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a new teacup and a tin can to the table, poured two spoonfuls of tea into the prepared bone china cup, and poured in boiling water. The aroma of tea filled the table.

He pushed the teacup towards Shisui, and after Shisui gave a restrained "thank you," Hiruzen Sarutobi asked with a smile, "Did anything unusual happen along the way?"

"..."

Uchiha Shisui paused slightly as he picked up his teacup. After a moment of silence, he met those murky eyes that seemed to see through everything and nodded, saying, "Yes."

Immediately, he organized his thoughts and tried to be as objective as possible in recounting how, after breaking the illusion, he overheard Hinata Kumokawa and Kohinata Mukai's conversation, and saw Kumokawa gouge out his Byakugan...

He did not emphasize how terrifying Hinata Kumokawa's illusions were, nor did he say that he suspected Hinata Kumokawa of having ulterior motives for hiding his abilities.

To actually say such a thing would be a poor choice.

All you need to do is tell Hiruzen Sarutobi all the findings, and then let the Third Hokage decide what to do with them.

It must be admitted that, as long as the Uchiha clan is not involved, Shisui's intelligence and emotional intelligence are impeccable.

Hiruzen Sarutobi listened quietly, without interrupting at all, calmly exhaling smoke from his pipe, like a stone statue.

After Uchiha Shisui finished his brief report, the office was filled with thick silence and smoke.

"Ah."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took out the pipe from his mouth and said with a calm tone that surprised Shisui, "Yun Chuan has already given me a detailed report on these matters."

"He explained to me in detail the details of the mission, including the genjutsu he cast on you and Itachi, and why he personally retrieved the Byakugan."

His tone was as calm as if he were simply stating that the weather was nice, but it made Uchiha Shisui suddenly raise his head in astonishment.

Hinata Kumokawa actually confessed everything on his own initiative?
Even the matter of taking back the white eyes was explained?

Moreover, the Third Generation Lord did not seem to have the slightest dissatisfaction?
“I was aware of what he did and I was also aware of his illusionary abilities. It was my decision to keep his abilities a secret for strategic reasons.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression relaxed somewhat, and he smiled as he looked at the incredulous Shisui before him, saying, "I just didn't expect you to be able to break his illusion. Impressive."

"..." The office fell silent again for a long time, with only the faint crackling sound of burning tobacco.

Uchiha Shisui felt his mind was in complete chaos. Hiruzen Sarutobi's reaction was more bizarre than he had anticipated.

The village's higher-ups had long been aware of Hinata Kumokawa's abilities, but kept them secret for strategic reasons.

But why did the Third Generation Lord remain indifferent to Yun Chuan's act of gouging out the Byakugan?

This was entirely because Uchiha Shisui lacked understanding of those in power and politics.

Hyuga Kumokawa did indeed tell Sarutobi Hiruzen everything that Shisui had in mind.

This is because Yun Chuan is very clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Hyuga clan do not share the same stance on certain matters.

The Hyuga clan would be angry because he gouged out his Byakugan and kept it a secret, but Hiruzen Sarutobi would only be happy because he confessed.

This means that Hyuga Kumokawa has completely stood on the opposite side of the Hyuga clan and has voluntarily handed over a "fatal" handle to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

At least in Hiruzen Sarutobi's view, if one day Hyuga Kumokawa really betrays him and joins the Hyuga clan, it would be a terrible situation.

He could easily inform the main branch of the Hyuga clan about this matter, and Hyuga Kumokawa would surely be executed by the enraged main branch, because hiding the Byakugan had completely crossed the main branch's bottom line.

The reason he had Hyuga Kumokawa join the operation to eliminate Kohyuga Mukai was to determine whether Hyuga Kumokawa would choose the village or the clan at the crucial moment.
The answer Hinata Kumokawa gave was even more surprising than he had imagined.

A potentially fatal weakness.

Without a doubt, this is the most brilliant pledge of allegiance.

What could be more reassuring for those in power?
As for what Hyuga Kumokawa intended to do with the Byakugan, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's view, it was nothing more than his unwillingness to be a "caged bird" and his desire to try to break free from the control of the Hyuga main family.

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't really care whether Hyuga Kumokawa could do it, since he and the Hyuga main family both held his life in their hands.

And that's not all...

"Kohinata Mukai's wife and children?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his pipe, the smoke obscuring the depth in his eyes, and thought to himself, "It's good that you have something to ask for."

Those in power are not afraid of their subordinates making requests; rather, they are afraid that their subordinates will ask for nothing, leaving them no room to show favor.

After explaining everything, Hyuga Kumokawa pleaded with Sarutobi Hiruzen.

If the investigation confirms that Wujie's wife and the young, sickly child were completely unaware of Wujie's betrayal, I hope to be allowed to secretly care for the mother and child until the child recovers and reaches adulthood.

What do those in power have to fear?
A person without father, mother, wife, or children, with no scruples or concerns.

Now that Hyuga Kumokawa has something to "regret," Hiruzen Sarutobi no longer has any reservations and can confidently employ and train Hyuga Kumokawa.

Clearly, Hyuga Kumokawa not only preemptively blocked the possibility of Shisui arousing the Third Hokage's suspicion, but also used the tactic of "showing weakness" to turn all unfavorable factors into advantages.

These methods were beyond Uchiha Shisui's imagination, and he would never have imagined that he would unintentionally increase the credibility of Hyuga Kumokawa's words, thus helping him in the process.

"Shisui."

Hiruzen Sarutobi broke the long silence, looking into Shisui's eyes and saying seriously, "I hope you can keep this a secret and not tell anyone."

"Whether it's Hyuga Kumokawa's act of gouging out the Byakugan or his possession of extremely strong genjutsu abilities."

Uchiha Shisui's chaotic thoughts were interrupted. Upon hearing this, an awkward, bitter smile appeared on his face: "Ahem, Third Hokage, I have already told Itachi."

"Then tell Itachi that no one else can know," Hiruzen Sarutobi said firmly.

"...Yes, I understand."

Shisui's heart was still in turmoil, but he dared not say anything more and lowered his head to respond.

However, after a brief silence, Uchiha Shisui raised his head, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then stopped himself.

"What's wrong, Shisui?" Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, a guess forming in his mind, and said with a gentle smile, "Is there anything else? Please speak freely."

"Third generation sir."

Uchiha Shisui pursed his dry lips and said uneasily, "The Uchiha clan is seeing a growing number of radical voices within the clan, and their discontent with the village is boiling over..."

He paused for a moment, his tone extremely serious, and tentatively asked, "Since Hyuga Kumokawa possesses such powerful illusionary abilities, could you consider asking for his assistance?"

"If we can use his illusion magic to create a dream and guide Chief Fugaku and the other clansmen, perhaps we can avert this storm?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was momentarily stunned, but upon seeing the anxiety and unease in those dark eyes, a sudden realization dawned on him.

Is this a case of desperate measures being taken without proper consideration?
He could tell that Shisui genuinely wanted to resolve the conflict between the village and the family, but the method he used...

"Sigh, every time I see you, I am reminded of my old friend Uchiha Kagami. You are both among the few members of the Uchiha clan who can think from the perspective of the village."

Hiruzen Sarutobi first sighed, then slowly shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, this method may temporarily put down the lid of the boiling pot, but it cannot extinguish the flames at the bottom of the pot."

"This is by no means the right solution; it is merely escapism and deception."

"Lies and illusions will eventually be exposed, and in the end, they will only breed deeper hatred and disaster."

Escape, deception...

These two words made Zhi Shui's body tremble slightly, and his breathing became rapid.

(End of this chapter)