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

Chapter 297 Hiruzen Sarutobi: It's you again, Danzo!!

Night fell, shrouding the scarred land in a somber darkness.

The Shadow Rock, once a symbol of Konoha's glory and honor, now stands as a blurry and incomplete outline under the dim moonlight, like a silent tombstone.

Looking around, most of the area is still a shocking scene of broken walls and ruins.

The charred wooden beams, broken bricks and stones, and twisted steel frames were piled up haphazardly, silently telling the story of the tragedy. The air was filled with the lingering smell of burning and blood.

Only a few areas were lit by scattered lights, which were temporary tents, and the flashlights of patrolling ninjas flickered among the ruins, casting a faint light.

In front of Shadow Rock, on a relatively flat open space, stands a tent that is larger than the others but still cannot hide its simplicity.

A lone lantern hung from the top of the tent, its dim yellow light swaying in the night; this was the Hokage's temporary office.

Inside the tent, the furnishings were extremely simple: a rough wooden table, a few chairs, and a box of files piled up in the corner.

"call……"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood with his back to the door, his hunched figure silhouetted against the window. The pipe in his hand flickered, the rising smoke blurring his deeply wrinkled face.

After gazing out the window in silence for a long time, he slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Hinata Aoi as she walked in. His eyes appeared somewhat cloudy, yet remained profound.

"Sorry to call you here so late." His voice was hoarse and tired as he pointed to a chair across the table. "Sit down and let's talk."

Hyuga Aoi sat down as instructed, and in her demeanor, most of the rigidity and reserve unique to the Hyuga clan had disappeared.

After she was seated, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't immediately get to the point. Instead, he tapped the table lightly with his pipe and asked casually, "What is the current situation of the Hyuga clan?"

Hyuga Aoi pursed her dry lips, organized her thoughts, and then slowly spoke in a low voice: "Reporting to the Hokage, the Hyuga clan suffered heavy casualties."

"Most of the main family members with fighting power have been killed by Hyuga Neji, and now only some women and children are left."

"The branch family also suffered great losses, with many excellent ninjas already gone... Currently, Hyuga Iroha is temporarily in charge of the clan's affairs."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke, and sighed, "As the Hokage, I bear an inescapable responsibility for what happened."

"How is Hinata doing now?"

When Hinata was mentioned, Hinata Aoi's eyes dimmed slightly: "Hinata, she suffered a great blow."

As she spoke, Hinata's image unconsciously appeared in her mind.

Although he was no longer as timid as before, he became very silent and began practicing Gentle Fist every day after the funeral of Hiashi Hyuga and the others.

"The village will do its best to help. If the Hyuga clan has any urgent needs, whether it's supplies or manpower, please let us know," Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"Thank you for your concern, Third Hokage." Hyuga Aoi stood up and bowed slightly.

After discussing some more matters, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly changed the subject, seemingly casually asking, "According to the Anbu's report, what was Neji Hyuga's purpose in slaughtering the main branch of the Hyuga clan..."

"One reason is to avenge the murder of his father by the main family, and the other is to awaken those eyes called the 'Tensekaigan,' right?"

“Yes.” Hinata Aoi nodded and said in a deep voice, “I saw his eyes with my own eyes, and they were definitely not Byakugan. He also admitted these things himself.”

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi tapped his pipe lightly on the table, making a soft tapping sound, and pondered for a long time.

“The Tenseigan…” He picked up his pipe, took a puff, and sighed softly, “An eye evolved from the Byakugan, even I have never heard of such a thing.”

"Moreover, like the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan, it can only evolve through strong emotional stimulation. It seems that the power that Yun Chuan used at that time was also the power of the Tenseigan."

As he spoke, he looked up at Hyuga Aoi and asked, "Do you think everything that happened that night was the work of Hyuga Neji and 'Hollow Realm' working together?"

Upon hearing this, Hinata Aoi's body stiffened almost imperceptibly. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but a hint of hesitation and concern flashed in her eyes, and she ultimately closed her mouth.

Seeing her hesitant expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi confirmed his suspicions. He narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned forward unconsciously, subtly applying pressure.

"According to the intelligence department's analysis of the behavior of the 'Shadows' and the 'Espada,' they only appeared to take away newly born Espada-level 'Hollows,' and rarely took direct action." "So, at that time, Hyuga Neji alone had not yet fully awakened the power of the Tenseigan, nor had he mastered the 'Wrath' of the 'Seven Deadly Sins.'"

"Does he really have the ability to kill all the main family members within the Hyuga clan's territory?"

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment, then continued, "Could there be any omissions, or hidden stories involved?"

Upon hearing this, Hinata Aoi quietly clenched her hands on her knees, her knuckles turning slightly white.

She remained silent for a moment, clearly having gone through a fierce struggle.

Finally, seemingly having made up her mind, she raised her head and met Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze: "Actually, due to some concerns, we concealed something in our report."

"What is it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart tightened, and he quickly asked.

Hyuga Aoi took a deep breath and whispered, "A very small number of survivors recalled that they seemed to have seen masked ANBU ninjas that night..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression froze instantly, his eyes wide with astonishment.

ANBU?

How could it be the Dark Bureau?

Impossible, I have never issued any orders targeting the Hyuga clan...

Suddenly, seeing the still hesitant look in Hyuga Aoi's eyes, an idea popped into Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind.

It wasn't his secret service!

It's the "root"!
boom! !

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand on the table, his weariness instantly replaced by rage, and he practically spat out the name through clenched teeth:

"Danzo!!"

What on earth did Danzo do while I was away from the village attending the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Demons?!

What benefit would it bring him to join forces with Hyuga Neji to kill the main family members who possess the Caged Bird Seal?
and many more……

As if he had thought of something, the anger in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes suddenly froze.

He had long suspected that Hyuga Kumokawa might be behind the tragedy that befell the Hyuga clan.

After all, everything was too coincidental. Hyuga Kumokawa had enough motive to manipulate Hyuga Neji's hatred towards the main family, kill the main family, and break the Caged Bird Seal that bound him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he shouldn't be making such assumptions about a "hero" who had just achieved great feats for the village and was still unconscious.

However, his vigilance as the Hokage, coupled with his fear of Hyuga Kumokawa's terrifying power, made him unable to help but harbor suspicions.

For someone like him, once the seed of doubt is planted, even without evidence, a certain degree of "crime" has already been established in his mind.

However, now, the involvement of "roots" has laid bare another, more logical possibility before him.

"Danzo, did you choose to cooperate with Hyuga Neji in order to obtain the complete activation method and secret of the 'Caged Bird' cursed seal?" Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered.

Once Danzo had this, he would have effectively strangled all members of the Hyuga branch family, including the powerful and limitless Hyuga Kumokawa!

Based on this, he could use the entire Hyuga clan to make Hyuga Kumokawa the Hokage, and then become the real power behind the scenes!
Thinking of this, the raging anger in Hiruzen Sarutobi's chest gradually subsided, and a sense of weariness that he had long been accustomed to spread over him.

He had been engaged in open and covert struggles with Danzo for most of his life, and he knew Danzo's ambition and methods all too well.

Without a doubt, this is definitely Danzo's style, and something he would definitely do!
(End of this chapter)