As a member of the Hokage, one dares not be a loyal subject of Konoha!

At this point in the war, it's no longer about whether we can break through the defenses, but whether we can quell the anger of those people!

There is only one way to quell the anger.

"I'll hold them off! Cover the retreat of the others!"

With bloodshot eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi issued the most heart-wrenching order.

The only way to minimize the impact of this incident is to have the tribesmen die to show their stance, and then go back and severely punish the logistics personnel!

Having received orders from the Hokage and clan head, the members of the Sarutobi clan had no choice but to bite the bullet and take on the task.

The ultimate storm, spearheaded by Konoha's F4, has officially begun.

At this moment, only Shimura Danzo, who was on the battlefield, was filled with regret and self-reproach.

"All our efforts have been in vain!"

It was indeed a case of all efforts falling short.

Under the wise leadership of the Hokage's advisor and logistics minister, Konoha finally fell before dawn, and their only chance for a great victory slipped away completely.

He lost, this time he lost to his own people!

at the same time.

On the other side of the battlefield.

The Uchiha clan, led by Fugaku, were also engaged in a fierce battle with the Hidden Cloud Village.

The message from Chief Nichijou was indeed delivered, but unfortunately, the Cloud Village's advance was too overwhelming, and there was no chance to wait for the next batch of supplies. The Uchiha leaders also went berserk, and having had their fill of fighting, they couldn't control themselves.

At first, Fugaku didn't take the taijutsu brutes of Kumogakure seriously. After all, if his brothers, Hijiri and Hyuga, could lead the Hyuga clan to hold off Kumogakure, there was no reason why the Uchiha clan couldn't!

The situation was pretty much as Fugaku had imagined. At the beginning of the fight, the Uchiha clan did withstand the pressure. The Raikage, whose injuries had not yet fully healed, could not exert his full strength and could not break through Fugaku's Susanoo at all. At most, he could only knock Fugaku over due to inertia.

When Fugaku felt his eye power was too depleted, he had Shisui take over. The two of them took turns increasing the intensity for the Raikage, leaving him exhausted.

Unfortunately, Killer Bee from the AB duo is still in bed. According to Killer Bee, the injuries from last time not only hurt him, but also the Eight-Tails inside him, and it seems that the Eight-Tails hasn't recovered yet.

The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion is not so easy to catch. Naruto was able to withstand it with his Rasengan because, on the one hand, Toneri's eye power had decreased at that time, and he could no longer exert the full strength of the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. What he released was just a poor version.

On the other hand, the Nine-Tails inside Naruto is not something the Eight-Tails can compete with, and Killer Bee doesn't have Naruto's abnormal protagonist aura.

Therefore, it's a miracle that Killer Bee survived the battle against Hyuga Hijiro and the cover for the retreat of Kumogakure. He took a direct hit from the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. He can't be counted on on the front lines at all.

However, the Raikage still did not give up the fight and intended to fight the Uchiha to the death. But he gradually came to acknowledge the fighting strength of the Uchiha clan. No wonder Onoki was so obsessed with the Sharingan. There was a reason for it!

In the first battle, not only him, but many people in Kumogakure were shocked by the Uchiha's crazy fighting style. The way he would even self-destruct to exchange blows with you was very unexpected.

But war is war, and they were well prepared for its cruelty. Today, many of the Hidden Cloud Village ninjas were even prepared to perish together with the Uchiha clan.

But as they engaged in close combat, they suddenly realized something was wrong.

The Uchiha were surprisingly ruthless today.

Some got diarrhea mid-fight, some couldn't even swing their weapons, and some had their chakra disordered, releasing fire jutsu that popped out of their butts and killed their teammates.

In short, it's very strange.

Fugaku obviously realized something was wrong, but the battle had already begun, and it was too late.

As the blood-red setting sun rose and fell, the sounds of battle finally ceased.

Ultimately realizing that they couldn't exploit the time difference to directly win the war, Konoha made a difficult decision.

Must retreat!

If they don't retreat now, they'll all die here once the reinforcements from Iwagakure arrive.

Fortunately, because reinforcements had not arrived, Kumogakure and Iwagakure did not have the strength to pursue them, which gave Konoha a breather. Therefore, Hyuga Hijin, upon receiving the news, gave up the idea of ​​going to meet Fugaku and instead prepared a generous gift for the Hokage at the village entrance.

A vital transportation route in the Land of Fire.

The entire army retreated slowly.

On the way back, everyone's expression was extremely somber.

They understood what it meant to fail to completely win the war this time.

A protracted war is about to begin, and the brutality of the war will only escalate, with even more people dying.

This protracted war will severely deplete the village's resources, and the outcome of the war will depend on which side can hold out and collapses.

At the front of the Sarutobi clan, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura looked bewildered.

They came full of fighting spirit, but returned like stray dogs.

In an effort to appease the enraged ninja clans, the Sarutobi clan suffered devastating losses, losing a third of their fighting force and countless others with minor, serious, or even disabled injuries.

Fugaku's face was ashen as he rubbed his nearly blind eyes, listening to Uchiha Satoshi report the battle losses, his eyes filled with bitterness.

He was not like the Nikko brothers after all; he couldn't defeat the enemy with a single blow. The Uchiha clan paid a heavy price during the retreat. The only reason he was still standing was because Shisui blocked a shuriken for him.

Fugaku glanced at the Uchiha boy on the stretcher, clenched his fists, and rage blazed in his eyes.

However, he did not hold back his anger for long.

When the remnants of the defeated army returned to the village entrance, everyone saw the ragged, hideous man and woman kneeling on the ground.

The clan chief, Richeng, who was guarding the family home, remained as elegant as ever.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he walked step by step to Sarutobi and handed him a kunai.

Along with it came the devilish whispers of Chief Richeng.

"Let's get started and clean house, Hokage-sama."

Meeting Sarutobi's puzzled gaze, Chief Nichisei pointed to the highly respected senior advisor.

"Please personally escort them on their journey!"

"After all, this is your duty as Hokage."

Chapter 90 Murder, the Silent Night.

Fire Nation.

The entrance to Konoha Village.

Under the watchful eyes of the defeated generals, Hyuga Hisei patted Sarutobi Hiruzen on the shoulder.

Even before Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado coveted his kitten, these two had already decided to commit suicide!

But back then, Fugaku was too eager to show off. Not only did he steal the opportunity to make a move from Hyuga Hiroki, but he also let those two old bastards survive, only managing to beat them up.

The reward from the highly respected Hokage advisor was to inflict a defeat on Konoha on the front lines. This time, the Uchiha clan suffered heavy losses, and even the Third Hokage's lineage was severely damaged.

Everything in the world has a cause and effect.

If Fugaku hadn't been so arrogant and allowed Hyuga Hiroki to kill them, the war wouldn't have been so brutal today, even if they couldn't have won.

At this moment, almost everyone on the field looked at Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado with murderous intent, but they themselves were unaware of this intent.

"Chief Richeng."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not accept the kunai offered by Hinata Hyuga. Instead, he raised his head and stared into the eyes of the tall man.

The old village chief is getting old.

Hinata Hima sighed softly.

The series of defeats turned his hair completely white. He had endured so much hardship and toil for the sake of the village. It was truly a blessing for Konoha to have Hiruzen Sarutobi.

But now, that old face, weathered by time, carries a hint of prayer and hope.

Even though the Third Hokage didn't say anything, Hinata Himaru could fully understand what the old village chief meant.

Mitokado Ero and Utatane Koharu certainly made mistakes, but why did it have to come to this!

The worst-case scenario would be stripping them of their positions as Hokage advisors, then throwing them into jail for interrogation. Considering their past contributions and their dedication to the village, they would be treated leniently, and any ill-gotten gains would be confiscated. They might escape the death penalty, but they would still face severe punishment. That would be roughly the outcome.

But what did Hiruzen Sarutobi hear?

There is no doubt that Hinata Hisei is going to make a big fuss about this; he actually intends to execute two Hokage advisors in front of everyone!

What's even more infuriating is that he wants the Third Hokage to do it himself!?

This is practically tearing off his disguise and then slapping himself hard in front of everyone!

Once he takes action, it will directly confirm his poor judgment and inability to recognize talent, allowing scoundrels to occupy high positions.

But if he doesn't take action, what will the villagers and ninjas behind him think of him?

The trust he regained by sacrificing the lives of the Sarutobi clan might also be lost.

Right now, everyone needs a target to vent their anger on.

Even a contradictory person like Hiruzen Sarutobi has things he cares about.

After Tobirama's death in battle, at this point in time, only Danzo and two others remain from their generation of comrades.

Staring intently at Hinata Hiroshi, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed to be faced with a choice.

First, kill the two advisors to quell everyone's anger, and then charge ahead in future battles to atone for his crimes. In this way, although his prestige will drop significantly due to the ongoing war, he will still be the Hokage. At least until the war ends and peace talks are held with Kumogakure and Iwagakure, his position will not change. He is experienced in the process of stepping down as Hokage. It is impossible to replace someone during wartime, and the Daimyo would not agree. Everything will have to be discussed after the war.

Second, continue to protect your old comrades, use the Hokage's influence to suppress the matter, and go through the proper procedures to avoid the main issues. This way, at least you can save their lives, but the price is likely to be being torn apart on the spot by angry villagers and ninjas, and being ousted from the Hokage position again.

This is a simple question.

He only needs to choose between his old buddies and the position of Hokage, and from his perspective, the answer to how to choose is already clear.

Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi was defeated in his stare-down with Hinata Hyuga. He tremblingly gripped his kunai and withdrew his gaze from the clan leader.

He could no longer control his murderous intent!

The moment he received the kunai, he even had the urge to stab Hinata Hime to death.

Yes.

Regardless of what Koharu and Homura do, they are ultimately my people.

Now, under pressure from an outsider, he is forced to take action against his own companion.

This feeling was absolutely awful, but he had no way to resist. It was as if someone was forcibly stuffing feces into his mouth and making him chew it slowly, and then he had to say that it tasted especially good.

"Hiruzen, you're finally back! Quickly, arrest Hyuga Himaru!"