Naruto: Evil is easy to commit, making Amegakure great again.

"Um... how about I step out for a bit and come back in to report on the battle later?"

Nara Shikaku tried his best to appear as if nothing was wrong.

Then I decided to leave the office.

This startled Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane, who were already somewhat embarrassed, so they quickly stepped forward to stop them.

They asked Nara Shikaku what his purpose was in coming to the Hokage's office.

"I...I've come to report the latest situation at the front..."

"hiss--!"

It would have been better if Nara Shikaku hadn't said that.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was immediately reminded of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane rushing into the office.

The two devastating pieces of news that brought him.

"How's the situation at the front lines?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi feigned composure.

Even though he was panicking inside, he still maintained the dignity and composure of a Hokage.

"To be honest, it's not very good..."

When serious matters were mentioned, Nara Shikaku's expression instantly turned serious.

He immediately handed the battle report from the front lines to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He honestly played the role of "advisor".

They dared not overshadow the main character at all.

This affects how the Nara clan is perceived by the Konoha leadership.

"This...this...this..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face grew increasingly pale.

He instinctively gripped the battle report tightly with both hands.

My heart is heavy and I am overwhelmed with grief.

"How could Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru have been defeated and sealed away by the ninjas of the Land of Rain?"

According to the contents of this battle report, Konoha suffered heavy losses in this war.

Not only did hundreds or thousands of ninjas lose their lives because of this.

Even Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, who were disciples of the Hokage, met with misfortune.

He was defeated and sealed away by a powerful Rain Ninja.

To Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was nothing short of the sky falling down.

It's important to know that the Senju clan is currently incredibly powerful, capable of going toe-to-toe with the Uchiha clan.

Under these circumstances, he, as the Hokage's teacher, actually sent Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage, on a mission, which resulted in her meeting with an unfortunate end...

If this news gets out, the entire Senju clan will probably never let him off the hook.

Even Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage and the current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, who is also Tsunade's grandmother, would look down on him.

Even if Mito Uzumaki didn't say anything to him on the surface, she would definitely blame Tobirama Senju for choosing the wrong successor to the Hokage position.

Otherwise, how could he have sent his granddaughter to the battlefield at the very beginning of the war?

This puts her in a crisis that will most likely take her life.

"Is this battle report... reliable, Shikaku?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi still held onto a last shred of hope.

I hope to get a vague answer from Nara Shikaku.

Give him some time to process.

"The intelligence source is accurate, but the battlefield situation is constantly changing, and the specific circumstances... may still have a chance to turn around."

As the head of the Nara clan, known for their "high intelligence," Nara Shikaku naturally noticed the anxiety and panic in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.

The idea is to neither lie nor offend the other party excessively.

While affirming the authenticity of the intelligence, he decided to give Hiruzen Sarutobi a sliver of hope.

This would prevent him from becoming too agitated and losing his dignity and composure as Hokage.

At the same time, he harbored resentment towards him for being someone who dared to speak the "truth".

"Heh heh heh, so there's still a chance..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a pale, bitter laugh.

He collapsed backward, utterly exhausted, prompting a crowd to rush forward.

He helped up Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage, with trepidation.

They were afraid that during the war, their key figure would fall ill due to the pressure.

That would be a huge blow to Konoha's morale.

I'm sorry to the ninjas who tragically died in battle.

"This battle report shouldn't have been sent out yet, right?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was now in a state of extreme panic.

If his old friend Shimura Danzo had not left the village to fight in the Land of Rain.

It is estimated that by now, rumors about him being "incompetent as Hokage" have spread throughout Konoha.

This forced him to come forward and issue a public apology.

This was done to quell the anger of the villagers.

And to give the Thousand Hands clan a reasonable explanation.

It was used to regain some trust.

Give him a chance to make amends.

Not yet.

Nara Shikaku is a smart man.

Without receiving explicit instructions from the Hokage, he could not possibly overstep his bounds and disseminate this battle report.

It became known to everyone in Konoha.

"That's good, that's good..."

As long as the news hasn't spread throughout Konoha, he's confident he can keep this battle report internally.

Preserve your reputation as much as possible at the lowest possible cost.

To avoid becoming the object of everyone's scorn in the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

"Next, all I need to do is appease the Senju clan and Lady Mito's anger, and I can get through this ordeal unscathed..."

Since Danzo was not in the village, he directly saved Hiruzen Sarutobi from a lot of trouble.

Countless rumors circulated because the Konoha leadership and Nara Shikaku, an insider, were willing to give Sarutobi Hiruzen face.

Therefore, it did not leak out of the Hokage's office.

Instead, they remained confined to the current room.

This saved Hiruzen Sarutobi from a major problem.

"Hiruzen, you..."

Mitomon was speechless for a moment.

Although he had some opinions about how Hiruzen Sarutobi was dealt with, he ultimately refrained from speaking out because of their past relationship.

He just shook his head helplessly.

He silently closed his eyes, choosing to no longer get involved in the matter.

"No matter what, I will still stand by your side, Hiruzen."

Koharu Utatane's gaze toward Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat complicated.

But in the end, he still chose to support Hiruzen Sarutobi, the man he loved.

Willing to stand up for the other party.

Completely disregarding how dangerous her actions were, she only wanted to relieve some of the pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

This will prevent him from having his days and nights reversed and getting headaches every day.

"Xiaochun, you..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Koharu Utatane with shock and fear in his eyes.

What's shocking is that she actually dared to stand by me in this situation and share the burden!

What's terrifying is that she still harbors illicit desires for him, a married man, even now!

This left Hiruzen Sarutobi completely at a loss for what to do.

He could only look at Koharu Utatane with an incredibly complex expression.

I felt both touched and worried...

He appeared indecisive, which matched Mitokado Homura's general impression of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"This is such a hassle..."

At this moment, Nara Shikaku truly wanted to leave this office.

I don't want to listen to the grudges and love triangle between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu Utatane anymore.

The more he hears about this kind of thing, the more trouble it will bring him.

Women are indeed a complex subject that he could never unravel in his entire life...

......