Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Because of Tsunade's presence, there is still a possibility of reconciliation between the two.

The Third Hokage will now target the Senju clan, and he will also consider Tsunade's feelings.

However, if the Senju clan was at a disadvantage in the recent battle, would the Third Hokage spare them out of respect for Tsunade?

Kirito had serious doubts about this.

"Forget it, Konoha still needs the Third Hokage to hold it together, and Tsunade is clearly not suitable to be Hokage right now. It's not time to completely turn against them..."

Kirito pondered for a while, and finally suppressed the urge to continue attacking the Third Hokage.

Seeing this, the others around quickly abandoned their curiosity and tactfully left, keeping their mouths tightly shut to prevent the news from leaking out.

However, secrets don't stay hidden forever. News of the mysterious Kage-level attacker's attack on Konoha and the discord between the Third Hokage and the Senju clan continues to spread within Konoha in various clandestine ways, and even beyond.

Konoha is undoubtedly the center of the ninja world right now, and what happens here will inevitably attract the attention of all forces in the ninja world.

Thus, both within Konoha and in the outside world, a huge upheaval and undercurrent are rapidly forming.

Chapter 176: The Third Generation and the Root

That evening, in the Hokage Building in Konoha, the Third Hokage, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were having a secret meeting in a secluded room in the Hokage's office.

"Hiruzen, how's the situation with Root?"

Mitokado asked anxiously.

After returning from Konoha Prison, he immediately sent people to contact some of the known Root members, only to find that all the Root members at the contact locations had disappeared. Not only him, but Koharu Utatane was in the same situation.

Later, the two of them tried many methods to find the people of the Root, and even found several secret bases of the Root, but there was no one there, and many things were destroyed, leaving little useful clues.

After Danzo's death, the Root organization did not seem to lose control immediately as they had imagined; instead, they collectively chose to hide.

Root's unusual behavior did not please Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu; on the contrary, it made them even more worried, because all signs indicated that there seemed to be another leader within Root, who was taking over command of Root in place of Danzo.

They had no idea who this person was.

"There are no clues. All we've found are small fry. We have no idea where the core members of the Root have gone?"

The third generation shook his head, a deep solemnity on his face.

Like Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the more abnormal the root system appeared, the more worried he became about its condition.

When Danzo was alive, Root and Konoha still had a channel of communication. Now that Danzo is gone, Root seems to be intentionally avoiding Konoha, which is not a good sign, at least for Konoha and the Third Hokage.

This is because it means that the root has lost control, and the situation is developing in an unpredictable direction.

What troubles them most is that Root not only has some dirt on them, but also a lot of important information about Konoha. If Root is used by someone with ulterior motives and becomes a tool to deal with Konoha, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Damn Danzo, he can't even let people rest in peace after he's dead."

The third generation frowned, thinking with a terrible headache.

Danzo was completely taken aback by Root's unusual behavior. It seemed that during his imprisonment, Danzo had considered ways to keep Root running normally even when he couldn't personally command it, and had even secretly made some backup plans after regaining control of Root.

Perhaps Danzo had already arranged for a successor.

"This guy must have been aware of the risks of doing that kind of thing, and probably considered the possibility of being killed in retaliation. So who will be his successor?"

The Third Hokage suddenly realized that he could no longer fathom Danzo's thoughts.

"It's all that Senju Momoka's fault. If she hadn't colluded with outsiders, Danzo wouldn't have died, and Root wouldn't have lost control. If the Senju clan continues to be led like this, it will be destroyed sooner or later, and Konoha will also suffer greatly."

"Turn to bed," Xiaochun said resentfully.

She lost face in front of Senju Momoka today, and it's absolutely impossible for her to accept that.

The current situation of the Senju clan being at odds with the Third Hokage is quite clear. She must do everything she can to sow discord between the Third Hokage and him, so that he will take the initiative to target the Senju clan.

"Koharu, don't make things up without evidence. Besides, the Senju clan is a prestigious family in Konoha, and they are the teacher's family. They would never betray Konoha."

Mitokado Ero didn't blindly target the Senju clan like Koharu Utatane did; she immediately corrected Koharu Utatane's mistake.

In Konoha, speaking ill of the Senju clan is a very unwise thing to do. If you accidentally let it slip and someone hears it, it could quickly reach the ears of the Senju clan.

The Senju clan is known for its popularity in Konoha, especially among the common people.

"But what about the fact that Momoka Senju invited the heads of other ninja clans to the Senju clan's banquet today? Why invite them now of all times? The Senju clan is definitely involved with that mysterious Kage-level ninja. Hiruzen being injured by that mysterious Kage-level ninja must also be the Senju clan's doing..."

With Senju Momoka not around, Utatane Koharu, who was quite bold, completely ignored Mitokado Homura's advice and continued to chatter on and on.

However, when she tried to frame the Senju clan for the mysterious Kage-level expert beating up the Third Hokage, she completely failed to notice that the Third Hokage's face instantly turned as black as a pot lid.

For the Third Hokage, today is definitely the darkest day since he became Hokage.

As the Hokage, the strongest figure in Konoha, he was brutally beaten by the enemy in front of many Konoha ninjas—a memory he simply couldn't bear to recall.

Because of this, he is still full of anger and has nowhere to vent it.

Xiaochun, who always turns to the next room, really knows how to bring up the most awkward topics; she has absolutely no tact.

"Cough cough~"

Koharu Utatane didn't notice the Third Generation's expression, but Homura Mitokado did. He quickly coughed a few times to remind Koharu to stop talking.

Unfortunately, before Koharu Utatane could react, the Third Hokage, his face dark, shouted angrily at her, "Enough! Stop talking! Don't fabricate facts without evidence. You're the Hokage's advisor; do you want to see Konoha split apart?"

As he spoke, a terrifying killing intent erupted from him, rushing towards Koharu Utatane.

Koharu was stunned by the Third Hokage's angry rebuke and the impact of his murderous aura. She instinctively took a few steps back, her words abruptly stopped, a look of fear appeared on her face, and her whole body trembled slightly.

"Hiruzen, Koharu isn't an enemy. What she just said was just said in anger. Don't take it to heart."

Upon seeing this, Mitokado Yan immediately offered a reminder.

The Third Hokage, reminded of this, suppressed his killing intent, but still stared coldly at Koharu Utatane and said in a cold voice, "Koharu, remember this: the Senju clan is not Konoha's enemy. It is different from the Uchiha clan."

Although the Senju clan has declined, its position in Konoha has never been shaken, and it has always remained the number one ninja clan in Konoha.

The reason is that the Senju clan still has the support of nearly 60% of the ninja clans, and most of the commoner ninjas also care about the Senju clan.

If anyone dares to oppose the Senju clan, it's equivalent to opposing most of Konoha.

The Third Generation truly dislikes the Senju clan, but he has no intention of attacking them now, nor does he wish to be their enemy.

Because if he were to take action against the Senju clan, he would likely lose his position as Hokage.

Moreover, after today's incident, the Senju clan's prestige in Konoha will surely be further enhanced, and many ninja clans that secretly defected to the Sarutobi clan because the Senju clan lost a Kage-level ninja will probably change their minds again.

What worries him most is that if he were to formally oppose the Senju clan, Konoha might experience a serious internal division, which would be fatal to Konoha, which is currently in a state of war.

Regardless, as the Hokage, protecting Konoha is his ultimate mission; even his clan comes second.

Anyone who dares to create division within Konoha and put Konoha in danger will not be spared.

"I...I understand."

Koharu, her face pale, answered, then lowered her head, not daring to look at the Third Generation again, and said no more.

"Sigh~, after Danzo died, Hiruzen's old bad temper has gradually resurfaced. This is really bad."

Mitokado Homura looked at Utatane Koharu, who was quite frightened by the Third Hokage, and sighed inwardly.

He also grew up with the Third Generation, so he knew very well that the Third Generation was not a good-tempered person. He was indeed very caring towards his companions, reliable in critical moments, and had the courage to stand up and cover the rear, but that did not mean he had a good temper.

On the contrary, he used to have a bad temper and was always ruthless when dealing with enemies. In his youth, it was common for him to clash with enemies over the slightest disagreement.

His temper improved after he became Hokage and began working with Danzo.

Standing in the sunlight, constantly under the villagers' supervision, he always showed his bright side and eventually became a good Hokage loved by the villagers.

Danzo became his shadow, taking over the work of his dark side.

The two, one light and one dark, combined, constitute the true Third Hokage.

Now that Danzo is gone, the Third Hokage, who has lost half of his body, is finally beginning to rediscover his dark side.

"Menyan, Koharu, Danzo is gone, and the Root organization he led has also lost contact and control. This can't go on, so I've decided to give you two a task: to take over Danzo's work. Can you do it?"

Seeing that Koharu Utatane had calmed down, the Third Generation realized that his actions had been a bit rough. His expression softened quickly, and he smiled at the two of them, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Having grown accustomed to Danzo doing the dirty work for him, he couldn't help but feel anxious now that he had lost Danzo and Root.

Fortunately, he had alternatives; Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were good choices.

"Hiruzen, you want us to replace Danzo? You're not kidding, are you? I really want to help you, but my abilities are really limited. I'm afraid I can't share your burdens."

Upon hearing the Third Generation's words, Mitokado Homura was greatly alarmed and quickly refused.

“Yes, we two really can’t do Danzo’s job. As you know, we are both from small ninja clans and our strength is not as good as Danzo’s. We simply cannot control Root as firmly as Danzo did.”

Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, also quickly declined the job that her family had assigned to her.

They had once envied Danzo for having Root, his private armed force, but after they truly understood the internal workings and nature of Root, they no longer envied Danzo at all.

That's a huge pit. Once you jump in, you'll basically have to say goodbye to the world of light for the rest of your life. You'll have to stay in the dark world of the ninja world for the rest of your life. And because you do so much dirty work, you'll be feared and discriminated against by the villagers.

This job is not something that just anyone can do; only those with a strong heart and unwavering will can succeed.

To be honest, Danzo's ability to serve as the leader of Root for more than 20 years and to develop and expand Root, Konoha's dark organization, shows that his willpower and talent are not much worse than the Third Hokage's, and in some ways, even better.

"Is it that you can't or you don't want to?"

When the three generations saw that the two refused, their expressions instantly turned cold, and they questioned him.

His purpose in summoning the two men was certainly not to hear their information about Root, but rather to have them take over Danzo's work and serve him.

This is what he now sees as the remaining value of the two men.

If the two are unwilling to accept the job, then he no longer needs them.

In fact, he also had evidence of the two men abusing their power for personal gain, but he turned a blind eye because they were old comrades-in-arms, could help him in making high-level decisions, and did not embezzle much.

However, once he deems the two worthless, these scandals will become a useful tool for him to bring them down.

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu looked at the Third Generation's indifferent face and icy eyes, their foreheads beaded with sweat. They realized that this was a request they could not refuse, and if they did, the consequences would be severe.

"Hiruzen, please don't make things difficult for us."

Mitokado Yan said, forcing himself to speak.

"Someone told me that a batch of supplies sent to the front lines a few days ago was out of order, missing a batch of new anesthetics, and that some of the weapons were of very poor quality."

The third generation of cold voices.

Upon hearing this, Mitokado Yan's pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints, and even more sweat poured from his forehead. He gritted his teeth and finally said with a dejected look, "Alright, I'll give it a try."