Yes, the Hokage

As subordinates directly under the Hokage, the Anbu instinctively reported to the old power center before remembering the current Hokage after the Third Hokage's death. This is an extremely dangerous act. If they are not severely punished, these guys will lose their sense of who is the king!

The three consecutive "kill" words were filled with bloodshed and ferocity, but this time Minato did not hesitate at all, and simply asked in a low voice, "And you?"

“I’ll go talk to Mitokado Yan.” Feng Lan’s answer was quite unexpected.

"Without any guards?"

Minato raised an eyebrow. Even he could vaguely sense the undercurrents beneath the seemingly calm surface. In a dynasty drama, the current situation would be like the old emperor suddenly passing away before his power was fully transferred. What would happen next, if not clear, would be the rise of various warlords, fratricide, and civil war.

Although the Third Hokage had already shown some intention to retire, he clearly didn't plan to retire so slowly. According to Feng Lan's original plan, he could maintain this tacit cooperative relationship with the Third Hokage and slowly take over all the power from him, completing a peaceful transition. Therefore, it was not a big deal for the Third Hokage to gain some benefits in the short term, since he would come back sooner or later anyway.

But ironically, the Third Hokage was killed by Orochimaru in the most unlikely circumstances!

There was a power vacuum in his hands; he hadn't yet taken action to rein things in, and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had received the news earlier than he had!

Even if these two old guys were afraid of him, they had no choice but to rebel! Because sitting there watching Feng Lan gather the power of three generations of people was tantamount to handing over their own fate and that of their entire family to him. Although Feng Lan did not intend to kill them all, these two dared not gamble.

Let alone Fenglan, even Minato didn't truly gain the trust of these two old advisors. The only person they truly trusted was the Third Hokage. With the Third Hokage dead, neither Fenglan nor Minato could control these two; they could only suppress them using the most forceful methods.

Shuimen has matured a lot recently and has vaguely realized this, which is why he asked Fenglan why he didn't bring any guards. Forceful suppression will inevitably cause a backlash, and if these two try to lead the clan in rebellion, Fenglan alone will obviously not be able to handle it.

“No need, trust me.” Feng Lan shook her head and emphasized, “Your side is more important. The ownership of the Anbu will determine whether you can truly control Konoha’s military power. As for the clan… I have already made preparations, and there is a high probability that we can avoid bloodshed.”

"Okay." Since he had said so much, Minato naturally chose to believe him. "Don't push yourself too hard. Stay vigilant. If things get really bad, use Flying Thunder God Technique to retreat. I'm here for you."

"Hmm." Feng Lan nodded, then immediately disappeared with a Flying Thunder God technique. He returned to his home, quickly changed his clothes, grabbed the things he had prepared beforehand, and headed straight for the Mitomon clan's residence.

Koharu Utatane no longer holds the position of advisor and has no real power, so whatever she does now, she can only rely on Homura Mitokado as the head, and any discussion or meeting will inevitably take place at his home.

At this moment, the Mitomon clan's encampment was also on high alert. Upon seeing Feng Lan approaching from afar, two ninjas immediately came forward, their tone respectful yet cold: "Lord Feng Lan, our clan has some important matters to attend to, so please excuse us for not entertaining outsiders."

The fact that they were asked to leave without even asking for permission clearly indicates that Mitokado Homura had given prior instructions, which further proves that they were having a meeting inside.

So Feng Lan didn't waste any more words. He simply took out an explosive tag from his ninja tool bag, threw it into the air, and formed hand seals!

“Swish, swish, swish—!”

In an instant, countless phantom talismans emerged from around the explosive talismans that had been thrown into the air, multiplying from one to two, two to four, four to eight, and more and more... What was even more chilling was that these phantom talismans actually solidified and exploded directly in mid-air.

The forbidden technique developed by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju: Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tags!

This technique involves summoning an endless stream of explosive tags from a single explosive tag to launch a wide-range, continuous attack. When Tobirama used it himself, it could even destroy the Myojin Gate and blow away the Ten-Tails' split bodies. Because its power is so terrifying and its range so vast, it could potentially kill the user as well. Therefore, it is usually used in conjunction with the Flying Thunder God Technique to allow the user to escape or by having someone resurrected using the Impure World Reincarnation technique who is not afraid of death use it.

Feng Lan only briefly entangled Tobirama in training at Amegakure and on the way to Yunlei Gorge, so his training was naturally not as exaggerated as Tobirama's. Not only was the range pitifully small, but the duration was also short. Of course, the power was still quite considerable.

Seeing the explosive tags about to detonate in mid-air, the ninjas guarding the encampment dared not continue to hold on and retreated with screams. Feng Lan seized the opportunity to throw out a kunai and used Flying Thunder God Technique to enter the encampment. With a quick scan, he detected the location of Mitokado Homura.

"Boom boom boom—!"

The next second, a series of explosions rang out in mid-air, startling countless Konoha villagers who were still asleep, causing them to fall out of bed and look out the window in panic, thinking that the Nine-Tails Night event had been rerun for a limited time.

Fortunately, with Feng Lan's strength, the mutual explosion tags wouldn't last more than a few seconds, but that was enough for him to reach his target location.

"Boom--!"

The door to the secret room was kicked open, revealing Mitomon Homura, Utatane Koharu, and the high-ranking elders of the Sarutobi, Mitomon, and Utatane clans who were having a meeting.

"Feng, Advisor Feng Lan!"

Upon seeing his sudden appearance, everyone wore a guilty expression and dared not look him in the eye.

"Time is of the essence, so I'll get straight to the point," Feng Lan said coldly. "Mitomon Yan, hand over all your power, including that of the elders and advisors. Like the Utatane clan, all high-ranking members of the Mitomon clan will be removed. Those in middle and lower-ranking positions will be retained based on their performance. I can grant that both your clans remain members of the village, and no one can harm you."

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged glances, their initially guilty expressions gradually hardening. Some were reluctant to relinquish their power, others worried that Feng Lan might break her promise, and still others thought, "Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to interfere in our family's affairs?"

“Advisor Fenglan,” Mitomon En managed to maintain his composure, “forgive my bluntness, but your request is a bit excessive.”

He knew that with the death of the third generation and the loss of power to Koharu, he could not possibly hold onto such immense power on his own. But even if he had to retire, he wanted to do his best to secure the rights of the family. He absolutely could not accept the Mitomon clan falling to the point of being completely marginalized like the Utatane clan.

"You have no choice but to accept it." Feng Lan snorted coldly and threw out a scroll.

“What is this…” Mitokado Yan’s gaze sharpened.

"Something that could send both your races to hell." Feng Lan crossed her arms and spoke coldly.

The other elders from both clans, who were originally about to lash out, fell silent upon hearing this, their gazes simultaneously falling on the two clan leaders.

Mitomon Homura and Utatane Koharu exchanged glances for a moment, then gently opened the scroll. They gasped in surprise after just one look, and their hands trembled so much that the scroll fell to the ground.

"How...how did you know about this?" Koharu Tsurugi couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"This is all fake, a complete fabrication!" Mitokado Homura stood up angrily.

“I got this from Orochimaru,” Feng Lan said coldly. “After he first escaped from the police prison, he left me a secret base in Konoha. This scroll was found in that base.”

He sneered, "I never expected that the famous White Fang of Konoha, the ruthless character who struck fear into the hearts of enemy villages during World War II, would actually die at the hands of his own people!"

That's right, the scroll that Feng Lan threw out at this moment was the secret scroll that Shisui had discovered and strictly ordered him not to divulge. It clearly recorded the entire process of forcing Konoha's White Fang to commit suicide through public opinion, and the reason... was simply because he might compete with Orochimaru for the Fourth Hokage.

The masterminds of this shocking and treacherous plot were undoubtedly Orochimaru and Danzo, while the accomplices were Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. This was one of the reasons why Fenglan never intended to let Orochimaru and Danzo go. The actions of these two had exceeded his bottom line of tolerance. He could not rest easy if he did not kill them.

Even if they were just accomplices, once this matter is made public, it will be a devastating blow to the two of them, and even to their two clans. Feng Lan's words "go to hell" were definitely not just a threat.

“I’ve already made a considerable number of copies of this scroll.” Although Feng Lan hadn’t actually done so, it didn’t stop him from bluffing and putting pressure on everyone. “If you dare to say no, by dawn, every person in Konoha will have a copy, and I’ll let everyone see the true colors of you two old geezers!”

Mitokado Homura plopped back down in her chair, while Utatane Koharu's hand on the table trembled uncontrollably. The two tried to speak several times, but no sound came out.

The other elders from both clans looked at each other, not daring to speak, their previous rebellious demeanor completely gone.

After a long pause, an elder from the Sarutobi clan timidly raised his hand and asked, "Lord Feng, where is our Sarutobi clan?"

"The Third Hokage has devoted himself to Konoha, and the members of the Sarutobi clan have also done a good job in their positions. From now on, everyone should do their best to protect the village."

Feng Lan said calmly, "Also, Asuma, who has been wandering outside, should come back. Being an elite Jonin in the village is better than being one of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas by the Daimyo's side, isn't it?"

The elders of the Sarutobi clan were overjoyed upon hearing this. Not only did Feng Lan not punish them, but he also protected the Sarutobi clan and even intended to make Asuma the successor clan leader. Why should they get involved with the Mitomon and Utatane clans?

The leading elder immediately stood up, bowed, and said, "Thank you, Lord Fenglan! We will go back and reorganize the clan immediately, and we will definitely not cause you any trouble!"

Fenglan smiled and gestured for them to proceed.

Seeing the Sarutobi clan withdraw a million men, the Mitomon and Utatane clans could no longer sit still. They exchanged glances for a long time, but couldn't come up with any countermeasures. The scroll that Fenglan threw out was like an iron chain hanging around their necks, gradually suffocating them.

Finally, Mitomon Homura sighed, stood up and bowed deeply to Feng Lan: "Everything... is as you wished."

Chapter 197 Questioning

As the sun rises, the village, which had been somewhat chaotic during the night, falls silent again. This silence, however, is not the end, but rather a silent wait for an outcome.

All the leaders of Minato's forces have gathered in the Hokage's office.

"Feng Lan!"

As soon as Feng Lan pushed the door open and walked in, Shui Men hurriedly stood up from behind the table: "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, and things have been taken care of." Feng Lan casually tossed a document onto the table. "This is Mitomon En's resignation letter. It says that he is too old to take on the heavy responsibilities of the Elder Council advisor and financial manager, so he will retire. In addition, all the high-ranking members of the Mitomon family will no longer hold their positions, and the middle and lower-ranking officials will be investigated."

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, never expecting that the dignified elder advisor of Konoha would be so utterly defeated by Feng Lan. The Mitomon clan was an undisputed elite family of Konoha, yet he had so easily dealt with them single-handedly. By this calculation, three of the Elder Council's F4 had suffered a crushing defeat at Feng Lan's hands. It seemed that even if the Third Hokage did not encounter any unforeseen circumstances, it was only a matter of time before the Fourth Hokage fully ascended to power.

"I'm glad you're alright." Minato breathed a sigh of relief. "Things went very smoothly on my side too. All the Anbu have surrendered; not a single one resisted."

It's not that Minato has any protagonist aura; rather, the Third Hokage originally intended to pass on his ANBU to the Fourth Hokage, but his attitude was, "If I don't give it to you, you can't take it."

The members of the Dark Guard understood that they would have to follow the Fourth Boss in the future, so now that the Third Boss was dead, they surrendered without much hesitation when offered to do so by their new master.

“So it really is over now.” Feng Lan looked at the rising sun outside the window. “The Third Hokage’s faction can no longer cause any trouble.”

Upon hearing this, the reactions varied. Most people were filled with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy. They were saddened that the Third Hokage, who had been entrusted with a critical mission and led the village from the low point of losing the Second Hokage to its current state, and who could be considered Konoha's greatest support, had left so abruptly.

What's gratifying is that the era of the Fourth Generation Lord is about to begin. As elders, their status and position will naturally be greatly enhanced, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that a new generation of powerful families is rising from here.

Among the group of people experiencing mixed feelings of joy and sorrow, Fugaku was the only exception. He was genuinely happy and wished he could burst into song "Good Days" on the spot.

All eyes were immediately focused on Feng Lan. They knew that Minato wouldn't speak at this moment; only Feng Lan could speak.

Feng Lan didn't keep them waiting long and quickly said in a gentle voice, "I propose that Fugaku be promoted to Elder Advisor, Shikaku be appointed as Treasurer, and Ms. Shizune be given voting rights. Who agrees and who disagrees?"

No one spoke. Fugaku was one of the first to follow Fenglan, and he had the powerful Uchiha clan behind him, with even his son becoming their adopted son. Shikaku was a highly skilled individual whom Fenglan had painstakingly recruited, almost like a treacherous hermit. When Fenglan wasn't around, Shikaku was the brains of the group. Moreover, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio shared a common destiny, making him far more important than any other family that joined later. As for Shizune, she was Tsunade's personal disciple and the only bloodline of Kato Dan. If she weren't still young, she could easily take over Tsunade's position and control the village's medical lifeline.

And so, the new generation of elders of Konoha was born in splendor: Uchiha Fugaku, Nara Shikaku, and Kato Shizune.

However, unlike the previous council of elders, no new powerful clans will emerge here: the Uchiha clan has its own inherent flaws, and it is too closely tied to Feng Lan. There are many things they would not dare to touch without Feng Lan's approval.

The Nara clan did experience a dramatic turnaround, but the status and benefits they gained were shared with the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans, and they were far from growing into behemoths like Sarutobi and Utatane.

As for Shizune, needless to say, she has no family backing her.

Everyone began to understand Feng Lan's intentions. It seemed he was trying his best to prevent a repeat of the situation during the Third Hokage's reign, where powerful clans controlled the village, and to distribute power more evenly and fairly among the subordinates. The biggest advantage of this was that Minato, as Hokage, could rest easy, because there would be no one like Danzo who could overthrow the Heavenly Generals—Feng Lan himself was in that position, and unless Danzo rebelled, Minato's position was as secure as a mountain.

"As for you gentlemen..."

Feng Lan turned her head and glanced at Ri Cha, Zhi Wei and the others: "Your contributions will not be forgotten, and you will naturally become the pillars of the village in the future. However, before that, we have more troublesome things to face."

"You mean the news of the Third Hokage's death?" Shikakuze was the only one who could follow Fenglan's train of thought. "The timing is too coincidental, so coincidental that it seems like a conspiracy to those with ulterior motives. Although you, Advisor, quickly consolidated the village's power with swift and decisive measures to prevent internal strife, there are still countless eyes watching us from the Daimyo, the various forces in other villages, and the entire ninja world."

"Especially with the Reincarnation Festival about to be held, Konoha's performance during this period can be described as outstanding in the ninja world. Not to mention those small countries, even other major countries can't help but send delegations here, firstly to make friends, and secondly to test us... Under such circumstances, if the news of the Third Hokage's death is not handled carefully, it will become the most powerful handle for outsiders to attack us and Konoha."

"Why not just capture Orochimaru and hand over the real culprit?" Minato said, frowning.

“If we had discovered it in time, there might still have been a chance, but now it’s too late.” Feng Lan shook his head. “He used the Reverse Summoning Technique to escape through Ryuchi Cave. Even if we could find out from the White Snake Sage where he was reversibly summoned from Ryuchi Cave, how could Orochimaru still be in the same place? Several hours have passed now. Unless that guy is a complete idiot, he will definitely hide in the cave like a snake and will not make any moves for a while.”

Everyone fell silent. You can say Orochimaru is bad, but you can't doubt his wisdom. If this cunning snake is stupid, then there are no smart people in the world.

"Those guys from Ryuchi Cave... they said they were allied with Konoha, but they're still colluding with Orochimaru?" Minato clenched his fists angrily. "Was that giant white snake trying to fool us?"

“She didn’t mislead us, because no one says that you can’t help Orochimaru while allying with Konoha.” Feng Lan sighed. “It was my oversight in this matter. That snake had obviously already made a deal with the White Snake Sage, and I actually handed him over to the Third Hokage… In a sense, I killed the Third Hokage.”

"How can you blame yourself, Lord Fenglan?" Shisui couldn't help but speak up. "We all saw the Third Hokage's attitude back then; he wouldn't allow you to refuse at all. His death was..."

"enough."

Before he could utter the words "you only have yourself to blame," Feng Lan interrupted him: "It's useless to say these things now. There's no going back in this world. You should think about how to deal with the trouble in front of you."

"Shikaku, I'll temporarily entrust the village affairs to you to assist Minato. You'll also be in charge of the small country delegations for the upcoming Samsara Festival. Everyone else, please provide full assistance."

"Yes."

Lu Jiu immediately nodded in agreement. Although his current status was theoretically even higher than Feng Lan's, this clever man was very clear about the difference between the two kings and still regarded himself as a subordinate.

"And you?" Minato couldn't help but ask.

“I’m in charge of dealing with the delegations from major powers that visit during the Reincarnation Festival, and also… Ryuchi Cave.” Feng Lan’s gaze sharpened.

"Ryuchi Cave, are we really going to cooperate with her?" Although Minato knew in his heart that cooperation was the best option, he still found it hard to accept emotionally.

"Why did the White Snake Immortal dare to be two-faced right after establishing a cooperative relationship? It's because we couldn't refuse the conditions she offered," Feng Lan said coldly. "But just because we can't refuse doesn't mean we can do nothing and let her treat us like a pushover. We must have the right attitude."

Just like when you scolded Yahiko for slapping Nagato, there are some things you can choose not to pursue, but you can't just go through the motions.

“Obito Shisui, come with me. Let Shinya use the Reverse Spirit Summoning Technique in Ryuchi Cave so we can go and confront him.”

"I'll go too," Minato said, eager to try.

“You can’t do it. The village can’t be without the Hokage for even a moment right now.” Feng Lan shook his head. “What I’m going to have to do with the White Snake Sage is probably a long tug-of-war. We might not be able to come back for several days.”

"Alright, then be careful in everything you do." Minato knew the seriousness of the matter and could only nod.

"Lord Fenglan, Xinya has been contacted." Obito quickly gave his feedback.

"Okay." Feng Lan took a deep breath. "Let's go!"

"Bam—!"

A wisp of white smoke appeared, and the three of them disappeared from the office. When they reappeared, they were in the dark and damp Ryuchi Cave.

"Hey, I didn't allow either of you to stand on my head!"

Although Xin Ya really liked it, she was still arrogant in front of outsiders. When she saw Feng Lan and Zhi Shui standing on her head, she immediately became unhappy.

Of course, Feng Lan also had ways to handle this guy: "Hey, I heard you're quite dissatisfied with the White Snake Immortal?"

"How did you know?" Xin Ya's vertical pupils narrowed.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'm here to cause her trouble. If you want to come with me, then charge forward. If you're scared, then retreat back into your hole and continue cosplaying as an earthworm." Feng Lan said with a look of disgust, using the same reverse psychology she used on Hiruko.

But it has to be said, these simple-minded kids fall for it. Sure enough, Xin Ya immediately got angry: "What?! I'm scared? No matter who wants to deal with that annoying old woman, I, Xin Ya, will definitely come to their aid!"

"Good, you've got guts!"

Feng Lan, displaying the demeanor of a second-in-command, slapped his thigh and said, "Then you should head straight for the White Snake Immortal. Don't stop no matter what obstacles you encounter. We'll cover you from above."

Despite being treated so blatantly as cannon fodder, Xin Ya was filled with heroic spirit: "Fine! Let me show you the power of this great one!"

Having said that, his massive body suddenly leaned forward, and the entire snake shot out with the speed of an arrow, uprooting mountains and trees and sending sand and stones flying, just like a small earthquake.

[Hmm, in this period before their combat power completely goes astray, giant summoning beasts are still quite powerful.] Having witnessed Xin Ya's astonishing destructive power, Feng Lan couldn't help but secretly admire it. He wasn't particularly fond of summoning beasts before, but now it seems that contracting one himself might come in handy at certain times.