bioinnovel Chapter 544 Unleashing Turmoil in Konoha
Chapter 544 Unleashing Turmoil in Konoha
Previously, Danzo Shimura's shameful acts of cowardice and desertion in the face of battle had been exposed.
The ordinary villagers who were watching, as well as the ninjas, passed on what they saw and heard to those around them.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the village in just one hour.
When people saw the Shimura family, their eyes were filled with disgust and contempt; even the children's playful banter was tinged with mockery of "old dogs hiding in the gutter."
Shimura Danzo's reputation, built up over many years, collapsed overnight, and his name became utterly infamous.
In the past, when the villagers saw him, they would bow respectfully.
But now, whenever he appears on the street, he is met with scorn and pointing fingers.
In the Roots' secret base, Shimura Danzo sat before a cold desk, his single eye surging with overwhelming ferocity.
Throughout his life, he was obsessed with power and dreamed of becoming Hokage. He did not hesitate to use all sorts of underhanded tricks and smear his hands with blood. Even though he was infamous, he never wavered in the slightest.
But now, Uchiha Sanfeng's words have not only made him lose face and become a laughing stock in Konoha, but have also completely shattered all his hopes of becoming Hokage.
How can someone whose reputation is ruined and who is despised by the people sit on the throne of Hokage?
"Uchiha Mitsunaga... I will never let you go!"
He gritted his teeth as he muttered the name, his teeth chattering so hard that his nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood, but he didn't even notice.
He slammed his fist on the table, his resentment like a poisonous vine, tightly binding his heart: "Everything I've lost, you will repay a thousandfold!"
The storm did not subside. Shimura Danzo's reputation was ruined, and like dominoes, the prestige of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado, who had witnessed the death of the Second Hokage and jointly controlled the upper echelons of Konoha, also plummeted.
The villagers and ninjas began to question each other privately and started to bring up old grievances—when the Second Hokage died on the battlefield, were the four of them really ordered by the Second Hokage to retreat to Konoha, as they claimed?
For many years, these four individuals have controlled the upper echelons of Konoha and monopolized power. Is it truly for the safety of the village, or for their own selfish desires and to consolidate their own positions?
More and more voices of doubt emerged, surging towards the Fire Shadow Tower and the ancestral lands of the four major clans like a tidal wave.
Uchiha Sanfeng had long seen through the hypocrisy of Hiruzen Sarutobi and his three companions, and had already made up his mind to completely overthrow their rule and seek justice for the innocent people who died in battle.
He secretly summoned a dozen or so of his most trusted elite Uchiha ninjas and had them spread even more shocking news throughout the village in batches.
The four major clans of Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mito, totaling 3,695 ninjas, only performed logistical and security work during the brutal Third Shinobi World War, hiding within Konoha Village and never engaging in any life-or-death battles with enemy ninjas.
In order to make up for the lack of troops on the battlefield, Hiruzen Sarutobi and others ordered children around nine years old to graduate from the Ninja Academy early and forcibly send them to the brutal battlefield to become cannon fodder to fill the troop shortage.
In the end, more than 2,200 children died on the battlefield, and 587 children survived by chance, but were left with lifelong disabilities and could only spend the rest of their lives in endless pain and despair.
"You risked your lives on the front lines, shedding blood and sacrificing your lives to protect Konoha. Even if you were to be shattered to pieces, you never flinched! But Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura sent your young children to the battlefield as cannon fodder! They hid in the rear, enjoying peace, while your children bled and died on the front lines. Is that fair?"
The clansmen arranged by Uchiha Sanfeng deliberately shouted in a grief-stricken tone in a crowded place.
These words, like a thunderclap, exploded in the sky above Konoha Village, instantly shattering the village's tranquility.
Long-suppressed discontent and anger were ignited, spreading rapidly to every corner of Konoha like an out-of-control flame.
The parents who lost their children had bloodshot eyes; the families of the surviving disabled children held their children, burning with rage.
Even the villagers and ninjas who were lucky enough to have their children spared were filled with contempt and anger towards Hiruzen Sarutobi and his three companions.
They couldn't imagine that the higher-ups of Konoha could be so cold-blooded and ruthless, sacrificing innocent children to ensure their own safety.
Anger spread through the crowd, growing stronger and stronger until it finally coalesced into a raging torrent that surged toward the Hokage Building.
"Liar! Hiruzen Sarutobi, you liar! Give me back my child's life!"
A large number of middle-aged ninjas, their eyes bloodshot, roared towards the direction of the Hokage Building.
"Shimura Danzo, you deserve to die a horrible death! You're a coward who clings to life while sending our children to their deaths. You're unworthy to be an elder of Konoha!"
Some women, clutching the little clothes their children wore before they died, knelt on the ground, crying and wailing, their faces blurred with tears.
Angry people, carrying stones, garbage, and broken tiles, swarmed to the front of the Hokage Building.
In no time, the walls, doors, windows, and steps of the Hokage Building were covered with rotten vegetables, broken tiles, dirty soil, and even dead rats, creating a stench.
The sounds of insults, cries, and smashing echoed throughout the Hokage Building, lingering for a long time, and could even be clearly heard from the distant streets.
The Hokage Tower, once a symbol of Konoha's highest power and a solemn and dignified place, is now in a sorry state, like an abandoned ruin.
The ninja guards at the gate tried to stop the angry crowd, but they were pushed to the ground by the surging crowd. Some were beaten and injured, and some were even trampled by the angry crowd. They were unable to contain the overwhelming anger.
Once anger is ignited, it is difficult to contain and can even spiral out of control.
Many of the parents who lost their children were also Konoha ninjas, and they vented all their resentment on the members of the four major clans: Sarutobi, Shimura, Utatane, and Mito.
They believed that the members of the four major families were all beneficiaries and accomplices. If the four major families had not monopolized power, their children would not have become cannon fodder.
Angry parents could be seen everywhere on the streets, besieging members of the four major families.
Some clansmen, simply by going out to buy things, were surrounded in the alley by angry crowds, who punched, kicked, and verbally abused them incessantly.
The members of the four major families attempted to resist, but were surrounded and attacked by even more people, and ultimately died tragically in the streets.
In just one day, hundreds of murders broke out in Konoha Village, and the death toll continued to rise.
Fear, like a plague, spread rapidly among the four great families. The remaining clansmen dared not step out of their clan's territory again. They huddled together within their own clan's lands, keeping their doors tightly shut and seeking warmth in one another.
Within the clan's territory, the sighs of the elderly, the cries of children, and the sobs of women mingled together. Fear and despair were written on everyone's face as they silently prayed that the storm would subside soon.
The chaos in Konoha kept the Uchiha Police Department extremely busy.
The guards split into several small teams and rushed around, trying to quell the anger of the people, prevent the killing, and treat the wounded members of their tribe.
They tried to reason with the angry crowd, appealing to their emotions and reasoning with them, but the angry crowd was like an out-of-control tide, refusing to listen to any advice. Some even vented their anger on the guards, beating them.
The news quickly reached Fugaku Uchiha's ears.
When he learned from the captain of the guards that the mastermind behind all of this was actually Uchiha Mitsunori, the anger that had been building up in his heart instantly erupted.
Inside the Konoha Police Department office, Fugaku Uchiha's face was grim, sending chills down one's spine.
He stared intently at Uchiha Sanfeng standing before him, as if he wanted to devour him alive, his tone filled with rebuke and anger: "Uchiha Sanfeng! Do you know the enormity of the mess you've made? Do you know what a chaotic state Konoha is in right now?"
Uchiha Mitsunaga stood upright, showing no remorse or panic.
Hearing Fugaku's rebuke, he slowly raised his head, and his crimson Mangekyou Sharingan suddenly activated: "I just did what I had to do, to expose their true colors, and to seek justice for those ninjas who died in battle and for those innocent children."
"justice?"
Fugaku Uchiha slammed his hand on the table, causing it to shake violently.
"Your so-called justice is to plunge Konoha into internal strife? Is it to cause countless deaths? Is it to make the stench of blood in Konoha even stronger than on the battlefield?"
He stood up and walked step by step to the three peaks of the Uchiha clan, his voice filled with suppressed anger: "The war has just ended, Konoha's strength has not yet recovered, this should be a time for recuperation and rebuilding, but you've caused this mess!"
"Have you ever considered that if Konoha were to experience a large-scale upheaval and its strength were significantly weakened, would the four great ninja villages let this opportunity pass by?" Fugaku suddenly raised his voice, his tone filled with disappointment and frustration.
"Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure—aren't they all eyeing Konoha covetously? Aren't they all eager to seize the opportunity to annex Konoha? If we show any weakness, they will definitely join forces and launch a war against Konoha. At that time, Konoha will face annihilation. How many families will be destroyed? Have you thought about these things?"
Despite Fugaku's roar, Uchiha Mitsunori remained unmoved, the light of his Mangekyou Sharingan growing even brighter: "If any of the Four Great Shinobi Villages dare to come, I'll wipe them out one by one!"
"With my power, I can make them pay a heavy price and show them that Konoha Village is not to be trifled with!"
These words completely exhausted Fugaku Uchiha's patience.
He pointed at Uchiha Mitsunori, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He knew the Uchiha clan too well. The stronger they were, the more stubborn they became. Once they made up their minds, no amount of criticism would change their minds.