"Hm?"
Kakashi, who was watching Sarutobi Hiruzen in his pathetic state, suddenly froze.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion came from Kakashi's body.
An explosive tag!
At the moment of contact, Sarutobi Hiruzen had attached an explosive tag to Kakashi's body.
Now, it finally exploded.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen did not feel any joy.
Kakashi was gone; only a piece of wood remained on the ground.
**Substitution Jutsu!**
In the instant before the explosion, Kakashi used a substitution jutsu to replace himself with a log to absorb the blast.
However...
"If you think you can kill me, Sarutobi Hiruzen, you're dreaming!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen roared as he burst out of the ground like a cannonball.
In mid-air, he had already bitten his finger.
**"Summoning Jutsu!"**
"Boom!"
White smoke rose, but the Monkey King Enma did not appear as expected.
As the white smoke slowly dissipated...
"How can this be?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen was shocked.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and looked around.
A faint barrier surrounded them.
"Third Hokage, you haven't fought in too long."
Kakashi's figure appeared behind Sarutobi Hiruzen.
At the same time...
A cold, broken sword pierced through Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart.
"Ugh!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's body instantly stiffened.
Gasps erupted around them.
They stared in disbelief.
It went in!
It really went in!
Kakashi's indifferent voice rang out, devoid of any emotion, as if he had pierced through an ordinary person, not the Hokage of Konoha.
"While we were fighting, I set up this barrier.
"This barrier isolates us from the outside world. No one can get in or out. Of course, that includes summoning jutsu as well."
Kakashi sighed inwardly.
Due to the summoning jutsu failing, Sarutobi Hiruzen had lost composure.
He made a huge mistake, giving Kakashi the opportunity to pierce his body and kill him.
However!
This also showed that Sarutobi Hiruzen had reached his limit.
Summoning jutsu might have been his last resort.
When it failed, he was completely thrown off balance.
"This… This is…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen blankly stared at the short blade piercing through him.
"My father's White Fang blade!"
Kakashi's voice was calm.
He had once carried this short blade into battle. On the day Obito died, this blade had broken, and after it was repaired, he rarely used it.
This was the first time!
The first time since it had been repaired.
"Cough, cough!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed, spitting out large amounts of blood.
He murmured, "The blade of Konoha's White Fang? Heh, what does this mean?"
"What does this mean!"
He was actually going to die under this chakra blade.
The blade that had made a name for itself in the ninja world, feared by countless enemies, and a symbol of Konoha's pride.
Kakashi said calmly, "You caused my father's death. Now I'm using his blade to kill you. Isn't that fair?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen struggled to turn his head, looking at Kakashi's calm eyes.
Suddenly, he seemed to understand, murmuring, "No, Kakashi, no, it wasn't Uchiha Itsuki who warned you. You knew from the beginning that my actions were related to your father's death."
Scenes from Kakashi's life flashed through Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind.
He had been an extremely gifted ninja.
A Jonin at twelve years old!
Not just in Konoha—how many others could claim that in the entire ninja world?
He had been taken as a disciple by Minato Namikaze, with a bright future ahead of him.
But!
After the Great Ninja War, he had lost an eye, replaced with a Sharingan.
The Sharingan might seem powerful, but it depended on the user.
For ordinary people, using the Sharingan only caused harm.
It would gradually drain the user's strength, and when the strength was gone, it would consume their life.
And Kakashi?
Did he not know the damage the Sharingan was doing to him?
He knew!
He knew everything!
Yet he refused to remove the eye.
He let the Sharingan gradually wear away at his talent.
He said it was a memento from his friend!
That eye carried his friend's will and dreams.
Many people felt sorry for Kakashi, thinking he was a fallen genius.
Moreover...
Because of that Sharingan, the Uchiha clan resented him, and Danzo had once seen him as a target.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had stepped in to help him, saving his life.
Looking back now, perhaps they were wrong from the start.
Kakashi had intentionally kept the Sharingan. Everyone knew about it, so he didn't seem so terrifying anymore.
The attention on him was naturally diverted elsewhere.
Kakashi had held a grudge against them all along.
He had always been suspicious—suspicious of Konoha's people.
So, he hid himself!
Until recently, when he felt the time was right, he made his move.
"Cough, cough!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed up more blood, murmuring, "Kakashi, you've always suspected, haven't you? Suspected that you were betrayed?"
The Battle of Kannabi Bridge!
That battle had made Kakashi's name echo throughout the ninja world.
But it had also destroyed him.
If that battle was a trap?
Looking back, there were indeed many things that didn't add up about that battle.
If it had been a trap, who was the target?
Only Minato Namikaze?
Probably not.
The son of White Fang, the twelve-year-old Jonin Kakashi, was likely a target too!
"Heh!"
Kakashi let out a cold laugh. "Whether or not the Battle of Kannabi Bridge was a trap, and who it was targeting, no longer matters. You're all dead anyway. Let all those secrets disappear with you."
"Heh!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a bitter laugh.
"Yes!"
"After all, we of the old generation will soon be gone. Kakashi, be a good Hokage, don't be like me..."
"This is no longer your concern. You're about to die, so stop thinking so much!"
"Traitor Sarutobi Hiruzen!"
Kakashi sneered as a large amount of chakra flowed into the short blade.
Suddenly,
a massive amount of blood poured from Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth, along with fragments of his internal organs.
Kakashi's blade had completely shredded his organs.
And so, the Hokage who had ruled Konoha for forty years,
Sarutobi Hiruzen, was dead!
He was executed as a traitor, in front of everyone, by the current Hokage.
No longer the hero of the original story, dying in battle while defending Konoha.
"Pfft!"
Kakashi pulled the blade out with force, giving it a light shake to fling off the blood.
"Boom!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's body fell heavily to the ground.
His eyes were wide open, unable to rest in peace!
Everyone was silent.
They stared blankly at the corpse.
Even though they knew Sarutobi Hiruzen had done many things, his public image had always been good.
As he fell, his smiling face involuntarily appeared in their minds—so warm and kind!
Back then, he also fought to the death for Konoha.
Although, they were also angry about some of Hiruzen Sarutobi's actions.
For example, the death of Hizashi Hyuga.
It almost made Konoha lose face throughout the entire ninja world.
But!
People always have certain subconscious instincts.
They instinctively attributed all these actions of Hiruzen Sarutobi to Danzo Shimura.
It must have all been his fault!
Hiruzen Sarutobi was just being used.
So, when Kakashi exposed many of Hiruzen Sarutobi's dark deeds, they felt anger and disbelief.
That feeling made them almost want to tear Hiruzen Sarutobi apart.
He disappointed them so much.
But when Hiruzen Sarutobi really died in front of them, they felt an emptiness inside.
Is he really dead, just like that?
Hiruzen Sarutobi!
The Third Hokage!
He grew up with them!
He grew old with them!
The elder!
Kakashi stared at Hiruzen Sarutobi's corpse, feeling very complicated.
There was excitement! There was disappointment! There was confusion! In the end, it turned into resolve.
The death of my father must be avenged!
Hiruzen Sarutobi had to die!
"Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead."
Kakashi looked at the people around him coldly and said, "I won't target the Sarutobi clan because of this, but during Hiruzen Sarutobi's tenure, Konoha's finances…"
He took a deep breath and coldly said, "The Sarutobi clan must repay the debts. At the very least, Konoha needs to distribute the compensation."
"Those ninjas who sacrificed for Konoha, we can't let their families be left without any support, right?"
This simple sentence made the faces of everyone present change slightly.
The complex emotions stirred by Hiruzen Sarutobi's death seemed to vanish.
They had to look forward.
The Sarutobi clan was different.
Such a major event as the trial of Hiruzen Sarutobi—they couldn't possibly stay away.
But.
The series of battles before and after had caused great losses to their clan's ninjas as well.
During the recent turmoil on the Cloud Village border, Kakashi had ordered Hiruzen Sarutobi to atone for his crimes by meritorious service.
As a result, the Sarutobi clan now had only the old, the young, the sick, and the weak left.
There were only about five hundred capable ninjas left.
Would they dare to act recklessly at this moment?
However.
After hearing Kakashi's words, the already enraged Sarutobi clan members now looked at Kakashi with even more madness in their eyes.
This man!
Everything was because of him!
Not only had he killed their clan leader, but now he was trying to force them to death as well!
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already tried every possible way to fill the financial gap left during his tenure, almost taking all the money from the Sarutobi clan.
That Uchiha Kazuki beast had torn at their flesh multiple times.
Now, the Sarutobi clan's finances were in huge trouble.
Yet this scumbag still wanted them to pay.
Kakashi keenly sensed these hostile gazes but merely gave a cold smile, completely indifferent.
Now they were angry?
Why didn't they think about how many people in Konoha died because of them? Why didn't they think about how many in Konoha couldn't even receive their compensation because of them?
The ones with the least right to be angry are you.
The clan of sin?
It's no longer the Uchiha; now it's you Sarutobi.
…
"Bang!"
Shikaku Nara slammed open the office door. He and Torifu Akimichi walked in, glaring at Kakashi.
"Big brother Shikaku, no need to look at me like that."
Kakashi sat by the window, quietly watching the street outside, without even lifting his head. "I know, Konoha is very unstable right now. I know... I don't know anything."
"But!"
"I couldn't not kill him."
"He was my inner demon. Just yesterday, I dreamed of my father!"
"You could have imprisoned him, even locked him in prison," Shikaku Nara said coldly. "You had many ways to make him live worse than death. Why did you have to kill him?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi had ruled Konoha for far too long.
Most of the elders from the time of the First and Second Hokage were almost all dead.
It could be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi's influence in Konoha was astonishingly huge at this moment.
Even if he had made countless mistakes, infuriating many people, that anger was only temporary.
Anger would eventually subside, and then, how would people view Kakashi afterward? He killed the Third Hokage in front of everyone?! That would be unprecedented!
The impact would be unimaginably bad!
Kakashi casually said, "Well, the killing's done. Talking more is pointless. If you want, I can step down as Hokage to atone."
"What nonsense!"
Shikaku Nara was so furious he almost fainted, jumping up in anger.
So after you've avenged your father, you're just ready to walk away, huh? If you leave, what about Konoha? Damn it!
Shikaku Nara suddenly remembered that the Hatake clan was also a ninja clan, but a clan with terrifyingly few members.
There were a bit more people during Sakumo Hatake's time.
But now…
It seemed like it was just Kakashi and a few servants.
Damn, he could just up and leave whenever he wanted!
"You wouldn't be thinking of leaving, would you?"
Shikaku Nara stared intently at Kakashi and said, "I'm telling you, if you leave…"
Kakashi looked at him innocently.
He blinked repeatedly as if saying, "Go on, say more, keep talking."
Shikaku Nara's face darkened.
Damn it!
He couldn't think of any real threats to make.
But Kakashi really couldn't leave.
Any ninja village that changes its leader frequently is a clear sign something is wrong, even to a blind man.
Not to mention how stormy Konoha is right now.
It would be like sending an invitation to enemies: "Come and attack us!"
And Kakashi was so powerful! He was definitely an indispensable force for Konoha at the moment! Shikaku Nara's face sank.
"Relax."
Kakashi stretched lazily and said, "I don't plan to leave for now. But, big brother Shikaku, we're close, so I'll be frank. If Konoha puts too much pressure on me, I'll…"
"Don't worry, leave it to me!"
Shikaku Nara immediately pounded his chest, assuring him, "I'm the captain of the Jonin, assisting you is only natural."
"Don't worry, Konoha will definitely get better. I will always support you and help you."
"Hmm, I trust you, big brother Shikaku!"
Kakashi grinned.
"Hmm?"
Torifu Akimichi looked suspicious.
Something felt off!
Just a moment ago, Shikaku was furious, and now in the blink of an eye, he was almost kneeling.
Begging?
No, this wasn't begging anymore.
This was groveling!
Yes, groveling, no doubt about it!
(Chapter ends)