At this moment, the leaders of the two clans paid no heed. In their view, this was the territory of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans—the residence of the Third Hokage and the family estate of the former Hokage Advisor, Danzo.
Even the Fourth Hokage couldn't just barge in without any regard for propriety.
Aoki looked at the men blocking his path and couldn't help but laugh.
"Truly incomprehensible. Seeing you like this today, you're quite pitiful."
Aoki couldn't be bothered to waste more words.
Thud!
Ahhh—!
"No!"
"Clan leader…!"
Several dazzling slashes flashed abruptly.
The men in front didn't even see what happened. As several heads soared into the air, accompanied by the shocked cries of those around them, everyone suddenly realized that Sakumo Hatake, who had been standing behind Aoki all along, was slowly sheathing his sword.
White Fang swept his cold gaze over the crowd, his voice icy. "Who dares to disrespect the Fourth Hokage?"
"This is the consequence!"
With those words, he retreated behind Aoki once more.
This scene instantly froze everyone present. No one dared to step forward and block their path any longer.
"Ahem—"
"Fourth Hokage, you've gone too far!"
The members of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans stood guard at the entrance, gripped by fear. They didn't dare to block Aoki, yet they were unwilling to let him enter. Just then, two figures slowly emerged from within the clan grounds. Before they even arrived, their voices rang out first.
Seeing this, the clansmen immediately calmed down.
The ones approaching were none other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, whom Aoki had overthrown, and Danzo Shimura, who had been dismissed even earlier.
As soon as the two appeared, Aoki's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Sarutobi Hiruzen, his expression displeased.
"What? Still reluctant to let go of the Hokage position? So unwilling to take off this Hokage God Robe?"
Aoki noticed at a glance that Sarutobi Hiruzen was still wearing Hokage attire.
Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked indifferent, putting on a playful smile. "Hahaha, when you're old, you tend to be nostalgic."
"I'm just wearing this robe at home, reminiscing about the old days working with Danzo."
"It's not that I didn't have time to change upon hearing of the Fourth Hokage's arrival—I just came as I was."
"But before we discuss that, Fourth Hokage, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
As he spoke, Sarutobi Hiruzen pointed at the headless corpses on the ground, the smile vanishing from his eyes as he stared fixedly at Aoki.
At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen gritted his teeth in hatred, furious at himself for being blind and failing to see through this man's ambitions earlier. Aoki had secretly gathered evidence and even allied with Tsunade to directly impeach him from the Hokage position.
Thinking of Tsunade, Sarutobi Hiruzen's anger burned even hotter.
She actually helped an outsider against her own mentor!
"Aoki, today you will pay the price!"
Finally, he had the chance to strike back. Even if it cost a few clansmen, it was worth it.
Seeing this, Danzo, standing beside him, could no longer restrain himself and immediately stepped forward.
All his foundations were built through decades of careful planning, with the hope of one day replacing Sarutobi and ascending to the Hokage's seat. In the end, it all came to nothing.
As soon as Aoki took the stage, he directly announced the removal of his position. The Root organization was completely disbanded, with all its members reassigned to the Anbu and mission squads. The one responsible for overseeing this was none other than Sakumo Hatake.
"You are too reckless, Fourth Hokage!"
"You, as the Hokage, dare to allow your subordinates to attack fellow villagers!"
"This matter must be severely punished!"
Looking at Danzo, who was still shouting before him, and Sarutobi Hiruzen, who stood by silently allowing it, Aoki had no intention of wasting words. He simply gave a slight nod to Minato Namikaze beside him.
Seeing this, Minato immediately signaled to the surrounding Anbu.
"Proceed!"
"As ordered!"
Soon, several Anbu ninjas quickly formed hand seals, and a purple barrier instantly expanded around them.
The Four Purple Flames Formation enveloped Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, and the members of their clans entirely.
As long as they were dealt with within this barrier, everything would proceed according to plan. It was precisely by relying on this Ninjutsu that Aoki dared to act without hesitation, eliminating these two troublemakers without harming Konoha's foundation.
Seeing the sudden appearance of the Four Purple Flames Formation, the expressions of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo instantly changed drastically, as if they had returned to the moment when they were publicly impeached and disgraced.
"This is bad!"
"Stop him quickly!"
They didn't know what solid evidence Aoki had obtained this time, but judging by his resolute demeanor, the evidence was surely enough to completely shatter their already precarious reputations.
Before the two could react, Minato Namikaze and Sakumo Hatake positioned themselves on either side, blocking Sarutobi Hiruzen's path.
Faced with these two, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to halt his movements, not daring to act recklessly.
At the same time, all the villagers of Konoha also saw the Four Purple Flames Formation, prominently suspended in the air.
Within the Hyuga clan.
"Clan leader, what should we do?"
"...I saw nothing."
At this moment, the entire Hyuga clan remained within their territory, quietly observing the unfolding events.
On the other side of Konoha, within the Uchiha Clan.
"Hmph! Danzo still thinks he can win over our Uchiha Clan at a time like this."
What a foolish delusion!
It seems that this time, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans will become history.
Uchiha Fugaku gazed at the Four Purple Flames Formation in the sky, his face filled with satisfaction.
Fortunately, he had refused to cooperate back then. Otherwise, if the Fourth Hokage were to settle accounts later, the Uchiha Clan would likely not escape unscathed.
As for the other prominent clans of Konoha—
the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Inuzuka clans—
they all remained within their respective territories, watching the turmoil unfold with cold indifference.
Soon, the light of the Four Purple Flames Formation suspended in the sky suddenly shifted.
Aoki's figure slowly appeared on the light screen formed by the barrier.
"It's the projection of the Fourth Hokage!"
"Ah! It's the Fourth Hokage!"
"What exactly is happening?"
"No matter what, we support the Fourth Hokage!"
"The Fourth Hokage is so impressive!"
As soon as Aoki's figure appeared, the entire Konoha erupted in excitement. Aside from a few young girls captivated by Aoki's appearance, most people were filled with curiosity.
What exactly was happening now?
"All villagers of Konoha, listen!"
"Today, I am here to announce a major event."
"All the irrefutable evidence of the numerous crimes committed over the years by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the former Hokage Advisor, Danzo Shimura, through their collusion, is all here!"