Chapter 33: Chapter 33
"Even in Pure land, Shinnosuke probably hoped I would do the same; after all, he also criticized my foolish older brother in the past and my brother nearly committed suicide because of it, didn't he?"
Tatsuya said this with a smile on his face.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, holding a cigarette between his index and middle fingers, squeezed them together. It was a subtle gesture that might go unnoticed by an ordinary ninja, but several Kage-level ninjas in the room were sharp enough to catch it.
"He hit himself in the foot with a stone, didn't he?" Tsunade thought to herself, stifling a chuckle.
Initially, she hadn't paid much attention to Sarutobi Hiruzen's aging face. She was mostly curious about how he would react upon hearing the news of his eldest son's death.
"Well, I suppose you're right."
After a silence that lasted for over ten seconds, Hiruzen raised his head once more, a smile on his lips. He nodded and said, "Now, let's wait for Orochimaru to send the cooperation agreement from the Land of wind."
"Then there's really nothing more to say, Master Hokage..."
Nara Shikaku, while not Kage-level capable, also picked up on the unusual atmosphere in the room through his keen perception. He understood, however, that Hiruzen had no grounds to blame Tatsuya in this situation.
After all, in a similar scenario previously, Sakumo had saved Shinnosuke, only to be ridiculed as a fool. In this case, Tatsuya had chosen not to save him, thus letting him die this time. Precedent had been set, leaving no room for dispute.
Hiruzen's smile returned.
"You've all worked hard since returning from the battlefield. Let's head back and reunite with your families first."
"Oh, I'm nearly dead." With those words, Tsunade promptly left without turning back.
Hiruzen's expression darkened once again.
"This girl can never hold back her words," Tatsuya remarked with a strange grin before walking out of the office.
Honestly, someone like Tsunade, who couldn't keep her thoughts to herself, wasn't well-suited for a position of authority. She shared a trait with her grandfather, Senju Hashirama, who also had a tendency to speak their mind freely. However, unlike Hashirama, she lacked the overwhelming strength to back it up.
While she had managed to secure the position of the Fifth Hokage in the original story, she seemed to have struggled to fully assert her authority over the elders. She couldn't completely eliminate their influence, despite being in power.
Koharu and Homura, the two senior members of the Konoha council, were currently trailing Tsunade, their beam-jumping antics quite the spectacle. Interestingly, these two had survived various dangerous situations, which Tatsuya found somewhat miraculous.
...
...
One by one, Jiraiya, Sakumo, and the members of the Nara-Shika-Ino trio left the scene.
Subsequently, Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned his three elder companions: Konoha's F4, to convene in the highest conference room.
"Do you believe that Shinnosuke died at the hands of Kazekage, Hiruzen?"
Koharu was the first to express skepticism after Hiruzen recounted Tatsuya's words.
The future promotion of Hiruzen's son to the position of Hokage or at least anbu captain had been unanimously agreed upon by the four of them, including Danzo. While their relationship with Danzo was not as strained as it became after the Third Great Ninja War, they were all aware that as long as Hiruzen's descendants remained in the Hokage position, the true power in Konoha would remain with them.
Their good days would be over if power shifted to the Senju, Uchiha, or other non-elder factions.
As such, Shinnosuke's death wasn't just bad news for Hiruzen; it also spelled trouble for the entire elder council.
Of course, the others were just as aware of this.
The fact that Sarutobi's Shinnosuke aspired to become Hokage would change only if the Hokage system transitioned into a dictatorship.
"What are you suspecting, Koharu?"
Homura frowned. "Do you believe that Tatsuya could have killed Shinnosuke... Though he has a unique approach, he can't be that daring, can he?"
Homura had quickly caught onto the thoughts of a friend he'd known for nearly fifty years. He guessed that she was entertaining the idea.
But he deemed it highly unlikely.
Tatsuya had a distinctly different modus operandi from the naive Sakumo.
He was sharp, ruthless, and cunning, embodying all the traits that described their generation of elders. Although they wouldn't admit it to themselves, they saw a reflection of their own values in him. Perhaps he could be compared to those shinobi from the Sengoku era.
"Why doubt it without any evidence? How did Shinnosuke die? Are you relying solely on that kid's testimony?" Utatane Koharu coldly stated.
She held a deep resentment for Tatsuya. Her animosity stemmed not from any particular reason other than the fact that he couldn't be manipulated to serve the elders' agenda. In their eyes, any prodigy who didn't serve their interests had no value.
"Danzo, what are your thoughts?"
Hiruzen turned to Danzo, who was best known among them for his manipulation and scheming.
Danzo showed little concern for the circumstances of Sarutobi Shinnosuke's death. In his estimation, Shinnosuke's qualifications were mediocre, rendering him unfit for Hokage.
Whether he lived or died was of little consequence to Danzo.
If not for the fact that he was Sarutobi Hiruzen's son, would he have even merited a second thought?
Danzo pondered for a few seconds before speaking:
"Jiraiya also participated in the assassination of Kazekage. We should inquire with him."
...
...
Having left the administrative building, Jiraiya made his way to the outskirts of Konoha. He arrived at the farm hut where Tatsuya resided, knocking on the door. Receiving no response, Jiraiya furrowed his brows in confusion and muttered to himself.
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