"Naruto: Ice God"Chapter 159: The Fall of the Fujiwara Clan
Land of Fire, North Central Town. The residence of the noble Fujiwara family.
Fujiwara Kōya, the family head, had lost all his former composure. He cowered beneath the table, clutching his mouth tightly, forcing himself not to make any sound.
"Insolent ninja! This is the territory of the noble Fujiwara clan—how dare you!"
In the courtyard, a plainly dressed middle-aged samurai gripped his sword with both hands, watching helplessly as two of his subordinates were strangled to death by the figure before him.
"What does it matter if you're nobles? As long as there's money to be made, I'd even kill a daimyo." Having disposed of the two minor lackeys, Kakuzu rolled his shoulders, finally taking time to examine the middle-aged man before him.
"You are..." Kakuzu narrowed his eyes, seeming to recognize the man's identity.
"How unusual. I thought you couldn't recognize worthless heads. Do samurai actually appear in bounty offices too?"
Casually eliminating two wandering ninja hired by the Fujiwara family, Yakura appeared beside the man.
"Of course, but this one isn't an ordinary samurai. Imagawa Nobunari—over a decade ago, he beat me to a bounty worth fifteen million ryo. I've been waiting for the right moment to collect on that debt."
Kakuzu spoke with sinister intent.
"What do you mean?" Imagawa Nobunari didn't understand Kakuzu's words and asked with a serious expression.
Kakuzu didn't answer his question. His figure vanished instantly, then reappeared before Imagawa Nobunari.
Such fast Body Flicker Technique.
Imagawa Nobunari didn't hesitate and swung his blade.
...
The next day, Konohagakure.
Looking out the window at his own face being carved into the Hokage Rock, Sakumo's tense expression finally relaxed, and his eyes showed a hint of satisfaction.
Rasa's attempt to establish dominance in Sunagakure had failed, but by a twist of fate, it brought tremendous prestige to Sakumo.
The daimyo's office sent a letter expressing praise for Sakumo and increased Konoha's military budget for the year.
Kumogakure's minor schemes were all within controllable limits, and the children could finally bid farewell to the brutal battlefield.
Overlooking the newly prosperous streets of Konoha from his office window, Sakumo only wanted to utter that profound saying: "What a scene of thriving vitality, with all things competing to flourish."
"Lord Fourth!"
Minato suddenly appeared in the office using Body Flicker Technique.
Having been Hokage for some time, Sakumo had grown accustomed to his subordinates' habit of not knocking.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: Mm-hmm, exactly right.
"What is it, Minato?" Seeing Minato's serious expression, Sakumo smiled, signaling him not to panic.
He was very satisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi's recommendation for the ANBU leader, and the two got along well during their leisure conversations.
He had to admit, this blond man before him was truly suited to be Hokage.
"Lord Fourth, the daimyo's envoy has arrived."
"I know. They're here to discuss increasing military funding, right? I've already asked Advisor Koharu to handle the reception."
Sakumo reached for the relevant documents.
"No, they're here to hold us accountable for the destruction of the Fujiwara clan." Minato's words made Sakumo's outstretched hand freeze mid-motion.
"What?"
Half an hour later, after finishing discussions with the daimyo's envoy, Sakumo returned to his office with a grave expression.
"How did it go, Lord Fourth?" Minato was somewhat worried—the envoy who came to question them had looked quite fierce.
"It's manageable." Sakumo waved his hand, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.
After a moment, he finally spoke: "Minato, please go to the archives and check all the noble death investigation requests personally commissioned by the daimyo's office in recent years."
"Yes." With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato acted swiftly, delivering the documents Sakumo needed that very evening.
After spending the entire night reviewing the contents, Sakumo quickly discovered the suspicious elements within.
These requests had undoubtedly all been handled personally by the Third Hokage—after all, they bore that Hokage's signature.
Hiruzen Sarutobi still came to the Hokage building daily, but now handled affairs in his capacity as advisor.
Therefore, Sakumo quickly found him in the room designated for Hiruzen.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's complexion hadn't deteriorated from his previous battlefield poisoning; in fact, after stepping down as Hokage and leaving behind numerous worries, he looked even more robust than before.
"Is there something you need, Sakumo?" Hiruzen, who was concentrating on practicing calligraphy at his desk, wasn't surprised to see Sakumo arrive.
This was precisely why he remained as advisor—to help Sakumo quickly familiarize himself with Hokage duties.
"Lord Third, please review these documents."
Handing over what he had collected, Sakumo kept his eyes fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression.
"What is this..." Seeing the contents clearly, Hiruzen Sarutobi's brow twitched, and he had already guessed the purpose of Sakumo's visit today.
Especially when he saw that only one infant from the Fujiwara family had survived, he gripped his brush even tighter.
Although he got the answer he wanted from Hiruzen's expression, Sakumo wisely remained silent, simply standing in place waiting for Hiruzen's guidance.
"Where there is light, there is darkness. Without either side, the world cannot maintain normal operation."
Hiruzen's expression grew sorrowful: "Even a Hokage has things they cannot know. Sakumo, these are matters I never told you about."
The answer was clear.
"But why? As ninja, isn't our duty to protect the villagers, protect our comrades, protect the daimyo?" Sakumo couldn't understand. The Hatake family's principles made him unable to comprehend what was happening before him.
"You're wrong, Sakumo. From beginning to end, we've protected only one target." Hiruzen refuted Sakumo's statement: "That is Konohagakure beneath our feet. This is the spirit passed down since the First Hokage's time."
"Whether it's friends, brothers, or even one's own flesh and blood—I will not spare anyone who becomes an enemy of the village."
"These are words the First Hokage once spoke."
Hiruzen Sarutobi grew serious, attempting to dispel the trouble these documents had brought him.
"Leave this matter to me, Sakumo. If your heart cannot be as strong as the Second Hokage's, then you need someone who can shoulder everything for you."
After saying this, Hiruzen put away his calligraphy, picked up the documents Sakumo had brought, and walked straight out of the room, leaving only Sakumo to reflect on their conversation.
At this moment, Root was in a state of dormancy.
With the Fourth Hokage's succession, Danzo's position naturally became that of advisor.
Aside from maintaining some necessary intelligence gathering work, Danzo's daily tasks were reduced to training Asuma and Yamato.
However, due to Yamato's special status, Danzo usually only appeared to guide his training when no outsiders were present.
🔥 Want to read the next 50+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]