NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: Report
Inside the Hokage's office, Kakashi gave a truthful report on what he had seen in the Konoha Military Police Force. However, when it came to the matter of White Fang, he hesitated for a moment and ultimately decided to withhold that part.
After listening to Kakashi's report, Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Yamato and then let out a long sigh.
"Child, what is your name?" Hiruzen asked.
The other party remained silent, but Hiruzen was not offended. He stepped forward and personally untied the restraints binding him.
"You don't have a name? Then, from now on, you shall be called Yamato." Hiruzen declared.
"The past is the past. Danzo is dead. From now on, live your life well as a ninja of the Konoha."
Hearing this, the other party was stunned for a moment while looking at the very person whom Danzo had once ordered him to assassinate years ago.
"Since you possess the first Hokage's Wood Style, then you should also inherit his will to protect the village."
Hiruzen said while looking at the other party.
The boy, now named Yamato, trembled slightly as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he remained silent, merely glancing at the third Hokage before turning to Kakashi.
"Kakashi, take care of this child from now on."
Hiruzen instructed.
"Understood." Kakashi nodded and then led Yamato out of the Hokage's office.
After they left, Hiruzen returned to his seat and lit his pipe.
Kuragami Uchiha's unexpected decision to return the Wood Style user had caught him off guard. After all, this was Wood Style; if the Uchiha truly intended to rebel, why would they willingly hand over such a valuable person?
Could it be that Kuragami was truly a loyal Uchiha who cared for the village?
Hiruzen found himself pondering this question throughout the night.
... ... ...
The next morning, Kuragami Uchiha arrived at the Hokage's office, bringing along Foo Yamanaka, who had now become a mindless shell of his former self.
By the time he arrived, the office was already packed. In addition to the two advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, Shikaku Nara, who had recently been officially appointed as a Hokage's assistant following Danzo's death, stood beside Hiruzen.
Seeing this lineup, Kuragami Uchiha smirked slightly. Clearly, under the pressure of Kotoamatsukami, Sarutobi no longer dared to meet him alone. However, Kuragami didn't mind this at all; this grand display suited him just fine.
"Hokage-sama, vice-captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, Kuragami Uchiha, reporting in."
Kuragami said with a bow.
"Kuragami, you're here." Hiruzen nodded with a seemingly kind smile.
Before Hiruzen could continue, Homura Mitokado suddenly snapped: "Kuragami Uchiha! You've used the investigation as a pretense to eliminate dissent and frame innocent people. How do you explain yourself?!"
Kuragami cast a disdainful glance at him. These two old relics only held power because of their seniority; he had never taken them seriously.
"Is that what you believe as well, Hokage-sama?" Kuragami asked while turning to Hiruzen.
"Kuragami, the methods of the Uchiha have been... a bit excessive."
Hiruzen replied, choosing not to outright confirm the accusation but still attempting to reprimand him.
"When dealing with cancer like Danzo and his faction, should we be using soft methods? No! The only answer is to strike with overwhelming force!"
Kuragami said coldly. "In these past few days alone, the crimes we've uncovered have been horrifying!"
With that, he took out a document he had written overnight detailing Danzo's criminal activities and placed it on Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk.
"Danzo, in his pursuit of our clan's Kekkei Genkai, deliberately caused the deaths of at least fourteen Uchiha ninjas on record during the Third Shinobi World War!" Kuragami declared.
"That's not even the worst of it; despite Hokage-sama's explicit ban on human experimentation, Danzo colluded with the rebel ninja Orochimaru and kidnapped orphans from the village for experimentation. Some of the victims were as young as two years old!"
"Are you two advisors really planning to shield a monster like that?"
Kuragami turned his sharp gaze to Homura and Koharu. "Do you think this aligns with the will of fire? Do you think this aligns with the first Hokage's vision of protecting the children from the horrors of war?"
"You—!" Koharu was furious, but the accusation was simply too damning, so much so that even she found herself unable to refute it.
"Kuragami, calm down. They did not know the full extent of Danzo's actions." Hiruzen sighed, attempting to defend his old friends, and then he picked up the crime report.
As he read through the list of Danzo's atrocities, even though he had known some of the details, the sheer scope of it left him speechless. Danzo had been far more reckless than he had imagined.
"All of these crimes were confessed by Danzo's key subordinate, Foo Yamanaka before his mind was shattered."
Kuragami said, dragging the drooling, unresponsive Foo Yamanaka forward and tossing him onto the ground.
At the mention of the name, Shikaku Nara, who had been silent up until now, visibly tensed and looked toward Kuragami. Their eyes met, and he immediately understood.
Kuragami's faint smirk carried an undeniable message.
This was the Uchiha's counterattack, their warning to the Yamanaka-Nara-Akimichi clans.
Shikaku sighed deeply. He knew that at this stage, there was no room for him to interfere. The struggle between the village leadership and the Uchiha had escalated beyond what his clan could handle. If they misstepped, it would mean utter destruction for the Yamanaka-Nara-Akimichi alliance.
"Hokage-sama."
Kuragami continued: "To prevent such incidents from happening again, I request that the Hokage assign a few Anbu interrogation specialists to assist in our investigations. After all, the Konoha Military Police Force lacks the expertise to properly interrogate ninjas."
Hiruzen considered this for a moment before nodding. "I will send personnel to assist."
"Many thanks, Hokage-sama."
Kuragami said, with his eyes gleaming.
Hiruzen likely intended to send Anbu to keep an eye on the Uchiha, but Kuragami didn't mind at all. Whether those Anbu would actually be able to accomplish their mission... Well, that depended entirely on his own plans.
As Hiruzen flipped to the final section of the crime report, his eyes landed on the part about the White Fang incident.
"Kuragami, this..."