The crowd became completely silent.
For a brief moment—
Nobody knew how to react.
Several clan heads stared at Toyoma and Suki with stunned expressions.
Even some of the returning shinobi looked at them as if they had misheard something.
'Did they really just say that?'
The thought appeared in more than one person's mind.
Nearby—
Homura's eyelid twitched slightly.
Even he found it difficult to believe what he had just heard.
Meanwhile—
Fugaku quietly looked at Toyoma.
A headache immediately started forming.
'Did this boy really have to open his mouth now?'
At this point—
He wasn't even surprised anymore.
After everything that had happened during the war—
Toyoma, causing trouble, had practically become routine.
Still—
This was perhaps the worst possible timing.
Then suddenly—
Koharu stepped forward.
The anger on her face was no longer hidden.
"Watch your tone, boy."
Her voice carried visible irritation.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
Several people immediately became nervous.
Meanwhile—
Toyoma looked at her.
Then a confused expression slowly appeared on his face.
"What the—"
He took half a step backwards.
A trace of fear appeared on his face.
"Old lady..."
Toyoma pointed toward her face.
"Have you gone senile already?"
The crowd froze.
Toyoma placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"You suddenly scared me."
His expression became unusually serious.
"What happened to your face?"
For a brief moment—
Even several shinobi forgot the tension and almost laughed.
Koharu's face instantly turned red.
"You—!"
Her finger pointed directly at Toyoma.
"You insolent brat—!"
But before she could continue—
Homura immediately stepped forward.
His hand landed on her shoulder.
A little firmly.
"Koharu."
His voice remained calm.
The meaning was obvious.
Not here.
Not now.
Koharu's expression darkened.
But she eventually stopped speaking.
Then Homura slowly looked toward Toyoma.
"This occasion is not the place for such matters."
His voice carried authority.
The villagers gradually quieted again.
"Families are meeting loved ones they have not seen for years."
His gaze moved across the crowd.
"Children are seeing their parents return."
"Parents are welcoming their sons home."
"And many families are mourning those who never came back."
The atmosphere immediately became heavier.
Several villagers lowered their heads.
Homura continued calmly.
"Whatever grievances the Uchiha may have..."
His eyes settled on Toyoma.
"...this is not the time to discuss them."
Nearby—
Jiraiya slowly nodded.
Even Fugaku quietly agreed.
Several clan heads showed similar expressions.
"He's right."
One returning shinobi spoke.
"We just came back from war."
A civilian shinobi nearby nodded.
"Please don't ruin this moment."
Then Nara Shikaku stepped forward.
His expression remained calm as always.
"If there are complaints..."
His eyes moved toward Toyoma.
"...they can be discussed later."
Several people immediately voiced their agreement.
The crowd slowly began calming down again.
Then finally—
The Third Hokage spoke.
His voice remained gentle.
"Homura is correct."
The villagers turned toward him.
"If the Uchiha carry grievances..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...the village will listen."
Several people visibly relaxed.
Hiruzen slowly looked toward Toyoma.
"Do not worry."
His voice remained calm.
"Konoha will not wrong its own people."
The village entrance gradually became quiet once again.
And countless eyes turned toward Toyoma.
Waiting to see what he would say next.
Meanwhile—
Toyoma looked toward Hiruzen with a genuinely confused expression.
"Have all of you old people gone senile together?"
The sudden question stunned everyone.
Toyoma spread his hands slightly.
"What exactly did I say about any of you?"
The crowd immediately became confused.
Several shinobi exchanged looks.
Hadn't he just insulted them?
Then one shinobi finally spoke up.
"Didn't you just say something about... gripping an a—"
Before he could finish—
The teammate standing beside him instantly grabbed his shoulder.
Hard.
The shinobi froze.
He slowly turned his head.
Only to find several people staring at him as if he had already signed his own death warrant.
The colour immediately drained from his face.
His mouth snapped shut.
'What was I even about to say...?'
Cold sweat slowly formed on his forehead.
Meanwhile—
Toyoma suddenly slapped his hands together.
Realisation appeared on his face.
"Oh!"
He pointed toward the crowd.
"So that's what all of you were talking about?"
The crowd stared at him.
Then Toyoma looked toward Koharu.
A confused expression appeared on his face once again.
"But how is that connected to you people?"
The vein on Koharu's forehead immediately bulged.
"You insolent brat!"
She pointed directly at him.
"How dare you say something so shameless about the Hokage?!"
The moment those words left her mouth—
Toyoma's expression changed.
"What the hell, old lady?!"
He took half a step back.
"When did I say that was about the Hokage?"
The crowd became even more confused.
Toyoma hurriedly pointed toward Hiruzen.
"The Hokage's a*s is going to leave that seat soon anyway—"
The moment those words left his mouth—
Silence.
Complete silence.
Hiruzen's smile twitched.
Homura closed his eyes.
Koharu looked ready to explode.
Meanwhile—
Several Uchiha immediately lowered their heads.
Not out of shame.
To hide their laughter.
Setsuna's shoulders were already shaking.
Suki bit her lip hard enough to nearly draw blood.
Then Toyoma suddenly froze.
Realising what he had just said.
"No."
He quickly raised both hands.
"I mean, I was talking about the Hokage."
That only made things worse.
Several people immediately covered their faces.
Toyoma hurriedly tried again.
"No, no."
He pointed elsewhere.
"I mean, I was talking about the Hokage's a*s."
The moment those words came out—
The Hawk faction completely lost control.
Several low snorts escaped.
Others immediately grabbed their stomachs.
One poor Uchiha nearly choked as he tried to suppress his laughter.
Meanwhile—
Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura all looked one step away from committing murder.
Finally—
Toyoma let out a frustrated sigh.
"I was talking about a noble from the Land of Fire."
The crowd blinked.
The atmosphere abruptly shifted.
Toyoma's expression became serious.
"That bastard holds an important position."
His gaze slowly swept across the crowd.
"He placed his own son in charge of several businesses connected to us."
The amusement gradually disappeared.
"But that son was nothing more than a rat living in a gutter."
Toyoma's voice turned colder.
"He made mistakes."
"Lost resources."
"And when things started falling apart..."
His eyes narrowed.
"...he murdered his own subordinates to hide what happened."
"After everything the Uchiha have done for the Land of Fire..."
Toyoma's expression darkened slightly.
"After all the businesses we helped create..."
He let out a cold snort.
"...that bastard still tried to abuse his position for personal gain."
His eyes narrowed.
"So tell me."
Toyoma slowly looked around at the crowd.
"Do I not have the right to be angry about that?"
The crowd became quiet.
Then Toyoma slowly looked toward Hiruzen and the elders.
"Now tell me..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Which one of you thought I was talking about the Hokage?"
A brief silence spread through the crowd.
Many civilians frowned slightly.
Several shinobi exchanged glances.
Because for a moment—
Toyoma's complaint sounded familiar.
Far too familiar.
Meanwhile—
The heads of several large and medium-sized clans quietly understood the hidden meaning behind his words.
Nara Shikaku's eyes narrowed slightly.
'This boy is becoming far more dangerous with his words.'
He wasn't directly accusing anyone.
Yet somehow—
Everyone knew exactly who he was talking about.
Nearby—
Setsuna's lips curled upward.
The more chaotic this became—
The more interested he was.
On the other side—
Hiruzen, Homura, and Koharu remained expressionless.
Unlike the crowd—
They understood perfectly well what Toyoma was doing.
He was playing with words.
Creating connections without making accusations.
Forcing others to think for themselves.
Finally—
Homura stepped forward.
His aged voice remained calm.
"Many people have sacrificed for Konoha."
The crowd slowly turned toward him.
"Not only the Uchiha."
His gaze settled on Toyoma.
"We acknowledge the sacrifices made by your clan."
His voice remained steady.
"And we are grateful for them."
Several villagers nodded.
Many shinobi listened carefully.
But Homura continued.
"However..."
His expression hardened slightly.
"If you believe the Uchiha's sacrifices are somehow greater than everyone else's..."
He slowly shook his head.
"...then you are mistaken."
The atmosphere became quieter.
"No sacrifice is greater."
"No sacrifice is lesser."
His voice echoed throughout the entrance.
"The civilian-born shinobi who died protecting his comrades."
"The clan shinobi who gave his life on the battlefield."
"The medic who never returned."
"The genin who died carrying information."
For the first time—
A trace of emotion appeared in Homura's voice.
"All of them gave everything they had for Konoha."
Several grieving families lowered their heads.
Some villagers wiped their eyes.
Homura looked toward the gathered crowd.
"So do not divide the dead."
His voice became firmer.
"Do not measure one sacrifice against another."
"Because every shinobi who fought for this village paid the same price."
For a brief moment—
Many people nodded in agreement.
Even several clan heads silently approved of his words.
Then Homura looked back at Toyoma.
His eyes calm.
"But if every clan starts claiming their losses matter more than everyone else's..."
The atmosphere tightened.
"...then there will be no village left to protect."
The village entrance became silent.
Many people had nodded at Homura's words.
Even several clan heads quietly agreed.
For a moment—
It seemed as though the discussion had finally ended.
Then—
Toyoma looked toward Homura.
His expression remained calm.
Almost thoughtful.
As if he had only just remembered something important.
The cold wind quietly passed through the village gate.
Then he spoke.
"Willing to fight..."
He paused briefly.
"...and being forced to fight..."
His eyes slowly met Homura's.
"...are two very different things, don't you think, Elder?"
Silence.
Complete silence.
The smiles on many faces disappeared.
Several clan heads immediately narrowed their eyes.
Even Homura froze for a moment.
Because everyone understood what that question implied.
And for the first time since the argument began—
The discussion was no longer about sacrifice.
It was about who had chosen it.
And who had been given no choice at all.
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P@treon - Hear_tteeth [18 +]
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