"I don't think I need to give either of you an answer."
Toyoma looked at Fugaku and Homura.
His expression remained calm.
Almost indifferent.
The attitude alone made both men's expressions darken.
Toyoma didn't stop.
"But since neither of you seems willing to close that stinking hole, which you call mouth..."
Several people winced.
Even Jiraiya rubbed his forehead.
"...I'll explain it one last time."
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
Toyoma slowly turned his head.
His gaze landed on a particular group standing among the crowd.
The Hyuga.
More specifically—
Hiashi and Hizashi.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"The first thing both of you seem to misunderstand..."
He pointed toward the Hyuga.
"...is that Konoha has never had complete authority over how clans operate."
The crowd became quieter.
Several clan heads narrowed their eyes.
Toyoma continued.
"The perfect example is standing right there."
The moment his finger pointed at the Hyuga—
Many people's expressions changed.
Hiashi immediately frowned.
"The Hyuga Clan."
Toyoma's smile widened slightly.
"A clan where the practice of placing slave marks on family members is considered normal."
The square instantly became silent.
Then—
"Uchiha brat!"
Hiashi stepped forward.
His face was dark with anger.
"That is not a slave mark."
His voice echoed across the area.
"And you are in no position to comment on Hyuga affairs."
Toyoma looked at him.
Then laughed.
A short laugh.
One completely lacking respect.
"What else should I call it?"
His voice remained calm.
"A seal that controls a person's life and death."
"A seal that punishes them for slight disobedience."
"A seal they never had a choice in receiving."
He tilted his head slightly.
"If that's not a slave mark..."
The mocking smile returned.
"...then perhaps the Hyuga have invented a new definition of freedom."
Several civilians immediately lowered their heads.
A few clan heads looked away.
Even some shinobi appeared uncomfortable.
Hiashi's face became even darker.
But before he could speak—
Toyoma had already turned away.
As if he wasn't worth arguing with.
His gaze returned to Fugaku.
The atmosphere immediately changed.
The smile disappeared.
"So, let's talk about you."
Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
Toyoma looked directly at him.
"You keep talking about being Clan Head."
"You keep talking about authority."
His voice gradually grew colder.
"But tell me something."
The crowd unconsciously became quieter.
"Who made you Clan Head?"
Fugaku frowned.
"The Uchiha Clan."
Toyoma nodded.
"Exactly."
Then he took a step forward.
"The clan chose you."
"The clan follows you."
"The clan acknowledges you."
A brief pause followed.
Then—
"What happens if they stop?"
Silence.
Several Uchiha visibly stiffened.
Toyoma's eyes never left Fugaku.
"If we don't follow your orders..."
"If we don't recognise your authority..."
"If we don't consider you our Clan Head..."
His voice echoed throughout the square.
"Then what exactly are you?"
For the first time—
A hint of pressure appeared on Fugaku's face.
Because, unlike attacks against Konoha—
This question was aimed directly at him.
And it struck at the foundation of his authority itself.
Toyoma looked at Fugaku.
For the first time since the discussion began—
The Clan Head seemed unable to answer immediately.
A faint chuckle escaped Toyoma's mouth.
Not mocking.
Not triumphant.
Almost as if he had expected this reaction from the beginning.
Then he continued.
"Although..."
His gaze swept across the crowd.
"...this isn't just your problem."
Several people frowned.
Toyoma slowly turned his head.
His eyes passed over Hiruzen.
Then Jiraiya.
Then the surrounding clan heads.
"It is the problem of many people who carry the title of leader."
The atmosphere immediately became quieter.
Because everyone understood he was no longer speaking only about Fugaku.
Toyoma's voice remained calm.
"But people like you often make the same mistake."
His eyes stopped on Hiruzen.
"When you become leaders..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...you slowly start believing you own the people who follow you."
The smile disappeared.
"You begin thinking your words are law."
"That your decisions are wisdom."
"That your orders should be obeyed without question."
Several clan heads visibly stiffened.
Even Jiraiya frowned.
Toyoma continued.
"But what many leaders forget..."
He paused.
Allowing the silence to spread.
"...is that nobody follows them because they are leaders."
The crowd immediately became still.
People unconsciously found themselves listening.
Toyoma pointed toward Fugaku.
"People follow a leader because they believe in him."
Then toward Hiruzen.
"Because they believe in his ideals."
Then toward the surrounding clan heads.
"Because they trust his judgment."
His voice gradually became colder.
"A leader exists because people choose to follow."
The words echoed through the square.
"And the moment those people stop believing..."
"The moment they stop trusting..."
"The moment they stop following..."
Silence.
Toyoma looked directly at Fugaku.
"That leader loses his position from that very moment."
No one spoke.
Because everyone understood the implication.
Toyoma wasn't merely questioning Fugaku's authority.
He was questioning the very foundation of authority.
Toyoma's words lingered over the square.
One by one, people's gazes drifted toward Hiruzen and the two elders.
What he had said wasn't directed at Fugaku alone.
It applied to the Hokage as well.
Hiruzen felt the shift immediately.
The weight of countless eyes settled on him from every direction. Beside him, Homura and Koharu stiffened as they felt it too.
For a fleeting moment, an uncomfortable chill crawled down all three of their spines.
Hiruzen drew in a slow breath.
"You are right," he said at last. "The people choose their leader, and no leader should ever forget that."
He paused, choosing his next words carefully.
"But that isn't what we're discussing here. What you're doing affects Konoha's strength on a scale we cannot ignore."
His gaze remained steady.
"And when the future of the village is at stake, some rules may need to be bent for the greater good."
Toyoma regarded him in silence.
"So, you want to pressure us."
"No, I mea—"
Hiruzen barely began before Toyoma cut him off.
"No, you don't need to explain it."
His tone remained calm.
That only made it more dangerous.
"Don't think I don't understand what you're doing."
A faint crease appeared between Hiruzen's brows.
Toyoma continued before he could respond.
"I understand exactly what you're trying to do."
The square grew quieter.
Then Toyoma tilted his head slightly.
"What I don't understand is how you want to turn Konoha Village into Sarutobi Village."
A ripple spread through the crowd.
Several shinobi exchanged startled looks.
Others turned toward Hiruzen instinctively.
"You're crossing a line," Hiruzen said, his expression darkening.
Toyoma raised a hand.
"Stop."
The word wasn't loud.
Yet it cut through the square like a blade.
The murmurs vanished.
"If you truly intend to fight us for resources we built with our own hands, then remember this."
He stepped forward.
The movement was small.
The impact wasn't.
"From that moment onward, Konoha will be nothing more than a thorn beside the Daimyo."
His eyes locked onto Hiruzen's.
"Because today you're trying to pressure us to satisfy your insatiable greed."
A sharp breath escaped somewhere in the crowd.
The atmosphere turned heavy.
Oppressive.
Hiruzen's jaw tightened.
"Who knows..."
Toyoma's voice carried across the silent square.
"Tomorrow you may decide to assassinate the Daimyo and take his place yourself."
Everything stopped.
The crowd froze.
No whispers.
No movement.
For the first time, genuine shock flickered across Hiruzen's face.
Homura and Koharu felt their hearts lurch.
The accusation was terrifying
"Sarutobi Hiruzen."
Toyoma's gaze never left him.
"You have already taken more than enough that you can handle."
His voice grew colder.
"From the remnants of clans that no longer exist."
"From the inheritance left behind by the Senju."
"To the legacy of the Uzumaki."
Each sentence landed harder than the last.
Then he took another step forward.
Almost instantly, several ANBU appeared between him and the Hokage.
The sudden movement sent a wave of tension through the crowd.
Some civilians instinctively retreated.
Toyoma didn't even spare the ANBU a glance.
"If you cannot control your hunger for power..."
His voice softened.
The calmness in it was far more frightening than anger.
"...of your position, which you are obsessed with, and Konoha won't be the only thing you lose."
For the first time, a trace of killing intent surfaced in his eyes.
"It will be your entire clan."
Silence followed.
A deep, suffocating silence.
Hiruzen stood motionless.
Jiraiya's expression had turned grave.
Koharu and Homura looked visibly shaken.
Even Tsunade stared at Toyoma, unable to hide her disbelief.
Fugaku himself was stunned.
Toyoma had just threatened the Third Hokage in front of the entire village.
Under normal circumstances, the crowd would have exploded in outrage.
Yet nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Because of the accusation he made earlier.
Assassinate the Daimyo.
That single sentence had changed the battlefield.
If Hiruzen—or anyone else—moved against the Uchiha now...
If they attempted to suppress them by force...
Then, in the eyes of many watching, they would no longer be acting against a clan.
They would be acting against the authority of the Daimyo himself.
And that was a line few people in the Konoha were not willing to cross.
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