After all, the three clans of Ino–Shika–Chō had always been loyal to the Hokage faction, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had a good amount of trust in them.
But after seeing the people who came in with Nara Shikaku, Sarutobi Hiruzen's smile froze.
Representatives of the three great clans, the Inuzuka clan, the Aburame clan, the Gekkō clan and other ninja clans… as well as the two great dōjutsu families of Konoha, the Hyūga clan and the Uchiha clan, had all arrived—and the ones who came were all their clan heads.
"You guys are…?"
The Third Hokage was a little confused. What was this situation? Why were so many clan leaders coming to see him today, all at once?
At the same time, a bad premonition rose in his heart.
On the side, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, who had been dozing off, glanced at each other, quietly took a few steps back, and stood near the wall.
Don't be fooled by how arrogant they usually acted—
they were very good at judging the situation and knowing when to stay out of the line of fire.
Civilian ninja, they didn't care about.
A few individual jōnin, even bloodline shinobi here and there, they didn't care about.
But the ones gathered here now… it could be said that all of Konoha's major clan heads were present.
With everyone here united, even Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage, had to take them seriously.
"In the end…"
The Third Hokage was still dazed. He completely didn't understand what was going on.
At this time, as the one standing at the front of the group, Nara Shikaku stepped forward, formed a hand seal, and looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen calmly.
This indifferent, steady attitude made the Third Hokage's heart sink a little.
"Hokage-sama," Shikaku said, "it's already been a few months since the end of the Third Great Ninja War. I wonder… have you considered when you will abdicate?"
"…"
The Third Hokage's eyes widened on the spot.
They were here… to force him to step down.
Koharu and Homura's eyes flickered for a moment at this, but they didn't speak. They simply remained standing silently to the side, watching the situation play out.
"Shikaku! I—"
Sarutobi tried to reprimand him in the tone of the Hokage.
But Nara Shikaku didn't care in the slightest. He maintained his usual calm tone and continued,
"Third Hokage-sama, as the one who holds the village in his palm, you have failed in virtue. During the war, you misjudged the situation with Kirigakure and declared war. You sent Namikaze Minato to the Kumogakure battlefield… and as a result, thousands of Konoha ninja died tragic deaths."
Shikaku spoke at length, and the Third Hokage's face grew darker and darker.
In the end, Sarutobi slammed his hand angrily on the desk.
"Enough!"
What Nara Shikaku said was simple to understand—and all of it was fact. That was exactly why Sarutobi Hiruzen was so furious.
"To say I have no virtue to lead the village…"
For the Third Hokage, who had always prided himself on doing everything "for Konoha's sake," how could he endure hearing that?
The Third Hokage's anger was something Shikaku had already expected and didn't care about at all.
So what if you are the Hokage? Shikaku thought calmly. Do you really think I have no one behind me?
Thinking of Shiki's strength, Nara Shikaku felt completely at ease.
"Hokage-sama," he said, "the Nara clan requests that you abdicate your position."
"Nara Shikaku!! You're being far too presumptuous! You—!"
The Third Hokage's anger boiled over. The benevolent mask he had worn for so many years cracked.
His greed for power made him completely unwilling to step down before he could choose a suitable puppet Hokage.
In his heart, this power was his, this village was his, and he absolutely refused to hand it over to anyone else.
However, before he could finish his furious words, the other clan heads around him began to declare their stance one after another.
"The Akimichi clan… requests that Hokage-sama abdicate!"
"The Yamanaka clan requests that Hokage-sama abdicate!"
"The Inuzuka clan requests that Hokage-sama abdicate!"
"The Aburame clan requests that Hokage-sama abdicate!"
"…"
Voices calling for the Hokage to abdicate rang out one after another.
These were all the clan leaders of Konoha.
The Third Hokage's old face slowly shifted from anger… to a frightened, pale expression.
What do I do? What do I do?!
Now, Sarutobi Hiruzen was in full panic.
So many clans joining forces to force the Hokage to abdicate—this was no joke.
If there had been no reason at all, that would be one thing. The Third Hokage might still have been able to stand firm.
But he wasn't without fault.
The mistakes he had made during the war were already enough to force Sarutobi Hiruzen from his position. That was the very reason he was so panicked now.
For a moment, the Third Hokage's gaze could only land on the two people who had yet to speak—Uchiha Fugaku and Hyūga Hiashi.
These two were the heads of the Uchiha and Hyūga clans.
If Konoha's two great dōjutsu families supported Sarutobi Hiruzen, then things might still be salvageable.
Unfortunately for him, that hope was quickly shattered.
Hyūga Hiashi and Uchiha Fugaku glanced at each other, then turned their heads toward Sarutobi Hiruzen and spoke in unison:
"I, as the head of the Hyūga clan, request that Hokage-sama abdicate."
"I, as the head of the Uchiha clan, request that Hokage-sama abdicate the throne."
"…"
It's over.
At this moment, there was only that one thought in Sarutobi Hiruzen's mind.
He was finished. All the clans had united.
Looking at Nara Shikaku standing at the front of the group, the Third Hokage resembled a cornered beast, his eyes filled with killing intent.
If not for the sheer number of people present, he would have already made a move.
"The position of Hokage was entrusted to me by the Second Hokage-sama!"
His tone grew low and heavy. Even now, Sarutobi still wanted to fight for his right to remain in office.
"Without a decision from the daimyō's mansion, my position as Hokage will absolutely not be taken away!"
It was almost laughable.
In other villages, the daimyō's authority was great, but the relationship with the hidden village was still one of mutual benefit—the daimyō provided funding, the village provided military strength, and they complemented each other.
But in the Land of Fire… things were different.
Because of the Third Hokage's incompetence, the daimyō of the Land of Fire even had the power to recall or elect the Hokage.
Back when the Second Hokage was in power, the daimyō's mansion wouldn't have even dreamed of acting like this.
A single Flying Thunder God slash would have been enough to remind them of their place.
But now, nothing could be undone. Sarutobi's weakness had dragged things to this point, and the daimyō of the Land of Fire had begun to openly look down on Konoha.
"Hmph…"
Nara Shikaku laughed softly. By this point, he couldn't help but admire Shiki's foresight.
"Hm?"
The amusement in Shikaku's eyes made the bad feeling in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart grow even stronger.
Sure enough, at that moment, yet another person stepped into the Hokage's office.
"Orochimaru!"
The Third Hokage was startled. The newcomer was none other than Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin.
"Great! Orochimaru—"
This was his own student. He must have come to help him, right?
Before the Third Hokage could finish his delighted words, Orochimaru pulled out a scroll.
On that scroll was the distinctive seal of the daimyō's mansion.
Seeing the stunned look on Sarutobi's face, Orochimaru smiled playfully and held the scroll up in front of his former teacher's eyes.
"Sarutobi-sensei," he said slowly, "you should know exactly who sent this scroll."
"Da…imyō… man…sion…"
The Third Hokage squeezed the words out one by one, his eyes staring at Orochimaru with a hint of threat.
Orochimaru acted as if he didn't see it at all. He completely ignored Sarutobi's attempt at intimidation and leisurely unrolled the scroll.
"The order from the daimyō's side has arrived," Orochimaru said. "I'm sorry, Sarutobi-sensei… but you really can't sit in the Hokage's seat any longer."
As early as before, Shiki had already known—
the Third Hokage would never obediently step down on his own.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.