Chapter 147: Wait, Why Are You All Looking At Me?
"No objections." Danzo's face was overcast, but he nodded nonetheless.
He had expected something like this, yet he was still taken aback by Sarutobi Hiruzen's decisiveness. The Hiruzen of the past had never been this resolute. It seemed the disappearance of an entire clan had placed immense psychological pressure even on the usually steady Hiruzen. He was clearly terrified that this would cause a catastrophic impact on Konoha.
This time, Danzo was here to serve as the scapegoat. Combined with the tolerance Hiruzen usually showed him reaching its limit, he was being "cleaned up" in the process. The other two advisors also nodded, feeling that this was an appropriate way to handle it. Danzo had indeed been too extremist lately and needed time to settle down.
With Hiruzen successfully shifting the blame to Danzo and kicking him out of the power center, the subordinates present felt quite satisfied. However, the issues that needed solving remained.
"So, next is the matter of Konoha's security. From this Uchiha incident, we can see that the protection of the village's Sensory Division is insufficient. What are everyone's thoughts?" Hiruzen addressed all the high-ranking officials in the room.
As soon as he spoke, the group discussed for a while. Finally, Nara Shikaku proposed a suggestion: strengthen the guard force of the Sensory Division and make adjustments to the sensory barrier to prevent traitors who have already defected—like Itachi Uchiha or Orochimaru—from leaking intelligence.
No one disagreed with this. This incident had shown everyone the vacuum in Konoha's defenses. Even if the expenditure would be higher and the pressure on Konoha greater, it provided a stronger sense of security.
"Then, the second matter: designate Itachi as an S-rank rogue ninja and notify the other villages."
This command was to prevent other villages from using Itachi Uchiha as a pretext to launch a war against Konoha. An S-rank rogue ninja's influence on the shinobi world could be quite large. If they didn't speak up first, it could very well become a fuse for war later on.
No one had objections to this. For someone who killed his father, murdered his mother, and wiped out his entire clan—if the highest rank wasn't S, Itachi would have deserved a rank even higher. Such behavior, even among ninjas, was considered extremely heinous. A ninja's nature is to have blood-stained hands and be unsentimental, but that is only the definition of a ninja in terms of war; no one can truly discard their emotions, and ninjas are no different.
"Inoichi, how are the residents of the village reacting?" Hiruzen asked.
The Uchiha were gone. Although he had placed a gag order among the ninjas, the disappearance of a Great Clan was bound to be noticed by the more observant civilians.
Yamanaka Inoichi reported: "Although no one is saying it explicitly, according to our investigations, everyone who knows about it is in a state of panic. A small number of merchants have even withdrawn from the Konoha market. This will cause some negative impact on trade within the village."
"Lord Hokage, this situation is very similar to what happened with my father years ago. It's the unease of residents who don't know the truth; we need something to shift their attention," Kakashi suddenly spoke up to offer a suggestion.
Having suffered deeply himself, he knew the power of such rumors. This time, it wasn't targeted at a single person, but at the entirety of Konoha. If Konoha couldn't protect everyone's safety, then both residents and merchants would move to other, safer places to develop. Those who had deep roots would also suffer from great internal anxiety. Such an impact is something even Konoha would find hard to endure.
"You're quite right. We indeed need something to distract them," Hiruzen nodded. "So, do you all have any good suggestions?"
While they were discussing, Tonbo Tobitake had already quietly shrunk back. It was enough just to express his initial thoughts. He couldn't be silent every time. He was also very tactful in his speech; he said exactly what everyone wanted to hear and didn't offer any outlandish suggestions. Besides, yelling at the four "Old Fogies" of Konoha felt truly great.
Just then, Kakashi spoke up again.
"Lord Hokage, we need a hero. Just like the Sannin and the Fourth Hokage once were."
During the wars, the fame of the Sannin and the succession of the Fourth had greatly stabilized the hearts of Konoha's people.
"But who will be the hero?"
A single voice made everyone present fall silent. Back then, the Sannin and Minato Namikaze were powerful ninjas who galloped across the battlefield, and their contributions to Konoha were famous; only then could they be candidates for a hero. Of course, they weren't choosing a Fifth Hokage to attract attention now—they just needed a ninja people could admire, like the Sannin or the White Fang.
Tonbo was also curious. In the anime, there was no mention of how Konoha handled these PR issues. All that could be seen was the first part: Itachi being labeled an S-rank wanted criminal. So he didn't know Konoha used this old-fashioned yet effective method to solve things. In his view, it was a good way. To solve the impact of one event, there must be another, more explosive piece of news.
However, he was even more curious if Kakashi, by making this suggestion, wanted to be the hero himself, just like his father, the White Fang. In any case, it couldn't be the Ino-Shika-Cho heads—it wasn't that they lacked merit or prestige, but they weren't suitable. They also didn't want to stand out in that way.
"A hero? Yoshi! Then it's time for Konoha's Blue Beast to take the stage! I will definitely be a great hero. Let me do it!"
Hearing this, Might Guy immediately gave a thumbs-up, revealing his sparkling white teeth to the high-ranking officials in the meeting. He firmly believed his title as the Blue Beast could suppress the rumors. A sense of mission to save Konoha rose in Guy's heart, a firm feeling of duty.
Looking at the green jumpsuit, the pose, and the attire, the people present felt the tense atmosphere from earlier disappear.
Tonbo Tobitake laughed. "Guy, you'd better forget it. I'm afraid the whole of Konoha would be led astray by you and everyone would end up wearing that jumpsuit."
Just thinking about the whole village in green jumpsuits made even him shiver. Although he usually used Transformation Jutsu to turn into a "mysterious red figure," it wasn't because he liked it; it just felt like a release of pressure.
"Dammit, Tonbo, are you trying to compete with me for the hero's position? If that's the case, I'll be generous for once and give the chance to be a hero to you!"
Since it was this guy Tonbo, his Blue Beast of Konoha would step back for once. He then gave a thumbs-up to Tonbo. He was a bit dejected to lose to Tonbo again, but he acknowledged that Tonbo could carry the title of hero.
Swish, swish, swish!
Everyone, including the four Konoha elders, turned their gaze toward Tonbo Tobitake.
"I think Tonbo Tobitake is quite good. His contributions to Konoha are also very significant," Kakashi suggested.
The others fell into thought. No matter how you looked at it, Tonbo's contribution to Konoha was immense. As long as they promoted him a bit, he could certainly be a hero. Furthermore, he was already the Head of the Analysis Division and had no clan backing him, so he wouldn't compete with them for power.
Even the Third and Fourth Hokage had evaluated him as the man who inherits the Will of Fire. Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other top leaders were also very much in agreement with Kakashi's statement. Tonbo indeed had no flaws. Whether in terms of strength, merit, or character, he was excellent.
Even Danzo, who had been dismissed from his duties, agreed with Kakashi's recommendation of Tonbo. Because in his heart, Tonbo was not someone who posed a threat to Konoha. From the moment he learned of Tonbo's abilities, he had investigated Tonbo's entire history. From childhood to adulthood, there was no experience that hinted at an anti-Konoha sentiment. Moreover, with elders and children at home, his family was very warm; he was the person least likely to threaten Konoha.
Tonbo blinked, looking around at the expectant faces. Wait, why are you all looking at me?
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