Chapter 33: It Was All Danzō Shimura's Doing
In the morning mist at Konoha Village's main gate, the first ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds.
The chūnin gate guard suddenly gripped his kunai tightly.
"What… what is that?"
On the horizon, a long black dragon slowly crawled toward the village.
As it drew closer, the "clack clack" sound of metal stretchers colliding grew clearer, mixed with suppressed sobs.
"Open the gates!" Uchiha Kusuri's hoarse roar cut through the morning fog.
When the first stretcher passed through the gate, the watching villagers collectively sucked in a cold breath.
On the stretcher lay a boy who looked only seven or eight years old, his pale face still frozen in terror. There was a diamond-shaped wound in his throat—clearly made by a kunai unique to Kirigakure.
But similar corpses numbered 884 in total; the line stretched so far it couldn't be seen end to end.
"Make way! Everyone make way!" Every step Uchiha Kusuri took left bloody footprints on the ground.
The bodies on the stretchers were not covered with sheets, allowing everyone around to clearly see the wounds on the children.
When the procession reached the commercial street, a woman holding an infant suddenly rushed out from the crowd.
"Little Wu! That's Little Wu!"
She threw herself madly toward stretcher number 147. The child on it had a charred black hole in his left chest—clearly pierced through by Fire Release. The woman's trembling fingers stroked the child's stiff cheek.
"He just celebrated his eighth birthday… it wasn't long ago…" The woman's wail suddenly stopped; she collapsed like a broken puppet beside the stretcher.
At noon, the ninja academy training ground had become an open-air morgue.
When the last body was placed on the ninja academy training ground, the field was densely covered with the corpses of children.
The surrounding parents were already sobbing uncontrollably…
A one-armed ninja knelt before body number 326, his trembling hand opening a bloodstained diary.
The last page was dated three days ago, written in crooked characters: "Today another classmate died. I'm so scared. Daddy, Daddy, I really want to go home…"
Blood suddenly welled up in the one-armed ninja's single eye. He tore at his hair like a madman: "My son was only nine years old! Nine!"
...
The protest in front of the Hokage Building had already turned into a full riot.
Stones, rotten vegetables, and rotten eggs flew nonstop at the building; the fifth-floor glass finally shattered with a crash.
Koharu Utatane's right cheek was cut by a shard; her trembling fingers wiped the blood from her face: "This… this is too crazy…"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! Get out here!"
"Murderer!"
"Give me back my daughter's life!"
The furious crowd surrounded the Hokage Building so tightly that some Anbu members had already started slipping away.
Mitokado Homura wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "We must take immediate measures—"
His words were interrupted by a massive crash—the Hokage Building's main door was smashed open, and hundreds of villagers poured in. Leading them was the one-armed chūnin who had lost his son.
The chūnin's single eye burned with hatred: "Where is he? Where is that old bastard who ordered the children to their deaths?"
Because the Hokage's office had already been smashed by the furious villagers, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others could only retreat to the underground office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in the darkness. On the desk was a framed photo of him with his three disciples—Jiraiya's hearty smile, Orochimaru's gloomy eyes, Tsunade's proud expression…
"Hiruzen, what are you still hesitating for? The Uchiha are stirring up this chaos!"
Danzō Shimura emerged from the shadows; the bandage over his right eye looked especially glaring.
It was all Danzō's doing—we knew nothing… Danzō, you can punish yourself with three cups as penance!
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly raised his head: "Those children… I…"
Danzō Shimura slammed the table: "Weakness! This isn't the time for repentance! Root is already prepared. Just give the order—"
The Third Hokage suddenly stood up; the exhaustion in his eyes was replaced by determination: "No. The mistake I made, I will bear myself."
He removed his Hokage hat and gently placed it on the desk: "Tomorrow, I will publicly announce my resignation from the position of Hokage."
Danzō Shimura's single eye narrowed: "You've gone mad? Stepping down now plays right into the Uchiha's hands!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked toward the moonlight outside the window: "Perhaps. But this is the only way to calm the anger."
Suddenly a female Anbu flashed in and whispered something in Hiruzen Sarutobi's ear.
After seeing the Third Hokage nod, the female Anbu waved her hand. Three Anbu instantly surrounded Danzō Shimura.
"Hiruzen, what are you trying to do?"
The Third Hokage's voice was so hoarse it barely sounded human: "Danzō, someone has to take responsibility for this matter. It's just a small sacrifice—you won't come to any real harm."
Danzō Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi grew up together—he instantly understood what Hiruzen intended.
"Hiruzen, you can't do this…"
"Danzō, I am still the Hokage!"
Hearing these words, Danzō Shimura seemed to lose all strength.
"Hiruzen… you will regret this…"
Seeing this, four Anbu moved in unison, seized Danzō Shimura, and forcibly covered his mouth.
On the Hokage Building's public announcement board was posted:
"Announcement regarding the early graduation of ninja academy students and their deployment to the Kirigakure front: This was entirely proposed and executed by Danzō Shimura. Due to the special nature of the matter, the Hokage Building specially issues the content of this day's meeting."
Attendees: Third Hokage, Danzō Shimura, Koharu Utatane, Mitokado Homura Topic: Response plan to Kirigakure invasion Incident: November 4—Kirigakure's three thousand ninjas have broken through the southern coastal defense line and are advancing into the interior of the Land of Fire. Koharu Utatane proposed: "The front line is in crisis; immediate reinforcements are necessary." Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses: "But regular forces are tied up on the Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure fronts…" Danzō Shimura's single eye glinted in the shadows: "Draw over one thousand from Konoha's ninja clans, then select two thousand from the ninja academy children—that should be enough."
The Third Hokage's hand suddenly trembled; his pipe clattered onto the desk.
"Danzō, have you gone mad? Those children haven't even mastered the three basic techniques…"
Danzō Shimura sneered coldly: "Foolish, pedantic, Hiruzen—mercy cannot command troops. We need someone to hold them back. If we allow these Kirigakure ninjas to drive straight through… the consequences would be unimaginable…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi roared: "Danzō… the children are the future of the village… how can you do this?!"
Danzō Shimura's face was expressionless: "Since you don't dare, then let me do it. I will bear all responsibility!"
After saying that, Danzō Shimura slammed the door and left.
After hearing that the early graduations were Danzō's doing, the furious villagers—unable to find him—began looting and smashing Shimura clan shops…
More than a dozen Shimura clansmen were even beaten to death in the streets. Many Shimura clan members were so terrified they didn't dare leave their compound…
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