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"The war is finally over."
"Yes, but many ninja families are grieving. Two of my neighbors are ninjas, and I heard them crying all night yesterday. It's heartbreaking."
"They have sacrificed so much to protect the Land of Fire."
"Did you hear the news? They say this war could have been won easily if it weren't for our Hokage's repeated mistakes, causing Konoha to lose so many excellent ninjas."
"Is that true? Where did you hear that?"
"The Ninja World Daily, page three, in an article discussing the war. Many experts and commentators think so."
"Wait here, I'll go buy a copy of the Ninja World Daily!"
In the days following the Third Hokage's return to the village and the subsequent Jonin meeting, such rumors began circulating in Konoha. Notable figures from the Land of Fire suddenly started commenting on the recent war in the newspaper.
The destruction caused by the Cloud ninjas in the Land of Fire had even alarmed the Daimyo, who sent emissaries to the frontlines, pressing Homura to resolve the situation.
Some of these critics were genuinely upset and had sent letters to the Daimyo's office and the newspaper to voice their dissatisfaction.
However, with the Uchiha clan's deliberate "guidance," their anger was naturally directed towards the Third Hokage.
Additionally, some were hired to voice these opinions, with the Uchiha clan employing the underground bounty exchange to hire these critics, ensuring that even if the village's Anbu investigated, they would only trace the matter back to the bounty exchange.
Now, the village was abuzz with talk that the real cause of the Land of Fire's turmoil was the Third Hokage and the other three high-ranking Konoha officials' mistakes.
Discussions even touched on whether the Third Hokage, who had been in power for over a decade, should step down to make way for the younger generation.
Such sentiments were becoming prevalent in Konoha, and it was easy to imagine the discussions happening throughout the Land of Fire.
Boom!
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen shattered his pipe in anger, his face dark with fury. After spending so much effort defending the village and the country, he was now being criticized like this. He wanted nothing more than to find the culprit and punish them severely.
"Danzo, who did this?"
"Root has only found a few of the most vocal critics so far, but they seem to be genuinely upset about the destruction caused by the Cloud ninjas and are expressing their dissatisfaction by sending letters to the Daimyo and the newspaper," Danzo said, his expression unchanged. Although he was also among those criticized, Root's secrecy kept him from appearing in the newspaper.
Compared to Hiruzen, Danzo felt somewhat lucky and was pleased to see his old teammate in such a state.
"Are you sure it's all spontaneous?"
"Root received the information yesterday and confirmed it today. The information indicates that it's true, and the Yamanaka clan's techniques verified it," Danzo explained.
Homura, feeling embarrassed, spoke up, "This isn't my fault, Hiruzen. Yoichi was shirking his duties on the battlefield. If he had intervened, we could have repelled the Cloud ninjas much sooner!"
Homura couldn't help but complain. He had repeatedly asked Yoichi to use his monster transformation, Wood Release, and Mangekyo Sharingan, all of which could have been decisive on the battlefield.
But Yoichi always found excuses, insisting he would only act if they located the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki first.
"Hiruzen, we need to discuss what to do next," Koharu said. "The public sentiment is not in our favor, and the Daimyo's attitude towards us has worsened."
After the war ended, they sent envoys to the Daimyo, seeking funding to fill Konoha's financial gaps, but they were refused, with the excuse that all excess funds were being used to repair the destruction caused by the Cloud ninjas.
"Also, regarding your position as Hokage, there's growing sentiment within the village that you should step down and let someone younger take over."
Koharu continued, "If you don't choose a new Hokage and continue to suppress these discussions, I'm afraid the unrest will only escalate."
Danzo, sensing an opportunity, thought that while he might not have much chance to become the Fourth Hokage himself, Orochimaru had a good shot.
If Orochimaru became Hokage, it would increase Danzo's power in the village, given Orochimaru's nature, which was more compatible with his Root organization than Hiruzen.
However, if Hiruzen continued to back Minato, Danzo felt it would be a poor choice, especially with Yoichi's prominence.
"I'll consider it. I had planned to prepare for the selection of the Fourth Hokage soon, but I didn't expect such malicious rumors to spread," Hiruzen said, his face calm but his heart heavy.
He had hoped to stabilize the situation and hand over a peaceful village to the next generation.
Unfortunately, the machinations of hidden enemies forced his hand, and he needed to expedite the selection process to quell the growing discontent.
"Danzo, continue investigating this matter with Root. As for Homura and Koharu, let's discuss the situation with the Daimyo further."
"Very well, then I'll take my leave," Danzo said before exiting the Hokage's office.
Hiruzen didn't actually discuss the Daimyo's situation with Homura and Koharu but instead brought up the selection of a new Hokage. He wanted Minato to be the Fourth Hokage and hoped Homura and Koharu would support him.
After informing the Uchiha clan that the decision was made not to reclaim Kakashi's Sharingan, the matter was settled. Although the clan had a say, Yoichi's final decision was binding.
Previously, Yoichi had considered leaving a Flying Thunder God mark on Obito but realized that Madara would likely remove it. Instead, he decided to leave some safeguards on Rin.
"Accept Nohara Rin as a student?"
Mina found the request strange. She vaguely remembered hearing the name from Kushina.
"Yoichi-sama, why do you suddenly want to accept Rin as a student? Is there something special about her?"
"She has some unique aspects. I need to perform some experiments on her, but I don't know medical ninjutsu. Otherwise, I would take her as a student myself."
Yoichi explained. "Mina, can you set up a 'triggered seal' similar to the Uchiha clan's transcription seal, but for sealing other ninjutsu?"
"A delayed activation seal? That requires special conditions, but I should be able to manage it. What kind of trigger are you looking for?"
Yoichi took out a Flying Thunder God kunai and said, "I want to plant a Flying Thunder God mark on Rin and have it activate when she's near death. Can you do that?"
After thinking for a moment, Mina nodded, "I should be able to. I'll need to test it, though. And taking on students isn't a problem. Some people have asked me to teach, but I was pregnant at the time, so nothing came of it. I'll ask Asami-senpai about it."
"Thank you, Mina. Don't overexert yourself!"
"I'm fine, Yoichi-sama. My constitution is strong."
Mina patted her chest confidently, then clung to Yoichi's arm, eyes filled with expectation.
...
"Asami-senpai."
Mina greeted Asami at the Konoha Hospital, surprising her.
"Mina, what brings you here?"
"I've been thinking about the student matter you mentioned before. I have some free time now, so I thought I might take on a few students. It's too boring staying at home."
"Most people would love to rest, but I suppose it's typical of you."
Asami said, handing Mina some medical ninja profiles. "We still have too few medical ninjas. After the war, many teams' medical ninjas wanted to learn more, so every medical Jonin is taking on a few students."
"Mmm. Is there a ninja named Nohara Rin?"
"There is, but she's already my student. Do you know her?"
"No, I don't know her. I've just heard from Kushina that her medical ninjutsu is quite good, so I wanted to see for myself."
"Well, in that case, I'll tell Rin about it."
Asami didn't think much of it. She remembered Rin was Minato's student and figured she might be able to get in through connections. Besides, Rin would benefit more from training under Mina.
Although Asami was Mina's senior, Mina had far surpassed her in medical ninjutsu.
The next day, Rin was surprised to learn her teacher had changed.
Without any missions, all medical ninjas were under the hospital's jurisdiction. Minato's team was short-staffed, and Kakashi would soon be promoted to Jonin. Until the team was reformed, Rin wouldn't be on missions for about six months.
"Am I supposed to train at the Uchiha clan?"
Rin was surprised when Asami informed her.
"Yes, Mina is pregnant and rarely comes to the hospital, so you'll go to her home for training."
"Mina is Konoha's top medical ninja after Lady Tsunade. She could be the next medical sage," Asami said, encouraging Rin to learn well from Mina, as it was a rare opportunity.
"Thank you for your guidance, Asami-senpai," Rin said, bowing deeply before leaving the hospital and heading to the Uchiha compound.
Rin had visited the Uchiha compound a few times before, looking for Obito, but now that he was dead, coming back brought up memories of him and her confession to Kakashi before her death.
After asking for directions, Rin found Mina's house in the compound. Just as she hesitated to ring the doorbell, she heard a voice behind her.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
Startled, Rin turned to see a young kunoichi about her age with delicate blonde hair and a fair face, looking at her warily.
"Hello, I'm Nohara Rin. I'm here to study medical ninjutsu under Lady Mina."
Upon hearing this, Yugito relaxed a bit and said, "Come in. She should be home."
As she opened the door, Yugito thought to herself, "I thought that pervert brought home another girl..."
(End of Chapter)