In the weeks that followed, the people of Konoha began to notice changes within the Anbu organization.
Rumours circulated about the sudden disappearance of certain members and the emergence of new faces among the ranks.
As Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi found himself facing scrutiny from both his advisors and the general populace. Some praised his decision to avoid bloodshed, while others questioned his willingness to compromise.
Deep down, Hiruzen knew that his actions had averted immediate conflict. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had set a dangerous precedent for the future.
The sky was getting brighter, and countless civilians gathered in the ruins of Konoha.
The explosion this time turned Konoha, which had been built for decades, into ruins eight years earlier than when the original Pain attacked the village.
Because it was late at night, the casualties were extremely heavy, and countless people died inexplicably in their sleep.
The number of dead civilians and ninjas was in the tens of thousands.
The surviving villagers didn't know why this happened, so they waited for an answer from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As for the damage caused to Konoha, Kaito and the others were only happy from the bottom of their hearts when they heard about it.
During Uchiha's tenure as the Konoha Guard, the villagers were very hostile to them.
The reason Uchiha wanted to start a rebellion had a lot to do with these villagers.
It stands to reason that when Uchiha was serving as the guard, they arrested people according to the rules and maintained the village's stability. The villagers should have been grateful and had no reason to reject them.
But this group of ignorant villagers didn't think that way; they only cared about the so-called fair 'public opinion'!
And who created this public opinion?
Of course, it was Danzo and other people in power.
When the Uchiha Guards captured a drunken ninja to maintain the safety of the village and the liquor store, Danzo and others publicized it as Uchiha abusing their power to bully weak ninjas who offended them or whom they disliked.
Coupled with the denials and rumours spread by those who made mistakes and were arrested, Uchiha thus became synonymous with power and arrogance.
These villagers didn't care if they wronged Uchiha or even about the truth; they just wanted to see what they believed.
After all, it was the famous Uchiha clan, and many people hated them.
In front of Uchiha, these villagers naturally didn't dare say anything, but behind the scenes, they cursed the innocent Uchiha.
These things couldn't be hidden from Uchiha, but with their arrogant character, they naturally disdained to explain to the villagers, even though an explanation wouldn't be useful.
Over time, the conflict between Uchiha and the village naturally grew heavier.
So these ignorant villagers became tools for Danzo and others to deal with Uchiha.
And in dealing with such 'tools,' Kaito naturally had no pity.
Just as Konoha could eradicate Uchiha without hesitation, regardless of age, Kaito wouldn't care about Konoha's casualties.
That is, the so-called 'use the way of the other person and give the body back to the other person.'
Kaito only cared about people related to him. As for the others, Kaito just wanted to say, "It's none of my business!"
At the gate of the Root base, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo walked out slowly.
At this time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's arms were already wrapped in bandages like Danzo's.
This was, of course, to maintain the authority of his 'Hokage-sama' title.
Sarutobi and Danzo walked unhurriedly towards the gathering place of the villagers.
Danzo said, "How are you going to explain this incident? If you can't, just do as I say."
"What are you going to do?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.
Danzo replied, "Put everything on Kaito and those rebels."
"Let's just say: Kaito intended to lead some clansmen in a rebellion, but was discovered by the patriarch Fugaku. After negotiating with us, Fugaku prepared to persuade Kaito to maintain peace."
"But Kaito colluded with a large number of strong people outside the village and ambushed us during the negotiation."
"We were seriously injured during the siege. In the end, we managed to expel them from Konoha. During this period, we sacrificed hundreds of Root members and hundreds of Anbu."
"But who would have thought that Kaito had already planted a large number of explosive tags in the village, which ultimately led to this disaster!"
"Then Itachi, provoked by Kaito, slaughtered the peace-loving Uchiha who supported Konoha, leaving only his younger brother behind."
"Are you going to push everything onto Kaito?!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils suddenly shrank.
Then he said solemnly, "You have seen Kaito's strength. If you offend him like this, Konoha will definitely be hated by him!"
"So now Kaito doesn't hate Konoha?" Danzo retorted.
"He destroyed the entire Konoha, and we barely survived. If we don't push all this onto him, will he be grateful to us?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent; he knew that Danzo was right. The relationship between Konoha and Kaito was now one of mutual destruction.
If Kaito had a chance, he would definitely destroy Konoha, and if Konoha had a chance, they would never let Kaito go.
Danzo continued, "And Kaito's strength is not as terrible as it seems."
"Although his abilities are powerful and strange, they definitely require a huge amount of chakra. When he left, he had very little chakra left!"
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to let us go in exchange for Shisui's eyes when he had the advantage."
"After all, if his combat power was still intact at that time, he could have taken another pair of Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan."
After Danzo finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes suddenly brightened.
He had been tormented by Kaito just now, and even the Monkey King Enma died at Kaito's hands, so he hadn't considered these points.
Now, after Danzo's suggestion, he realized that Kaito was not as terrifying as he had imagined!
Moreover, there were fewer than 1,000 Anbu and Root members who surrounded the Uchiha Clan at that time.
But the real fighting ninjas in Konoha numbered more than ten thousand!
Therefore, if Kaito confronted the entire Konoha, they could eventually exhaust him to death!
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded at Danzo and said, "Then I will listen to you and do it."
The two smiled at each other, the pressure in their hearts eased, and they even quickened their pace a little.
But what they didn't expect was that in just one night, Kaito's strength had undergone earth-shattering changes..