"So the previous excuse doesn't hold up anymore!"
Jiraiya wanted to see how the Third Hokage would explain himself. But to his disappointment, the Hokage said nothing, silently puffing on his pipe.
"Heh."
Orochimaru knew this situation wasn't going to play out the way Jiraiya hoped. With a meaningful chuckle, he was the first to leave the Hokage's office.
"Whew…"
Exhaling heavily, Jiraiya rubbed his aching head and waved dismissively. "Forget it. You're the Hokage, after all, so it's your call. I can't convince you. You'll have to talk it over with Tsunade when she gets back."
"You've already told Tsunade?"
The Third Hokage shot up from his seat, alarmed.
Is Tsunade really the one who'll fix all this?
Jiraiya smirked bitterly. "Orochimaru sent the message, not me. Anyway, if there's nothing else, I'm leaving. I've got a headache and need to rest before heading back to the front lines."
"...."
The Third Hokage felt like he'd been stabbed in the back by Orochimaru.
"Oh, by the way…"
Jiraiya turned back at the door, scratching his head sheepishly. "Old man, if anyone tries to target me, can you watch my back a little? I am your student, after all. Don't just leave me hanging."
Jiraiya was frustrated, which is why he was using this sarcastic tone. But what good was sarcasm? He couldn't change the Third Hokage's mind. Maybe Tsunade could.
Forget it. Let her raise hell for a change. It might do some good.
Orochimaru was right—things were getting out of hand.
The Third Hokage had practically distanced himself, making it clear to Jiraiya and Orochimaru that the whole mess was someone else's idea—likely Danzō or the Elder Council—and that he was merely going along with it.
Since I can't deal with this or persuade you otherwise, Tsunade will have to handle it. Hopefully, she doesn't blow a fuse.
Meanwhile, Danzō, Koharu, and Homura were blissfully unaware that the Third Hokage had thrown them under the bus.
When Tsunade stormed back to the village, they'd be caught completely off guard.
The news spread quickly, and soon, nearly everyone knew about Takuya's decision to retire. Many were shocked by it.
Takuya was widely regarded as one of Konoha's most promising talents—a strong shinobi with solid connections. His future was bright.
But now, he was being forced into early retirement.
What could have driven him to such a decision?
Suddenly, many eyes turned toward the Uchiha clan.
The elderly Uchiha patriarch, already frail and near the end of his life, nearly had a heart attack when he heard that his clan had been dragged into this mess.
People were speculating about what had gone down in the Hokage's office to make Takuya so angry—so angry that he was willing to quit being a shinobi and live a normal life rather than deal with the constant pressure.
"Lord Hiruzen, what's going on with all these rumors? Are you just going to let people keep talking like this?"
Koharu and Homura stormed into the Hokage's office the moment they heard the news.
People were already whispering that Takuya had been forced into retirement due to conflicts with the Elder Council.
Listen to this nonsense.
Sure, they'd been keeping Takuya in check, making sure he didn't rise too high and threaten their authority, but they hadn't pushed him into retirement!
"I was merely following your suggestions," the Third Hokage replied flatly.
You came up with these ideas. I just went along with them.
Now that things had blown up, they had the nerve to ask him what was going on?
"Uh…"
Koharu and Homura had no idea what the Hokage had said to Takuya. They assumed that the pushback from Takuya had caused this mess because of their efforts to limit his rise.
"That Takuya is ungrateful! Everything we did was for the good of the village," Koharu grumbled. Then, turning to Hiruzen, she asked, "Why haven't you done anything to control the situation? Look at what people are saying—they're accusing us of forcing him to retire, even dragging the Uchiha into it."
"Phew…"
The Third Hokage sighed deeply, his old face weary. "How am I supposed to control this? Everyone in the Hokage building heard Takuya yelling at me. How can I control the rumors?"
"If I were to try and suppress it now, it would only confirm that we really did force Takuya into retirement."
Are you two losing it? he thought. Trying to control the narrative now would be like shooting ourselves in the foot.
"I'll personally address the issue," he continued. "We're preparing an official statement. Once it's released, the villagers will understand. They'll see that we were acting in the best interests of the village and not trying to push Takuya out."
Koharu and Homura looked more at ease after hearing that.
If the Hokage himself made a statement and an official announcement was posted, it would clear things up.
And with the Hokage's personal guarantee, people would see it was all a misunderstanding.
"Takuya has been harboring some resentment ever since we made him a jōnin instructor. You two should lay low for a while."
"Oh, and where is Danzō?"
Given the chaos, the Third Hokage was surprised that Danzō hadn't reacted yet. Had he somehow not noticed that he was getting dragged into this too?
"Knock knock!"
There was a knock on the door.
The Hokage cleared his throat. "Come in."
"Lord Hokage," came the voice.
We'll discuss this later. The Hokage gave Koharu and Homura a look.
"Has the design for the new weapon been finalized? When will production start?" he asked.
"The molds for the weapon have been made, but…" the blacksmith hesitated, glancing nervously at Homura, clearly unsure of how to proceed.
The Hokage frowned. Why would you hesitate in front of the elders?
It's just a weapon, and nothing particularly secretive. So why the reluctance?
Homura, still sipping tea, glanced at the blacksmith but didn't give it much thought.
"What's the matter, blacksmith? Is there something you can't say in front of me and Homura?" Koharu asked, clearly irritated.
The blacksmith gave a strained smile. "Lord Hokage, the mold for the chakra weapon is ready, but we're short on materials to begin forging it."
Chakra weapon?
Koharu and Homura felt their stomachs drop.
Was Hiruzen making a chakra weapon?
This is bad!
Both elders stood up in shock, Homura's teacup tipping over on the table, spilling tea everywhere.
What's going on with you two?
Are you hiding something from me?
Sensing something amiss, the Third Hokage cut them off before they could respond. His tone darkened.
"Why are we out of materials? It's just one chakra weapon—it shouldn't need that much chakra metal."
It's over.
The Third Hokage was clearly suspicious, and he wasn't giving them a chance to speak.
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∑(ΦдΦlll This is actually crazy! I left this for you to reach 3000 bonus chapters. You got me nearly 3500 power stones as I woke up. Good morning, everyone!
This is a bonus chapter for reaching 3000 Power Stones.
Next Bonus 3600
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 290+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters