Perhaps feeling insulted by being frightened by an old man, Ranmaru saw this as an affront to his royal status. Gathering his courage, he circled around the old man, Itachi, pointing at him and said, "Hey, old man, don't you know you just bumped into me?"
Old man Itachi shook his head, thinking to himself, "What a foolish child, unaware of what's going on around him." From his experience, most nobles behaved like this. Even though their power didn't come close to even the weakest ninja, they were more arrogant than anyone else. He couldn't fathom where they got their audacity from.
Ranmaru's anger flared as he stomped his foot on the ground. "Damn it, everyone looks down on me!" The women here despised him, the men disregarded him, and now even this old man ignored him. This was more than Ranmaru, who had been raised in luxury, could tolerate.
By coincidence, one of the servants Ranmaru had dismissed earlier returned in haste, perhaps uneasy about leaving his master alone. When Ranmaru saw this, he rejoiced and commanded the servant to punish the old man, to teach him the consequences of disregarding him.
Such things weren't new for Ranmaru back in his region. If he disliked someone, he would order his followers to punish them, and sometimes it would escalate to the point of beating them to death. He never felt any remorse.
Before coming here, Ranmaru's father, Kōda Jin, had warned his son repeatedly about the power of ninjas, advising him not to treat them like ordinary people. But because of the environment he had grown up in, it was hard for Ranmaru to change his view of ninjas in such a short time.
Sometimes, words alone are not enough to change things.
That's why Kōda Jin sent his son here, not only to gain the power of the Senju clan but also to make him experience defeat firsthand, so he could understand the true power of ninjas.
As a noble, Ranmaru had a wide margin for error. But perhaps he didn't know that in the world of ninjas, a single mistake could be deadly.
Old man Itachi had no interest in continuing the conversation with this arrogant child, so he vanished instantly, leaving Ranmaru stunned. Perhaps finding it amusing, Itachi suddenly changed his mind.
....
The next morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen woke up, had a simple breakfast, and donned the Hokage's robes. As he walked through the streets, everyone in the village recognized him, bowing in respect. Hiruzen enjoyed this feeling, showing a warm smile to enhance his image, then made his way to the Hokage's office as usual.
Having held the position of Hokage for some time, the village's affairs, both big and small, flowed to him smoothly. He even found time to relax a bit, sipping green tea slowly while gazing into his crystal ball, watching a young, beautiful girl, enjoying his quiet days.
"What peaceful days..." he muttered softly as he stretched comfortably, then added, "I hope nothing happens." No sooner had he spoken than his office door burst open with a loud bang, followed by a panicked voice: "Hokage-sama, something terrible has happened!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen almost choked on the tea he was drinking. After a few coughs, he asked, "What happened?"
The ninja at the door hesitated for a moment before saying, "Prince Ranmaru, the son of Lord Kōda Jin, has become...an idiot."
"What?" Hiruzen exclaimed, looking at him in shock. "What happened?"
"I just received the report. According to the servants who accompanied Prince Ranmaru, he was fine yesterday, but he woke up this morning with vacant eyes, drooling, and speaking incoherently. And sometimes..."
"Sometimes what?" Hiruzen asked.
"Sometimes he eats feces and says it's delicious."
Hearing this first thing in the morning made Hiruzen nauseous after his breakfast. He closed his eyes briefly to compose himself, then said with a serious face, "Understood. I'll head there immediately."
Just as he was about to step out the door, another person rushed in, pointing his finger at Hiruzen's face and angrily demanding, "Hokage-sama, you owe us an explanation."
The man who entered had an odd hairstyle—bald at the front with hair on the sides, making his head resemble a crescent moon. Despite the strange appearance, the style had a pretty name: 'Crescent Head.'
This man was a servant of Ranmaru's family and had accompanied him to Konoha. Since Prince Ranmaru had turned into an idiot in Konoha, Hiruzen was now held responsible for it.
"I understand. Trust me, I'll do everything I can to treat Prince Ranmaru." Hiruzen hurried to the hospital, and as soon as he saw Ranmaru, he covered his nose. A foul odor emanated from Ranmaru's mouth, indicating that he had perhaps eaten too much before they discovered his condition.
"I smelled a horrible stench, like feces, coming from Ranmaru's mouth. It seems before they realized he had become an idiot, he wasn't refraining from eating."
Some of Lord Ranmaru's attendants, who wore traditional hairstyles, approached Sarutobi Hiruzen as soon as they saw him. Their faces were stern, and they raised their voices in sharp tones, accusing him harshly.
Their goal wasn't just to blame Sarutobi Hiruzen for failing to protect Ranmaru, but also to shift all the responsibility onto him as the host.
To some extent, these attendants had a responsibility to protect their master, and their failure might require them to commit seppuku.
Since becoming Hokage, Hiruzen had never been subjected to such humiliation. But since the incident occurred on his land and Ranmaru had become an idiot, he had no choice but to take responsibility. He had to endure as this group of attendants, far beneath him in status, continued their relentless criticism.
Fortunately, Hiruzen's old friend Danzo couldn't stand it any longer. He shouted in anger, "Enough! Now is not the time for blame. No one wanted this to happen. The priority now is finding the culprit and providing timely treatment. If we delay, can you take responsibility?"
One of the attendants retorted, "What do you mean by delay? As if we're responsible. Let me tell you, this isn't going to end here. If your village can't treat Ranmaru, we'll take this up with Lord Kōda Jin. And when he learns his beloved son has ended up like this, he won't trust you anymore. Who knows how that will affect the next budget?"
Danzo replied, "Stop using this incident to threaten Konoha. No one here is free from responsibility."
The attendants tried to respond again, but Danzo released a deadly aura, one born from fierce battles, and stared them down with his one eye. Those attendants, unaccustomed to such intensity, felt as if they'd been pierced by swords and fell silent immediately.
In an instant, the criticisms gradually faded. Sarutobi Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief and gave a grateful glance at his old friend.
However, Danzo wasn't interested in appreciation and merely responded with a cold huff.
Danzo didn't like Hiruzen's peaceful approach. He believed it was inappropriate for the Hokage to be insulted by a group of attendants so far beneath him. Perhaps Hiruzen had lost his dignity, but Konoha could not bear such humiliation.
Now that their teacher, Tobirama, was gone, there was no one left to protect them. The current generation had to stand up and take responsibility for the village.
For Danzo, even if Konoha was at fault, Ranmaru's attendants weren't blameless either.
In the hospital room, Hiruzen said to Danzo, "Thank you for stepping in earlier."
Danzo coldly replied, "No need for thanks. I did it for Konoha."
Hiruzen took a deep breath and sighed, wishing he could slap himself. He shouldn't have tried to show off. Now the situation had become serious. He quickly asked, "What exactly is Ranmaru's condition?"
Danzo replied seriously, "The results indicate he's under a very strong Genjutsu."
"Genjutsu?"
"Yes, a powerful one that causes severe psychological trauma. Ranmaru's brain couldn't handle the pressure and immediately turned him into an idiot."
"Is there any hope of treating him?"
"No, there's no cure."
Hiruzen closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Do we know who's responsible?"
Danzo shook his head, worry evident on his face. "The culprit is very powerful. Even when we try to probe Ranmaru's memory, we can't find any clues."
Hiruzen's expression grew somber. "I didn't expect such a powerful spy to be in Konoha. What is their goal?"
Danzo replied sharply, "Isn't it obvious? They're trying to sow discord between Konoha and the Lord."
Hiruzen's sorrow deepened. "What can we do now?"
Danzo said, "Forget about the spy for now. Hiruzen, what do you plan to do with these attendants?"
Hiruzen replied, "What can I do? Of course, we have to calm them down and then try to heal Ranmaru's mind."
Danzo replied with frustration, "You're a fool. That idiot can't be cured. Why do you bother trying to appease them? I think it's better if we—"
Hiruzen interrupted loudly, "Stop! Don't make things worse."
Danzo coldly retorted, "You're wrong. I'm trying to de-escalate the situation. If Ranmaru's mind isn't healed in time and the prince asks about his condition, what do you think they'll say?"
Hiruzen said, "Don't kill the innocent."
Danzo responded, "This is for the village."
Hiruzen firmly replied, "No, I won't do it."
Danzo angrily said, "Hiruzen, you'll regret this."
Hiruzen replied, "I am the Hokage now."
(End of Chapter)
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