Chapter 61:
After comforting Uzumaki Huiyi, Uchiha Sanpō returned to continue interrogating Hiruzen Sarutobi.
This once dignified Third Hokage, now under genjutsu control, had vacant eyes, like a soulless puppet.
"Was Rope Tree's death related to you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils were unfocused, yet his voice was abnormally clear.
"Because Tsunade didn't want to become Hokage, the Senju clan placed all their hopes for the Hokage position on Rope Tree. Back then, at only 12 years old, he successfully advanced to chūnin, which already posed some threat to me."
"I knew Danzō had an extremely strong desire to become Hokage, so I deliberately discussed the Senju clan and Rope Tree with him. Naturally, Danzō couldn't tolerate Rope Tree. After Rope Tree celebrated his 12th birthday, I arranged for him to carry out a mission on the Kumogakure border and leaked the information to Danzō. Danzō set up a trap specifically targeting Rope Tree on their route. In the end, Rope Tree was blown to pieces by explosive tag traps."
The surrounding Konoha villagers instantly exploded.
"So this is the real cause of Young Master Rope Tree's death. No wonder he died so miserably even with Orochimaru protecting him. It turns out an insider was behind it."
"Danzō Shimura deserves to die… Hiruzen Sarutobi deserves to die…"
Uchiha Sanpō waved his hand and amplified his voice with chakra, shouting: "Quiet! I still need to continue the interrogation!"
Upon hearing this, the chaotic noise around them instantly disappeared.
"Was Kato Dan's death also related to you?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were vacant as he answered mechanically: "Kato Dan was an elite jōnin who knew the S-rank Spirit Transformation Technique. He was a very dangerous individual. Moreover, he was Tsunade's boyfriend and his ambition was to become Hokage, which already posed a great threat to me."
"As long as he married Tsunade, he would gain the support of the Senju clan. So I handed his information over to Danzō and sent him out on a mission. Danzō planted two Root members as his teammates. When Kato Dan used the Spirit Transformation Technique and his soul left his body, leaving his physical form unconscious, those two Root members took the opportunity to hollow out his internal organs."
"Once again, it was insiders who killed the village's strong fighters. Hatake Sakumo was the same, and so was Kato Dan."
"The Uchiha were right. These clans are Konoha's cancers. From now on, we'll call Hiruzen Sarutobi the 'King of Konoha's Cancers'!"
"That's right… King of Konoha's Cancers, Hiruzen Sarutobi… King of Konoha's Cancers, Hiruzen Sarutobi!"
Uchiha Sanpō looked at the boiling crowd, but there was not the slightest joy of victory in his heart. He recalled an old saying.
"Is justice that comes too late still justice?"
These truths should not have been hidden for so many years. These lives should not have been lost so easily.
He turned to Uchiha Ryūka beside him and said softly: "Ryūka, you continue the interrogation. I'm going back to rest. Don't let them beat Hiruzen Sarutobi to death, or it will be difficult to explain to the daimyō."
Uchiha Ryūka nodded, excitement flashing in his eyes: "Sanpō, how do you plan to handle the 20 billion ryō we took back from Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
Uchiha Sanpō glanced at the surrounding crowd and raised his voice: "First, the casualty compensation for the Sunagakure front is still short 14.68 billion ryō. Use this portion to pay the families of the fallen and wounded first."
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Many families who had lost loved ones in the war shed tears.
He also saw a ninja who had lost his left arm raise his right hand in salute to him.
"Second, the ninjas who fought on the front lines still haven't received last month's wages. This batch is 3 billion ryō. Settle this for them as well."
Over ten thousand ninjas finally breathed a sigh of relief and raised their right hands in salute to him.
"Third, the remaining 2.32 billion ryō will be given as bonuses to the ninjas who returned from the Sunagakure front!"
The Sunagakure front had a casualty rate as high as 67.7%, so the pressure had been enormous. After returning to the village, they discovered that ninjas from the other fronts who followed the Uchiha had already received full compensation.
Only they had received just 17% of the compensation, so they had always felt abandoned. Now they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Uchiha Sanpō… Uchiha Sanpō… Uchiha Sanpō!"
The Konoha ninjas around them kept chanting Uchiha Sanpō's name.
Uchiha Sanpō smiled faintly and amplified his voice with chakra: "I just fought Hiruzen Sarutobi and I'm a bit tired. I'll leave the rest of the interrogation to Uchiha Ryūka. You can continue listening. I'll be going now!"
With that, Uchiha Sanpō used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from the spot.
...
On the small road below, several Uzumaki clansmen were accompanying Uzumaki Huiyi on the way to the Uchiha clan grounds.
Uchiha Sanpō leaped lightly. The breeze created by his Body Flicker Technique stirred a few falling leaves.
In the next second, he appeared in front of Uzumaki Huiyi, causing the Uzumaki clansmen to instantly tense up.
"Huiyi, I need to go out for a while."
Before Uzumaki Huiyi could speak, Terumī Mei jumped in first: "Where are you going? Are you going out to find women?"
It had to be said that sometimes a woman's intuition was very accurate, even though the current Terumī Mei was still a… big loli.
Uchiha Sanpō's expression stiffened subtly for a moment.
He gave a light cough to cover up the fleeting awkwardness: "After her younger brother Rope Tree and her lover Kato Dan died, Tsunade left the village on the pretext of hemophobia. She spends her days wandering between bars and casinos. Because her luck at gambling is terrible, she owes a mountain of gambling debts and is now wandering everywhere. The village has asked me to bring Tsunade back, make her an advisor elder, and have her manage the Medical Department."
Uzumaki Chinatsu showed a distressed expression: "I didn't expect Princess Tsunade's situation to be so tragic as well."
She sighed softly and said: "You should hurry and bring her back to Konoha Village."
Uzumaki Huiyi quietly watched him. Her red eyes seemed able to see through people's hearts: "Sanpō, when are you leaving?"
"I'll leave in a little while!" Uchiha Sanpō answered briefly.
Uzumaki Huiyi's fingers tightened slightly on the hem of her clothes.
Terumī Mei pouted, seemingly wanting to say something more, but was stopped by a look from Uzumaki Huiyi.
"Be careful on the road. Come back early!"
Uzumaki Huiyi only said eight short words, but one could read much more from her eyes.
Uchiha Sanpō secretly felt grateful for Huiyi's gentle thoughtfulness and nodded slightly.
Without any extra farewells, he directly used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from the spot in the blink of an eye.
Although the current Tsunade was a disheartened woman, he was confident he could persuade (shui) her and make her return to Konoha Village.
The figure of Konoha Village kept receding into the distance.
Yet Uchiha Sanpō's heart grew increasingly active.
Hehehe… Tsunade-hime… You can't escape the palm of my hand… I want you to help me with my cultivation…
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