A deathly silence fell over the crowd.
The wind whipped through the tips of her pink hair, tugging at the already taut heartstrings of everyone present.
Following the Fifth Hokage standing atop the Hokage Building, yet another Fifth Hokage had suddenly appeared.
Danzo Shimura and Sakura Haruno.
The crowd couldn't help but feel a wave of intense anxiety. One was a veteran of Konohagakure, while the other was a rising prodigy. It was a confrontation that practically represented the clash of two entirely different generations. Now, they had come into direct, head-on conflict. A single misstep could easily lead to a schism within Konohagakure, and the village that stood as the undisputed number one in the shinobi world could fall from grace in an instant.
"I am... the true Hokage."
Sakura's words echoed in the hearts of everyone present, causing an explosive surge of killing intent to flash through Danzo Shimura's eyes up on the rooftop.
"Sakura Haruno, if you step down right now, I can let bygones be bygones." Suppressing the boiling murderous intent in his heart, Danzo Shimura spoke coldly.
"Heh, what's the matter? Brave enough to do it, but too cowardly to admit it?" Facing Danzo's gaze without a shred of fear, the pink-haired girl sneered and barked back in anger. "Years ago, when you attempted to assassinate the Third Hokage, the fact that he didn't pursue charges was an act of mercy on his part. Who would have thought you'd become even more depraved today, actually daring to stretch your claws toward the Daimyo? You used genjutsu to manipulate the Daimyo into rejecting Lord Third's official nomination document, and then shamelessly forced him to write a decree naming you Hokage. Danzo Shimura! Let me ask you this: what right do you have to sit in the Hokage's seat?!"
Danzo Shimura slammed his cane heavily onto the ground, emitting a dull thud that echoed as if striking directly against everyone's hearts. His single exposed eye turned bone-chillingly cold.
"This old man's ascension to Hokage is the popular will of the people and the personal appointment of the Daimyo. I will absolutely not tolerate your slanderous lies. In consideration of your outstanding achievements and the meritorious service you have rendered to Konohagakure, if you back down now, I can overlook this. But if you choose to remain stubbornly obstinate, I will treat you as a rogue ninja."
Danzo knew better than to try and explain himself; doing so would only put him at a disadvantage. He was already the Fifth Hokage. Why should the Hokage explain his actions to a nominal subordinate?
"Heh, refusing to talk, are we?" Sakura scoffed. She stepped aside, revealing a simple-looking twelve-year-old boy behind her. She handed the stage over to this young lad, whose face was full of youth, looking visibly nervous and overwhelmed.
"Who is that?" "Never seen him before..." "Why is Haruno... uh, Lady Sakura calling out a brat at a time like this?"
Danzo narrowed his eyes at the boy, who was dressed in luxurious clothing but looked rather disheveled. Not a ninja...
Musashi Minamoto clutched the decree appointing Sakura as Hokage tightly in his hands. He cast a glance at the unfamiliar crowd around him, then unrolled the scroll. Summoning his courage, he read aloud from the decree in a booming voice:
"By order of the Illustrious Daimyo! It has come to Our attention that Sakura Haruno of Konohagakure, student of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, has dominated the shinobi world at a tender age—slaying the Raikage, striking down the Kazekage, and slaughtering the Mizukage! In the Land of Eddies, she stood alone against five thousand Mist ninja and emerged victorious! With her sole strength, she has brought peace to the realm! Truly a genius of heaven's own making, she stands as a paragon for all ninja of Konohagakure! Now, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, grows old and frail. Having governed conscientiously for decades without a moment of laxity, We, in recognition of Hiruzen's hard work and high merit, hereby grant his abdication. Sakura Haruno shall succeed as the Fifth Hokage."
"Yet how despicable!" Reading up to this point, Musashi Minamoto's voice trembled slightly. His clear, bright eyes locked in a fierce stare onto the expressionless Danzo Shimura up on the rooftop.
"Danzo Shimura of Konohagakure! Vile in thought, malicious in intent, deceiving the sovereign, a disgrace to his ancestors, and committing high treason! His crimes are heinous beyond measure! Using inscrutable means, he controlled Our mind to reject the document nominating Sakura Haruno as Hokage! Danzo Shimura's sinister malice made Us shudder with fear, forcing Us to write a decree appointing him as Hokage. How preposterous! We are deeply ashamed! Today, We command the ninja of Konohagakure to execute Danzo Shimura! Exterminate his clan, eradicate his lineage, and dig up his graves!"
As the decree was read aloud, everyone present was utterly shell-shocked. The boy was clearly reading an official Hokage decree penned by the Daimyo himself. Two separate Hokage decrees! This was absolutely unprecedented. One nation, one Daimyo, yet two completely contradictory decrees had been issued.
If the decree in Sakura's hands was indeed written by the Daimyo's own hand, then the Lord Hokage standing on the rooftop was truly... Especially that final sentence—it allowed everyone to vividly feel the sheer, explosive rage the Daimyo must have felt at the time.
Exterminate his clan, eradicate his lineage, and dig up his graves! Just how furious did someone have to be to issue such a ruthless and absolute command?
"Enough!" As the villagers in the plaza broke out into hushed whispers, Danzo Shimura roared from the rooftop. "Sakura Haruno! Do you truly intend to betray Konohagakure?! To betray the Hokage?! Bringing some nameless brat here and actually delusional enough to think you can become Hokage with a forged decree! This is nothing short of wishful thinking! This old man is the legitimate Hokage, personally appointed by the Daimyo! Who dares to make a scene? Who dares to question me? Who dares to disobey?! Where are the Konohagakure ninja?! Apprehend Sakura Haruno immediately! Execute her on the spot as a warning to all others!"
Furious, Danzo immediately ordered the present Konohagakure ninja to seize Sakura! At a momentous occasion like the inauguration ceremony for the Fifth Hokage, the number of ninja gathered was by no means small. Aside from those stationed along the borders of the Land of Fire and at other vital military outposts, nearly every single Konoha shinobi had gathered here. As the leader of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Konoha boasted a terrifyingly large military force, with only Kumogakure capable of rivaling it. Even if there weren't ten thousand ninja present, there were easily eight thousand! Even if the Third Raikage, who famously fought ten thousand enemies alone, were here, he wouldn't be able to escape!
Yet, despite Danzo's booming command, the scene he anticipated—of ninja swarming forward to subdue the pink-haired girl—did not happen. Everyone stood in hesitant silence, staring at Sakura, whose expression remained entirely unfazed.
The reason was simple: Sakura's military achievements were just too terrifyingly staggering. Looking back through the history of the Hokage, aside from the First Hokage Hashirama Senju's feat of founding the village, no other Hokage—or any Konoha ninja, for that matter—could compete with Sakura in terms of battle achievements. None could even come close.
Following the Shinobi World War three years ago, an explicit directive had been issued across practically the entire ninja world: If you encounter the Konoha Witch during a mission, abandoning the mission will not be penalized as a failure. While Minato Namikaze had enjoyed a similar reputation back in his day, it had merely been an unspoken understanding among the villages. This time, however, it was a hard, written law—especially after she fought five thousand Mist ninja single-handedly.
In other words, to everyone present, running into Sakura was no different from facing an army of five thousand ninja—and in some aspects, she was even more terrifying. If they were to try and apprehend her here, even if the Konoha ninja succeeded, the casualties would undoubtedly be catastrophic.
"Are you all trying to rebel?!" Danzo roared, his fury intensifying at the sight. "Hurry up and seize this heinous traitor!"
Driven by preconceived notions of duty, a Konoha ninja finally took the first step forward. However, a gleaming, ice-cold blade instantly blocked his path. Lightning crackled along the long sword, carving a deep scorch mark into the ground.
"Cross this line, and you die," a black-haired youth declared coldly, stepping out to shield Sakura.
"Don't you dare touch Sakura!" Naruto pushed his way through the crowd, planting himself firmly in front of Sakura as well, glaring warily at the surrounding ninja. Though Naruto didn't quite understand what was happening, he would never allow anyone to lay a finger on Sakura.
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