Seeing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki stepping protectively in front of the pink-haired girl, Danzo's expression turned incredibly grim, his eyes burning with a desire to tear them to pieces.
"Enough!" Sakura barked. "Danzo! You just called him an unknown brat? Tell him who you are!"
Pushing past Sasuke and Naruto, she brought the young man beside her, Minamoto Musashi, to the front of the crowd.
"I, I... uh, We are the seventy-ninth Daimyo of the Land of Fire..." Minamoto Musashi hadn't yet fully processed his sudden change in status. He pulled a second decree from his robes and stammered, "The Daimyo's decree is here... it can prove Our identity."
Looking at the Daimyo's decree in Musashi's hand, Danzo laughed out of sheer rage.
"Sakura Haruno!" Danzo bellowed. "How utterly brazen of you! Not only did you forge the Hokage's decree, but you actually dare to forge the Daimyo's decree as well! And now, you even drag out an ignorant child to use as a shield! Have you even considered the consequences of your actions?!"
Seeing Shimura Danzo still trying to talk his way out, a cold smirk suddenly played on Sakura's lips, as if a thought had just struck her.
"Shimura Danzo, the previous Daimyo, Minamoto Yota, was assassinated and passed away just yesterday!" Sakura announced coldly. "Looking at it now, it's obvious you were terrified of your schemes being exposed, so you ruthlessly silenced him."
The Bombshell Drops
!!! What?!The Daimyo is dead?Danzo killed him?
Sakura had dropped yet another massive bombshell, leaving everyone present incomparably shocked.
That was the Daimyo! The sovereign who had ruled over the land for a thousand years! And now, a ninja had committed the ultimate taboo by assassinating him! To make matters worse, that person was highly likely to be Danzo?! It completely shattered everyone's perception of reality.
"What?!" "The Daimyo is dead?!"
At this moment, even Danzo was completely bewildered, but he quickly snapped out of it. This accusation was a massive, crushing weight—a blame far too heavy and dark for even him to shoulder. He couldn't accept it, he wouldn't accept it, and he absolutely lacked the capacity to survive it!
Even Danzo, who had spent his entire life taking the blame for things in the shadows, wanted to clear his name immediately. Although he desperately wished he could strangle Sakura with his bare hands right then and there, Danzo knew all too well that she was not someone who would make such wild claims blindly in a situation like this. If Sakura said the Daimyo was dead under these circumstances, then he was truly dead!
"Slander! Pure slander!" Shimura Danzo immediately barked back in a furious retort. "This old man has never laid a finger on the Daimyo!"
"Hmph, words are cheap coming from your mouth," Sakura sneered. "Before his passing, the late Daimyo issued his final decree, appointing Minamoto Musashi as the seventy-ninth Daimyo of the Land of Fire. This is your new sovereign! Danzo, get down here and kneel!"
Chaos at the Ceremony
The Konoha shinobi present had thought today was merely a Hokage inauguration ceremony. Even though none of them understood exactly how Lord Danzo had managed to ascend to the position of Hokage, they had still arrived with feelings of anticipation and joy to attend this grand occasion. Little did they expect that while it was indeed grand, the sheer weight of it was overwhelming. Bombshell after bombshell dropped in rapid succession, leaving them struggling to process it all.
"Insolent!" Danzo roared. "Seize Sakura Haruno and this imposter Daimyo!"
At this exact moment, Danzo absolutely could not acknowledge Minamoto Musashi as the new Daimyo! The moment he acknowledged it, it would legitimize the charges that he had manipulated the Daimyo with genjutsu, validate Sakura Haruno's claim to the Hokage seat, and allow that wretched pink-haired brat to firmly pin the assassination of the Daimyo right on his head!
Even if Minamoto Musashi was indeed the true new Daimyo, Danzo had to treat him as a fake! Furthermore, he had to die!
"Are you all deaf?!" Danzo bellowed, waving his hand fiercely. "Go! Kill Sakura Haruno and this imposter Daimyo!"
Shimura Danzo could no longer conceal the murderous intent in his heart. With a fierce wave of his hand, dozens of Root members materialized from the crowd, lunging toward Sakura and Minamoto Musashi without a shred of hesitation!
"Stop right there!" At that critical moment, an elderly voice roared out in anger!
Yet, the Root operatives acted as if they were completely deaf. Without slowing down in the slightest, their cold, gleaming blades flashed as they charged straight toward Sakura's group!
Watching them approach, Sakura met them with a cold gaze, her expression completely unfazed. Minamoto Musashi's face turned pale with fright, but he tightly suppressed his urge to flee, forcing his feet to stand firm without taking a single step back.
Lightning crackled wildly, cyclones howled, golden chains whipped through the air, and flames raged furiously!
Sasuke, Naruto, Karin, and Hikari struck simultaneously! Of the first four Root members who charged at Sakura, two were killed instantly, and two were severely wounded!
"I said, stop!"
Only now did everyone realize that three individuals had arrived at the scene: Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Jiraiya!
Mitokado Homura rushed forward, putting his elderly body directly in front of the advancing Root members. The situation seemed to fall into a tense stalemate with Homura's intervention.
"I am a Hokage Advisor! A Konoha Elder!" Homura announced his status immediately upon arrival, sweeping his gaze around to glare at everyone present. "Uchiha Sasuke! Uchiha Hikari! I told you to stop! Why did you still deal fatal blows?!"
Slaughtering Konoha shinobi in broad daylight, witnessed by everyone present—there was absolutely no explaining this away.
"They attempted to assassinate the Hokage and the Daimyo. That is a capital offense," Sasuke replied smoothly, sheathing his blade and looking calmly at the old man before him.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Hikari merely offered Homura a disdainful smirk, completely disregarding his words. At this moment, Homura didn't even bother to acknowledge Hikari's contempt.
"I am a Hokage Advisor and a Konoha Elder. Having served for decades, I have seen the Daimyo's decrees countless times. I can tell a real one from a fake at a single glance." Homura looked around once more, reiterating his authority. "Your... Highness, could you allow me to examine the Daimyo's decrees?"
Stepping up to Minamoto Musashi, Homura's expression softened slightly as he spoke in a gentle tone. Musashi hesitated, looking up at Sakura beside him. Upon receiving her reassuring nod, he handed both decrees over to Homura. Homura respectfully accepted the documents with both hands, quickly unfurling them to examine every detail meticulously.
The Verdict
As the seconds ticked away, everyone watched Homura with bated breath, their hearts tightening with anxiety.
If the decrees were genuine, then Shimura Danzo had committed an unspeakable, treasonous crime! If they were forged, then Sakura was guilty of plotting a rebellion and impersonating the Daimyo—which was equally a capital offense! For the first time, everyone felt the agony of waiting; every single second felt like an eternity of pure torture.
Sakura crossed her arms, closing her eyes with a calm expression as she waited for the decisive moment to arrive.
"This decree..." After a long silence, Homura cast a profoundly complex look at Sakura.
He had stared at this particular document for an exceptionally long time—long enough to send panic through his veins and leave him utterly dazed. Within the decree lay a secret code known only between the Hokage and the Daimyo. Aside from the Daimyo and Hiruzen Sarutobi, this code was also known to him, Shimura Danzo, and Utatane Koharu. This was exactly why, compared to the Daimyo's decree, the contents of the Hokage's decree made the situation seem even more suspicious.
Everyone's eyes were glued to Homura, terrified of missing a single word.
"Men..." Homura began softly.
"Execute Danzo!"
The decisive, elderly roar exploded through the crowd, carrying every ounce of strength he could muster.
Sakura opened her emerald eyes just a crack, glancing at Mitokado Homura. The so-called secret code had already been leaked to her by the Third Hokage a year ago.
Shimura is disrespectful. Haruno is treasonous.
That was the original content of the code. If she hadn't been worried that changing too much would give away the forgery, Sakura would have completely erased that flaw long ago.
"What?!" "No way!" "Lord Danzo really..." "This is completely lawless!" "Shimura Danzo!" "Kill him!" "Kill him!" "Kill him!"
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