Chapter 112: He Swore to Believe in Her from Now On
Konoha Ninja Village, Hokage Building.
Stelle's brush finally stopped moving. She tossed it aside, staring blankly at the freshly settled mountain of paperwork on her desk. Exhaustion washed over her, heavy and unyielding, prompting her to slump back into the plush leather chair with a soft groan. She stared at the ceiling, completely unwilling to move a single muscle.
According to her calculations, this Hokage identity wasn't exactly a persona that could be easily killed off. That meant she was stuck in this bureaucratic hellscape for the foreseeable future. If she didn't want to die of sheer boredom, she desperately needed to delegate more power.
Otherwise, drowning in administrative forms every single day would drive absolutely anyone into a deep depression.
A subtle shift in the air broke her train of thought. An Anbu operative materialized in the center of the office, dropping smoothly into a half-kneel on the hardwood floor.
"Hokage-sama," the masked ninja reported, his voice tight with urgency. "A large mob of villagers from District One has just breached the central village. They are claiming that a Konoha shinobi murdered their Village Chief during an active mission. They are demanding an audience with you to uphold justice."
Stelle's eyes gleamed with a hidden spark of amusement. 'Serious business has arrived.'
Finally, an excuse to escape the paperwork. Time to get to work.
She neatly stacked the remaining documents, pushing them to the edge of the desk. "Where are they right now?" she asked, her tone shifting into the calm, authoritative cadence expected of a village leader. "Divert them to the Police Force headquarters first. We need to keep the public impact to an absolute minimum."
The Anbu lowered his head further. "That might not be possible, Hokage-sama. From the moment they crossed into the village gates, they have been weeping and screaming their grievances to anyone within earshot. A massive crowd of local residents heard the commotion and followed them. When the Police Force intercepted the mob and attempted to escort them away, the District One villagers reacted violently. They held kunai to their own throats, threatening to commit suicide on the spot if they were silenced."
Stelle leaned her chin on her intertwined fingers. One truly had to praise Black Zetsu's mastery over Genjutsu. If that shadowy manipulator could twist the will of the legendary Madara Uchiha into believing a fabricated reality, subtly influencing the minds and spirits of a few ordinary civilians was child's play.
"And the Anbu operative accused of this?" Stelle asked, her gaze sharpening. "Where are they?"
"Once the District One Security Department realized the severity of the situation, they immediately detained the accused operative to prevent the conflict from escalating," the Anbu replied. "They are currently escorting the suspect directly toward the Hokage Building."
"If the crowd cannot be contained, then let them come here," Stelle commanded smoothly.
"How can you allow them to march directly to the Hokage Building? An incident of this nature must be handled with absolute discretion."
The heavy oak doors swung open. Hiruzen Sarutobi strode into the office, his expression stern, with Danzo Shimura trailing closely behind like a lingering shadow. Both elders carried a dark, stormy aura, having clearly caught wind of the brewing disaster.
"Half the village has already witnessed the spectacle," Stelle countered effortlessly, not missing a beat. "It can no longer be swept under the rug. Attempting to hide it now will only breed more suspicion. It is far better to conduct an open inquiry."
With a flick of her wrist, she casually tossed a stack of freshly processed documents—files directly related to their respective departments—straight into their hands.
Hiruzen and Danzo caught the flying paperwork, their brows furrowing in unison. A deep sense of unease settled over them. Where would a handful of lowly civilian villagers find the sheer audacity to cause such a massive uproar at the very seat of Konoha's power?
The veteran residents of the central village might possess that kind of nerve, but the outer rim inhabitants of District One rarely interacted with anyone above their local Security Chief. If they truly sought justice, their first and only stop should have been the local precinct.
"Who exactly is the current Chief of the District One Security Department? Does he have water sloshing around in his skull?" Hiruzen cursed, his usual grandfatherly facade cracking to reveal a sharp, biting anger. "He couldn't even contain a minor civilian dispute and actually allowed a mob to march on the Hokage's doorstep!"
Danzo narrowed his single exposed eye, his expression darkening into a scowl. "After I transferred my operatives out of District One, the local security jurisdiction was handed over to a representative from the Hyuga Main Family."
A simultaneous, venomous thought sparked in both of the elders'minds:'Damn the Hyuga Clan. Are they capable of doing anything other than breeding sheer incompetence and causing trouble?'
Hiruzen turned a serious gaze toward Stelle. "This entire situation is highly irregular. The pacing, the aggression, something feels deeply wrong. Exercise extreme caution in how you handle this inquiry."
A moment later, a cacophony of angry shouts and weeping echoed from the courtyard below. Stelle bypassed the elders, pushed open the balcony doors, and stepped out to survey the chaos.
The expansive plaza beneath the Hokage Building was already swarming with a dense, agitated crowd. At the forefront of the mob, four burly men carried a crude wooden plank. Atop it lay the deceased.
They hadn't even bothered to grant the man the dignity of a white sheet. The corpse was fully exposed, displaying a gruesome, fatal wound—a single, precise sword strike that had cleanly severed his throat. Dark crimson blood continuously dripped from the edges of the wooden board, painting a macabre trail across the village square.
A young, beautiful woman was draped over the edge of the makeshift stretcher. Her voice was entirely hoarse, choked with agonizing sobs as she repeatedly screamed the dead man's name. Her eyes were completely hollow, devoid of any light, looking as though she might draw a blade and follow her lover into the afterlife at any given second.
The surrounding District One villagers bore heavy tear stains on their dirt-smudged cheeks. Their eyes burned with a feral, unadulterated hatred. Every venomous glare was locked onto a single figure standing in the center of a defensive ring formed by the Security Department—an Anbu operative named Jia.
If it weren't for the physical barrier of armed guards, the mob would have undoubtedly rushed forward and torn the accused ninja limb from limb.
The civilian onlookers whispered frantically among themselves. A few of the more timid residents covered their mouths, stifling screams at the sight of the mutilated neck.
"That Anbu is an absolute monster, striking down an innocent civilian."
"Exactly! Just to secure a mission success, she completely disregarded the lives of the very people she swore to protect."
"Could there be some sort of misunderstanding? Under the current Hokage's leadership, how could such a ruthless pest be allowed to operate in Konoha?"
"Don't panic. The Hokage will definitely uphold justice for them."
"Right, absolutely!"
Cutting through the rising tide of murmurs, Stelle descended the main steps of the building, her posture radiating an untouchable, absolute calm. The moment the grieving villagers spotted her, it was as if they had found a divine savior. Several of the most aggressive protesters instantly dropped to their knees, the heavy thuds echoing across the stone pavement.
"Hokage-sama! Please, we beg of you! You must seek justice for our Village Chief!"
"Taro was a saint! He was the one who saved our entire settlement!" an older man wailed, slamming his forehead against the ground. "If he hadn't negotiated for us to join Konoha's protection, we would have all starved to death in the wilderness! He didn't deserve to be butchered like an animal!"
"Please, Hokage-sama! Execute the murderer!"
The whispers swelled into a roar, dozens of fingers pointing accusingly at the silent Anbu.
Standing on the steps behind Stelle, Hiruzen and Danzo finally got a clear look at the accused. Their wrinkles deepened so severely they could have crushed a fly between their brows.
'How could it be her?'
Stelle raised a single hand. "Everyone, contain your agitation. Please, stand up." Her voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a commanding resonance that instantly washed over the plaza. "I am deeply saddened that such a tragedy has occurred within our walls. However, before we pass judgment, our absolute priority is to uncover the truth and drag the facts into the light."
The chaotic plaza fell into a pin-drop silence. Stelle shifted her gaze, locking onto the masked Anbu.
"Did you kill this civilian?"
Jia stood rigid just a few feet away from the bloody wooden board. Slowly, she gave a single, silent nod. She had, indeed, delivered the fatal strike.
Stelle didn't react to the admission. Instead, she looked toward the perimeter of the security detail. "Who was operating on her squad during this mission?"
Two Anbu operatives immediately broke formation, stepping forward and dropping to one knee in standard military protocol.
The squad captain kept his head bowed. "Hokage-sama, I was the commanding officer leading the unit in District One. Our objective was a high-risk spy capture operation."
"Did you witness the exact moment of the incident?" Stelle demanded.
"I did," the captain replied smoothly. "I had just successfully subdued and restrained one of the enemy spies. I turned back to assess if my subordinates required backup. I saw that a second spy had engaged Jia and was actively using a civilian hostage as a human shield. In an attempt to eliminate the threat and save the hostage, Jia initiated a lethal strike. From my vantage point, Jia's back was facing me. I could only see the arc of her blade as it pierced through both the civilian and the enemy spy simultaneously."
His report was entirely clinical. There was no embellishment, no emotional defense, just a cold, factual recounting of his visual perspective.
The fragile peace shattered instantly. The villagers, freshly provoked by the clinical confirmation of the murder, surged forward with renewed fury. The Security Department guards strained against the mob, shoving back the desperate civilians.
Suddenly, the grieving fiancée draped over the corpse let out a bloodcurdling shriek. All remnants of her sanity snapped. She vaulted off the wooden board and launched herself directly at Jia. The security perimeter, distracted by the larger crowd, was caught completely off guard, leaving a momentary gap that the woman exploited.
Jia instinctively raised a hand, intending to grab the woman's wrist and restrain her.
Seeing the movement, the fiancée screamed hysterically, "Are you going to butcher me too?! Go ahead! Kill me! Kill me right now!"
Jia froze. Her hand dropped to her side. She didn't dare twitch a single muscle, simply standing there like a stone statue as the frantic woman rained desperate punches and kicks against her armored chest.
But how could the frail strikes of an ordinary civilian ever shake the conditioned physique of an elite Anbu? Realizing her blows were doing nothing, the woman's grief morphed into feral rage. She lunged forward and sank her teeth viciously into Jia's shoulder, drawing blood through the fabric.
Jia gritted her teeth beneath her mask. She desperately wanted to explain that the hostage had deliberately thrown himself onto her blade. But the words died in her throat.
How could anyone possibly believe such an absurd, physics-defying excuse?
Even Jia couldn't comprehend why the civilian had actively lunged into the path of her sword. Based on the man's center of gravity and musculoskeletal flinching at the time of the strike, he should have lost his balance and slid downward, completely avoiding the lethal arc. Instead, he had practically impaled himself.
In the chaotic scuffle, the woman's flailing hands caught the edge of the porcelain Anbu mask. With a sharp yank, the mask tore free, clattering onto the stone pavement and exposing Jia's true face to the world.
Startled, Jia flinched, her hands instinctively flying up to conceal her identity. But it was far too late. Her youthful, pale features were already burned into the retinas of the hateful mob.
"Get away from her!"
A booming voice echoed across the plaza. Jiraiya burst through the crowd, his chest heaving violently as he gasped for air. Taking in the horrific scene, the Toad Sage didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second. He grabbed the hysterical woman by the waist, firmly pulling her away from the Anbu, and immediately planted himself directly in front of Jia, spreading his arms wide to shield her from the mob.
"Jia... are you hurt?" he asked, his lungs burning. He had sprinted across the village at top speed the moment he heard the rumors, and he was still struggling to catch his breath.
Jia slowly shook her head. Her wide, trembling eyes locked onto Jiraiya's broad back. In the suffocating darkness of the crowd's hatred, a tiny, fragile glimmer of hope ignited in her chest.
'If it is Jiraiya... surely, he will believe me, right?'
The grieving fiancée thrashed against Jiraiya's iron grip, stubbornly trying to claw her way back to her target. But against a Sannin, her struggles were entirely futile. Realizing she could no longer reach the murderer, she abruptly twisted away, throwing herself onto the ground at Stelle's feet.
"Hokage-sama!" she wailed, her forehead scraping the stone. "She is the monster who slaughtered my fiancé! Please, I beg of you, execute her!"
"That is absolutely impossible!" Jiraiya roared, his voice thick with unwavering conviction. He glared fiercely at the accusers. "There is no way in hell Jia would ever commit cold-blooded murder against an innocent! There is a hidden truth here, and I will prove it!"
He rebuked the crowd without a shred of hesitation, firmly refusing to entertain even a shadow of a doubt.
After their last ordeal, he had sworn an oath to himself that he would never doubt Jia again. And today, facing the wrath of the entire village, was no exception.
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