Chapter 561: The Great Purge
After hearing Inoichi Yamanaka's analysis, Chōza Akimichi said in his rumbling voice, "Since we know someone is behind this, why don't we just clarify the situation and cancel the exam?"
Hiashi Hyūga replied, "The invitations have already been sent. It's too late to back out now. Besides the major villages, the shinobi world's merchants and nobles all know about it. By convention, the first round will start in a month, and the finals two months from now. Those people are probably already making travel arrangements."
Hiashi was right. A Joint Chunin Exam was a major event. If Konoha now admitted the invitations were fake, sent by an enemy using genjutsu, the village would be humiliated.
To avoid public disgrace, they had to go through with it.
This was Danzō's plan all along. It was an open conspiracy; even knowing he would cause trouble, Shikaku Nara and the others couldn't stop it.
The room fell silent. This feeling of being manipulated and outsmarted was deeply unpleasant.
Shikaku Nara finally spoke. "Now is not the time to dwell on this. We need to determine who is setting this trap, and what their objective is."
The first question was easy. Only two people would do this: Ishiro or Danzō.
Shibi Aburame said, "It must be Danzō. This incident proves the enemy has many people inside the village. Danzō, as a former Hokage, could have achieved this. The Tsuchikage could not possibly have this many agents."
Tsume Inuzuka interjected, "Or they're working together again. Don't forget the attack on the port. Iwa ninja were involved in that." (The official in charge of the port had been an Inuzuka, so Tsume remembered it well.)
Shinku Yūhi said, "So, the mastermind is Danzō, possibly with the Tsuchikage's help. As for his objective, he wants to use the chaos of the Chunin Exams to stage a coup."
Hearing the word "coup," the expressions of the clan heads soured. After all, a coup was how they had gotten into power.
Shikaku Nara nodded. "Alright. Now we need to conduct a sweep and find everyone who has defected to Danzō."
Hearing this, the leaders of the Hyūga, Inuzuka, and Aburame—the greatest tracking clans in the world—all fell silent.
They didn't need to investigate; they already knew who was most likely to join Danzō. Anyone who had lost power and profit because of their own rise to power was a potential suspect.
But the number of those people was too large. They couldn't afford to make an enemy of them all. If they conducted a "great purge" now, Konoha would immediately erupt into civil war.
It was easy to imagine the reaction.
So! You parasites empty the village coffers, and now that there's a problem, you want to pin the blame on us?
Even if they had hard evidence and only went after a few, the others wouldn't believe it. They would see it as a political purge, an attack on civilian ninja to prepare for their complete removal.
The result would be clear: the moderates would defect, and the radicals would revolt.
Shikaku Nara sighed inwardly but kept his voice calm. "There is one more problem. Do we inform Kakashi? The Chunin Exams are a major event. We can't hide it from him forever. He has to be the one to preside over the finals."
The room was silent. Telling Kakashi meant admitting their failure and relinquishing their power. No one was willing to do that.
Shikaku pressed on. "It's gone this far. Our... losses... have been more or less... recouped. It's time to stop. We have to give power back to Kakashi and Hiruzen. Otherwise, we cannot stop Danzō."
Still, no one spoke. They all avoided his gaze.
Shikaku sighed. "You have seven days. In seven days, we must inform Kakashi. If we don't, he won't even have time to set up defenses. If Danzō really does attack, it won't be good for us, either."
With Shikaku having laid it out so starkly, Inoichi Yamanaka finally spoke. "Fine. In seven days, all Yamanaka will resign their posts."
With one leader caving, the others, though reluctant, followed.
The last to speak was Hiashi Hyūga. He didn't want to give in, but he had no choice.
"I... will recall all branch family members," he said stiffly.
Shikaku frowned. He understood the subtext. Hiashi was giving up his political power, but he was not contributing his clan's military power to the village.
If Kakashi wanted the Hyūga's help in the future, he would have to make concessions.
But that was Kakashi's problem. Shikaku didn't want to, and couldn't, deal with it.
"Meeting adjourned," he said, waving his hand.
For the next seven days, every department in Konoha became a whirlwind of activity.
Budget requests and withdrawal slips flew to the high command like snow.
Shikaku Nara knew this was his allies' final feeding frenzy. He couldn't stop it, so he approved every single one.
Seven days later, Shikaku pulled Kakashi out of his training and confessed everything.
(What flowery language he used to cover up their shamelessness, one can only guess.)
When Shikaku left the office, Kakashi sat alone, stunned.
His hand trembled as he opened the ledgers Shikaku had given him.
Looking at the unbelievable deficit, Kakashi's vision went black, and he nearly fainted.
This was a disaster. Kakashi had no idea how to fix it. Konoha was in an impossible situation.
Danzō's counter-attack was coming, fueled by the very corruption of the clans. He had no idea how many civilian ninja Danzō had already recruited.
To stop Danzō, he needed the clans. But to use the clans would only enrage the civilian ninja further.
The situation was spiraling.
After a long time, he took the ledgers and went to Hiruzen Sarutobi's home.
When Kakashi saw the Third, he stopped.
In just half a year, Hiruzen's age spots had multiplied. His spirit was broken. The "God of Shinobi" was gone.
Kakashi didn't have the heart to burden him, but he looked down at the files and forced himself to step forward.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi heard the report, his expression was one of pure disbelief.
He sat in a stunned silence for a full half-hour.
Then, his unfocused eyes sharpened.
Kakashi's own eye narrowed. He saw, for the first time in a long time, a dangerous glint.
Hiruzen's appearance hadn't changed, but his entire aura had. He sat up straight. "Internal rot and an external threat. We cannot be passive. This requires a thunderous response."
Affected by Hiruzen's aura, Kakashi also sat up. "Lord Third, what should I do?"
Hiruzen said, "First, we must unify our internal support. The clan and civilian ninja are in conflict, and Danzō is using it. We have no time to negotiate. We must pick one side, strike the other with overwhelming force, and regroup. It must be done before Danzō attacks."
Kakashi's gaze hardened. "Which side do we choose?"
Hiruzen's voice was like iron. "The civilian ninja."
"With Danzō as an external threat, the clans have no choice. Even if we suppress them, they must fight Danzō with us. But if we side with the clans, the village will, at best, fracture. At worst, it will be destroyed in a civil war."
Kakashi nodded, his gaze firming.
Hiruzen continued, "The clans are at fault. They alienated the civilians in two ways: one, by placing incompetent people in high positions, and two, by stealing from the village and from the civilian ninja. Our response must target both."
"First, publicly announce their crimes. Fire every last clan member from their post. Replace them all with civilian-born ninja."
Kakashi said, "But... they already 'resigned'."
"It doesn't matter," Hiruzen waved his hand. "Outwardly, this must be your decision, as Hokage."
Kakashi grew pensive.
"Second," Hiruzen said, "seize their assets. Seize the assets of all the clans. Part of it will go back to the village treasury, and part will be redistributed to the civilian ninja."
Kakashi sucked in a cold breath. He hadn't expected this. He thought, at most, they would make the clans offer up a few scapegoats.
"If they revolt...?"
Hiruzen was adamant. "They won't dare. They can't afford it. They're a bunch of corrupt officials who just made a fortune. They have no stomach for mutual destruction."
Kakashi was still worried. "But even if they don't revolt... what about after? Will they ever cooperate again?"
Hiruzen looked Kakashi in the eye. "There will be no 'after.' All clan compounds will be seized. All clans will be disbanded and their members scattered to live among the populace. All clan ninja will be drafted into the ANBU or regular forces, under the command of stronger leaders."
Kakashi's breath quickened. He finally understood. Hiruzen was using this opportunity to permanently destroy the clan system that had existed since Konoha's founding.
He closed his eye for a long moment. When he opened it, he was calm. "I understand, Lord Third."
Hiruzen asked one last question. "And if... there is resistance...?"
Kakashi did not hesitate. "No mercy."
They locked eyes, both resolved.
The next day, an announcement was issued from the Hokage's office.
The Seventh Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, had been in seclusion. In his absence, Shikaku Nara and the others had committed treason: they had engaged in cronyism, embezzled massive public funds, and shamed the village.
Therefore, the Seventh Hokage was stripping all of them of their duties.
Before this bombshell could even be processed, the second one dropped:
The Hokage had ordered the seizure of all assets from the Hyūga, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Aburame, Inuzuka, Yūhi, Gekkō, and over a dozen other clans.
The order hadn't even finished circulating before Kakashi himself appeared at the Nara clan compound.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was at the Hyūga compound.
Enma and the Sarutobi clan were at the Aburame compound.
Might Guy was at the Inuzuka compound.
Other powerful, non-clan Jonin, like Kosuke Maruboshi, surrounded the rest.
The action was swift.
When Kakashi appeared, Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chōza rushed out, horrified.
Shikaku tried to explain, but Kakashi only said two words: "Take them."
When some tried to resist, Kakashi personally cut them down.
The rest looked to their clan heads.
Shikaku was still in shock.
"Take them," Kakashi repeated.
His forces moved in, arresting everyone, including the three clan heads.
Shikaku didn't resist. He knew Kakashi could take all three of their clans alone. And he could see... Kakashi was serious.
Just as Hiruzen had predicted, Shikaku was a smart man. He couldn't afford a war.
After their chakra was sealed, Kakashi said two more words: "Seize everything."
Shikaku's vision went black. He knew what this meant. Hundreds of years of accumulated wealth... gone.
He regretted it. He regretted being blinded by greed. He finally understood: to play the game, you must have the power to back up your moves. They thought they were the power. They thought Kakashi needed them.
He realized, too late, that Kakashi had another path.
It was over in less than half a day. All clan members—men, women, and children—were herded into a massive ANBU training ground.
Fewer than twenty people were killed for resisting.
The clan heads were bound and forced to kneel at the front.
Shikamaru Nara and the other children were also sealed, but not bound. Shikamaru, who knew what his father had been doing, looked calm, almost resigned.
Hinata Hyūga, however, was clutching her sister Hanabi, the most terrified of them all.
Kakashi wasted no time. In front of a thousand civilian-born ninja, he began the public trials.
The evidence was overwhelming. They hadn't even tried to hide it; they never thought the Hokage would actually do this.
After the "trials," Kakashi took his brush and sentenced everyone who had stolen over a certain amount to death.
Over one hundred clan ninja were executed on the spot.
This included the head of the Gekkō clan.
Dozens more were executed for "abusing their authority" or "incompetence leading to the death of subordinates."
Finally, the heads of nearly ten minor clans, like the Yūhi and Inuzuka, who had contributed little to Konoha's history but had been deeply corrupt, were also executed.
(Hinata Hyūga, seeing her clansmen killed, fainted.)
The remaining, high-profile clan heads—Shikaku, Inoichi, Hiashi, Shibi—had the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal placed on them by Kakashi personally.
All remaining clan ninja were drafted into the ANBU and regular forces, and permanently barred from holding any command position.
Kakashi, seeing the hatred in the eyes of the civilian ninja finally begin to fade, announced, "All seized assets will be forfeit."
"All civilian ninja who were wounded or killed in service, from the time I became Hokage until now, will receive a massive pension. Furthermore, all civilian ninja will be re-evaluated for rank."
"Upon re-evaluation, all Genin will receive the pay of ten B-rank missions and five C-rank jutsu. Chunin will receive ten A-rank missions and three B-rank jutsu. Jonin will receive three S-rank and ten A-rank missions, plus two A-rank and five B-rank jutsu. Elite Jonin will receive ten S-rank missions, five A-rank jutsu, and one S-rank jutsu."
"And... all clan hiden (secret techniques) will be made available to all of you!"
The civilian ninja were breathless. This was... this was more than they had ever lost. This was a fortune. And the clan secrets...
The bound clan members were shaking with rage. Kakashi was giving away their ancestral wealth.
The re-evaluation and payout process began immediately. It took two full days, but in the end, Konoha's civilian ninja had been re-ranked, re-equipped, and re-paid.
(End of Chapter)
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