"Everyone, listen to me."
Hiruzen Sarutobi pressed his hands down, once again drowning out the voices of the villagers.
"It's not that I'm unwilling to go to the battlefield."
"I need to ensure the safety of the village and all of you."
"When the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure went to battle and was raided by Kumogakure, how many lives were lost?"
"This is a situation I don't want to see. It's an honor for a ninja to die on the battlefield."
"But you are the roots of Konoha, and I can't afford to lose you."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with an air of righteousness, attempting to build up his glorious image.
"He's just trying to fool these innocent villagers."
"The Land of Earth has a large area bordering the sea, while Konoha has a very small part bordering the sea. There are many obstacles on the waterways."
"How could such a situation possibly occur?"
Fugaku scoffed even more at Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.
He was the first one to make his reluctance to go to the battlefield sound so high - minded.
"Well, it doesn't matter. What matters is that some people believe him."
Ao couldn't help but complain, and he now had a clear understanding of Hiruzen Sarutobi's audacity.
Turning his gaze to Hiruzen Sarutobi, before the villagers could fully digest his words, he continued speaking.
"I understand how you all feel."
"The war is over, and life must go on."
"I've made proper arrangements for the pensions, and they will be distributed soon."
"This is the last thing I can do as the Hokage."
"Let's all look forward. I'll continue to accompany you all to build a better Konoha Village."
"Only a strong Konoha can prevent such tragedies from happening again."
"I've finished speaking. If anyone has any objections, you can come and talk to me privately."
Hiruzen Sarutobi blurted out all the words in his mind in one breath.
Then he quietly waited for the reaction of the villagers below.
As he expected, the dead were gone, but the living still had to carry on.
The promise of pensions hit the soft spot of most villagers.
Most of them fell silent and didn't raise any more objections.
Only a few were still crying and were pulled away by those around them.
It would be a great loss if these people affected the pensions.
Watching the villagers gradually leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a satisfied smile.
Kawaki Hatake, let's see what else you can do!
After the commotion subsided, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned and left.
The platform was dismantled, and it was as if nothing had happened.
"Ao still couldn't believe it. Were the villagers really that easy to convince?"
Those troublemakers who used to cause a ruckus at the Uchiha Security Force were so hard to deal with.
"Otherwise, do you think he's been the Hokage for all these years for nothing?"
Fugaku's face also looked grim. His well - planned scheme had ended so anticlimactically.
"Then have we been wasting our time?"
Ao felt a bit frustrated. He had put a lot of effort into this matter.
"Don't worry, it won't end so easily."
"Let's go."
Fugaku showed a barely perceptible smile. No wonder Kawaki hadn't come.
It seemed he had figured it out.
"Yes, Lord Fugaku."
Ao followed in Fugaku's footsteps, and the two slowly left.
...
"You still carry a lot of weight in the villagers' hearts."
In the Hokage's office, Homura Mitokado smiled like a chrysanthemum.
He gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a thumbs - up.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's personal prestige was a crucial factor in successfully suppressing this incident.
"Arrange the pensions right away."
"Let's avoid any further trouble. Distribute them according to the shares we decided before."
Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't waste any words and instructed Homura Mitokado on what to do next.
"Don't worry. I'll arrange it right away."
Homura Mitokado put away his smile and solemnly promised.
"Be extra vigilant recently. I always feel this isn't over yet."
Hiruzen Sarutobi lit his pipe and took a puff. His mind was far from calm.
Although this incident had an impact on him, it wasn't enough to bring him down.
So he guessed that Kawaki still had a trick up his sleeve.
"The Anbu didn't spot any suspicious characters today."
"They did a clean job and left no traces."
Homura Mitokado sighed. Otherwise, this would have been a chance to turn the tables.
At least they could have pinned the guilt of slandering the Hokage on the instigator.
"He's smart."
"Don't waste too much energy on this."
Hiruzen Sarutobi never underestimated Kawaki.
"Okay, got it."
"Then I'll go and arrange the pensions first."
Their conversation came to a halt, and Homura Mitokado turned to leave the room.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in silence, lost in thought. Sleepiness gradually crept over him.
He had been busy all morning, while the instigator hadn't even gotten out of bed yet.
...
"Get up!"
Tsunade woke up earlier than Kawaki today. Her hand was moving around under the covers, doing goodness knows what.
"Stop it. I can't take it."
Kawaki didn't even open his eyes. He clearly looked exhausted.
"Weren't you so cocky last night?"
Tsunade took her hand out of the covers discontentedly and pried open Kawaki's eyelids.
There were still bloodshot eyes in his eyes. Kawaki struggled to open them.
A long - forgotten sense of weakness washed over him. Lust is truly a bone - scraping blade, just as the ancestors said!
"I was wrong."
Kawaki quickly conceded defeat. Why should he, like a bull, argue with a field?
"It's already noon. Didn't you say there'd be a good show?
"Shouldn't it be over by now?"
Tsunade tickled Kawaki's cheek with her hair.
"There's another act. No rush."
Kawaki was really at a loss what to do with Tsunade. There was no way he could go back to sleep.
He blinked vigorously and suddenly sat up.
"I'm going out first."
Seeing Kawaki getting up, Tsunade put on her clothes and walked out of the room.
"This seductive enchantress."
Kawaki yawned and slowly got dressed.
When the two went out for a meal, the butler came forward to report the news.
"Second Young Master, the chaos at the Hokage Building has been quelled."
"The Hokage - sama apologized to the villagers and promised to distribute the pensions soon."
The butler summarized the morning's events in just two sentences.
"Got it. Thanks for your hard work."
Kawaki smiled and didn't take this news seriously.
It would really surprise him if Hiruzen Sarutobi were ousted from power in this way.
"Of course. If there's nothing else, I'll get back to work."
The butler didn't want to disturb their meal any longer, so he bowed and excused himself.
"The teacher really knows how to manipulate the villagers' minds."
Tsunade remarked with a hint of sarcasm as she ate her fried dumplings.
"You should learn from him later."
Kawaki joined in the banter.
"I'm not going to learn this kind of thing. Just do things properly."
Tsunade's words were as straightforward as her personality.
"Your opinion matters. The few members of my Hatake family don't need your support."
Kawaki's casual words actually revealed more information.
"Be happy you don't have to shell out money."
Tsunade gave him a disdainful look. It was hard to tell if she really understood or was just pretending.
After they finished eating, Tsunade headed straight to the hospital.
She didn't need to worry about these things at all. Kawaki would surely handle them.
Kawaki, on the other hand, went to the Uchiha clan's land and had a long chat with Fugaku.
...
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