With the sheer power Kagami had demonstrated, all the shinobi of Konoha combined would still be no match for him. To label a man who could annihilate their village at will a rogue ninja would be an act of utter madness. Besides, it was Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura who had provoked Kagami's wrath. The ones who truly needed to worry were the Sarutobi and Shimura clans; this had little to do with the rest of them. Only a fool would risk their life challenging Kagami when they could ensure their safety by paying a little tribute.
Most of Konoha's elite forces had already been wiped out by Kagami's power, leaving the village's combat strength at a fraction of what it once was. Even if they somehow managed to drive Kagami away, how would they defend themselves when the other great ninja villages inevitably came knocking? Therefore, purely for the sake of self-preservation, they would never declare Kagami a traitor. To cast out their strongest asset out of pride would be monumentally stupid.
Seeing the other clans offering their wealth while the heads of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans remained silent, Kagami's eyes turned to ice. "Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura conspired to destroy my clan," he said, his voice dangerously low. "Are you going to offer me an explanation?"
Stared down by Kagami's murderous gaze, the patriarchs of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans felt their legs give way, and they dropped to their knees on the rubble-strewn ground.
The head of the Shimura clan was terrified. "Those were their own actions! We swear, we had no idea what they were planning!" It was true. Though Danzo Shimura was the leader of Root, his clan had received no benefits from his position. In fact, many of their own had been sacrificed for Danzo's twisted experiments. Now, Danzo's actions had brought a terrifying enemy to their doorstep. In his heart, the clan head wished Danzo had died sooner.
The Sarutobi clan head, though still seething with anger over Hiruzen's death, was panicked when he heard Kagami's reason. This was vengeance for a genocide. If he didn't handle this perfectly, it wouldn't just be Hiruzen who died tonight.
"He speaks the truth," he echoed quickly, his voice trembling. "It was all Hiruzen's own decision. We, the Sarutobi clan, were completely unaware!" Knowing the depth of the feud, he wanted nothing more than to immediately expel Hiruzen from the clan's records and sever all ties. He had even stopped calling him 'Hokage,' referring to him only by his name.
In that moment, both clan heads were silently cursing Hiruzen and Danzo. Those two bastards hadn't even bothered to gauge their enemy's strength before acting. Now, not only were they dead, but they had dragged their entire clans into this mess.
The other clan leaders watched this scene with grim satisfaction, feeling incredibly fortunate that the two fools were not from their families.
"Unaware? Hmph!" Kagami snorted, his expression growing even colder. "They were your clansmen. How could you be completely oblivious? Do you take me for a fool?"
The two clan heads trembled, their faces masks of misery. "Kagami-dono, Hiruzen and Danzo never consulted us about anything they did. We were truly kept in the dark!" Ever since the two had risen to the top of Konoha's leadership, they had never cared for the opinions of their own clans. They truly felt wronged.
"Hiruzen, Danzo, you two have truly doomed us all!" the two patriarchs thought, cursing the dead men. They felt so utterly wronged, about to die for a plot they knew nothing about.
Looking at their expressions, Kagami suspected they were likely telling the truth. In reality, he felt little for the destruction of the Uchiha clan itself; he had been disappointed with them for years. What truly angered him was the death of the kind neighbors who had been good to his family, all slain by Itachi's hand. In his heart, Itachi, Hiruzen, and Danzo were the ones who had to die. As for their clans, as long as they paid the price, he wouldn't annihilate them. As long as these shinobi paid a sufficient "protection fee," he wouldn't bother targeting them further.
However, while he had no intention of killing them, he wasn't about to let them off easily.
He glanced coldly at the two kneeling men, reining in his killing intent just enough for them to breathe. "I will believe that you were unaware. But they were members of your clans. For that, you must pay a sufficient price."
Hearing this, the heads of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans were overcome with relief, nodding frantically. "Yes, of course! Kagami-dono, we are willing to pay one billion ryo each!" They had thought they were dead men. A billion ryo was a staggering sum that would cripple their clans for years, but it was infinitely better than death.
Kagami nodded, his face an emotionless mask. "Very well. Since you are so sensible, I will not hold you responsible." While he knew their clans possessed far more wealth, he wouldn't bleed them dry all at once. If he destroyed them now, he would lose two future sources of income. Steady, careful exploitation would yield far greater value.
"Thank you, Kagami-dono! Thank you! You are truly a magnanimous man!" the two clan heads stammered, gratitude pouring from them. In an instant, their anger at Kagami had vanished, replaced by the profound relief of having survived.
Kagami snorted dismissively, then turned his gaze back to the other clan leaders. "Tomorrow morning, gather all of Konoha's high-ranking officials and every clan head at the Hokage Building. I have an announcement to make."
Hearing this, the clan leaders exchanged uneasy glances before finally nodding in unison. "Understood."
Satisfied, Kagami nodded, then turned and left with Rinne, carrying the sleeping Sasuke.
After Kagami was out of earshot, Akimichi Choza looked at Nara Shikaku and whispered, "Shikaku, any idea what he wants to do tomorrow?"
The others leaned in, also looking expectantly at the Nara clan head.
Shikaku stroked his chin, his eyes distant in thought. After a moment, he spoke. "He probably intends to become our leader."
"What? He wants to be Hokage?" Yamanaka Inoichi exclaimed in shock, before quickly clamping a hand over his mouth, terrified Kagami might have heard.
The other clan leaders were horrified, then a wave of helplessness washed over them. "If he really declares himself Hokage tomorrow... what do we do? Do we agree?"
Shikaku glanced at the anxious faces around him and gave a short, bitter laugh. "Do we have a choice?"
His words hung in the air, and a grim silence fell over the group.
He was right. They had no choice at all. If they disagreed, their fate would be the same as Hiruzen's and Danzo's.
"Alas," one of them sighed, his voice heavy with resignation. "It seems this is the only way."