"This is outrageous!"
Utatane Koharu was the only one who dared to defend Mitokado Homura at that moment.
Her face showed utter disbelief; she couldn't accept that Mitokado Homura was capable of such a thing.
Yet, there were witnesses, and the evidence was stacked against him.
No matter how hard Mitokado Homura tried to prove his innocence, it seemed impossible to clear his name.
Some in the crowd might have suspected a political setup, but they kept their thoughts to themselves.
What could they even do?
Sarutobi Ryo was only targeting the top officials.
To keep the people happy, those lower down wouldn't be harmed.
As long as the heads of the clans and departments were safe, the stability of Konoha wouldn't truly be threatened.
The Nara Clan and others watched silently as the scene unfolded.
Soon, Mitokado Homura was arrested then and there, and his home was seized.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan was immediately returned to the Uchiha clan.
Yashiro received the Sharingan, his hands shaking.
In terms of pure fighting power, a Three-Tomoe Sharingan wasn't much.
But its importance was huge.
He had witnessed the changes in the Uchiha clan firsthand, experiencing them himself.
He was deeply grateful to Sarutobi Ryo for that.
Sarutobi Ryo didn't need the Sharingan to become stronger.
He also had no interest in researching or selling Sharingan.
Why would I need to be sneaky when I already control the entire Uchiha clan?
As long as he continued to train them...
At least Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke were likely to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. What was there to worry about?
The storm quickly subsided.
Mitokado Homura's downfall left a position open...
And that made some people feel even more worried.
First Danzo, then Mitokado Homura... who would be next?
Standing among the onlookers, Namikaze Minato's expression grew serious.
Another person who was increasingly uneasy was, of course, Utatane Koharu, who feared for her own safety.
But Utatane Koharu was a ninja of the old generation, with her own pride.
She made a decision.
She would fight Sarutobi Ryo to the very end.
But some things went beyond what she could imagine.
The changing times would quickly get rid of certain people.
Utatane Koharu was one of them.
----
That night.
At Utatane Koharu's house.
The door opened, and Biwako stepped out.
She had obviously been comforting her close friend.
She glanced at the dim streetlights.
It was as if an era was ending, and so much was changing.
Her son, Sarutobi Ryo, wouldn't stop until he had completely eliminated certain elements.
Personally, she wished Sarutobi Ryo would stop now.
But professionally, she couldn't stop anything.
Her son wasn't one to follow the rules.
With Hiruzen's retirement, she and Hiruzen no longer held any real power.
Without power, they could only use their reputation to try and control Sarutobi Ryo, who was now the Jonin Commander.
However,
Sarutobi Ryo wasn't a traditional ninja.
He didn't care so much about the dignity of his elders.
He was stubbornly moving forward, clearing away any obstacles in his path.
What would Koharu's fate be?
Biwako turned and looked at the closed door.
She didn't know.
She could only hope that her son wouldn't go too far.
As soon as Biwako left, someone appeared in front of Utatane Koharu's home...
----
The next morning.
The authorities announced that Utatane Koharu had run away, fearing punishment.
This caused another huge uproar.
Everyone knew that her escape was just the beginning of her capture.
All anyone knew was that Utatane Koharu had disappeared, and they started whispering about it.
A sense of unease began to spread.
Everyone worried that they might be next.
Sarutobi Ryo watched the political turmoil, his face showing nothing.
What if people suspected that Utatane Koharu had been taken care of?
Someone with a clear conscience had nothing to fear.
If you haven't done anything wrong, you don't need to fear an investigation.
"Heh heh..."
Orochimaru crossed his arms, sitting in the place of honor.
As someone who had participated in the operation last night, he didn't feel bad about going after Utatane Koharu.
Now that they were on the same side, it was normal to do some practical things, wasn't it?
Utatane Koharu disappeared last night.
She was currently being held in the top-secret laboratory that Orochimaru had built himself.
Orochimaru had turned Root's lair into an even more secret hideout.
An old and powerful figure like her was a perfect test subject.
There were so many interesting ideas that could be explored with her.
Sarutobi Ryo watched everyone's reactions and announced the agenda for the day's meeting...
And this wasn't the end.
He wouldn't stop until Senju Tobirama was completely dealt with.
As for Namikaze Minato, one of the main instigators, Sarutobi Ryo had decided to confront him.
Even if Namikaze Minato summoned Senju Hashirama, Sarutobi Ryo wouldn't back down.
Namikaze Minato had crossed a line.
Through Utatane Koharu's memories and confirmation of Mitokado Homura's memories, it was Namikaze Minato who had suggested bringing Senju Tobirama back.
That meant his motives were impure; the real darkness came from him.
Did Namikaze Minato not understand what bringing Senju Tobirama back meant?
Of course, he did.
But he still decided to do it.
Namikaze Minato simply didn't realize that he was leading himself into an abyss, the beginning of his downfall...
----
After the meeting.
Namikaze Minato and Kushina went to the outskirts of Konoha.
Windmills, a bridge, and a stream.
The peaceful scenery was beautiful to look at.
But Namikaze Minato couldn't appreciate it.
The political changes in Konoha made him extremely worried about the future.
Hearing that Utatane Koharu had also been removed, Uzumaki Mito frowned slowly.
She had set up a barrier here.
The basement had been turned into Senju Tobirama's temporary home.
As Senju Tobirama spent more time back in the world, the Impure World Reincarnation became more accurate.
But it was still too slow.
Senju Tobirama stood in the shadows, also frowning. He had clearly underestimated how quickly Sarutobi Ryo could act.
To purge the entire Konoha leadership so quickly was unheard of.
Maybe only the tragic fate of the Amegakure leaders could compare.
*
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[T/N:
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