The Uchiha clan, which was wiped out entirely, lacked vision.

Chapter 163 Abolish the Hokage

Chapter 163 Abolish the Hokage

Konoha, Hokage's office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, staring at the piles of documents in front of him, including battle damage reports, compensation applications, and material approval reports. He took long, drawn-out puffs of cigarette smoke, his aged face completely hidden behind the smoke, making it difficult to discern his emotions.

"Lord Hokage." Someone knocked on the door and came in.

"Oh, it's Itachi!" Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his pipe, forced a smile, and waved for him to sit down. "Is there some trouble on the western front now?"

"No, everything is normal on the western front. Although the Land of Wind has rejoined the war, their strength has been greatly diminished, and their offensive is not fierce. I can hold them off."

"Alright, alright." Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief. "So, what brings you here today?"

"That's right, Hokage-sama." Itachi sat up straight and said solemnly, "The situation in Konoha is extremely bad right now; even children are starting to enter the battlefield."

"So I've been thinking these past few days about how to break the current predicament of Konoha Village."

"I believe that to break this deadlock, we need stronger, top-tier ninjas, not lower-ranking ninjas who can only serve as cannon fodder."

"I've always been puzzled as to why Uchiha An and Uchiha Obito could use Wood Release. But after having an in-depth conversation with the Anbu member 'Tenzo,' I'm quite certain that their Wood Release, like Tenzo's, was created by transplanting cells from the First Hokage. The executor was probably the rogue ninja Orochimaru."

"The village is in a very bad situation right now, so I'm applying for a cell transplant from the First Generation."

"If I also have the Wood Release ability, my combat power will definitely take a qualitative leap, breaking the current stalemate on the battlefield in one fell swoop."

"I see!" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Itachi, first praising him with a smile, "Itachi, you really are as I said, able to see things from the Kage's perspective!"

"Konoha is fortunate to have a ninja like you!"

But after he finished speaking, his eyes began to dart around, and he seemed unsure of what to do.

He certainly trusted Itachi's loyalty, but—he was really worried about Itachi's mental state.

No one understood better than him how unstable the mental state of the Uchiha clan was.

Today he's a cheerful and outgoing young man, but tomorrow he might turn into a monstrous demon who wants to destroy the world and slaughter all living beings.

Because of Itachi's previous "choice," he was ostracized throughout the village, and everyone avoided him.

Can someone who is hated and verbally abused by everyone in the village truly remain loyal to the village?

Even a powerful elite ninja like Sakumo Hatake couldn't tolerate rumors and passive-aggressive behavior and ultimately chose to end his own life. So why should Itachi be an exception?

How long Itachi could hold out under such circumstances of being universally condemned and despised was truly an immeasurable question.

Perhaps tomorrow he will go mad amidst the rejection of everyone, transforming from a loyal Itachi who loves the village and protects Konoha into a Grim Reaper Itachi seeking justice for the injustices suffered by his family.

Who can explain this kind of thing?

He's already very strong, but at least Jiraiya can keep him in check.

But if he were to fuse with the First Hokage's cells and awaken Wood Release, even Jiraiya might not be a match for him.

After a quick thought, the Third Hokage smiled and said to Itachi, "I understand you're worried about the village's current situation and eager to improve your strength."

"But the problem is that since Orochimaru left, the village has been completely lacking in the technology for transplanting the first Hokage's cells."

"Now that Tsunade is dead, there's even less of a person who can perform the cell transplant surgery."

"Based on the information we have, apart from Tianzang who miraculously survived, all the experimental subjects who received the first generation of cells died tragically."

95

"I can't let you take that risk."

Itachi was deeply moved upon hearing this and quickly stood up to express his gratitude.

"My lord, for the sake of the village, I'm willing to take this risk!"

"Since Obito and An could successfully transplant Hashirama's cells, there's no reason why I can't!"

"No, no, no." The Third Hokage waved his hands repeatedly and said kindly, "Itachi, of course I know your feelings."

"But the village needs fighting power right now, and we can't afford to take any risks."

"If something goes wrong during your cell transplantation process, the balance that the village has managed to maintain will likely collapse immediately, and the village will be doomed."

"As for the war, you don't need to worry about it. I've made up my mind, and this war will end soon."

Hearing the Third Hokage bring up the safety of the village, Itachi had no choice but to give up and walked out of the Hokage's office, feeling sullen.

The Third Hokage sat listlessly in his office, puffing on his pipe for a long time before finally sighing, taking out paper and pen, writing a letter, and sending someone to invite the leader of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas over.

A moment later, a ninja walked in from outside and stood brazenly in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hokage-sama, you were looking for me?"

The man's attitude was very impolite, but Hiruzen Sarutobi knew he was a daimyo's man and needed their help at the moment, so he naturally didn't care about this small offense.

He chuckled and invited the other man to sit down, then sighed and said, "Wazuma-kun, I know you have many grievances against me, but please believe me, everything I have done is for the good of the entire Land of Fire."

"Heh!" Kazuma chuckled coldly, neither confirming nor denying.

"I know that many people in the capital feel that there should no longer be any Kage in a country, and all ninjas should be personally led by the Daimyo and only be loyal to the Daimyo."

"I'm not going to discuss the right or wrong of this matter with you here."

"I only promise you one thing."

"That is, if you can help deliver this letter to the daimyo and persuade him to follow my plan, I will abolish the position of Kage."

"From me onwards, Konoha Village has had no Hokage; all ninjas now pledge allegiance to the Daimyo!"

"What?!" Kazuma jumped up, both surprised and delighted, half-believing and half-doubting. "May I know your plan?"

"Of course." The Third Generation picked up the letter on the table without hesitation and handed it to Kazuma with both hands.

Kazuma hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took the letter from the third generation, unfolding it carefully to read it.

He glanced at it only a few times before flying into a rage, slamming the letter on the table and yelling, "Bastard!"

"I absolutely cannot agree to this!"

"His Highness the Daimyo wouldn't agree either!"