novelraw Chapter 221 Hokage, you gave me too little!
Chapter 221 Hokage, you gave me too little!
Koharu Utatane glanced at Izumi Sarutobi and sneered, "Helping the Inuzuka family? Taking advantage of Inuzuka's misfortune, they're already kicking them while they're down!"
"Haru!" Mitokado Yan tugged at Haru's arm in the dorm.
Hiruzen is angry, so don't provoke him!
"Hmph." Koharu, who was turning the dorm, walked to the side without a care.
The family that changes beds was already in a precarious situation.
Orochimaru once again fueled the fire, and the entire clan's operations essentially collapsed.
What else does she have to worry about?
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that Koharu Utatane was in a bad mood, but he didn't take it to heart.
The key point is that he can't bring himself to care anymore.
Among the middle and upper management, he only has about a dozen confidants left, right in front of him!
This...this is completely wrong!
His teacher, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, also personally led the ninja forces to block the other four great ninja villages, and also fought abroad for several years.
How come when the teacher returned to the village, everything ran smoothly and the Hokage's authority was preserved?
He made so many arrangements, with Orochimaru and Sarutobi Izumi managing the village and working together to suppress Uchiha Yuuki.
After being away for two and a half years, he returned to a village where no one recognized him?
Everything was planned so cleverly...
As you can see, the times are like a surging torrent; any slight change can sweep away a group of people, and when it washes away the scum, it does so without a word.
Hiruzen Sarutobi pulled out several financial scrolls and placed them on the table, a storm brewing within him.
Standing to the side, Izumi Sarutobi had sweat beading on his forehead.
"Heh, hohoho... Three years? I've been fighting outside for less than three years! The village's money is down to less than 50 million taels? Chakra metal is exhausted! Ninja resources are almost gone?"
Sarutobi Izumi, who had been left behind by Sarutobi Hiruzen to guard the house, didn't dare to breathe loudly and silently lowered her head to count the ants that might be there.
His primary requirement for staying on was to manage the Hokage's office finances.
Mitokado also lowered his head.
As the head of the logistics department, he bears some responsibility for the village's depleted funds, but not much.
Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't hold back any longer. His laughter faltered, and he suddenly said coldly, "Izumi Sarutobi, explain clearly where all the village's money went."
"When I left, there were over three hundred million taels in the accounts! That's three hundred million!"
"This is all the money the Great Ming Dynasty can allocate in a year!"
"And what about the ninja resources? Warehouse after warehouse of monkey hair grass, fungal carpet, red monkey fruit... Where did they go?!"
He slammed the scroll on the table, and his final question echoed throughout the entire Hokage Building.
While questioning, Hiruzen Sarutobi was also venting his anger.
"Hiss, why is the teacher so angry?"
A hoarse voice came from outside the door, and Orochimaru pushed the door open and entered with a kind smile on his face.
As always, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
On the contrary, Hiruzen Sarutobi now feels somewhat uncomfortable seeing this smile.
"Orochimaru," Hiruzen Sarutobi softened his tone, "why did you suddenly return instead of continuing to strengthen the defenses in the Land of Grass?"
Orochimaru lightly delivered a 'critical strike' to Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying, "Onoki has lost his courage after being beaten by Sakumo-kun, so why would he need to continue reorganizing?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi coughed twice, decisively changing the subject, and solemnly asked while holding up the scroll, "Orochimaru, where is the village's money? Where did it all go?"
He tried to interfere with the village's finances as soon as he returned. As sharp as ever, Sarutobi-sensei.
Isn't this attempt to shift the blame a bit too hasty?
Do you think I'm Danzo Shimura?
"Senpai-sensei, you don't think that two and a half years of military pay just fell from the sky, do you?" Orochimaru's tone was slightly sarcastic and dissatisfied.
The Third Hokage led his troops to attack Sunagakure. Regardless of the outcome, he must personally bear the blame for the waste of military resources!
Orochimaru didn't care about the infamy of 'wasting village resources'. Even if this thing was written on a plaque and hung up day and night, it wouldn't affect his state of mind.
Wearing this 'proxy' hat and this cloud-patterned Hokage robe, while enjoying the spotlight, he was already prepared to bear the wrath of the people!
However, he is not the leader of the root, so he can't just put all the blame on himself, can he?
The victory in the war was due to the skillful command of the Third Hokage.
Is the resource depletion due to someone misbehaving in the village?
Applying double standards shouldn't be done this way!
Whether the money was embezzled or wasted, it doesn't matter.
The Third Hokage absolutely must take responsibility for this money!
You fought for two and a half years in the middle of nowhere, and you still have a point?
Orochimaru started with zero frames and continued to unleash his ultimate attack at close range: "Sarutobi-sensei, in this ninja war, do you really think of yourself as a hero?"
Do you really think that by forging a ceasefire agreement with Sunagakure, your comrades and villagers will thank you?
"We've wasted two and a half years' worth of the village's resources! How can we face the villagers like this?"
Even if you shift the blame for the lack of money to others, people won't acknowledge that you've done anything good!
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned pale with shock, clenching his fists and unable to utter a single word.
Lies don't hurt, truth is the knife.
He was well aware of how many opportunities had been missed and how many resources had been wasted in the campaign against Sunagakure.
Those who go out to fight will eventually have to pay the price.
He threw a tantrum in the Hokage's office because he wanted to find someone to "pay off his debts" for him.
The best, or rather the only, candidate is Orochimaru.
This has always been his political persona—a leaf bathed in sunlight, without a trace of shadow or filth.
Orochimaru simply refused to take the blame, and the Root organization, hidden in the shadows, no longer provided cover.
Sarutobi Izumi stood to the side, dumbfounded.
What does it mean?
Orochimaru and the Third Hokage...have broken ties?
Orochimaru turned around and prepared to walk out of the Hokage's office. He took off the Hokage hat from his head and gently tossed it onto the desk.
"A dilapidated windmill, if it is retired before it decays, can still be remembered with dignity."
After saying that, Orochimaru left the office without looking back.
“You…he…” Hiruzen Sarutobi, his anger rising again, pointed at Orochimaru as he left, speechless.
This scene of 'angry retort' meant another ominous situation to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Orochimaru has grown powerful and no longer holds the Hokage in awe!
Orochimaru pushed open the door, and a ray of golden sunlight streamed into the room along the door frame.
Hiruzen Sarutobi subconsciously squinted, put on his familiar Hokage hat, and blocked his view of what was ahead.
He said coldly, "That's it. The war isn't over yet. You must be prepared to face the enemy again!"
"And the ceasefire agreement with Sunagakure, Koharu, you're in charge of following up on that."
He used a transformation spell to become an ordinary old man and wandered the streets and alleys.
Listen to the villagers' rumors.
Along the way, whether it was itinerant merchants and nobles outside the village, or villagers and merchants inside the village, they all expressed their dissatisfaction with the third generation leader.
the reason is simple.
Third Hokage, you gave me too little!
It cost too much!
War cannot be separated from logistics troops and desperate merchants; some aspects of logistics require their support.
Intelligence about the war, of course, cannot be completely blocked.
Especially after losing Danzo Shimura's roots, rumors within Konoha spread like wild horses.
Three generations of adults were stationed in a desert, wasting the village's resources for two and a half years without any news.
It had already gradually spread throughout the entire village.