Shibi Aburame firmly cast his vote in support of the rebels. He knew many were watching him and many were confused by his choice. But he ignored them all. He felt no obligation to explain himself. After expressing his support for the impeachment of Uchiha Sougen, he fell back into his characteristic silent, stone-like demeanor.
Yet—
*The wind won't stop just because the tree wishes to stay still.*
"Aburame clan head... Do you realize that Uchiha Sougen killed Ryoma Aburame not long ago?" Mitokado Homura couldn't understand why Shibi had made such an irrational choice. The normally quiet Aburame family was one of the core supporters of their faction.
However, the Aburame clan had betrayed their trust.
"I know."
Shibi's response was calm.
"You know? You know and still—"
"Counselor Mitokado, the Aburame clan is not anyone's slave. I just want the children of my clan to grow up free to choose their own future, not bound like dogs with cursed seals. From the moment Ryoma was taken to Root, I already considered him dead."
Even through Shibi's dark glasses, Mitokado Homura could feel the icy, bone-chilling stare.
The distance in his tone underscored just how wrong their understanding of the Aburame had been. Their silence wasn't due to heartlessness; they simply weren't talkative. In reality, their love for family never waned. Watching their brothers and children be taken away by Danzo, never to be seen again—that pain still lingered.
Standing beside Shibi was a man cloaked in a black trench coat.
This was Shikuro Aburame.
A rare venomous insect user and the strongest member of the Aburame clan. Yet his only son had been taken by Danzo while he was away on a mission, forced to become a member of Root. His cold, emotionless gaze was fixed on Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.
"Danzo... Clan Head Aburame, Root is Danzo's doing, but..." Even Mitokado Homura himself felt how weak his defense sounded. How could Danzo have taken so many clan prodigies without the Hokage's permission?
The Aburame had once petitioned the Third Hokage over this.
But they were brushed aside.
Today—
The seeds planted long ago had finally borne fruit. And this was a bitter fruit the Third Hokage never wanted to taste.
"Uchiha, Hyuga, Kurama, Aburame..."
Hiruzen's heart grew heavy.
He realized the gravity of his oversight. His plan had been to resign as Hokage and end the crisis with his departure.
But he forgot that his resignation might be seen as a sign of weakness. Meanwhile, the alliance between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans had grown into an unstoppable force, further complicated by old grudges.
The result—
The previously silent Aburame clan had joined the opposition.
And this might only be the beginning. Hiruzen knew all too well how many clans Danzo had angered to build Root. The numbers were staggering. But back then, Hiruzen had been the strongest shinobi in the village, the longest-reigning Hokage. He had stood tall with three brilliant disciples by his side.
But time is cruel.
The once mighty shinobi was no longer the force he had been, and the feared "darkness of the shinobi" lay in a hospital bed, awaiting death. Even his disciples had left him, for various reasons.
Yet out of respect for his past strength, no one dared be the first to challenge him—until Uchiha Sougen, young and full of fire, pierced the illusion of power around him.
In an instant, the tide shifted.
"Uchiha Sougen, does your clan intend to stage a coup?"
Hiruzen glared at Sougen, bloodshot eyes filled with fury.
Before anyone else could step forward in support of the Uchiha, Hiruzen aimed his anger at them. Though his resentment for the Hyuga, Aburame, and Kurama was no less, his tactical mind held sway.
At this moment, it was better to destroy the Uchiha. Without them, the Hyuga and Aburame couldn't make waves. Only the Uchiha, co-founders of Konoha alongside the Senju, had the power to turn the tide.
"This isn't a coup!"
"This is the will of the people!"
"This is righting wrongs!"
Sougen's voice was strong, his words sharp as knives, cutting deep into Hiruzen's heart.
Pointing at the Third Hokage, Sougen said, "Lord Hokage, no one can deny your contributions to Konoha. That's a fact. But Konoha can't live in the past forever. This village belongs to you, to us, and to the future!"
"Your time has passed! The future belongs to the younger generation. And don't embarrass yourself any longer with your baseless accusations. Let me make this clear—Uchiha has no interest in the Hokage position. This isn't the era of Madara Uchiha, and I don't covet that chair of yours."
"I think the Hyuga feel the same. We're not doing this for more power. We're just... fed up with old men like you sitting on our heads!"
Harsh words can cut deeper than swords.
Righting wrongs?
Was he really the one who was wrong?
Hiruzen's anger surged, his chest tightening. He had devoted his life to Konoha, and now this young upstart was accusing him of being outdated.
"Uchiha Sougen..."
"Well said!!!"
A cheer drowned out Hiruzen's voice.
Hiashi Hyuga coldly watched the Third Hokage, not wanting to give him any chance to pull any tricks. He might not know the phrase, but he understood that this was an all-or-nothing moment. If they didn't overthrow the Third Hokage now, there would be no second chance.
This time—
Konoha had to change regimes!
"Lord Hokage, it's time to face reality! No one can erase the merits of your past achievements, but the mistakes you've made over the years cannot be ignored either. It's time for Konoha to choose a new Hokage."
As he spoke, he shifted his gaze toward the clan leaders who had remained silent and the jonin from the civilian faction who had sensed something was happening and had arrived. He raised his voice and declared, "The conditions here may be a bit rough, but in urgent situations, we must act decisively. As the head of the Hyuga clan, I second the Uchiha clan leader's motion to impeach the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. If you're truly committed to a new future for Konoha, let's make a decision here and now!"
His eyes lingered on various people for a couple of seconds.
"The Aburame clan agrees."
Shibi Aburame's stance was firm to the extreme.
"The Kurama clan stands by its decision."
Kurama Tsumuyun was no longer even that nervous. The combined forces of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans were already reassuring, and the Aburame clan's support made him feel at ease. With such a strong lineup, there was no possibility of losing!
As everyone knew, the Uchiha's reputation among ordinary villagers was abysmal. However, only a small number of people were aware that the Third Hokage's reputation among the higher-ups of Konoha's clans was just as bad. His good-cop-bad-cop routine with Danzo was not clever enough to fool everyone. While the villagers hated Danzo, many also held deep grievances against the Third Hokage.
"The Shiranui clan seconds."
"The Yamakaze clan seconds."
"The Kamizuki clan seconds."
"The Gekko clan seconds."
Like a flood breaking through a dam, the momentum surged forward toward a new future, unstoppable. One clan leader after another stood up to express support for the impeachment, just as Hyuga Hiashi had predicted. This was the tide of history!
The Shiranui clan had once backed the Fourth Hokage, but after his death, their efforts were wasted. When the Third Hokage regained power, he made things difficult for them, leaving the clan stagnant once again. The Yamakaze, Kamizuki, and other clans were allies of Hiashi and saw no future for themselves under the Third Hokage, as the Sarutobi, Shimura, Kazamatsuri, Ise, and the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance dominated most of the village's interests.
As for the Gekko clan, their situation was similar to the Aburame's. They despised the Root organization and, by extension, held resentment toward the Third Hokage.
These clans were merely a reflection of the larger wave of change.
And so, in this open field, Konoha was undergoing a revolution!
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, became the first Hokage to be impeached.
With the joint effort of 23 ninja clans, big and small, Sarutobi was forced to step down, leaving the position of power he had held for decades.
Hiruzen clenched his fists in anger but had no choice but to loosen them again as more and more clan leaders stood up. There was no turning back. Even if he could wipe out the Uchiha clan here and now, it wouldn't change anything.
There was no going back to the past.
Once the facade had been torn, there was no restoring it to its former state.
Besides, he wasn't even confident he could defeat the Uchiha clan. If he could, it wouldn't have come to this point! Even though he had many Anbu at his disposal, he knew full well that many of them were from the very clans that were now impeaching him. If he gave irrational orders, it might backfire.
The two elders were in shock.
The sudden shift in power left them at a loss. Seeing so many clans stand up, they felt their hearts sink. There was no longer any hope for Sarutobi's side to turn things around. What would become of them? What would happen to their families in the days to come?
An uncertain, stormy future seemed to be just around the corner.
At that moment, Hiruzen asked, "Uchiha Sougen, who do you plan to put in power as your puppet?"
He had given up on resisting with force, knowing that Uchiha Sougen wouldn't miss a chance to eliminate him if he did. So, while accepting his defeat, Hiruzen attempted to plant a seed of doubt for the future Fifth Hokage.
Sougen, with a faint smile, replied, "That's not something for a Hokage who's been impeached to worry about. But, since you ask, I don't mind telling you. The Hyuga clan leader and I plan to bring back Tsunade and Jiraiya, and the future Fifth Hokage will be chosen between them!"
These words were not only for Hiruzen but also for the clan leaders and jonin present.
The Uchiha and Hyuga had no intention of monopolizing power.
"Will the position of Hokage remain vacant until my disciples return?" Hiruzen asked.
"You really don't give up, do you? Are you so desperate to drive a wedge between the Uchiha and the other clans?" Sougen shook his head, smirking coldly. "Listen carefully, former Hokage."
He cleared his throat and, in front of everyone, declared, "As the head of the Konoha Police Force, I, Uchiha Sougen, recommend Akimichi Torifu to serve as acting Fifth Hokage until the real Fifth Hokage is chosen!"
It was a masterstroke.
Hiruzen's face turned ashen.
His last attempt had failed as well! Torifu... of all people, it had to be Torifu. Even in his rage, Hiruzen had to admit it was a brilliant choice. Appointing Torifu, a fellow student of the Second Hokage and a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, as interim Hokage would significantly reduce the other clans' concerns about the Uchiha.
And naming Jiraiya and Tsunade as candidates for the official Fifth Hokage showed the Uchiha's broad-mindedness.
This was a complete defeat for Hiruzen.
"Me? Hokage?" Torifu, who had remained silent all this time, was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
The chubby old man wanted to decline, but before he could speak, a chorus of support drowned out his objections. He realized that it wasn't so much about his popularity but rather that the smaller clans and many civilian jonin did not want to see the Fifth Hokage come from the Uchiha or Hyuga clans.
Moreover, the jonin from the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance behind him showed visible excitement. Despite their usual laid-back attitude, there were many among them with great ambitions.
For the younger members of the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance, Torifu's appointment as interim Hokage was like winning the lottery.
Publicly and privately, there was no way for him to refuse.
Thus, everything fell into place.
Without a Hokage hat or cloak, the acting Fifth Hokage took office.
(End of Chapter)