"Investigate it!"
"You must investigate this to the end!"
"I absolutely will not let this person go!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi would never allow such filthy water to be poured onto him.
At the same time, he quickly gave orders to control the rumor.
But once a rumor had already begun spreading, controlling it was not so simple.
And this rumor did sound somewhat reasonable.
Long ago, people had heard that Hiruzen Sarutobi intended to step down from the Hokage position and pass it to the younger generation.
Because the war had broken out, it had been delayed.
During wartime, changing Hokage was unsuitable. Once the war ended, he would retire.
But after the war ended, there was still no news of Hiruzen stepping down.
The Hokage seat was still occupied by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Those who had heard the previous news immediately felt that this rumor had some credibility.
"Hokage-sama really is suspicious… He said long ago that he would retire, but he never did. There must be a reason."
"Could the Hokage really have done it?"
"Compared to the Uchiha, the Hokage understands the Nine-Tails better. He's also stronger."
…
The sudden rumor quickly drowned out all other speculation and became the mainstream topic at once.
Because Sunagakure was secretly pushing it.
After several rounds of experience, the rumor team organized by Ebizo had already become quite professional.
All kinds of methods were used at once.
Sunagakure.
Kazekage Building.
"First Iwagakure, then Konoha."
"The war is already over, yet they still have designs on Sunagakure."
"One scouting squad after another keeps coming."
"They aren't even afraid of dying. Once one dies, another comes."
"Since they have come, it would be rude not to return the favor."
"Iwagakure currently has no good opening."
"But Konoha's Nine-Tails outbreak can definitely be used to create a major issue."
"While retaliating against Konoha, I can also create the fifth rumor, gain points, and draw prizes."
Rasa looked toward the northeast.
That was the direction of the Land of Fire.
"When this rumor spreads throughout the Land of Fire, I refuse to believe Konoha will still be able to spare ninja to harass Sunagakure."
"This rumor alone is enough to leave you all overwhelmed."
Kumogakure.
"Killer B, what do you think?"
Killer B hesitated for a moment.
"I don't think it's very likely. After all, besides Minato Namikaze, there's still Orochimaru. The Third Hokage would still have to hand over the Hokage position eventually."
"And within the Sarutobi clan, there is no one talented enough to inherit the Hokage position."
The Fourth Raikage nodded.
"That is true."
"Without Minato Namikaze, there is still Orochimaru. Konoha's strength cannot be underestimated. Even after experiencing the Nine-Tails' rampage, this is the true foundation of a ninja village."
"Much stronger than Kirigakure."
Iwagakure.
Onoki did not believe Hiruzen Sarutobi would do such a thing.
However, seeing Hiruzen's situation still made him rather happy.
As someone from the same era, Onoki had no favorable impression of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Iwagakure and Konoha had competed for too many years, which meant Onoki and Hiruzen had also been opponents for many years.
But Onoki had one concern.
"These people believe that the reason Hiruzen Sarutobi refuses to retire is because he covets the power and status of the Hokage position, wants to keep the Hokage seat under the control of the Sarutobi clan, and is selfish to the extreme."
"And because of that, he even struck at the future of his own village."
"Will someone in Iwagakure think that this old man occupying the Tsuchikage position is also because I covet power?"
Onoki had never considered this issue before.
But now, he had no choice but to think about it.
After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi's prestige in Konoha and the Land of Fire was not low. He had always maintained a fairly positive image, and his character and morality had supposedly been tested over time.
Even so, someone had fabricated this kind of rumor about him.
Taking a step back, the rumor could still be said to have been fabricated by someone from another ninja village.
But inside the Land of Fire, even within Konoha itself, there were indeed people who believed the rumor.
Onoki did not have the confidence to say that his prestige in Iwagakure was far higher than Hiruzen Sarutobi's prestige in Konoha.
If a similar rumor appeared, how would he deal with it?
Would he still want his face after all these decades?
"The person who created this rumor is ruthless. They struck Hiruzen Sarutobi exactly where he cares most."
"At this age, what else does a man seek besides reputation?"
"If reputation is gone, what meaning is there in living?"
Onoki thought it over again and again.
"I cannot allow something like this to happen to me."
"Handing the Tsuchikage position to someone else may not be impossible. After all, I can still control Iwagakure's situation."
"I can set up a shell Tsuchikage."
"The authority will remain with me. I will control everything in Iwagakure, and the village will not have problems."
"But if I am no longer Tsuchikage, this kind of rumor will no longer be able to affect me."
One name after another surfaced in Onoki's mind.
Konoha.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry that he could not even eat.
Whenever he saw someone open their mouth, he felt like they might be whispering about him.
Under Hiruzen's orders, one ANBU ninja after another worked hard to search for the ones spreading the rumor.
But Ebizo had handled this matter extremely well.
It would not be easy for Konoha's ANBU to find anything.
"Who exactly is opposing this old man?"
"To slander me like this… are they not afraid of heavenly punishment?"
"Lowly."
"Too lowly!"
In one corner, Danzo revealed a smile.
"Hiruzen, so this day has come for you too?"
"Good. Very good."
"You should taste what it feels like to be wronged."
"Before, only I was wronged. And among those who wronged me, you were included as well. That feeling was unbearable."
"This rumor came at the perfect time."
"With this rumor, Hiruzen will have an even harder time refusing to step down from the Hokage position."
"Orochimaru inheriting the Hokage position is only a matter of time."
"When that happens, Konoha will be under this old man's control!"
Shisui Uchiha stared blankly in the direction of the Hokage Rock.
"Could this rumor be true?"
"Did Hokage-sama covet power and design everything, including Senior Minato's death?"
"Does authority really have such a strong pull?"
"If it's true… then this ninja world is far too terrifying."
Shisui did not fully believe it.
But his view of the village had already begun quietly changing.
The village he now saw seemed truly different from the village in his previous impression.
What happened to the promise that where leaves dance, the fire burns endlessly?
What happened to the Will of Fire?
Power, status, family…
Were those not supposed to be beneath the village?
Did everyone truly carry that out?
Or was it all merely a way for those above to deceive those below?
Sunagakure.
Many names were placed in front of Rasa.
Rasa had seen the efforts of Ebizo's team. Very quickly, they had already earned him a considerable number of points.
But it was not enough.
He needed more.
"Who would produce the best effect in an interview?"