"Hokage-sama," Mikoto Uchiha bowed slightly to Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a solemn expression on her face. "Both witnesses and physical evidence are present, and no one has any objections. Please make a decision, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt helpless in his heart.
At this stage, he had no other choice.
It was true that he was the Hokage, but he couldn't go against all the Jonin.
The only thing he couldn't figure out was what price Haruki had paid to get them to help.
Among them were some old foxes that even he found troublesome.
But now they were all on Haruki's side.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi was a bit shocked, things weren't at their worst yet.
The performance of these Jonin wasn't particularly enthusiastic.
He looked at Mikoto.
If anyone was the most enthusiastic, it was her.
Hiruzen Sarutobi remembered what Tanzo Shimura had said and felt a bit regretful.
He had been deceived by Haruki's honest appearance and thus overlooked many things.
He had let Haruki's influence expand.
Now, Haruki had the support of the Uchiha, the largest clan in Konoha, behind him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly got to his feet, regaining the dignity befitting a Hokage. He said, "Tanzo Shimura has violated Konoha's rules. However, considering his past contributions, his crime doesn't merit the death penalty. The Anbu will arrest him and imprison him in Konoha's maximum - security prison."
Haruki couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Just as he thought.
"Haruki, what do you think?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at Haruki, who had a poker face, and added, "Tanzo is old and has worked hard for Konoha his whole life. Let him spend his remaining days in prison."
"As Hokage-sama says, I have no objections."
A relieved smile appeared on Haruki's face. His acting skills had reached their peak.
"Haruki thanks Hokage-sama for upholding justice. Today, because of the urgency of the matter, I might have offended you. I hope you'll overlook my rudeness. Also, please have the Anbu act now to avoid missing the opportunity."
Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him a deep look.
He wasn't sure whether Haruki was sincere or just faking it.
But since Haruki had publicly agreed to his decision, he naturally couldn't go back on his word.
He waved his hand and ordered, "Elephant, immediately convey my order to the Root base to arrest Tanzo Shimura. If he dares to resist, tell him that he is a traitor to the village."
"Yes," a masked Anbu ninja in a white coat appeared.
Haruki showed no reaction.
He had seen Elephant before. He was Hiruzen Sarutobi's Anbu bodyguard and was quite powerful.
There was also a plot about him in the original story.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi was trapped by Orochimaru's subordinates in the Four - Corner Sealing Barrier, he served as the Anbu commentator.
Haruki also remembered the comments he had read in his past life.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi was fighting Orochimaru, no one in Konoha came to help.
Was it because of their trust in him as the strongest Hokage or because he had lost the hearts of the people?
Elephant nodded, and three more Anbu appeared behind him. The four of them left the cinema together.
The Anbu was divided into four teams, with each team further divided into four squads, and each squad consisting of four members.
"Haruki, don't worry."
After Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the four of them go away, he looked serious. "As the Hokage, I won't let any ninja suffer an unjust accusation."
He was speaking to Haruki as well as all the Jonin.
Haruki's connections made him feel a sense of crisis, but he was confident he could regain his prestige.
Now that he had arrested Tanzo Shimura out of a sense of justice, all the criticism would naturally disappear.
Haruki nodded, looking touched.
However, just then, Elephant and the other three returned.
"Hokage-sama, Tanzo Shimura isn't at the Root base, and it's completely empty. All the information has been taken away."
Elephant's voice was hesitant. After a pause, he said, "I suspect Tanzo Shimura has defected from the village."
"What?!"
Hiruki Sarutobi looked incredulous. "Impossible! How could he defect from the village!"
"Yeah, Lord Tanzo has dedicated his whole life to Konoha. How could he leave Konoha? Elephant, did you make a mistake?"
Haruki quickly chimed in.
"..."
Elephant didn't know what's meant by being sarcastic, but he just felt Haruki's words were dripping with mockery.
"If it were just a simple departure, he wouldn't have taken all the information."
"That's enough!" Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly roared. "All Anbu members, go out immediately to search! You must find Tanzo for me!"
"Yes!" Elephant immediately replied and quickly turned to leave.
Haruki sighed and said, "I didn't expect Lord Tanzo to be so extreme."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at his young and handsome face, his heart filled with anger.
Well, this is just great!
It was less than a minute from when he gave the order to when Elephant left the room.
How could Tanzo Shimura have escaped in advance?
Moreover, based on Hiruzen Sarutobi's understanding of him, he shouldn't have run away after such an order.
The two of them had worked together for many years. Tanzo should have understood his intentions clearly.
A life sentence in Konoha's maximum - security prison sounds serious, but in reality, is it really that serious?
It couldn't affect Tanzo at all.
He could still do what he wanted.
The only explanation was that someone had given Tanzo a false order before him.
The only person with the ability and motive to do so was Haruki.
"I'll give you an explanation for this matter."
After leaving those words, Hiruzen Sarutobi vanished right in front of Haruki.
Haruki didn't stop him.
In fact, the guess was right. It was he who had given the false order and scared Tanzo away.
He smiled slightly and turned to face the many Jonin.
"Thank you all for your help today."
After everyone had dispersed, Mikoto took a scroll and read, "Tanzo Shimura has left Konoha. He took two squads of ninjas, a total of eight people, all his loyal followers."
"Give the information to the Anbu."
After thinking for a while, Haruki added, "Try not to let Hiruzen Sarutobi find out."
"Okay."
Mikoto nodded and then asked, "The Anbu members probably won't take action against Tanzo. What should we do? Should we give them a hand?"
Haruki couldn't help laughing. "Not bad. You're starting to act more and more like a clan head. Don't worry. Tanzo won't live past the dead of night tonight."
Hearing this, Mikoto no longer worried.
Since Haruki said so, Tanzo definitely won't live to see tomorrow.
"I'll go down first."
Mikoto bowed slightly and left with Fugaku Uchiha, who remained silent beside her.
In the huge cinema, only Haruki and Tsunade were left.
"Tsunade." Haruki reached out and pinched her soft cheek.
"Yeah." Tsunade came to her senses and sighed a little. "I didn't expect Teacher to have become like this."
"People change, especially when they're in the position of Hokage. The lust for power and wealth can corrupt them."
"The Teacher before... sigh."
In Tsunade's impression, Hiruzen Sarutobi had always been a Hokage with great strength who dedicated himself to Konoha.
But what had happened earlier made her understand that an impression was just an impression after all.
"Do you think I'll change too if I become Hokage?"
"Naturally."
Haruki lowered his head and kissed her forehead, smiling. "You'll become more and more majestic, just like a queen. But don't worry. As the man behind you, heh heh, if you go bad, I'll definitely give you a proper punishment."