Naruto Birdcage

When Makoto woke up, it was already morning.

Ayano told him that the Third Hokage didn't stay long in the study last night before leaving.

When he arrived at the Hokage Building, there was a crowd of people waiting downstairs.

Upon seeing him, they all bowed respectfully to the young man.

"Lord Makoto!"

Makoto responded calmly and proceeded to the office, where he first summoned Maruboshi Kosuke and Might Duy, who had returned to the village.

"This was entrusted to me by Yahiko, the leader of the Akatsuki, to deliver to you," said Maruboshi Kosuke as he handed over a box.

Makoto took it and glanced at it, noting that the box was securely sealed.

He remarked, "It seems the mission went smoothly."

Maruboshi Kosuke replied, "There were some close calls. Hanzo of the Salamander is incredibly powerful. Without the antidote, Duy and I would have died there."

"The Akatsuki suffered significant casualties. With Hanzo of the Salamander dead, the internal situation in Amegakure has descended into chaos. For Yahiko and his group, quelling the turmoil and seizing power won't be an easy task."

Makoto nodded and said, "That's not something we need to worry about. If the Akatsuki can't even handle this, it just means their fate has run its course."

He noticed Might Duy seemed hesitant, so he asked, "Do you have something to say?"

Might Duy finally spoke up, "Lord Makoto, I'm just a genin. Why do you keep assigning me these high-level missions?"

Hearing this, Makoto replied, "Didn't you come to me earlier, asking to take on missions like these?"

Might Duy scratched his head sheepishly.

Back then, he simply wanted to earn more mission rewards.

He hadn't anticipated repeatedly risking his life like this.

It wasn't that he feared death, but he worried that if he died easily, no one would be left to take care of Guy.

Makoto continued, "Since you're aware that you're just a genin, why haven't you worked harder to improve yourself? I'll give you one month. After that, you'll undergo a Chunin assessment. If your theoretical knowledge isn't up to standard, you'll retire directly."

Might Duy was instantly dumbfounded, while Maruboshi Kosuke couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at Makoto's words.

Makoto smiled faintly and said, "Besides, isn't your son already a Chunin? He can support you now."

Might Duy wanted to say something more. "Lord Makoto—"

But Makoto didn't give him the chance to plead his case.

He waved them off, signaling for them to leave.

He then opened the box in his hands.

Inside were letters detailing communications between Hanzo of the Salamander and Danzo.

The contents revealed plans for Hanzo to deploy troops to attack Konoha, aiding Danzo in seizing the position of Hokage.

Of course, all of these were forged.

Makoto had instructed Yahiko to help fabricate them in his earlier letter.

After Maruboshi Kosuke and Might Duy left, another group of people entered simultaneously.

These individuals were all members of the Sarutobi clan.

Leading them was a middle-aged man named Sarutobi Ryuji, someone Makoto was familiar with and who held considerable renown in the village.

Besides him, the others were all individuals occupying important roles within the village.

With their influence, even if Hiruzen were no longer Hokage, he would still wield significant power and influence within Konoha.

"Lord Makoto," Sarutobi Ryuji greeted with a respectful bow.

"There's no need for such formality, Ryuji-senpai," Makoto replied with a smile.

Though his words were polite, he made no move to stand, remaining seated in the Hokage's chair as he regarded the group before him.

Sarutobi Ryuji stepped forward and handed over a stack of letters.

Makoto casually glanced at the top one—it was a resignation letter.

Without any visible change in expression, Makoto refrained from the usual pretense of politeness or attempting to persuade them otherwise.

Instead, he directly addressed Ryuji: "You have all served the village tirelessly. Your contributions will not be forgotten."

"...You flatter us, Lord Makoto," Sarutobi Ryuji replied, bowing his head even lower.

Such perfunctory phrases were usually spoken by the Sarutobi clan to others.

He hadn't expected to hear them directed at his own clan—and from the mouth of a mere youth, no less.

Earlier that morning, Hiruzen had urgently summoned them and issued this directive.

It was a strict order, leaving no room for opposition or debate.

Sarutobi Ryuji couldn't understand what could have forced their hand.

What force in the village could outweigh the influence of the Sarutobi clan?

Not even the Fourth Hokage had the power to challenge them like this.

What were the Uchiha and Hyuga clans?

They were famous in the shinobi world merely because of their inherited dojutsu.

The Sarutobi clan, however, were the ones truly pulling the strings behind the scenes in Konoha.

In the past, it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say that Konoha was essentially the private domain of the Sarutobi clan.

How could the Third Hokage willingly hand all of this over?

Was it because of lingering feelings of camaraderie between master and student…?

After the members of the Sarutobi clan withdrew, Makoto instructed the Anbu to summon Uchiha Fugaku to his office.

He glanced through each resignation letter, confirming they matched his expectations—every position, without exception.

The Third Hokage's efficiency was indeed impressive.

Accomplishing all of this was largely due to Orochimaru's position as Hokage.

If he were merely the head of the Hyuga clan, there was no way he could have forced Hiruzen to comply.

Unfortunately, the Hyuga clan's numbers were far too few these days.

Before long, Fugaku arrived.

"Lord Makoto, is there something you needed from me?" he asked.

Without a word, Makoto pushed the box Maruboshi Kosuke had delivered earlier across the desk toward him.

Fugaku, with some hesitation, opened the box and pulled out the confidential letters inside.

After reading through them briefly, his eyes widened in shock.

"This…"

He was genuinely stunned, unable to believe the situation.

Were these letters real or fake...?

The crime of betraying the village and conspiring in rebellion—once exposed—leaves no room for pardon.

It is an unforgivable offense, deserving death a thousand times over.

Fugaku suddenly looked up at Makoto, only to see him gazing back with an eerily calm expression.

A chill ran down Fugaku's spine.

This method was far too ruthless.

Makoto slowly asked, "Fugaku-senpai, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

Fugaku didn't respond.

He didn't dare to.

His mind flashed back to the day the Third Hokage announced his resignation—to the death of Hyuga Hiashi...

All the blame had been pinned on a dead man.

Makoto called out again softly, "Fugaku-senpai."

Fugaku swallowed hard, his throat moving as he asked, "Lord Makoto, where… did these come from?"

In that moment, many things suddenly became clear to him: the actions of his police force, the past few days of the Chunin exams…

Makoto smiled faintly. "What's this? Does Fugaku-senpai think I fabricated something just to amuse myself with you?"

"...I wouldn't dare," Fugaku replied cautiously.

"Fugaku-senpai," Makoto continued, "how do you think such a criminal should be dealt with?"

Fugaku's grip on the letter tightened suddenly.

"If these crimes are indeed true... then naturally, the punishment would be death."

Makoto smiled faintly. "It seems Fugaku-senpai and I think alike."

Then, with a sudden shift in tone, Makoto added, "However, this person commands an elite force of ninja. If they were to stir up trouble in the village, it could endanger innocent civilians. Would Fugaku-senpai be willing to assist me in removing this great threat to Konoha?"

"..."

Fugaku's breathing grew inexplicably heavier.

The elite force Makoto referred to was now under his command, having been assigned to maintain security during the Chunin exams at his direction.

From the very beginning, he had been dragged into this scheme.

There was no escape.

The office fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the sound of Fugaku's own breathing.

"Naturally... I am at your service, Lord Makoto," Fugaku finally replied.

Makoto nodded in satisfaction.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Fugaku-senpai."

"What I previously promised you, Fugaku-senpai, will still hold true once this matter is resolved. The village will not mistreat the Uchiha," Makoto said calmly.

Fugaku forced a smile. "The Uchiha seek no reward for serving the village."

As he looked at the smiling youth before him, a chill ran through his heart, followed by a thought so absurd even he found it hard to believe.

Was it this boy who relied on Orochimaru to rise to power, or was it Orochimaru who became Hokage thanks to him...?

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