bookbashuk Chapter 212 You don't deserve to live either, you all have to die!
Chapter 212 You don't deserve to live either, you all have to die!
The vermilion gate was wide open, and the Sarutobi tribe members poured in from all directions.
All eyes, as if drawn by invisible threads, were focused on Sarutobi Sousuke.
His right hand was strung with two heads together by a thick hemp rope, the rope digging into the flesh, making the already grotesque scene even more terrifying.
Sarutobi Sousuke roared, "Make way! Get out of my way!"
The Sarutobi clan members automatically made way for him, and he walked forward step by step.
He stopped a dozen meters away from Hiruzen Sarutobi and slammed both heads to the ground.
"Thump!" The dull thud echoed in the courtyard, startling several children in the front row who burst into tears on the spot.
"Hiruzen! Look who this is!"
Sarutobi Sosuke kicked Shinnosuke's head with his toe, his voice full of provocation: "These are your good son and fake grandson! They have tainted the pure bloodline of the Sarutobi family, they deserve to die, do you accept it or not?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the top of the steps, wearing a dark gray kimono with the collar slightly askew and his hair disheveled and plastered to his forehead.
His face was expressionless, like a cold stone statue, with only the occasional flash of cold light in the depths of his eyes, like a volcano about to erupt, revealing his suppressed anger to the extreme.
The clansmen in the courtyard surrounded the area in layers, but no one stepped forward.
The elderly members of the clan in the front row turned their faces away, unable to look at the heads on the ground, their cloudy eyes filled with pain.
Most of the middle-aged clansmen in the middle bowed their heads and remained silent, some even clenching their fists quietly.
The younger clansmen in the back row had shifty eyes, and some of them looked at Sarutobi Sōsuke with a hint of approval.
Over the years, many members of the Sarutobi clan have died in battle, many of whom were forced to go to the battlefield and lost their lives.
Now, the young clan leader, Sarutobi Shinnosuke, is taking his wife and children to seek refuge in another region.
This caused many clansmen to resent the double standards of "Sarutobi Hiruzen," and the provocation by the clan elder Sarutobi Sousuke at this moment became their excuse for remaining silent.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, why are you speechless now?"
Seeing that Hiruzen remained silent, Sarutobi Sōsuke became even more emboldened.
He stomped on Shinnosuke's head: "You only care about your own son and your adopted grandson, you don't care about the lives of us clansmen at all! My son died in battle, and you only said 'glory.' You secretly let Sarutobi Shinnosuke escape with his bastard child, while you sent three Jonin to escort him! Such a selfish and self-serving clan leader should have been removed from office long ago!"
"That's right! He should step down!"
Suddenly someone shouted from the crowd, and then more than a dozen young clansmen squeezed out from the back row.
Sarutobi Aoba, holding up a kunai, looked at Sosuke with excited eyes: "Elder Sosuke is right! Sarutobi Hiruzen is not fit to be the clan leader. He should step down sooner rather than later and let someone capable lead us!"
These people were all relatives of their clansmen who had recently died in battle. They harbored resentment towards Hiruzen Sarutobi, and at this moment, they were incited by Sosuke and immediately became his "allies".
Sarutobi Sousuke grinned smugly, opening his arms as if accepting the homage of his clan: "See that? Hiruzen! This is everyone's sentiment! You should abdicate!"
Just then, a few soft rustling sounds came from the crowd—the sound of weapons being drawn.
A dozen or so young Sarutobi suddenly raised their weapons: "I recommend Elder Sosuke to become the new clan leader!"
Sarutobi Sousuke wore a smug smile, believing he had the situation under control.
Sarutobi Aoba's companion gave him a look, and the others immediately understood.
Instead of making a move immediately, they took advantage of the moment when Sarutobi Sousuke and his dozen or so "allies" were carried away with their smugness and quietly circled around to their backs.
Sarutobi Aoba suddenly shouted, "Attack!"
They seized the opportunity to rush forward, their weapons slashing precisely at Sarutobi Sousuke and his companions' wrists and ankles.
Several crisp "crack" sounds were heard as the tendons in the hands and feet were severed.
"Ah... you despicable traitor...!" A scream instantly echoed through the courtyard.
The dozen or so men who followed Sarutobi Sosuke fell to the ground, blood gushing from their wrists and ankles, staining the ground red.
They tried to struggle, but found that their limbs were no longer under their control, and they could only roll around on the ground in pain.
Sarutobi Aoba pressed the kunai against his throat, her eyes icy: "Elder Sosuke, although you keep saying you want to protect the family bloodline, what you're doing is destroying the family with your own hands!"
Sarutobi Sosuke let out a piercing scream and collapsed to the ground, filled with fear and resentment: "Traitors...you faithless scoundrels..."
Sarutobi Aoba coldly said, "We didn't betray you; you betrayed the clan. Put them all in the dungeon and await the clan leader's judgment."
Sarutobi Sousuke knew he had become someone else's weapon. He wanted to say something, but a kunai was shoved into his mouth, and he could only make "uh uh" sounds.
Several young clansmen immediately stepped forward, tied up Sarutobi Sousuke and the remaining dozen or so accomplices with hemp ropes, and dragged them toward the clan's dungeon.
The bloodstains on the ground snaked like a red snake, glaringly bright in the sunlight.
The numb Sarutobi tribesmen finally stirred; some gaped in surprise, while others whispered amongst themselves.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the scene before him, a hint of madness hidden in his eyes.
He walked down the steps expressionlessly and gently patted Sarutobi Aoba's shoulder: "Aoba, you're very good. I knew I hadn't misjudged you."
Sarutobi Aoba lowered his head, his tone respectful: "Lord Hiruzen, the clan cannot function without your guidance. We have only done what we were supposed to do. The clan cannot be in chaos, much less fight amongst ourselves. We are all deeply saddened by the deaths of Lord Shinnosuke and Lord Konohamaru, but we cannot allow outsiders to laugh at us, nor can we allow the Sarutobi clan to be destroyed by our own people."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's cold gaze swept over the clansmen in the courtyard, and many of them lowered their heads.
"Fellow clansmen, I know you have had a hard time these past years, and many of our clansmen have tragically sacrificed their lives. I understand that you may harbor resentment. But what Sarutobi Sousuke did was not to protect the clan, but to destroy it! The deaths of Shinnosuke and Konohamaru pained me more than anyone else, but now the Land of Fire is in chaos and surrounded by enemies. If we continue to kill each other, it will only lead to the complete annihilation of the Sarutobi clan."
The clansmen in the courtyard remained silent for a moment, and finally a middle-aged clansman stepped forward.
He was a father whose son had died in battle, and he harbored resentment towards Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Lord Hiruzen, we were... too impulsive before. You're right, the clan can't be in chaos, we'll listen to you!"
"Chief, we will all listen to you!"
"Let's protect the Sarutobi family together!"
Immediately, more and more members of the clan joined in.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stared at his clansmen, a mad killing intent hidden deep within his heart: "My three sons are all dead, you don't deserve to live either... You should all die..."