Chapter 144: The Divided Sarutobi Clan

Aside from a few direct participants, most people didn't realize the ongoing reckoning was a true reckoning, with its primary focus on the Sarutobi clan.

The reason was simple: even to Aoba, the Sarutobi clan appeared too wealthy.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, after all, was only human unlike the 'saint', Hashirama Senju. While it was understandable for him to look after his own clan, his actions came across as deeply unfair to the rest of Konoha.

The Sarutobi clan, for its part, had noticed this reckoning.

Thanks to Hiruzen's policies, the Sarutobi clan had long adhered to the principle of "quietly amassing wealth." Unless acting on Hiruzen's direct orders, they avoided involvement in major village affairs.

This time, however, was different. With Hiruzen gone, they could no longer grasp Konoha's inner workings as they once had.

By now, the Sarutobi clan had split into two factions. One faction believed they should remain uninvolved in external matters, arguing that maintaining the status quo was sufficient and that the Fifth Hokage wouldn't act against the Sarutobi clan so soon.

The other faction, however, recognized the crisis at hand. They realized that the Hokage was coming at them with full force and wouldn't stop easily.

Unfortunately, this faction consisted primarily of the younger generation. While their numbers weren't small, they lacked decision-making power within the clan and held little influence.

According to the younger faction's analysis, Tsunade was currently consolidating the village's resources, using Konoha's reconstruction as an opportunity to establish a new order.

Hadn't the major ninja clans already made their positions clear? Even the Hyuga clan had publicly expressed their support for the Hokage's initiatives.

At this point, the Sarutobi clan was the only major family yet to take a stance. Some astute observers even speculated that the reckoning was aimed squarely at the Sarutobi clan.

However, to preserve her reputation, Tsunade had opted for an indirect approach rather than directly targeting the clan, avoiding accusations of ingratitude toward Hiruzen's legacy.

Looking deeper, Hiruzen's decision to take Tsunade as a student now seemed calculated. As long as someone from the "Hokage lineage" inherited the position, the Sarutobi clan would theoretically remain untouchable because family wouldn't turn on family.

What Hiruzen hadn't anticipated was Aoba's arrival, which disrupted the established order and brought sweeping changes to Konoha's rules.

The reckoning itself was a lengthy process. In addition to the four major clans leading the charge, many smaller clans were already feeling its impact.

The standards for the audit were straightforward. Transactions involving Konoha's shops and industries were meticulously documented over the years. Any transactions without records were deemed violations. If payments were insufficient, that too constituted a violation. And if both these criteria were met, there was one final test: whether the transaction bore the original owner's signature of approval.

When asked about signatures, Tsunade remarked, "I probably signed a few contracts when I was drunk back then." Sasuke, on the other hand, simply stated, "What signature?"

Most ninja clans were unhappy with the reckoning, but none openly resisted.

This was the ninja world, not the real world. In the real world, people could employ bureaucratic maneuvers to obstruct investigations, causing endless headaches.

But in the ninja world, strength was the ultimate authority. The very fact that such a system existed at all was already a result of a saint's intervention.

Hashirama Senju was a saint; Tsunade, however, was not. Moreover, she had the support of Konoha's strongest ninja, Aoba Kamikawa, as well as the explicit backing of the four most powerful clans.

Under such circumstances, no one was foolish enough to publicly oppose the reckoning.

The Sarutobi clan, however, was an exception. While they didn't resist outright, they also refused to cooperate. Even after the Hokage's office issued a formal request for the clan to send representatives to assist with the investigation, they remained unresponsive.

Little did they know that this played perfectly into Aoba's plans. Their refusal gave him a legitimate reason to target the clan, leaving no room for objections.

The argument was simple: every other family in Konoha complied with the investigation, why should the Sarutobi clan be an exception?

This arrogant stance cost the Sarutobi clan their final shred of initiative.

Just as Aoba was preparing to take action, an unexpected guest arrived at his home.

"Asuma? Come in, you're a rare visitor."

Asuma had always maintained a strained relationship with the Sarutobi clan. As the Hokage's eldest son, he was privy to some of Hiruzen's decisions and had disagreed with many of them in his youth.

As a result, a young Asuma had left Konoha to join the Twelve Guardian Ninja, distancing himself from his father.

Even after returning to Konoha as an adult, his relationship with Hiruzen remained lukewarm, and he had little interaction with the rest of the Sarutobi clan.

It wasn't until Hiruzen's death that Asuma attempted to reconnect with his family. By then, however, there was no place for him within the clan.

Caught in this awkward position, Asuma rarely even interacted with his colleagues like Aoba. His sudden appearance caught Aoba off guard; he hadn't expected Asuma to involve himself in this matter.

"I didn't plan on getting involved," Asuma began, "but someone reached out to me. The younger faction within the Sarutobi clan approached me saying that they're willing to cooperate with the Hokage's investigation."

Asuma paused, looking at Aoba expectantly. But Aoba simply stared at him in silence, as if waiting for him to finish.

Feeling uncomfortable under Aoba's gaze, Asuma eventually relented.

"Fine. They, or rather, we also hope to gain Konoha's support."

"What kind of support are you looking for?" Aoba asked, pouring Asuma a cup of tea and sliding it toward him.

Asuma drained the tea in one gulp, then wiped his mouth before answering.

"Support for the Sarutobi clan."

Aoba took a sip of his own tea before responding.

"As you said, the Sarutobi clan is now divided into two factions. Which side do you want Konoha to support?"

Asuma hesitated, struggling with his words before finally speaking.

"Konoha only needs one Sarutobi clan."

"Good," Aoba replied. "You've made a wise decision."

Asuma's allegiance had been unexpected, but the outcome was favorable. It turned out the younger faction of the Sarutobi clan had some clever individuals among them.

The stubbornness of the conservative faction had made the younger members keenly aware of the looming crisis. To protect themselves, they decisively chose to align with the village, even going so far as to betray the conservatives entirely.

Reaching out to Asuma to act as their spokesperson was a masterstroke. Asuma was the most prominent Sarutobi in Konoha and the son of the Third Hokage.

In contrast, the conservative faction's leaders were so low-profile that few in Konoha even knew who they were.

This move allowed the younger faction to protect themselves while clearing out the conservatives, which was a win-win situation.

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