Chapter 247 Martial Law

Nara Shikaku walked out of the Hokage's office with the meal in his hand, looking stunned. He did not dare to delay and went to the kitchen himself, asked the chef to heat up the meal, then went to the wine cellar to find a bottle of aged wine, poured a glass, and returned to the office to present it respectfully.

Ye Shan simply cleaned up the messy table, put the food on it and prepared to eat, but he didn't see any wine, so he couldn't help but ask, "Where's the wine I asked for?"

Nara Shikaku hesitated for a moment, took out a sealed cup from his arms and put it on the table: "My Lord, please drink less. It would be bad if the people below smelled it and spread it out."

As the shadow of a village and one of the undisputed high-ranking officials of the Fire Nation, Ye Shan's every word and action is watched by countless people. In addition, the atmosphere in the village is relatively open, and people like to talk about the privacy of important people after dinner, which makes him quite constrained.

"Then drink less. The third generation's habit of peeping is still circulating today. I don't want to become a laughing stock." Ye Shan said helplessly.

A small wine cup was filled, and Ye Shan tilted his head back and drank it all without leaving a drop. After closing his eyes and savoring it for a moment, he said, "Aged wine still has a good flavor. Drinking it makes people forget their sorrows. What year is this wine?"

"The wine stored in Konoha's first year is now more than forty years old."

Ye Shan picked up a piece of scrambled egg with chopsticks and put it into his mouth, chewing: "You, the butler, have to keep an eye on me. If other people want to drink, keep an eye on them, or they will run out of wine in a few days."

Nara Shikaku smiled and said, "Don't worry, I control the amount. It's enough for you to drink for another ten years."

"That's good. Remember to bury some wine when you have time. As the Hokage, I must leave something for future generations. Systems and villages will get worse as they age, but fine wine will become more fragrant as it ages." Ye Shan said meaningfully.

"You're joking. In a few years, when people talk about what happened today, they will surely be full of admiration for your foresight."

"Come on, who can predict the future? Just have a clear conscience. Thinking too much will only cause you trouble."

"Zira"

After another glass of wine, Ye Shan started talking: "I remember that you served under Orochimaru during the Second Ninja World War. What do you think of him?"

Nara Shikaku pondered for a moment and said, "Orochimaru has a dark personality. He never discusses any decision with others and treats the decision-makers as nothing. The Third Hokage reprimanded him for this."

"That's arbitrary power, what else?"

"The killing method is quite cruel, and the spirit beast has accidentally injured many companions."

"Murderous and bloodthirsty, what else?"

"I can't remember the other subordinates. After all, we didn't have much interaction."

Ye Shan picked up a fresh shrimp and said, "You didn't get to the point, or you deliberately avoided sensitive topics. Autocracy is for better decision-making and for the means to achieve victory; bloodlust is not a problem, which ninja doesn't have hundreds of lives on his hands? In my opinion, Orochimaru is wise and decisive, and he is really a hero!"

"But he has one bad point. He has no reverence in his heart. Reverence for power, reverence for war, reverence for life, and reverence for human ethics. This has led to the lawlessness of today."

"It is undeniable that Orochimaru has made great contributions to Konoha. It is beyond reward. Unless I am willing to step down and let others take over, outsiders will always feel sorry for him when they talk about him."

"The topics about successful people are far less interesting than the struggles of losers. Orochimaru is the loser who failed in the election for Hokage, so the villagers feel sorry for him."

Ye Shan ate while talking, not caring about what would be spread out. Nara Shikaku's forehead was sweating when he heard it: "Actually, being a Hokage is not good. You have to wake up early every day to work, and there are endless things to deal with every day. Look, I'm starting to lose my hair, but I'm only in my twenties!"

"Nominally I command tens of thousands of ninjas and control the most powerful armed forces in the entire ninja world, but I'm really not happy. I'm almost constipated after sitting for so long. I'm not happy at all!"

"Do you think I'm happy?"

"You don't seem happy..."

"That's right, happiness belongs to others, and I am very miserable."

Ye Shan muttered to himself, seeming to be very resentful. He slapped the table, causing a plate of eggs to jump up: "Orochimaru is so happy every day but he kills people, and I am so miserable every day but I have to be busy. Is this fair?"

"unfair!"

“But there’s nothing I can do!”

Ye Shan continued to eat, venting his anger on the food, eating with gnashing teeth: "It's two o'clock now, I'll give him another three hours. If Orochimaru doesn't come by five o'clock, I'll overturn the table!"

"You choose your own path. If he doesn't want to be a human being, I won't indulge him!"

"I have given him everything he wanted in the past few years. I have to ask myself if I have been tolerant enough. But now he wants to dig up the Great Wall of the village. I will never agree to that!"

"Go tell the kitchen to add a few more dishes. Who will eat this? Give me some braised pork elbow so I can eat more and work better tonight!"

Nara Shikaku made a few gestures, and the Anbu in charge of security outside the window instantly disappeared, apparently ordering more food.

"I noticed something was wrong with him a few years ago, but I didn't expect him to be so bold now. He simply ignored me, the Hokage! This is too much of a bully!"

"What faction purge? What power reshuffle? All of you, stand aside! If anyone makes me unhappy, I will dig up his ancestral grave!"

Ye Shan turned into a complaining woman and said all kinds of unpleasant things. He was really angry: "Send a letter to Minato immediately to explain and tell him not to worry. I am not the kind of person who will burn bridges after crossing them, especially since we haven't even crossed the river yet!"

"Immediately strip Orochimaru of all his duties, including the Hokage's honorary haori, and transfer it all to Vice Hokage Minato! Recall Jiraiya who is out playing and tell him that his friend has become an evil heretic!"

Nara Shikaku was writing furiously, and when he heard this he looked up and said, "Lord Jiraiya has gone to Myoboku Mountain, and we can't contact him for a while."

"..."

"These bastards are so cool! It's outrageous! I get angry just thinking about it!"

"None of them is reliable, especially that spendthrift Tsunade who hangs out in casinos all day and never comes home! Clean up the casinos, investigate prostitution, gambling and drugs, and restore peace to the village!"

"..."

Nara Shikaku lived in Bengbu, and Hayama fired the first shot. Then the boss of Konoha's black place fainted in the toilet crying.

Ye Shan was so angry that he slammed the table, wishing he could punch those unreliable guys to death. What Konoha Sannin, they were simply synonymous with prostitution, gambling and drugs. He, Sarutobi Hiruzen, worked so hard to cultivate three scourges? Everyone in the village was busy, but they were fine, one by one, they had nothing to do, and their lives were so comfortable.

"Go and get Vice Hokage Fugaku. I have something to arrange."

Nara Shikaku closed his notebook, turned around and went to the next room to ask for help. Uchiha Fugaku came hurriedly with his eyebrows tightly furrowed. He thought he would see a messy scene, but he did not expect that the person involved, Hayama, was eating leisurely, as if he was not the one who was furious just now.

"Have you eaten?" Ye Shan asked.

"I've eaten early." Uchiha Fugaku replied.

"Then eat some more. The kitchen will send some pork elbows over later. Shall we have a drink?"

Uchiha Fugaku smacked his lips, nodded and said, "Drink some. I haven't had a drink in a long time and I'm really craving it."

Nara Shikaku did not dare to delay. He moved the documents on the desk to make room for the two big guys. He also brought a set of bowls and chopsticks, closed the door and went out to work.

Uchiha Fugaku picked up a shrimp, carefully cleaned the shell, dipped it in the sauce, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly, saying, "Don't be so stern, it's not worth getting angry and getting yourself hurt."

Ye Shan rolled his eyes and said self-deprecatingly: "How dare I get angry? He is a legitimate descendant. Who am I? Just a usurper."

"So you are jealous of others?"

"Bullshit! He is just a lunatic. Why should I be jealous of him? I am just impatient."

"impatient?"

"Time is running out!" Ye Shan stood up and walked to the window, looking at the people hurrying outside, and said, "The hungry people in the New Rain Country are crying out for food, and there are so many things going on in the village. I'm worried! Fugaku, ask yourself, how long can we stay in power? Ten years? Twenty years? Thirty years?"

"Look, I have white hair!" Ye Shan said, pointing at his temples.

Uchiha Fugaku took a closer look and actually found a few strands of white hair. He put down his chopsticks and said, "Don't think too much. These white hairs just appeared by chance. Don't take them seriously. I am a few years older than you. I feel that I am full of energy and I am still a long way from getting old."

Ye Shan turned around, stared at his friend, and said seriously: "The first Hokage died in his prime. Everyone said that he was injured in battle, but I don't think so."

"Ninjas cannot escape the realm of biology, and chakra is essentially extracted from cells. The stronger a person is, the greater the chance of dying in the prime of life. Now that I have reached the top of the ninja world, my strength has long since broken free from the limits of biology. So, who knows when I will die?"

Uchiha Fugaku seemed to be hesitant to speak, not knowing what to say to comfort his best friend.

"No need to say polite words. There is nothing we can't talk about." Ye Shan stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back. "I often wake up at night recently. I often can't fall asleep at four in the morning. Logically, I should be sleepy at my age, but why am I like an old man who is about to die?"

"Every time I close my eyes, the past flashes through my mind like I'm watching a movie. Every smile and frown of my old friend is so damn clear that it makes me extremely panic."

"I have let so many people down in my life, but why do they always appear in my dreams? Is it destined in the dark?"

"I mentioned at the conference that we would rebuild a new Rain Country in five years, but Orochimaru showed up just as the reform began. Is it really such a coincidence? He showed up not earlier or later, but just as the village was set up. Who can guarantee that it is not a conspiracy of the enemy?"

Ye Shan sighed, "Speaking of enemies, we still don't know who the enemy is! They complete every order without fail, and every meeting is full of praise. Every day I hear good news, but why do I feel like I'm trapped in a spider's web?"

"Something is wrong. It is very wrong. There is no peaceful change in the world. It seems that our enemies are hiding too deeply, so deep that we can't even detect them!"

Uchiha Fugaku stood behind Ye Shan, a trace of sympathy flashed across his eyes, and he said, "You seem to be too suspicious. It's just Orochimaru. Everything is currently developing in the direction we expected, isn't it?"

"Unknown enemies are the most terrifying! We can't let our guard down. What we are doing is no different from digging up someone's ancestral graves. If we are a little careless, we will be doomed! Find an opportunity to screen all the people in the Hokage Building and make sure to use people you can trust."

"I'll do it. You should also take care of yourself and don't get too tired."

"It's okay. You know your own body. You can still work for a few more years." Ye Shan waved his hand.

The two of them just stood in front of the window, looking at the scenery outside without saying a word.

The sun sets very early in winter. Just after five o'clock, only half of the sun's face is left. The biting cold wind becomes the main theme of the world, and the streets are sparsely populated. Instead, thousands of lights are lit, forming a beautiful sight.

Nara Shikaku knocked on the door and walked into the office cautiously. Seeing that the room was dark, he wanted to turn on the light, but was stopped by Ye Shan: Don't turn on the light!

"Sir, it's five o'clock, and there is still no movement from Orochimaru." Nara Shikaku reported softly.

"I know."

The office was eerily quiet. After a long moment, Ye Shan turned around. The hesitation and pain in his eyes disappeared, and murderous intent replaced them.

"If you always stay in the light, you will inevitably forget what darkness feels like! Tonight I want to meet the Darkness of Konoha and see if he still has a conscience!"

Uchiha Fugaku pondered and said, "Things have come to this point. I have no objection to Orochimaru's handling of the matter, but you, as the Hokage, should not put yourself in danger. Leave it to me to handle it."

"No, Orochimaru has been famous for a long time, and the village can't stand it, so I am the most suitable person to go. Fugaku, you stay at the center and be ready to suppress all the villains at any time!"

Yeshan took off the Hokage's haori, revealing the ninja uniform underneath, and took out a scarred Konoha forehead guard from the drawer and put it on. The iron-blooded aura filled the room, causing Fugaku and the other man to breathe heavier.

"Two and a half years have passed, and people seem to have a very short memory. They actually forgot how I became the Hokage!? I am not Sarutobi Hiruzen, who can have a good master to identify me before his death. I became the Hokage by sword and gun, and it was built on two powdered corpses!"

"Shikaku, go and notify the A-Team of the Anbu to assemble and issue an emergency ban. No one is allowed to leave the house without my signature. Otherwise, they will be punished for treason!"

"The village will close its gates immediately. All ninjas from the Guard, Root, and Anbu will be sent out to guard. Hospitals, welfare homes, schools, and the Ninja Research Association will enter the highest level of defense. All jonin will gather. Deputy Hokage Fugaku will take full command!"

"The clan leaders of the Uchiha clan, Hyuga clan, Nara clan, Sarutobi clan, etc., each of you should stick to your posts, and set up barriers at strategic locations such as the armory... In short, stand up!"

Yeshan was arranging things with murderous intent. Uchiha Fugaku stood beside him with a complicated expression, thinking that he was making too much of a fuss. What kind of waves could a little Orochimaru make?

He's just a toy. The Hokage can turn him into a stray dog ​​with just a piece of paper. Why bother mobilizing so many troops?