Thank you to our new Patrons: Christopher Gärtner, Jose cabrera atzin, Luke Matthews, allen pellissery, mark74497, Charlie Puente-Duany, Anime fan123456 and DeathClan1980! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to Chapter 765: The Three Elders on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
I've also recently started a new translation, please check it out and show your support! It's called Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I Am the White Emperor of Heaven! As always, Patrons will have unrestricted access to all of my stories including futures ones!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Faced with Hiruzen Sarutobi's questioning, Kakashi might have felt uneasy in the past. But now, he stared at Hiruzen with eyes tinged with killing intent.
"How did I get them? How could you even ask such a stupid question, my dear Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi?"
Kakashi's biting words left Hiruzen stunned, while the surrounding Jonin looked at Kakashi as if he were a monster—how dare he speak like that?
But those in the know quickly regained their composure. With such overwhelming strength, why should he fear anyone?
Kakashi lightly tapped the six scrolls on the table and slowly said,
"These six—"
Before Kakashi could finish, an intense surge of chakra erupted from Hiruzen as he roared,
"Don't say it, Kakashi!!! Do you want to destroy the village?!!!"
In response to Hiruzen's threat, Kakashi instantly activated his Vast Sea Chakra Mode. A torrent of chakra, even more powerful than Hiruzen's, exploded forth, causing cracks to form in the walls around them.
This sudden clash shocked and bewildered all the ninja present.
They had been talking peacefully just moments ago—how had things escalated so quickly?
Hiruzen looked at Kakashi with fear. Though the intelligence report mentioned Kakashi entering a unique state, it hadn't described it as being this overwhelming.
Unconsciously, Hiruzen recalled his teacher, the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, who also possessed a chakra burst capable of such effects. However, achieving that required an astonishing amount of chakra and terrifying control—something Hiruzen couldn't match, even at his peak.
Moreover, without the Hokage's aura backing him, Hiruzen no longer had the authority to command the gathered ninja to subdue Kakashi.
For a moment, Hiruzen found himself in a difficult position.
But thinking of the secrets contained in the six scrolls on the table, Hiruzen had no choice but to press on.
"Kakashi, are you trying to rebel?!" Hiruzen barked harshly.
In response, Kakashi's gaze remained as calm as ever. He reined in his overwhelming presence, making himself appear smaller, like a golden statue.
"Rebellion? That title is too grand for me to bear, don't you think, Third Hokage?" Kakashi said indifferently.
Using the earlier display of power as leverage, Kakashi placed his hand on the six scrolls once again. He then untied the bindings of one scroll and slowly unfurled it.
This sight made Hiruzen's eyes bulge with rage as he tried to intervene.
But before he could act, Kakashi had already created two shadow clones, which restrained Hiruzen in place, preventing him from making any reckless moves.
Hiruzen's unusual behavior piqued the curiosity of the gathered Jonin. What secrets were hidden in these six scrolls that could make the usually kind and composed Third Hokage lose his composure so drastically?
But soon, their curiosity turned into shock as they read the contents of the scrolls, their faces darkening with each passing moment.
The first scroll revealed a comprehensive record of the human experiments secretly conducted by Konoha over the years.
Kakashi owed his thanks to Ye Wen for this. If Ye Wen hadn't used his powerful divine consciousness to scan the entire village and discover hidden chambers containing classified scrolls, which Kakashi then stole using his superior infiltration skills, Kakashi would never have known just how much darker Konoha was compared to the dirt Ye Wen had already provided.
At this moment, Kakashi spoke.
"As you've guessed, these scrolls contain various classified records. It took me quite some effort to retrieve them yesterday.
The first scroll details the village's inhumane human experiments.
The second contains confidential missions aimed at eliminating dissenters.
The third lists the children taken from various clans, orphanages, or the village itself to be trained in ROOT.
The fourth analyzes the village's bloodline limits and secret techniques.
The fifth provides detailed records of the misappropriation of the Fourth Hokage's estate funds."
Here, Kakashi paused and cast an interested glance at the clan ninjas and civilian ninjas present.
The secrets contained in these scrolls undoubtedly crossed the lines of both the clan ninjas and the civilian ninjas.
For the clan ninjas, aside from bloodline limits, their most important inheritance was their secret techniques.
And now, they were being told that the very village they had relied on for protection was secretly coveting their family's secret techniques. Wasn't this akin to plotting their annihilation? For any clan with a legacy, this was an unforgivable offense.
As for the civilian ninjas, they were generally easier to persuade. They didn't fear death and were mostly fighting for their ideals.
But over time, they too had formed families and developed bonds—this was the essence of the Will of Fire.
These civilian ninjas were willing to fight on the battlefield to protect their loved ones and their connections.
However, the infamous reputation of ROOT was well-known, almost like an urban legend. They had heard whispers of its existence.
But now, they were being explicitly told that not only did the village demand their lives in service, but after their deaths, their children would be taken to be turned into ruthless killing machines. How could they tolerate this?
Though most ninja lacked education, those who reached Jonin rank had undergone extensive learning. Their eyes now burned red as they glared at Hiruzen.
Hiruzen's earlier attempts to stop Kakashi had already revealed that he was aware of these secrets.
The once-kindly representative of the Will of Fire in everyone's minds had now become a despised old man.
For the first time in his life, Hiruzen felt the terror and despair of being ostracized by everyone.
Nara Shikaku also cast a deep, contemplative look at the leader he had long followed.
But now, he was more curious about what was written in the last scroll.
Kakashi soon satisfied Shikaku's curiosity.
Seeing the distinctive crest of the Sarutobi clan on the scroll, Shikaku's pupils contracted sharply as he thought of a possibility.
Without hesitation, Kakashi untied the binding rope and carelessly threw the scroll onto the ground, unfurling it.
Rows of names appeared on the scroll. The civilian ninjas were confused, but the clan ninjas immediately understood what it meant.
At this moment, Kakashi's indifferent voice rang out again.
"This is the current genealogy of the Sarutobi clan. I specifically retrieved it last night."
The civilian ninjas still didn't understand, but Kakashi's next words caused their expressions to change drastically.
"The Sarutobi clan currently has over ten thousand members. Among them, there are 72 registered Jonin, 729 chunin, and a staggering 1,300 genin. This doesn't even include the unregistered members of the Sarutobi clan."
While 72 Jonin might seem excessive, this number likely included regular Jonin as well as special Jonin excelling in specific areas.
Even so, these numbers were enough to crush any single ninja clan in Konoha at this moment.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow