Although the fact that Naruto had the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside him was long known in Konoha, few in the village were aware that he was the son of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
A heavy silence fell over the assembled clans. Jiraiya's words struck like a thunderclap, sending shockwaves through the crowd.
Everyone stared in disbelief, faces pale and eyes wide, trying to process the revelation.
Hiruzen's expression grew strained. He hadn't expected Jiraiya to reveal Naruto's true identity here, in front of everyone.
Naruto had even stopped calling him "Grandpa" and now addressed him as "Hokage-sama." That alone showed how far things had fallen. Even his own student was now standing against him.
Jiraiya had chosen this moment to expose Naruto's identity to clear the boy's name.
Naruto had endured years of pain and injustice during his time away from the village. Now that he was back, things had to change.
Jiraiya fixed his gaze on Hiruzen and continued to denounce Danzo's actions.
"And that's not all. Danzo also had a hand in what happened the night of the Nine-Tails attack. The true identity of the masked man… was Uchiha Obito!"
"Otherwise, how could Kushina's due date have been leaked?"
Danzo felt as though a mountain had been dropped on his head. He immediately barked in protest.
"You're spouting nonsense! That night, I saw the Mangekyō Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes and immediately deployed Root to surround the Uchiha clan. What would that have to do with me?"
But in truth, Danzo was panicking.
How the hell did Jiraiya know I had any connection to the masked man? He even knew who the masked man really was! That's more than even I knew — and I was working with him!
At that moment, a masked, white-haired ninja emerged from the crowd behind Hiruzen.
He pulled off his mask and revealed his face.
"I testify on Master Jiraiya's behalf. I was assigned to monitor the Uchiha clan and was discovered by the Deputy Clan Leader, Uchiha Hikaru. At that moment, the masked man attacked us both."
"Together, we broke his mask — and saw who he really was. The masked man is Uchiha Obito!"
"Furthermore, Obito had the same Wood Release-infused cells that are in Danzo's right arm. He can also use Wood Release!"
Kakashi's words sealed Danzo's fate.
While the clans were still reeling from Danzo's treachery, Kakashi's fury burned hot.
"I'm not done. There's one more thing. The death of my father — the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo — was also connected to Danzo! And the Third Hokage was involved too!"
It was like another bomb went off in the assembly. Gasps erupted from the crowd. Many of the elder ninja were overcome with grief.
These were shinobi who had fought in the Second Great Ninja War. To them, the name "White Fang" was as legendary as the Hokage — even more so than the title of "Three Legendary Sannin."
White Fang had earned his name in blood. Unlike the Sannin, whose title came from Hanzo of the Salamander, Sakumo's legend came from battle after battle.
At the time, Sakumo's reputation even surpassed that of Minato, the Yellow Flash.
Minato was still young back then. Many had still favored Orochimaru as the next Hokage. But Sakumo… everyone thought he was the natural successor.
Until the tragedy.
"That mission… it was a trap designed by Danzo and the Third Hokage. It was a mission set up to fail."
"But my father fought his way out with sheer skill. At that point, one of his own teammates — a spy planted by Danzo — used my father's devotion to his comrades against him. He tricked my father into abandoning the mission to save his team!"
"The Third Hokage succeeded in tarnishing my father's name, ruining his chances of becoming Hokage. But Danzo didn't stop there."
"They made my father shoulder the blame for the failure — then used the Root to spread slander throughout the village. They accused my father of being unworthy of being a shinobi."
"Because of Danzo's conspiracy, my father committed suicide. He couldn't endure the shame. He felt utterly betrayed by the very village he protected. Even in death, he chose not to rebel — not to raise his blade against Konoha!"
Tears flowed in the crowd. The death of Hatake Sakumo had left a deep scar in their hearts. This was the man who had always stood between them and death on the battlefield — yet had been destroyed by his own village's leaders.
Hiruzen finally gave up. Seeing how far things had spiraled, and how exposed their crimes were, he surrendered to the truth. The last vestige of denial in his heart shattered.
"I admit it. Danzo and I were responsible for White Fang's death. But I beg you — for all the good Danzo has done for the village in secret — please spare his life. I'm willing to give up the title of Hokage."
Faced with judgment, Hiruzen slumped in defeat, offering to step down to protect Danzo.
His plea threw the clans into uncertainty. They had achieved their goal — Hiruzen had agreed to abdicate. As for Danzo, it would be best to kill him, but with Hiruzen shielding him, they hesitated.
Just as the hall teetered in indecision—
The tomoe in Uchiha Itachi's eyes slowly spun, transforming into the Mangekyō Sharingan, glowing a blood-red hue. He lowered his head, hatred gleaming in his eyes as he looked at Danzo.
An orange-red ribcage materialized around Itachi. Muscles and sinew layered over the skeleton — the shape of his Susanoo forming.
All eyes turned to him.
Even Danzo and Hiruzen stared, stunned.
"The Uchiha… they have another Mangekyō!?"
The crimson Susanoo loomed over the assembly as Itachi advanced toward Danzo.
"Danzo… Shisui gave everything for this village. Why did you steal his eyes!?"
"He single-handedly repelled the Hidden Mist's invasion for Konoha."
"He lived trapped between clan and village, doing everything he could to ease the tension."
"He trusted you. He told you the secret of his Mangekyō. And how did you repay him? You forced him to his death!"
"He was your comrade! A descendant of Uchiha Kagami — the man who carried the Second Hokage's Will of Fire! And you murdered him!"
Itachi's face twisted with grief and rage. Blood mixed with tears as they streamed down his face.
Unlike Hikaru, Itachi lacked the raw power to fully wield Susanoo — but he forced it out anyway, enduring the screaming agony in his body to push it to the third stage.
But physical pain was nothing compared to the ache in his heart. The loss of Shisui… that wound cut deeper than any jutsu ever could.
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