Ryoma glanced at Hiruzen Sarutobi. If not for Hiruzen's intervention, he would have already cut down Homura Mitokado on the spot.
The crowd froze, horrified by Homura's half–tailed beast transformation. Fingers pointed, whispers spread like wildfire, and even children hurled stones at him.
"Damn you! Let me go, you trash!" Homura roared.
Danzo Shimura's expression darkened as he saw his comrade losing control. A chill crept into his heart.
Hiruzen let out a weary sigh.
Ryoma's actions were so just and upright that neither Danzo nor Homura could argue against him.
"Ryoma, take them back to the ANBU for interrogation," Hiruzen ordered.
With so many villagers watching, Hiruzen could no longer show favoritism. If he did, his position as Hokage would be in jeopardy. He knew well the truth: the people can support a ruler… or overthrow him.
Ryoma bowed slightly. "Hokage-sama, forgive me. But there are too many suspects this time. The ANBU cells cannot contain them all. Let the interrogation be conducted here, in the square. That way, justice will be public, and the village will have its answer."
Danzo's eyes went wide. Interrogation… in broad daylight? In front of everyone? Even he, head of Root, felt his pride sting.
Inside the golden staff cage of Enma's Kongō Nyoi, Homura regained clarity for a brief moment as his half–tailed form subsided—only to lose control again. The vile chakra of the Two-Tails burst forth, flooding his body.
Then—
BOOM!
With a thunderous roar, the seal on his stomach shattered. The monstrous chakra exploded outward, and Matatabi, the Two-Tails, emerged directly from Homura's body, shattering the staff cage in the process.
"Protect the villagers!" Hiruzen barked. In an instant, he cast the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, creating dozens of copies to shield the citizens while surrounding Matatabi.
Danzo leapt back, face grim, as Homura fully transformed into a beast-like state.
"Stay down!"
Ryoma's hands blurred through seals. From the earth, a colossal Wood Dragon erupted, coiling upward and binding the Two-Tails tightly.
"ROAR!" The beast thrashed, but against Ryoma's Wood Release, it lasted mere seconds before being crushed and subdued.
Ryoma turned to Hiruzen. "Hokage-sama, he's unstable. If confined in a building, he'll bring the whole structure down. Interrogate him here, in the square."
Hiruzen opened his mouth to respond—but before he could, ANBU operatives and shinobi from the major clans began arriving one after another.
"So many…"
"Look, those are the heirs of the great clans!"
At that moment, Uzumaki Mito herself appeared, flanked by Uchiha Kagami, the Hyūga patriarch, the Akimichi, Yamanaka, and Nara clan heads—founding families of Konoha.
"Hokage-sama," Mito said firmly, "we demand a public interrogation. The villagers deserve the truth."
"Yes. Such behavior shames every clan that helped found Konoha!"
"We demand an explanation—from Elder Danzo, Elder Homura, and the three major families behind them!"
One by one, the clan heads spoke out. Their united voices left no room for doubt.
Hiruzen's face tightened. With the situation spiraling, even he could not shield Danzo now.
"Danzo," he said coldly, narrowing his eyes, "how could something like this happen under your watch?"
Danzo sneered, folding his hands into his sleeves. "What happened? I know nothing. You accuse me without proof? Is there still law in this village?"
"Elder Danzo, no need to rush," Ryoma cut in with a faint smile. "We're here to ensure fairness—for all. The interrogation begins now."
His voice rang across the square. "Bring forth the prisoners."
"Yes, Lord Ryoma!" ANBU operatives dragged forth dozens of bound shinobi from the Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans.
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
"After all these years, someone's finally dealing with them!"
"Look—Shinnosuke Shimura, head of the Shimura clan! Even he's been arrested!"
"Don't fool yourself. If Hokage-sama wanted them punished, it would've been done long ago. This is Lord Ryoma's doing. He's cleaning house."
Onlookers whispered, but one thing was clear: Ryoma's authority was rising.
The ANBU declared the charges one by one:
"Shinnosuke Shimura, clan head and former principal of the Academy—stripped of all rank, benefits revoked, sentenced to prison!"
"Mitokado Ryota—stripped of jōnin rank, expelled from the Interrogation Corps, sentenced to prison!"
"Utatane Masao—stripped of jōnin rank, guilty of falsifying missions, sentenced to prison!"
On and on, names were called.
Over a hundred from the three clans were exposed—elites, elders, even promising heirs. Their reputations shattered in a single day.
Watching this, Homura vomited blood and collapsed unconscious. Danzo's eye twitched, rage burning beneath his calm mask.
"You venomous snake, Ryoma," he thought.
"You mean to destroy the three great families!"
Danzo sneered aloud.
"And what of the others? Do you claim only our clans are guilty of this corruption?"
Ryoma raised a hand. "Of course not."
ANBU dragged forward a handful of culprits from other clans—one or two each from the Uchiha, Hyūga, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara, and Inuzuka families. Barely a dozen in total.
Compared to the hundreds from Danzo's alliance, they were nothing.
The Uchiha head stepped forward, bowing. "To think one of our clan has shamed us… Konoha has my apology."
The Hyūga patriarch echoed him. "Our clan takes full responsibility."
The other clan heads followed suit, denouncing their "black sheep" with solemn words.
In contrast, the Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane were painted as utterly corrupt.
Now the picture was clear: Ryoma had cornered them. With the Senju and Uzumaki backing him, he stood on unshakable ground.
Danzo clenched his fists. Ryoma had played this flawlessly—dragging the truth into daylight, making the three great clans pariahs in front of all Konoha.
"Such venom," Danzo whispered under his breath. "You'll pay for this."
But aloud he said, feigning calm:
"I know nothing of these crimes. I've long abandoned clan affairs. If they erred, it was without my knowledge. But tell me, Hokage-sama—after twenty years, so many violations… and not a single report reached you? Then who is truly responsible?!"
The crowd fell silent at his words, eyes turning toward Hiruzen.
Danzo suddenly shifted the focus onto Hiruzen Sarutobi. At this point, he no longer cared about restraint.
If our three great clans are doomed, then I'll drag you down with us, Hiruzen.
"You—!"
Hiruzen drew in a deep breath, suppressing his fury. His voice came out low and heavy.
"As Hokage, I cannot deny my own responsibility. Such corruption festering in Konoha is indeed a failure of leadership. The administrative department has blinded me to the truth. But what about you, Danzo? What about the Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans—over two hundred shinobi involved?!"
Danzo answered flatly, almost coldly.
"I am not the clan head. I dedicated myself to Konoha long ago, gave up my position, and poured my life into the shadows—into Root. I have no wife, no children, no family ties. Everything I've done has been for the sake of Konoha!"
His voice sharpened.
"So what responsibility can you possibly pin on me now?"
The words rang through the square. For a moment, many were shaken.
He's right… isn't he?
Danzo pressed the advantage.
"Hokage-sama, your questioning is unreasonable. In fact, I have my own doubts. All these years, you never noticed any of this? How have you been leading the village, allowing such corruption to fester? Perhaps Konoha has already rotted from the top!"
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"And what of Orochimaru?" Danzo's tone turned sharp as a blade.
"Your prized disciple, running unchecked—conducting grotesque experiments, slaughtering innocents. How many villagers' lives were sacrificed? And yet you condoned it, simply because he was your student!"
Ryoma frowned deeply. So instead of defending himself, Danzo's turning the people against Hiruzen?
In truth, Danzo wasn't targeting Ryoma at all—he couldn't. Ryoma had no weaknesses to exploit. Unknown just years ago, Ryoma had since slain the Third Mizukage, destroyed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, negotiated with Kirigakure, and now uprooted decades of corruption. His record was spotless, his achievements undeniable.
Danzo had no choice but to drag Hiruzen down with him.
Ryoma hadn't expected this interrogation to escalate into a clash between the two elders. But if they destroyed each other, wouldn't that make him the greatest victor?
Still, before the situation spiraled further, Ryoma stepped forward.
"Shimura Danzo," his voice boomed, "the evidence of your collaboration with enemy villages is right here! And you still dare deny it?!"
The square fell silent.
Collaboration with enemy shinobi?!
Every gaze snapped toward Ryoma.
From his cloak, Ryoma pulled out a bundle of documents.
On two occasions, Orochimaru had secretly provided him with leads—solid proof of Danzo's dealings with Kumogakure. Orochimaru hadn't cared to pursue the matter himself; he was far more interested in his experiments. But Ryoma had kept the evidence.
The moment the villagers heard the accusation, faces paled in shock.
Danzo's face twitched violently. Before he could speak, vines shot out of the ground—Ryoma's Wood Release binding him tight.
"Mmph—!" Danzo's muffled roar was filled with rage and fear.
Ryoma's eyes narrowed.
"Danzo… let me finish."
One by one, he spread out the photographs Orochimaru had taken—images of Danzo in secret meetings with shinobi from the Hidden Cloud. The evidence was irrefutable. Even the blind could see it was true.
The crowd erupted in shouts of disbelief and fury.
Danzo's breathing grew ragged, his single visible eye flickering with hatred, fear, and denial. Impossible! I covered my tracks… how did they find this?!
Ryoma's gaze fell on the bandages covering Danzo's right eye. A grim realization struck him.
"And there is more." His voice dropped like a hammer. "The death of Uchiha Kagami—Konoha's own elder—was tied to you as well!"
"You betrayed your comrades… and even stole their eyes!"
With a sharp motion, Ryoma tore away the bandages from Danzo's face—exposing the stolen Sharingan embedded in his right eye.
The crowd froze in stunned silence.
The secret Danzo had guarded for decades… now lay bare before all of Konoha.
...
TN:
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