Danzō laughed wildly in his heart, but on the surface, he was furious. He stood up and slammed the table, "Hmph, not only are you speculating, but you also dare to insult me! You old fool, you're courting death!"
The Great Elder sneered, "We're not easily scared. Besides, what the third elder said is the truth."
"Even if it is the truth, what was I doing it for?"
"It was for Konoha that my hands were stained with blood and schemes. I am a hero standing in the darkness!" Danzō said with a proud expression.
"Has Shisui's contribution to Konoha been any less?"
"Isn't he also a hero of Konoha?"
"Even if your accumulated contributions are greater due to your age, does that give you the right to be so ruthless to Shisui?" Uchiha Fugaku said with a blank expression.
Danzō said with an agitated expression, "I will emphasize again, it was Uchiha Shisui who attacked me!"
"As they say, you can know a person's face but not their heart. Don't be so self-righteous and jump to conclusions."
"Orochimaru was once a hero of Konoha, deeply trusted by us and admired by the ninja of Konoha. But what happened in the end?"
"Forget it. I don't want to argue with you. In any case, my conscience is clear."
"If you want Hiruzen to punish me, then show me the evidence."
Danzō's shameless attitude made Uchiha Fugaku and the other three grind their teeth in hatred. After exchanging a glance, the four of them stood up and bowed to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"We ask Lord Hokage to make a decision!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed the space between his eyebrows, looking troubled. "Frankly, I'm in a difficult position right now. Both sides have a point, yet neither has decisive evidence."
"What do you all think?"
Faced with Hiruzen's request for opinions, no one spoke first. The conference room fell into a strange silence.
There was no choice. This kind of matter was too difficult to decide arbitrarily, so Hiruzen chose to call on people.
Thus, Mitokado Homura felt that Danzō was more credible, while Utatane Koharu felt that the Uchiha were more credible, as if they had discussed it beforehand.
Although Nara Shikaku didn't want to offend Danzō, his intelligence did not allow him to support Danzō.
"I think the Uchiha's account is more credible."
"Other aspects are fine, but the fact that all four Root ninja are dead is a bit unbelievable," Kageyama Kogetsu stated his position.
His own intelligence, his own strength, and his own memories did not allow him to support Danzō.
One by one, they stated their opinions.
Some tried to be slippery and talk a lot of nonsense, but Hiruzen forced them to support one side.
In fact, no one here was a fool. A fool wouldn't be sitting in this conference room.
Most people believed that the Uchiha's account was more credible, with the exception of a few who wanted to curry favor with Danzō or were terrified of him.
Danzō's expression was a bit ugly, but he maintained his composure.
Uchiha Fugaku and the other three were quite happy. Everyone's eyes were still sharp, not blind.
"I've heard everyone's opinions."
"Personally, I still find the Uchiha's account more credible, although there is no evidence to prove it."
"Danzō, you keep saying that everything you do is for Konoha. Then, for the sake of Konoha's overall situation, are you willing to accept punishment?"
After Hiruzen finished speaking, his somewhat cloudy eyes became sharp, and he stared intently at Danzō.
Punishment is punishment. Without evidence, how severe can it be?
Light and darkness are interdependent. Without me, the darkness, how could Konoha develop and grow, how could it be safe?
How could you, Sarutobi Hiruzen, become the Light of Konoha, the Leaf of Konoha?
Danzō's thoughts raced, but on the surface, he said with a reluctant expression, "For the sake of Konoha's overall situation, I am willing to sacrifice everything, including my own life!"
"But... I must emphasize that I am sacrificing for the sake of Konoha's overall situation, not being punished for a crime."
"If I am to be punished under the pretext of a crime, then I will resolutely not accept it, unless you find evidence of sufficient weight."
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned. "What do you four think?"
Uchiha Fugaku and the other three exchanged a glance, their silent communication complete.
It was already difficult to achieve this much today. To demand more would likely result in losing everything.
"We will leave it to Lord Hokage to decide," Uchiha Fugaku said with a solemn expression.
"In that case, I, in the name of the Hokage, strip Danzō of his position as Hokage's Advisor. When it will be restored will depend on his performance," Hiruzen said, his brow relaxing as he gave the order in a deep voice.
Danzō's face showed anger upon hearing this. The punishment was too severe.
Although his position as Hokage's Advisor generally did not involve administrative affairs, it was a symbol of status!
As Hokage's Advisor, his status was actually a little higher than that of a consultant elder, after all, it carried the word "Hokage."
Although he had not lost his real power, without the position of Hokage's Advisor, his rank was Jonin, and his position was Root squad leader.
Although others would not treat him as an ordinary Jonin or a regular squad leader, the decline in his status was an indisputable fact.
Uchiha Fugaku and the other four were also dissatisfied.
With such a punishment, Danzō only lost face, but his substance remained. He wasn't even ordered to reflect in seclusion.
Was Shisui's life and the Uchiha's dignity only worth Danzō's face?
"Too heavy (too light)!" both sides said in unison.
Hiruzen frowned upon hearing this, feeling a major headache. This was a very difficult balance to strike.
In fact, any punishment would leave one side dissatisfied, and it was very easy to leave both sides dissatisfied.
"Ahem... Elder Danzō, Clan Head Fugaku, the three elders, you should all know when to quit while you're ahead."
"Don't make things difficult for Lord Hokage. In your situation, even if one side is more credible, there is ultimately no evidence."
"For the sake of Konoha's overall situation, how about you all take a step back?"
"If you are really dissatisfied with Lord Hokage's ruling and must fight to the death."
"I suggest a death match, in accordance with the rules of ancient samurai duels."
"Given Elder Danzō's immense strength, the Uchiha clan can send three of their top Jonin to participate," Kageyama Kogetsu spoke up to mediate.
The others also spoke up to persuade them. Their words were not as soft at first and then firm like Kogetsu's, but the general meaning was the same.
Seeing that the tide had turned, both sides had no choice but to accept Hiruzen's proposal.
The meeting ended, and everyone left.
Outside the Hokage Tower, Kageyama Kogetsu called out to Uchiha Fugaku and the other three, saying that he would attend Shisui's funeral tonight.
The four of them expressed their gratitude.
In the main conference room, the Konoha F4 did not leave, each sitting in their original seats.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke to the side, enveloping Danzō's head.
"Hiruzen, what are you doing?" Danzō frowned.
"Danzō, you'd better behave yourself. If you dare to cause trouble again, I'll strip you of everything and put you under house arrest!"
"Shisui, such a good kid, and a descendant of Kagami, you killed him."
"How could you bear to do it?" Hiruzen's face was full of dissatisfaction.
Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also spoke up, criticizing Danzō.
However, despite the chorus of criticism, Shisui's status in the hearts of the three of them was still far from being comparable to Danzō's.
Uchiha Kagami had been dead for many years, and time had faded their feelings.
The six-man guard squad of Senju Tobirama did not often carry out missions together. Most of the time, they worked in pairs.
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were a pair, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were a pair, and Uchiha Kagami and Akimichi Torifu were a pair.
The bond between the pairs was the strongest!
It was only after all four of them became high-ranking officials of Konoha that the relationship between the two pairs became even better.
Akimichi Torifu had retired early, and his relationship with the four of them had faded considerably.
Danzō wanted to argue, but seeing the three of them looking as if they saw through everything, he chose to remain silent.
After the criticism subsided, Hiruzen said in a deep voice, "After the meeting, bring Shisui's eye over."
Danzō exploded upon hearing this...
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