Ever since Mito Uzumaki married Senju Hashirama, the Uzumaki Clan has done countless things for Konoha.
Yet in the end, under the tacit approval of Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, they were reduced to the fate of a fallen nation and an exterminated clan.
When she was younger, she didn't know the inside story.
Later, as she grew up, although she felt aggrieved and resentful, she was powerless to do anything about it.
She never expected that she would now hear the apologies of the people of Konoha with her own ears.
Although the fate of the Land of Whirlpools could no longer be changed, the apologies from the people of Konoha could, more or less, soothe her heart.
Uzumaki Kushina looked up at Uchiha Yuzuru and found him looking back at her with a smile on his lips.
She understood instantly that pinning this specific crime on Sarutobi Hiruzen's head was something Uchiha Yuzuru had planned long ago.
He... wanted to help the Uzumaki Clan seek justice!
Thinking of this, a wave of warmth rose in Uzumaki Kushina's heart.
If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, she would really want to throw herself into Uchiha Yuzuru's arms and enjoy that warm embrace.
Seeing Uzumaki Kushina break into a smile through her tears, Uchiha Yuzuru withdrew his gaze and continued his judgment.
"As a ruler, you were subservient to outsiders but struck hard against your own. Regardless of victory or defeat, you only thought of ceding land, paying reparations, and hushing things up to maintain a false peace."
"This is the sixth sin!"
Upon hearing this, the anger in the hearts of the Konoha people intensified.
As Ninjas of Konoha, they had been the ones to suffer the most.
Ever since the Uchiha Clan left the Village, Sarutobi Hiruzen and his cohorts began their absurd operations.
Reparations were paid if they lost, and reparations were paid even if they won.
Every single reparation cost at least billions of Ryo.
They, the Ninjas who bled and sacrificed for the Village, not only failed to receive casualty pensions but also had to pay out of their own pockets for reparations to the enemies who killed their relatives and friends.
The most critical point was that due to the economic depression following the defeats, many of them lost their sources of income.
Every year, countless people froze or starved to death by the roadside.
Yet, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo were weak toward outsiders, they were exceptionally harsh toward their own people.
As long as someone complained with dissatisfaction, they would be immediately thrown into prison.
When Shimura Danzo first took power, he even allowed the Anbu to massacre villagers who were protesting.
Previously, the people of Konoha were filled with fear, but now they could finally vent the dissatisfaction in their hearts.
They stared fiercely at Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others, roaring: "You deserve to die! You deserve to die!!!"
If it weren't for the Cloud Village Ninjas desperately stopping them, some people might have already rushed forward to kill Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo.
Seeing the crowd become chaotic, Uchiha Yuzuru frowned, and a terrifying aura instantly spread out.
"Be quiet! Those who disrupt order... shall die!"
As his voice fell, the scene immediately became silent.
In the face of the notoriously fearsome Uchiha Yuzuru, no one dared to provoke him.
Uchiha Yuzuru snorted coldly and continued: "During Sarutobi Hiruzen's reign, he imposed exorbitant taxes and ruthless exploitation, leaving the Land of Fire littered with starved corpses and fields of the dead."
"This is the seventh sin!"
As these words were spoken, whether it was the Ninjas of Konoha or the Ninjas of the Hidden Cloud Village, their faces all showed expressions of unbearable pity.
Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama frowned and looked at Tsunade beside them.
"Tsunade, is the Land of Fire... really as Uchiha Yuzuru described?"
The Land of Fire had vast fertile lands and abundant resources; how could it have fallen to the point of being littered with corpses?
Tsunade sighed and nodded: "Compared to reality, the written descriptions seem pale and weak."
"On our way here, we have seen countless tragedies."
"Even Ninjas of Konoha have starved or frozen to death, let alone the ordinary citizens of the Land of Fire."
"In many places, it has even reached the point where people swap their children to eat."
After listening to Tsunade's description, Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama felt as if their hearts had been struck hard.
During their reigns, the Land of Fire was prosperous and peaceful; they never expected that in the blink of an eye, it would fall into such a living hell!
"Monkey... deserves to be killed!"
Senju Tobirama's tone was icy.
As Hokage, he had indeed done many dark things during his reign.
Developing forbidden jutsu, conducting human experiments... that was because he had long seen clearly that the fertile land of the Land of Fire would surely be targeted by other nations.
Everything he did was so that after his elder brother died, Konoha would have enough strength to protect itself.
Even when facing the Uchiha Clan whom he detested, he never thought of pushing them to rebellion.
After becoming Hokage, he gave them the right to form the Military Police Force and took the Genius Ninja Uchiha Kagami as his Disciple to appease them.
As for the other great clan... the Senju Clan, they had also been ordered by him to give up the Senju surname.
Originally, he thought that Sarutobi Hiruzen could rely on his planning to let Konoha develop steadily.
But he never expected that Sarutobi Hiruzen would, for his own selfish interests, cause Konoha and the Land of Fire to fall to such a state... he truly deserves to die!
Senju Tobirama did not deliberately lower his voice, so Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and the others heard him clearly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's body trembled, feeling as if he had been stripped naked, overcome with a sense of utter shame.
Shimura Danzo, however, felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Teacher, you didn't choose me back then; this is also your responsibility!
Seeing the effect getting better and better, Uchiha Yuzuru continued: "These four were jealous of the virtuous and capable, suppressing dissidents. To stabilize their power, they persecuted and marginalized the Village's powerhouses, causing a lack of successors in the Village..."
"This is the eighth sin!"
He didn't even need to explain much; everyone was well aware.
Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's rule, Konoha had lost countless geniuses and powerhouses.
The older generation like Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, Tsunade, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Yuzuru, Uzumaki Kushina... and the new generation like Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi, Might Guy... if these people hadn't left Konoha, how could they have been stepped on and mocked by the Ninjas of the Hidden Cloud Village!
"Conducting human experiments, using any means necessary for power, and even using forty thousand living people as sacrifices to activate the Impure World Reincarnation Technique..."
"This is the ninth sin!"
With the corpses on the ground still before their eyes, everyone remained silent.
Faced with such an utterly heartless act, anyone with even a shred of conscience would feel angry.
Those were forty thousand living human beings who died at the hands of their own people... Looking at the pairs of eyes below that were like hungry wolves, even Uchiha Yuzuru couldn't help but be slightly stunned.
If he weren't here to keep order, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Mitokado Homura would likely have been torn to pieces by the angry crowd in an instant.
Clearing his throat, Uchiha Yuzuru said in a deep voice: "Constantly preaching the will of fire, yet unable to lead by example, only using it as a tool for brainwashing."
"Clearly having done so many heartless things, yet pretending to be kind and benevolent."
"Fishing for fame and full of lies!"
"This is the tenth sin!"