"I didn't know about this, and the Elder Council also had no information about it. The ANBU will investigate, and if it's really true, then they will receive their due punishment. But yesterday, former Elder Danzo died, so you can't punish him."
After saying this, Hiruzen sighed, but there was also a slight relief. Fortunately, Danzo had died yesterday, or he would have had to use dirty methods to save him.
"Hmmm
Two decades ago, during the Second Great Ninja War, you started forbidden human experimentation so that a ninja could awaken Wood Release.
But due to the large number of deaths and fear of backlash, you closed it. However, that was only on the surface. The experiments continued for the next two decades until Orochimaru was discovered. Is this true?"
"I did close the forbidden research, but after that, I didn't know about it."
"Hmm, then you surely wouldn't have known how the body of Senju Nawaki, the grandson of the First and Second Hokage, came into Root, right?"
Hearing this, Hiruzen's pupils dilated. Even he didn't know about this. According to what he remembered, Senju Nawaki died one day after his twelfth birthday due to an explosion tag.
His body was mutilated so badly that he was unrecognizable, and the only proof that he was Nawaki was the necklace Tsunade had given him.
CLAP
With another clap, the Uchiha once again distributed the papers to everyone, and everyone became shocked reading them.
First, there were records of Senju clan members dying in the experiments, along with hundreds of other ninjas and civilians. After that was Sarutobi Hiruzen's letter about closing the forbidden research.
Then came records of Senju clan members missing from the battlefield or the village, followed by their state of death in the experiments.
Just reading this, many ninjas with weaker wills felt like vomiting. Then there was information about Senju Nawaki—how his death was planned by Root, and how after his death, his body was taken for further research, believing that with the blood of the First Hokage, the so-called Ninja God, Nawaki might have something special.
Just seeing the list of names of the people who died, people felt as if the sky was falling. They didn't expect that on the bright side of the village, thousands of people were dying just for experiments. Even one of the founding clans of Konoha—the clan that produced two consecutive Hokage—was exterminated like this.
"Hokage-sama, during your reign, the strongest clan in the Ninja world was annihilated. There were many, many novel ways involved as well."
CLAP
With another signal, more papers were distributed.
"Giving wrong missions, or missions with false information, deliberately assigning death missions, kidnapping them for experiments, or just taking advantage of their loyalty to the village to make them death soldiers. In just three to four decades, a clan that was equal to the Uchiha clan got annihilated.
"Now you can't say that you haven't noticed this, as many of the processes here required your will. So, Hokage-sama, is killing fellow villagers still a crime, as I have given you the records and proof of at least thousands of deaths? And this is just the documented ones—for the undocumented, I don't know."
Sarutobi Hiruzen became silent, just looking at the papers, as if trying to find even a bit of falsehood in them so that he could counter Itachi.
Seeing Hiruzen in this state, a ninja who worshipped him like a god became angry.
"You evil Uchiha, do you think just some fake documen—"
Seeing his companion raise his voice to protect his beloved Hokage, another ninja was about to speak as well, but suddenly his companion's voice stopped, and something sprayed onto his face.
When he touched his face with his hand and looked at it, it was red. The ninja became pale and looked sideways toward his companion, only to find that the head was missing from his neck, and blood was spraying out from it.
"D–de… dead, Taruto is dead.
Ki–ki killed by the Uchiha."
Just then, the body of the dead ninja fell to the ground, and a nearby Uchiha slashed his sword downward. The blood slid off the blade, leaving the sword clean once again.
As if this was a signal, the ANBU lunged toward the Uchiha, trying to take revenge for the humiliation of the Hokage. But just then, the three foremost ANBU suddenly stopped and then fell down.
All the ANBU halted and looked toward them, only to find that their necks had been slashed by a sharp weapon. Then, like a blur, a figure appeared in the middle of the empty space.
"Shisui, the Teleporter.
Everyone stop."
But there was no need for the ANBU to say anything, as everyone had already stopped.
Everyone had heard of Shisui's reputation, and it was not built on empty words like the strongest Hokage, but on the blood of enemies.
The ANBU looked toward the place where the ninja clans were gathered, as if saying—why are you standing there? Let's fight and kill the Uchiha.
But the ninja clans did not act as the ANBU wished. They also wanted to hear Sarutobi Hiruzen's answer. If the Senju were the past and the Uchiha were the present, then maybe their clan would be next. They were not blinded by their worship of Hiruzen.
Hiruzen, seeing the deaths of the ANBU and his supporters, became angry, but noticing his lack of support, he knew that fighting the Uchiha was impossible.
Seeing Hiruzen's silence, Itachi understood that he wouldn't say anything—or rather, that he couldn't say anything.
"Hokage-sama, let's forget all these matters. Let's talk about my next crime. Was it unauthorized use of power and fraud?"
"Then, Hokage-sama, is it also a crime?"
But this time, Hiruzen didn't say anything. By now, he understood that Itachi had already done his research, so saying anything—or not saying anything—wouldn't change the situation. It was better to conserve his energy.
"Seven years ago, on the day of the Nine-Tails Tragedy, the Uchiha clan gathered to fight the Nine-Tails. But just when they were about to leave the clan land, Root surrounded the Uchiha clan, and Shimura Danzo, the then Konoha elder, gave the Uchiha clan the order that they couldn't support Konoha.
Is this unauthorized use of power? Because if the Uchiha clan had supported Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, then maybe he wouldn't have had to die."
Hearing this, many ninjas and civilians looked at Hiruzen with confusion.
"That's because the Nine-Tails had the eyes of the Uchiha clan at the beginning, which is only possible when it's controlled by an Uchiha wielding the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Hearing this, all the people present looked at the Uchiha with hatred, as if the Uchiha had killed their beloved Hokage, their friends, and their families.
"Hmm, so that's the case.
Then in the past seven years, have you found any proof of it?
You have kept the Uchiha clan under surveillance for the past seven years. You surely would have at least a few clues about it, right?"
All the civilians and ninjas looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen for his answer, as they also wanted confirmation about the Nine-Tails Tragedy. But Hiruzen didn't reply.
"And the reason the Uchiha were relocated to this barren part of Konoha was because they didn't help the village in fighting the Nine-Tails and thus weren't damaged in the slightest.
The village had to compensate the ninjas who died, and to rebuild the village, money was needed. Thus, the village forced the Uchiha to relocate here and leave their prosperous clan land.
So can I assume that because we listened to Elder Danzo, we had to move from our land, many more deaths happened, and even the Fourth Hokage died?
Then answer me—did Shimura Danzo have the authority to order the Uchiha clan, and if the Uchiha didn't listen, to attack the Uchiha clan?"
Everyone looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with confusion. Itachi's logic was correct. If the Uchiha clan was the culprit, then why, after seven years, hadn't they found even a single clue?
And if they followed Danzo's order, then why were they forced to leave the center of the village and move to a barren area of Konoha? What kind of thinking was this?
"If that's all, then I wouldn't mind, but—"
Clap
With another clap, the Uchiha once again distributed the papers to everyone.
"Why do I see that instead of giving money to the affected people, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans took eighty percent of the property of the Uchiha clan—and even now, it's under them?
Why is it that in the financial report of Compensation and Re-construction I checked for that year, out of three billion ryō, only four hundred million were given to real people, and the rest were given to people whose names I haven't seen or read in the records of Konoha?
"Why is it that the property of the Fourth Hokage and his wife's entire Uzumaki clan property was not given to his son and instead taken over by the Sarutobi clan? Is this not fraud?"
By now, the people present were filled with anger. Except for those living in the delulu that Sarutobi Hiruzen was a god, everyone else was furious after seeing the reports.
Especially many people only now realized that the Fourth Hokage had a child, and that the property of both him and his wife was never given to him, but taken over by the Sarutobi clan members.
To the civilians, although they admired Sarutobi Hiruzen, they admired Minato Namikaze the most. Minato had shined in the Third Great Ninja War and defeated the Cloud Ninja Village and the Earth Ninja Village alone.
Even though he was a commoner, he became the Hokage—a dream every civilian dreamed of.
So they related to Minato the most. But now, seeing that even after Minato sacrificed his life for the village, his child couldn't even inherit his property, they were enraged.
As for Itachi saying the wrong things or giving false documents, they knew it was true just by looking at the face of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama, then let's talk about the incident in the Hidden Rain Vill—"
"Itachi, I understand your sentiments, and it's your right to ask questions, but now is not the perfect time to ask them. Currently, not only the villagers of Konoha are present, but also spies from other villages.
What you are discussing involves confidential matters, and it can't be handed over to others. We will have a special meeting tomorrow, and I will answer all your questions."
"But Hoka—"
"It's okay
"ANBU, retreat."
After saying this, Hiruzen turned around without giving Itachi another moment to say anything and walked toward the Hokage Building in a hurry, as if there were a matter in the Hokage office that would decide the end of the world.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, STOP !!!!."
Just then, a slightly commanding voice rang out.
Hearing this, Hiruzen was stunned. It had been many years since anyone had spoken to him like this. He turned around to see who dared to say such words to him.
Others, also disappointed with the response of their Hokage, looked in the direction of the voice and found two people walking toward them. They recognized one of them.
Fugaku Uchiha—the clan leader of the Uchiha clan.
Hiruzen didn't pay attention to him. Instead, he looked at the other person, his face beginning to sweat slightly.
Daisuke Yoichi—the Finance Minister of the Land of Fire.
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